The poor girl was shaking uncontrollably in Kristoff's arms and he could feel her icy breath against his neck and chin. Gulping, the ice harvester dared to look down, terrified at what he might see.
She still looked like Anna. Her eyes were still that beautiful shade of blue, her lips still a rosy pink, and though she was growing weaker, they still held that constantly upturned smile. She shivered harshly, very suddenly. I have to keep her warm, she has to stay warm. So Kristoff did the only thing he could think of in that moment and put his hat on her head, shielding her hair. Oh she looks so sweet in that hat. No, stop, don't think.

"Just hang in there okay?" he told her, before urging Sven onwards. Sven was reaching his limit already. But the palace was in sight "Come on, buddy, faster!"

Kristoff felt the reindeer speed up ever so slightly. Olaf struggled to keep control as he slid along beside them. He hit a rock beneath the snow and veered off course.

"Meet you guys at the castle!" he called, disappearing in to a housed area on the outskirts of Arendelle.

"Stay out of sight, Olaf!" Kristoff called, presuming Elsa had never made any talking snowmen roam the town before, not to his recollection anyway.

Even now, Anna was still getting colder. He didn't think it was possible. The blond dared look down again and she was still Anna, except… was she a little paler?
Oh no, we're not going to make it. This is it. Don't you dare, Anna! Don't you leave us! Don't leave me! STOP IT KRISTOFF!

Sven's hooves finally left the snow and hit cobbles. They were on the bridge leading to the gates of the palace. As always, they were closed. Now Kristoff had to think. How was he supposed to get her inside?

"It's Princess Anna!" a guard called, somewhere out of his vision. Someone had seen us coming. Thank god!
Sven skidded to a halt at the gates and Kristoff dismounted, taking Anna with him in his arms. She looked up at him with concern in her eyes before forcing out the words "Are you g-gonna be okay?"
Here she was, the Princess of Arendelle on her deathbed, worrying about other people.

"Don't worry about me" he said, trying to reassure her.
It was time to say goodbye as Kristoff walked toward the gate. He couldn't do it, he couldn't say the words. Of course there would be no way to see her again. Hans would heal her with his kiss and they would be wed. There was not a chance in hell that a married princess would be allowed to skip off into the forest with a lowly ice harvester. Nobody would ever allow it. Especially now Elsa was gone, hiding in her ice castle. That would make Anna the new queen.
The gates were opening. Kristoff set Anna on her feet and he opened his mouth. But before any words came out three servants came rushing out of the palace to greet them.

"ANNA! Oh you had us worried sick!" cried the taller of the two female servants.
"My lady, you are freezing" The short, round male spoke putting an arm around the princess and ushering her forward.
Whatever was said next was lost in a roaring sound in Kristoff's ears. He had to tell them, to make them understand!

"Get her warm, and find Prince Han's immediately!" he managed to keep his voice in control as he watched Anna being led away from him. The male servant turned back to him.
"We will, thank you!" he said.
The gates were closing, as Anna turned back to look at him once more. I should go with her. I have to protect her. They don't know what's happened to her in there. She might not be able to explain.

"Make sure she's safe!" Kristoff called, as the gates slammed shut in front of him. Too late.
Coward.

There's nothing you can do now. If you go storming in there, demanding to stay close to the princess, imagine how bad that's going to look? Hans would question it. She wouldn't get that kiss and it will be too late. She will perish if I stay.

Kristoff sighed and turned away from the castle, heading slowly back up the road, towards the forest. His mind was a raging battle.

You're really walking away? You're actually going to leave her behind. This Hans is bad news and you know it. Why would he propose to a girl he just met; and a princess at that?
Stop it, you moron, you're just jealous he got there first. Besides, who wouldn't want to be with Anna? She's beautiful, funny, clever, kind, a little clumsy and absolutely fearless. She's the perfect woman. Hans probably saw all that too and knew she was the one.
But he's a prince, he could have anyone. Why did it have to be her? What was I left with? I had a shot at happiness, at embracing someone else in my life, another human being at that! Sure, Sven's great, the best friend I've ever had, but he couldn't make me smile the way she could. He couldn't make me feel like I was floating ten feet off the ground.

Kristoff kept walking and walking, and with every step he felt a little more of the warmth Anna had made him feel over the last few days just ebb away. Soon he would be nothing more than the lone ice harvester again. Of course, he had to leave Arendelle. He couldn't stay here and watch her marry another man, or stay in the kingdom while they celebrated the birth of their children. He had to get as far from here as possible. He glanced at Sven who was lagging behind, his head bowed towards to ground and he was whining softly. Was the reindeer weeping? Is that even possible?
The plan was forming in Kristoff's mind. He was already heading back to the Valley of the Living Rock. Boy, he was going to have to answer a lot of awkward questions, and probably getting a stern telling off from his adoptive family for being a coward. But when Sven was well rested, they would take off, far across the mountains, just the two of them and live in solitude, harvesting ice and eating carrots. The plan sounded thrilling.

What else could he do though? Barge in and steal her back? No, that wasn't right. It wasn't fair.

Fair. Kristoff snorted. None of this was fair. Fair would be Anna skipping through the woods, single and care free, her sister still sitting on her throne with no ice powers, and getting to bump into Anna innocently on a warm sunny day. But no, the queen had magical powers, she froze her own sister's heart, albeit by accident, and now Anna was doomed to become solid ice unless she kissed the man she met a matter of hours before she stumbled right into that trading post.

There was a thundering of hooves suddenly and Sven appeared in front of him, glaring into his eyes.

"What is it, buddy?" Kristoff asked, completely disheartened.
Sven moved towards Kristoff, baring his antlers. This was not normal behaviour for the reindeer and it alarmed him.
"Hey, watch it! What's wrong with you?"
Sven snorted fiercely and brayed, nudging Kristoff backwards, back towards the town. Kristoff knew what he was getting at. But there was no way he was putting his neck on the line like that. Anna had made her choice.

"I don't understand you when you talk like that" he told the reindeer, avoiding the awkward discussion.
Sven wasn't having any of it. He scooped Kristoff up in his antlers and began carrying him back down the hill. Kristoff fought against the animal, and he wasn't going to lie, the antlers hurt. But Sven got the message and dropped him on the floor.
"No, Sven! We're not going back!" Kristoff shouted "She's with her true love!"

The reindeer stared into his face, raising his eyebrows. Kristoff wasn't stupid. He had heard the reluctance in her voice when he told her they had to get back to Hans. He had seen the nervous smiles and glances his way, because he'd been doing them too. If Hans really was her true love, she would not have been glancing back. He was torn between the fear of rejection and the fear of losing the girl he was completely crazy about. She would not get out of his head. Her laugh, her smile, her eyes, her lips, her hair, everything! He was in love and he knew it.

He turned back to look at the place his eyes had been avoiding. A huge wind blew suddenly and threatening snow clouds formed around the palace. Something was very, very wrong.

"Anna!" he gasped, making the decision and sprinting back down the hill. Sven caught up immediately and Kristoff jumped onto the reindeers back, galloping back towards Arendelle.