Author's Note: Couldn't sleep one night at all, only got, like, 2 hours of sleep at the most. Read a couple of Kristanna fics posted on fortkristanna. Wished I could make up my own little drabble, since all I've written are chapters not ficlets. Growled at Birger for stubbornly wishing to be in whatever ficlet I ended up writing. Had an epiphany, and Birger's a smug dork. Wrote the entire thing in my head as I lay in my bed, wrote it on Word the next day.
My first drabble, and my first headcanon! Booyah!
Partially inspired by Brother Bear and that-one-Kristanna-fanfic-where-Anna-turned-out-to-literally-be-Kristoff's-dream-girl-I-can't-remember-its-name
WARNING: I literally made myself cry at the end of this.


Anna had dreamed many a thing in her younger years. Whether silly little wishes, or oddly deep stuff, they were far from short supply. But of all of her dreams, what had once been Anna's personal favorite, was her dream big brother.

Almost an imaginary friend by all means, he'd been around for most of her life. It was Anna's own personal wish she'd never told anyone, not even Elsa (out of the sweet fear she'd upset her). Because he only existed in Anna's mind, he was always there for her.

Take the day of the Accident and the isolation that resulted for example. As Anna tried harder and harder to get Elsa to come out and play, with little success, her "big brother" was one of the few ways she kept herself occupied. And as Anna grew older, she began further molding the dream brother she'd always imagined.

He'd take after papa, with the strawberry blonde hair, but share mama's blue eyes, just like she and Elsa did. For the longest time, that was it. But as Anna grew, her 'brother' grew to match. As he got older, he'd look even more like papa, with a strong jaw and kinda-sorta wavy hair. But he needed to look like mama too, with big eyes, so as to hold all the love Anna imagined he'd have in them.

He'd be tall, he'd be strong, and he'd love Anna and Elsa with all his heart. He'd get all overprotective and jealous, interrogating their suitors at every turn. He'd play all day with them, and hug them when they needed it. If they had nightmares, he'd come running, maybe even spend the night so they felt better. He'd always build a snowman, always join in snowball fights, and would build the best snow forts.

This image that Anna envisioned of a big brother was perfect. There was only one flaw. He wasn't real. He'd never be real. He was only a dream, a fantasy that Anna clung to with all her strength. Eventually though, like all imaginary friends, she grew out of him. He sank back in the back of her mind where Anna never saw him again.

That is, until the day the King and Queen left on a two-week long trip and never came back.

Following the funeral, and following one more attempt at Elsa's company, Anna found herself more alone than ever. Elsa wouldn't talk to her, everyone else was too busy offering condolences, and Anna was too emotionally taxed to talk to the paintings on the wall.

That night as she laid in bed, Anna began to wonder how she'd survive. Then she remembered she'd had an imaginary friend, hadn't she? No, he'd been more than that. So with that, her 'brother' had been revitalized, returning a grown man to fit the present. The fantasy of someone, anyone, even a dream hugging her, helped Anna sleep that night.

But three years later, as Elsa's coronation grew close, the anticipation of having flesh-and-blood relationships once again overshadowed Anna's "big brother". Getting beyond the castle gates, meeting Hans, actually speaking with her sister after so long. Then of course, Elsa's powers were revealed, and a whole slew of craziness followed.

It was with every good reason Anna's 'big brother' seemingly vanished from memory. He'd been formed to fill the void that threatened her during the isolation. But now, Anna not only had her sister back and the gates open...she had a chance at true love, if all went well with Kristoff.

Neither did it help when they found the Frost Dragon, later named Birger by her. The young beast proved himself a friend, loyal companion, and in no time, a beloved guardian of the kingdom. It was in Birger, that one fateful day, Anna had a revelation.


There she was, lounging on the highest roof in the castle. It was probably the sunniest day of the year, a perfect summer moment. Elsa was, of course, inside working; though the day was so flawless Anna had made her promise to have a picnic or something. She'd succeeded, and now had but to wait until her sister was finished.

Anna took in a deep breath through the nose, reveling in the scent. She could hear birds chirping in the garden, the horses nickering and neighing down in the stables, and faintly hear the bustle of the marketplace. Smiling, Anna thought for sure nothing could ruin this perfect day.

Then, she heard a man yell in alarm, effectively ruining her mood.

Anna sat up with a start, then wavered, nearly falling off. Getting her balance back, she looked down and around for the source of the yell. It sounded like it came just from the courtyard. And actually, come to think of it...it sounded like...

"Kristoff!?" Anna questioned out loud.

After much sliding, climbing, and a couple of close calls, Anna finally made it to the balcony she'd started from previously. Sprinting her way through the halls, Anna hurried to get to the courtyard. It didn't take too long, thank goodness, till she pushed the front doors open.

Anna looked around in a fuss, trying to find the source of the yell and see if it really was Kristoff. It wasn't until she heard another yell that her attention was brought to the far side of the courtyard to Anna's right. But all she saw was Birger's big white, fluffy butt. Anna frowned in confusion before noticing Birger's posture. He was in a prowling stance, and he was right up at the wall.

A panicked yell that sounded like Kristoff; Birger glaring at a wall as if eyeing something down; and in the shadows to boot.

Oh, don't tell me...

