My first ever frozen fan fiction. Enjoy!
Anna cursed and quickly pulled her pillow over her head. Her eyes were watering as she tried to keep them shut as tightly as she physically could. Her hands were covering her ears and as much as she wanted to sob she stayed quiet. Elsa wasn't the only royal sister that had to conceal not feel. She had been doing the same since she was young, hiding her fear of thunderstorms from everyone except her parents and Elsa.
It was very un-princess-like to fear anything let alone something that couldn't harm her within the walls of her home. So since she was young she hadn't spoken a word about it to anyone but her loving parents and loving sister who in her days of isolation had likely completely forgotten about her little sister's fear. "It had to be a thunderstorm." She said quietly to herself, her tear soaked face pressing against the sheets of her bed, muffling the noise. "Why can't we just have rain? Why does there always seem to be a storm with lightning and thunder here?"
She took a deep breath trying to be brave as she attempted to lie on her bed properly. Usually she wasn't one for appearances and wouldn't care if a maid found her cowering below her pillow in the morning, but Kristoff had finally given in to her pleading and had moved into the castle. He had only been living there for a few weeks and Anna was not ready from him to think of her as a coward. She wanted him to think of her as highly as she thought of him. To do that she knew that she would have to be tough and so she flipped herself over, put her head on the pillow and opened her eyes.
Her room was dark and she could hear the rain and wind slapping at her window violently. Rain had never bothered her, in fact as a child she used to enjoy running outside and into the warm summer rain. This thought it was indeed summer, was not warm or enjoyable. She was taking a deep breath as there was another booming crash of thunder and a flash of lightning that looked as if it had struck directly outside her window. The breath she had been taking in hitched in her throat as she began to scream out in sheer terror. She clamped a hand over her mouth and dove under the covers of her bed as tears streamed down her face. She was not brave. She tried and failed to be tough in the face of fear, and the only thing she had succeeded in doing was likely waking up half the castle. She curled up and into a ball beneath the covers and swore to herself that she would not come out again until the storm ended or she was forced.
She heard another slam, this time coming from the opposite side of the room. She wriggled down into the blankets a little more, embarrassed with herself. She knew the sound, and knew of course that it was her door opening and striking the wall.
"Anna!" Kristoff shouted full of worry as he entered the room. He was only half dressed, but he had heard her scream and he needed to make sure that she was okay, especially after everything involving Hans. His eyes scanned the room again, but he did not see her. "Anna!" He shouted again, "Where are you?"
Anna whimpered lightly feeling both fearful and embarrassed. The storm was still howling and raging outside, but it was nothing compared to the cacophony that was taking place in her mind. "I'm… I'm here." She was finally able to choke out moving her hand from beneath the blankets to wave him over to her. She hated making him worry.
Kristoff rushed over to Anna's bed and saw that what he had originally thought was a pile of blankets was in fact Anna balled up beneath the covers of her bed. He quickly removed them from her, hastily pulling her up to him so that he could look her over. Her blood curdling scream was still playing in his head on repeat. She had been so afraid and now he needed to know why. "Anna are you alright?" He asked quickly as he looked her over again and again. "Are you hurt?"
Anna pulled away from him, but only slightly. Her face was scarlet with embarrassment. "I'm okay…I'm not hurt." She said softly. She hated the thought that she was worrying him for no reason.
Kristoff all but sighed in relief. "I heard you scream." He looked at her with his eyes full of concern. "I thought that…"
Anna tried to calm herself. "You thought that what?" She asked once she finally regained control over her emotions.
Kristoff grabbed her gently, "I thought that you were hurt, or that someone was taking you away or that something bad was happening to you." He looked her over once more then sighed; glad to know that she was alright.
There was a moment of silence between them during which Anna opened her mouth as if to speak but no words came out, only a scream elicited by another sudden burst of lightning. It was a high and shrieking type of scream and as she shouted Kristoff could all but feel her fear.
"Anna!" Kristoff said as she tried to jump away. He could tell she was terrified but he wasn't going to let her run away, he didn't want her to be scared. He climbed up onto her bed and pulled her to him. There was another flash of lightning and he squeezed her tight as she squirmed against him. He brought her as close to him as he could and hushed her gently as the storm blasted and crashed outside her window. "Anna, shhhh… it's okay." He whispered in her ear trying to take her focus off the storm. "Anna…" He said as she continued to cry and squirm around in his arms. "Anna please…"
There was another roll of thunder and Kristoff knew what would come next. He needed to calm her down before she freaked out more and hurt herself. He pulled her in even closer, closer than he could ever imagine being to another person, and kissed her. The lightning flashed. Her lips were soft and as they kissed they seemed to soften further. She didn't fight him anymore and instead melted into his arms. She was taking her mind off the storm and then redirecting and focusing her full attention on Kristoff. She kissed him back gently, tentatively, and then slowly she made her kiss more forceful. She still feared the storm outside, but Kristoff had calmed her and made her feel safe. The storm had given her energy fueled by fear created adrenaline and now that she had it she planned to use it.
They kissed each other with a matched passion and intensity as Kristoff gently pushed her down onto the bed. He followed her down, not breaking the kiss as the wind and rain beat against the window. Anna tangled a hand into his messy blonde hair and took a sharp breath in as Kristoff broke off the kiss.
He smiled down at Anna who, as he knew, could be quite wild with her affections. She was blushing red now. There were still tears in her eyes but they weren't falling at the present and he was glad that she seemed to have calmed down a bit.
