By the time the blazing morning sun had begun peering over the horizon, the little boy had already thrust open the window and stood staring in complete awe and wonder out at the fjord. With tired eyes he watched as the sun seemed to slowly emerge from the crystal blue waters and rise between the green forested mountains. Today was the day he had been waiting for for a very long time, and pure excitement swam violently through his veins. There was no more time to waste.
He quickly slipped on a clean shirt, pants, and his new boots his mother had given him. Being as quiet as he possibly could, he tip-toed over the scattered toys that were strung unevenly across the floor. In the tiny, pink-flowered sheeted bed across from his own, his sister stirred. She was always a complete grouch whenever he accidentally woke her up, so he tried to be extra quiet. Once he managed to get out of the room in peace, he couldn't hold it anymore. He sprinted down the palace hall, practically leaving a trail of smoke floating in the faces of the portraits on the walls.
He quickly dashed into the kitchen, where the servants had just begun making breakfast. "Good morning, Joseff." They each said to him, admiring his early excitement. He grabbed the old wooden stool that stood next to the fireplace and marched to the table. Climbing on top, he reached for the top shelf of the cupboard, stretching his little arms as far as they could go. Gerda, one of the maids, couldn't help but smile at his innocent determination. She took it upon herself to open the cupboard door for the young prince, and she took out a bag of fresh carrots and handed them to him. "Is this what you're looking for?"
"Ah hah!" Joseff gasped joyously. "Thank you thank you thank you!" He grabbed the bag, leapt off the stool, and ran out the door.
"Such a sweet boy, he is." Gerda said. "And such an early riser too."
"He takes after his mother," another servant, Kai, exclaimed. "He's always so excited."
"Well he has reason to be today, remember?" the cook, Arvid, said as he began breakfast. "Remember what his father promised him?"
"How could we all forget? The little guy's been mentioning for days abo…" but before he could finish, they all heard the same small voice and running footsteps that grew louder each second. Joseff ran past the door- now dragging a small round of rope and clothing behind him- yelling enthusiastically, "sleigh ride sleigh ride sleigh ride!"
"You see?" Arvid said.
….
Sven slept soundly in the stables. All was calm and quiet, and he lay in the fresh, sunbaked hay in complete and utter bliss. After they had gotten married, Kristoff and Anna made it their primary duty to make sure Sven had a comfortable place of his own. He shared the barn with the horses, but was given a "special" stable especially for him- one that was adorned with a certain silver Arendelle Ice Master and Gatherer medal. The other horses took a liking for him, and wherever Kristoff went, so did Sven- that was one thing that never changed.
Suddenly his sleep with interrupted by the sound of a squeaky door. Still a bit groggy, Sven yawned and stood up in his stable. He looked over the door to find Joseff wielding the sack of carrots. In an instant, Sven felt completely awake and hungry.
"Morning, Sven." Joseff said. Sven watched anxiously has the little boy practically dove into the bag and grabbed a large carrot. He handed it to Sven, and within two seconds it gone entirely. "Are you ready for today? My daddy's finally going to take me up to the mountains and teach me how to harvest ice! It's gonna be my first time being all the way up there in the mountains! I'm so excited I'm gonna burst like a bubble!"
Sven laughed to himself. He had always loved Joseff, and not just because he had a tendency to feed him more carrots than necessary. He was basically a mini-me version of Kristoff, and was equally as friendly and fun.
"Say, if you help me get the sled out, then I'll let you have an all-you-can-eat buffet right heeeere!" Joseff shook the bag and flashed a devilish grin. Sven's eyes glanced from Joseff, to the bag, and then back to Joseff, contemplating on what to do. But how could he possibly say no?
….
By the time that Josef has finished his own preparations, it was officially morning and the sun was at its highest. His parents were still sound asleep, the curtains still drawn shut. All dressed in his winter uniform, he crept silently over to his mother. He gently tucked at her hair, which was knotted into a huge mess which made her seem almost unrecognizable.
"Mom." He cooed. "Mommy wake up." She mumbled something in response, but Joseff wasn't able to make it out clearly so gave up and walked over to the other side of the bed. He poked his father's arm.
"Dad. Daddy." He then attempted to shake him, but Kristoff was so massive it didn't help much. Joseff climbed over him- which was as difficult as climbing a real mountain- and sat on his knees in between his drowsy, intertwined parents.
"Daddy wake up." He shook him with more vigor. "Come on, Dad, you promised."
"W-Wait…W-What?" Kristoff slowly surfaced. He felt his shoulders shaking, and once the image of Joseff came into focus, he realized what was happening. "Oh no," he moaned. "It's today isn't it?" He had completely forgotten.
Joseff leaned against his mother's back and pushed his feet against Kristoff's legs, trying to get him out of the bed. "The day you promised!" Joseff grunted dramatically. "The best day ever! The day we go to the mountains!"
"Can't it wait until tomorrow?"
"But that's what you said yesterday. And the day before that. And the day before that one too! I cannot wait any longer! The thrill of adventure awaits me! I can feel it in my toes."
"Don't you mean 'feel it in my bones'?" Anna grumbled, her face buried underneath the pillow.
"What's the difference?" Joseff said. "Please, Daddy?" Then he did something that usually worked, and certain weakness that Kristoff still hadn't been able to shake off. Along with a fearless and adventurous nature, Joseff also had his mother's blue eyes. Joseff tucked his top lip into the button, successfully creating the pleading pout that Kristoff had never been able to say no to. For a second, all was quiet.
"Wait a minute," Kristoff suddenly realized. "You already got out the sled didn't you?"
"Yes I did."
"You woke up Sven didn't you?
"Yes I did."
"And you set the gear out again didn't you?"
"I assume the answer is yes." Anna exclaimed from beneath the pillow. Kristoff smiled and ran his hand through his son's hair.
"Okay, buddy." He said happily. Joseff was thrilled, and pushed once more against his father's legs, both from joyous excitement and him wanting Kristoff to get up faster. Though he wasn't able to push for much longer. His back fell completely on the bed, as Anna fell face-first onto the hard, cold floor with a loud thud!
"Ow!" she exclaimed.
"Whoops." Kristoff winced. "We're in trouble."
So this isn't going to be a super long story, but it will contain a couple chapters. Feel free to review and don't be afraid to say what you think should happen or what you want me to write more about! The characters of Anna and Kristoff's children are inspired by the artwork by "frozenmusings".