Anna ran for Birger, arms pumping as she hurried. As she came up on his side—Birger not even giving notice of her arrival—Anna saw that, indeed, Birger had Kristoff backed against the wall. Arms braced against the stonework, eyes wide and cringing, Kristoff was trying to edge away as much as he could from the growling head hovering in front of him.

Anna sighed, loud and exasperated. "Birger! Why are you growling at Kristoff? I thought we resolved the whole first-impression-in-the-forest issue!"

Birger looked at her out of the corner of his eye, pausing his growling but not his snarling. He then looked between Kristoff and Anna, and brought a paw of to his neck, slicing a claw through the air in front of his neck, making a hissing noise like a blade. Then Birger resumed growling, pressing his head all the closer to Kristoff as he growled.

Anna sighed, biting her lip and rubbing her forehead. How exasperating the Frost Dragon could be never failed to astound her.

"Kristoff, I hate to ask this, but did you do anything to provoke him?"

Kristoff momentarily forgot about Birger and shrugged, causing Birger to growl at him again. "I didn't do anything! All I did was tell Sven about the picnic you were planning, and how I was gonna..."

He trailed off, and Anna could've sworn she saw him blushing. "Uh, anyway. Birger was eavesdropping, and next thing I knew, his saber teeth were grazing my shirt!"

Birger snorted in his face, and again closed the distance between his head and Kristoff, glaring at him. Anna huffed, and stormed up to Birger.

"Birger! Stop being so jealous!"

Birger narrowed his eyes, then full on flattened Kristoff to the wall with his head, there being no more distance at all between them now. Anna gaped at him for a second, then fuming, reached for any handholds she could find on Birger's head and started pulling. Kristoff, meanwhile, was pushing as hard as he could on Birger's head, but the stubborn dragon was resisting.

"Birger! Birger quit it! Let Kristoff go! Stop acting like my big bro—!"

Anna froze, deftly ending her pleads of Birger. She staggered away from him and Kristoff, suddenly dizzy. Both men (one exceedingly hairier than the other) paused their struggles against each other to look at her. The looks in their eyes had gone from glaring to watching her concernedly.

Anna's mind was racing as suddenly memories came rushing back. Images and fantasies she hadn't visited in so long flew by almost too quickly for her to register. But one image locked inside in her mind's eye: she saw her dream Big Brother.

It can't be...

"Anna? Anna, are you alright?"

Anna heard a voice calling to her, and insisting whines as well. But when Birger's whines reached her ears, they changed in her mind, for she knew what he was saying. Anna knew he was asking if she was okay as well. Just as her 'brother' would... She tried to look up at them, but the moment she looked into Birger's large blue eyes, filled to their brim with worry, but even more so with love.

Just like she imagined they would be...

Breathing hard, Anna shook her head and turned, running back into the castle as she scrunched her eyes shut. She heard the voice and the whines again, but ignored them, running straight for her room. Anna bumped into someone on her way, and heard a new voice.

"A-Anna! What's going on, why are...are you crying?"

It was Elsa.

Anna cringed, eyes still closed. But indeed, hot tears were fighting their way past her eyelids. Shaking her head again, she only managed to let out a whisper before she returned to running.

"He's real..."

Anna never made it to her room, though. She only got as far as a balcony before she tripped and fell, barely managing to break her fall with her arms. Anna cringed with the pain, but nothing was broken, so it didn't matter. She stood, or tried to, leaning against a wall and shuffling her way out onto the balcony where she fell to her knees and leaned against the railing.

Taking deep, calming breaths, Anna worked on getting a hold of herself. She was just overreacting, reading too much into this. But the more she thought about it...the more she couldn't deny it. The boy Anna imagined for a big brother, who "grew up" with her, who she only thought was an imaginary friend. No more real or alive then the paintings she talked to on the wall.

The man Anna imagined for a brother...he was real. But he wasn't just real. Her 'brother'...was a dragon.

Shaking her head again, Anna turned around and sat on her bum. Leaning against the railing, she pulled her knees up and held them tight. These blessings were becoming too much for Anna: finding true love was a dream come true; reuniting with Elsa was all she'd ever hoped. But of all Anna's dreams, her 'Big Brother' was one she never expected to happen.

Suddenly, a loud puff of air thundered over Anna's shoulders, ripping her attention from the roiling storm of emotions. Looking up, Anna saw a big fluffy nose, the mouth beneath it in a frown. Anna frowned a little, swiveling around to look the interloper face to face.

It was Birger, of course.

The loving beast was standing on his hind legs, forepaws pressed against the castle on either side of the balcony. Birger was watching her carefully, his expression a cautious but concerned mask. Despite Birger's attempt at a guarded expression, though, Anna could easily see the vast amount of love in his big azure orbs.

In the voice Anna had imagined, she could practically hear Birger as if she were Elsa.

"Anna, what is the matter? Why did you run?"

A joyful sob escaped Anna as she smiled up at him. This caused confusion to invade his expression. Anna shook her head as she stood, then wrapped her arms around Birger's nose, grasping handfuls of his fur. She could hear the faint sound of people hurrying to where they were, but right then, nothing else mattered.

"Nothing's the matter, Birger. It's just..." Anna hugged him all the harder, and even nuzzled him.

"I've always wanted a brother."