Anna looked up at Kristoff; he was laying over her with nothing but love in his eyes. She was embarrassed for letting her façade slip so drastically and letting her fear show. She tried so hard to be brave, especially in front of him. She could jump off cliffs, brave blizzards, and fight off wolves, but she could not keep her head during a thunderstorm. She didn't want to seem like some silly little princess to him, she wanted to be seen as brave and strong in his eyes.
Kristoff turned so that he lay next to Anna, and then pulled her up and onto his chest. There was another roll of thunder, more lightning, and the rain was falling as hard as it had been. He could hear it drumming against the window, the stones of the wall, and the flagstones of the castle's courtyard. He knew she was still scared, but that was okay, he was too.
"Anna." He said softly as he combed his fingers through her hair. "It's okay to be afraid. Everyone is afraid of something." He nuzzled her gently and kissed into her hair.
"No, it's not okay." She said flatly in response. "I'm sorry I woke you up over something so stupid." She was upset, but it was hard to stay that way being that he was doing a very good job of comforting her. She could feel the heat of his bare chest on her back through the thin silk of her nightgown and she couldn't help but to enjoy the way he was holding her and kissing the back of her head.
He shifted slightly on the bed and made himself more comfortable as Anna turned on top of him. "I don't think so and I wasn't asleep." He replied as he looked down at her. "Truthfully I hate thunderstorms too. They used to terrify me when I was little and now that I'm older they still bother me."
Anna sighed; she was both hopeful and skeptical. "You're just saying that…"
Kristoff chuckled a little in a warm way. "No really. Trust me. You can even ask Sven, it's always scared me. When I was little during thunderstorms I used to scream myself hoarse or until I couldn't scream any more. Gran Papi was the one who taught me that it wasn't nearly as scary as I had thought. He was always good at giving advice like that, but even he couldn't take the fear completely away. It's still there, not nearly as bad as it was, but still there never the less."
Anna smiled softly, he was telling her the truth and it made her fear dissipate. Kristoff was there for her, watching over her in the storm which they had both been unable to sleep in. He cared enough to tell her about his fear, and in return she would tell him about hers. "I was terrified of them when I was a kid. I used to climb into be with my parents or Elsa but when Elsa shut me out I wasn't able to hide anymore so I had to hide my fear instead… then my parents died at sea during a thunderstorm and the fear came back even worse. It's been terrifying ever since then and I haven't known what to do."
Kristoff understood how she felt and knew she was doing the best she could. She was doing quite well now however, due in no small part to his appearance and reassurance. He snuggled her and tried to keep her as calm as possible. "I'm sorry that you had to go through all of that without anyone Anna." His voice was soft and gentle but above all it was genuine. He knew what it was like to lose parents.
"It's okay." She replied in a voice so low and mousey that he could barely hear it over the sound of rain. "I'm not alone now."
He smiled at her words. "No you're not and neither am I." He began to play with loose strands of her red hair. "In fact little did I know, once I accepted those climbing tools and carrots all those months ago, that I would never be alone ever again."
Anna laughed at him. "Hey I gave you plenty of chances to leave me and never return."
She was teasing him back, a good thing. "Not really feisty pants, you said that I could leave, but we both know that in all seriousness I couldn't. From the moment I agreed to take you up the North Mountain there was no escape for me."
Anna rolled over on his chest and shifted until she could kiss him. They had become far more comfortable with stealing kisses as of late, but Anna still got butterflies every time they kissed. He was perfect for her. "You're right. If you tried to run right now I'd set the guards out after you. Can't you imagine it? Posters all over the kingdom reading 'Kristoff Bjorgman wanted by the crown princess of Arendelle for crimes against the crown. Wanted alive with a reward of one hundred speciedalers."
He chuckled, "What crime, and am I only worth one hundred to you?"
"The crime of leaving me after you've become the only man I can trust." He gave him a loving gaze, neither of them had ever outright said that they loved the other, but they soon would, and in moments like this even though unspoken, it was obvious. "As far as the hundred, you know I'd completely empty the kingdom's coffers and relinquish the crown if it meant having you."
Lightning burst through the sky and Kristoff felt Anna stiffen, but otherwise she seemed composed and focused on only him. "Okay, how about we make a deal?" He asked as he covered them both with a blanket.
Anna snuggled up under the light blanket he had lain over the both of them. She hadn't even realized that she was cold until he put it there and she suddenly felt better. She took a moment to compose herself and get into "princess mode" so that she could debate the terms of his agreement freely. "I'm listening." She finally replied with a false regal air which she used to try to seem serious when in reality it just made her all the more silly and all the more Anna.
"How about I agree to stay with you forever, only leaving for work or necessities, but in return you have to come to me or have me come to you anytime you are feeling scared, especially if there's a storm."
Anna smiled; he wasn't looking to make a true deal he was looking only to make her happy. She appreciated it greatly and extended a hand to his so that they could shake on their deal.
Shake on it they did, and afterwards Kristoff shared with Anna that on stormy nights he liked to listen to the rain fall. "It's like a lullaby that you can focus on instead of the thunder and lightning." He explained as he negotiated his way through the blankets and shifted them in order to get them both settled below them. When he finished moving he found Anna, who of course could sleep anywhere, curled up sound asleep on his chest. He wouldn't leave her that night, nor did he leave until the next morning after she had awoken to find that the storm had died in the night.
When she awoke she was an absolute mess, and absolutely beautiful mess. With the storm gone he finally left her, but not before he kissed her good morning and gently whispered " I love you" into her ear.
When he left the room, he smiled. There was nothing quite like Anna's quiet sleepy murmur in reply to his words. Muffled by blankets and as discreet as it was he heard it. "I love you too."
Depending on how people react to this story I may begin to write regularly for this pairing an Frozen in itself. Let me know, I love reviews, short or long!