Far Longer than Forever
Anna wrapped the cloak around herself tighter, curling up even smaller. Her body temperature was falling quickly. Her eyes were wrenched shut, and she wasn't sure whether it was because she was freezing to death or because her heart was in pieces. The sting of betrayal burned worse than the ice covering her heart slowly. Her eyes burned with the tears that had been spilling since he left.
Her thoughts were beginning to meld together, and it became harder to concentrate with each minute that passed by, but was alright to her. She didn't have the strength to focus on the man who left her here to die any more. Her heart would become numb along with her body and she wouldn't have to feel the pain of either anymore.
Her mind wandered to the one who had criticized her engagement right off the bat, laughing bitterly at the thought. Kristoff was right about everything. But still, he must have bought into it at least a little. When they had told us that I needed an act of true love, he took me straight to Hans no question. He thought he was saving her life. He tried to save her life.
She hadn't had much experience with people in her life. The only one she was close to at one point had shut her out and ignored her. She supposed she was quick to close the deal, so it wouldn't give him a chance to get away. She wanted to marry as soon as she could, and then he'd be stuck with her. He wouldn't be able to leave her or shut her out. How foolish of a thought.
But then again, Kristoff had no reason to stay. He had no reason to follow her after a while. Nobody forced him to rush her to his family. Nobody made him rush her to supposed safety. He did it of his own will. He chose to save her. He chose to stay with her. He chose to help her, and then he left her where he thought she'd be happy. Everything he did, he did it for her.
She wondered briefly if this was what love felt like. The warmth in her heart at the thought of him. The butterflies when she thought of how he rushed to save her. She even dared to wonder if love fueled his own actions. Well, there wasn't a harm in the thought if her end was coming anyways. She held onto it and relished in the joy it gave her.
She finally found her somebody. Somebody to finally fill the never ending void of emptiness she searched long and hard to fill: with Elsa and with Hans. At least she was able to hold on to some sort of lasting happiness before she slipped away.
She glanced out the window and shakily crawled towards it, gently pulling herself up onto an armchair beside it and curling up once more. Her eyes immediately fell upon the intense blizzard and the vicious clouds swirling about the palace.
'Elsa…' At least she knew her sister was alive, and fighting back. She had faith that she could overtake him and see through his lies. She was always the wiser of the two; maybe that was in part why she didn't give them her blessing. Maybe she saw through him right away. What a fool she was for not listening.
Another harsh shudder ran through her body and her thoughts halted where they were. She couldn't afford to think negatively anymore. It was too much energy for the usually optimistic girl. Instead she let them drift back to Kristoff, her cracked, pale lips drawn into another smile.
'If I could break this spell, I'd run to him today.' The thought of dashing into his unsuspecting arms filled her with warmth. She wondered what he thought of the intense blizzard over her home; surely he could see it. Hopefully he'd stay far away. That he'd turn around and never look back. She was too far gone; he couldn't save her. But he seemed at least happy before. He could be happy without her, and he'd be happier if he just lived assuming she was alive, happy, and married. She hoped the news of her death would never reach him. He loved her when nobody else would. He deserved to be happy.
Her body started to become numb to the cold, and her eyes slipped shut as she dozed off. It was just too much work to stay awake and she didn't have the will to fight on. Why prolong the inevitable?
Suddenly she was shaken back into consciousness and drew her heavy lids open again.
"Olaf?" She all but whispered. He quickly went to work building the fire for her and drew her closer.
"Anna, don't worry! It'll be alright! Stay with me!" She watched him frantically try to throw blankets on her, watching the water droplets drip down him as he remained near the fire.
"Olaf…. Olaf! It's alright. I'm too far gone. Now get away from the fire: you're melting!" She struggled to raise her shaky voice at him, but he halted none the less and frowned at her.
"What do you mean? You can't give up! Kristoff is coming back for you!" She laughed bitterly before relaxing back, lying down next to the fire. Olaf quickly moved to her side and held her hand.
"Don't fill my heart with empty hopes, Olaf. Hans has done enough of that today," she replied, pain evident in her voice. "Soon, I'll be free. You don't have to worry anymore. The cold won't bother me anymore." His expression dropped. She had lost hope.
"Anna, I'm serious. He loves you, and I know for a fact he's coming. Look out the window and see for yourself! He's battling that blizzard trying to find you!" Her eyes widened the tiniest bit, and she shakily scrambled to the window with renewed strength. She fell back into the arm chair and leaned forward, squinting to see through the white haze swirling all around them. Finally her eyes fell upon him, racing through the snow towards the castle. She gasped and brought a hand to cover her mouth.
"He came back…" She wasn't sure if her voice was shaking due to her weakness, or in shock, hope, and overwhelming joy. Even if he wouldn't make it in time, he was coming for her. He really did love her; she didn't have to pretend.
"Well of course he came back! Come on, let's hurry! You're running out of time!" She pulled herself up to her feet on shaky knees, and began stumbling out the door after her friend. She felt renewed with a fire to get to him. Hope filled her as she trekked through the familiar castle. Another shudder wracked her body, coughing violently as her lungs began to freeze up. She fell to her knees, but quickly righted herself.
'No, I have to make it to him!' Even if she didn't make it out of this mess, he had to know. He had to know that it was him, and it would always be him. The only exposure she had to this sort of love was in the silly books she buried her lonely head in when she was growing up, but she couldn't help but feel like they were meant to be. She didn't care how unrealistic it seemed, or how naïve people would think her. Here and now, this feeling was burning inside of her was too real to simply be cast aside. Perhaps he would grow to love another, if he even felt the same in the first place, but to her it would always be her and him for the rest of eternity. All she needed was to see him one last time.
She got to the door and nearly fell out it, violent shivers running through her core as the wind from outside hit her once more. She closed her eyes briefly and pictured herself with Kristoff, joking around as usual. He was a constant source of life in her life lately, like a star. Opening them once more, she reminded herself who she was trying to get to and fought the wind and the snow. It was almost like he was there with her, guiding her along. He was her strength, even though they were still apart.
"Kristoff!" Her voice cracked from the weakness, and she couldn't will the cry to be very loud, but she had to try. Even speaking his name gave her strength as her legs shook and her balance was shaken. She felt a painful bite at her hands, and looked down to see them freezing up, but she pressed on. She couldn't give up now, not with this passion alive within her, so she cried out again with desperation screaming in her voice. "Kristoff!"
"Anna!" She heard him reply, worry ringing in his voice and was nearly taken off her feet as the wind and the snow dissipated around them. As quickly as the haze had gone, her gaze fell upon him. He found her just as quickly, relief running across his features as she pulled her discolored lips into a true smile. She took a few shaking steps forward before another violent shiver ran through her, coughing intensely. Her time was coming. The moment he laid eyes on her weak appearance, he ran towards her, quickly closing the distance. She clutched the icy ground below her, attempting to support her weight as her strength was drained. Soon, she didn't have to support herself anymore as strong, warm arms enveloped her and held her close. As the coughing spell left her, she gazed up at him with love shining in her eyes, despite the way they were slowly glazing over.
"I'm so glad you came back. I'm happy I got to see you one last time. Hans… He betrayed us, and left me to die in the cold dark. I guess you were right. Gotta trust a man with love experts as friends, huh?" Her words were shaking, and a pained lopsided smile pressed itself into her face. Her voice was hoarse, and it pained her to speak but she couldn't stop now. As she mentioned Hans, anger flashed dangerously through his eyes as his resolve settled. For now, though, he simply held her closer to his chest, cradling her freezing body.
"Shhhh, shh, shh. You don't have to explain anything to me, Anna. I…. I don't know what else to do…" His own voice cracked as his expression gave away how lost he truly felt. He couldn't lose her.
"It'll be alright, Kristoff. Just listen to me," she soothed. It wasn't right. He was supposed to be comforting and helping her. "I'm so thankful for everything you've done for me. You were the friend I never had before. And, even though it's silly, and I got myself into trouble before, Kristoff, I love you. It's more than just sharing interests, it's the deep longing to be with you. The truth in my heart that I would give my life for yours. I'm so happy I got to know you, Kristoff."
His heart stopped cold at her words. Love? She loved him? Him, the person who'd rather wander a blizzard with a reindeer than go to a party and meet some new people? His eyes began to fill with tears.
"Anna, you are the best thing that's ever happened to me. The only one to thaw my own frozen heart. I can't lose you, not yet. Our bond is unshakable, sure as the dawn meets the sunrise. Destined to last for a lifetime, and beyond, but I'm not ready for the second half yet. Stay with me, Anna. I love you." Desperation colored his rough voice, and without even thinking twice he leaned in and pressed his lips against her broken ones. He felt her reciprocate the pressure only slightly, and he found himself filled with hope until slowly the pressure faded and she went even colder. He pulled back in shock as her body became covered in ice slowly. She was gone.
"No…" His teeth ground together as his shaking hands gently laid her down. He knelt down beside her, roughly grabbing at his hair with both hands, trembling. Without warning, he released a cry to the heavens. "NO!"
"You bring her back! That was an act of true love! Please, she's all I've got!" He didn't even know who he was screaming to, filled with a blind rage of white-hot anger. The agony that ripped through him was worse than the death she had face. He fell to his knees again, and felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He glanced up with a broken expression at the crumbling expression of her sister, Elsa. She fell to the ground beside him, wrapping her arms around her sister and burying her face in her frozen chest. He placed a hand on her shoulder, his own silent tears cascading down his dirt encrusted cheeks.
He slid around and lifted her body slightly, laying her head in his lap. Her personality, her fire: she was too warm a person to possibly be this cold. It couldn't be real. He wasn't sure if it was the cold around him, or the feeling of his broken heart, but he was numb to anything. Closed off to the world. This was exactly why he wasn't meant to be close to people. They always let him down in the end; always left him.
'Anna…' He gently caressed her icy face. Her beauty shone even through the cold reality that stung them all. 'I'll never love another the way that I did, you. I swear that I'll be true to you, far longer than forever. I survived well enough on my own before. I'll continue to survive. I swear, someday I'll find you. I love you…' He silently spoke to her, praying to whoever would listen that she got his message before gently leaning down and gently pressing his lips to her forehead. He remained there for a moment, tear drops falling on her face as he nearly lost his composure. How did this silly little spitfire of a girl weasel her way into his frozen heart. He made another vow never to become close to another again, prepared to live a life of solitude once more.
They stayed like that for a few more moments, before he was nearly blinded by the light and warmth that emanated from his one and only. He looked with wide tear-filled eyes as her entire body glowed, her sister looking on with a similar expression. He was hesitant to accept the feeling that threatened to take him over: the feeling of hope. He couldn't bear to lose her again. He watched with bated breath, as the ice quickly melted from her frame and he felt the heat radiating off of her once more. He was almost afraid to breath; scared that one wrong move and it could all fall apart again, but the rosy color he came to love filled her freckled cheeks once more. She opened her eyes in a daze, unfocused at first. Slowly they glanced up at him, and then moved to her sister. Elsa looked like a deer in the headlights, frozen where she sat as she took in the sight of her very alive sister. She could scarcely believe it.
"Hey Elsa… Do you wanna build a snowman?" She couldn't contain the grin that overcame her as her usually composed sister threw herself back into her, laughing and crying tears of joy. Anna gently wrapped her arms around her, and kissed the top of her head, before returning her gaze to his own. One last tear fell from his eyes as he gently caressed her face. She leaned into his warm hand and smiled warmly at him.
"I spent my entire life, dreaming of what love might look like and never imagining that I could ever find it for myself. And here I am, lucky enough to have found the strongest love there is from two unexpected sources. I guess our love is much stronger than forever, huh?" She held her sister tighter with one arm, and reached up to caress his face. He let out the breath he didn't know he was holding, and every muscle in his body relaxed.
"Hey now, don't get all sappy on me. You promised me a new sled." She lightly smacked him in the face as he threw a lopsided grin her way, but the expression on her face shone with the playful fire he fell in love with. "But… I got a message from my love expert friends while you were sleeping. I guess they seem to think that we're quite the pair. I guess love can shine after only a couple of days, huh?"
He moved around her and leaned down, gazing into her perfect eyes before they slid shut and he kissed her, relishing in the warmth he felt when she kissed him back. When he finally withdrew, he helped her sit up, her sister on one side and him on the other, and she wrapped an arm around each.
"I love you both, like no love ever known." They grinned back at her and she drew them both closer, hugging them close.
"And with your love I'll never be alone."