Dinner with the Queen
Hi there! I noticed how Kristoff and Elsa didn't interact much in the film so I thought I'd write a one-shot focusing on the two of them formally meeting for the first time. This takes place a few days after the events of the film. Enjoy!
To say that Kristoff's life had changed since the Great Thaw would be an understatement. Not only was the ice harvester's job livelier than ever, he was spending lots of time with Anna and the people of Arendelle. He had to admit; he was surprised by how much he truly enjoyed the company of others. For years he believed that he was meant to be a lone wolf, and nothing more. Since the events of the Eternal Winter, he had discovered a whole new side of himself he never thought existed. One day, after teaching Anna how to play the lute, Kristoff received an interesting invitation.
"Kristoff, Elsa and I were wondering if you would like to have dinner with us this evening." Anna said as the two walked back to Kristoff's cabin.
"Oh. Uh…yeah that would be great," Kristoff replied. He had yet to officially meet the queen. They had a brief interaction on board the ship after Elsa brought back summer, but nothing really significant. Of course he knew that it was only a matter of time before they got to know each other with him and Anna dating and all. Yet, he was still nervous. As much as he loved spending time with Anna, he was still getting used to the whole royalty thing.
"Excellent! Just come by the castle around 6:00. Kai will escort you to the dining hall!" Anna said. The two shared a kiss before bidding farewell outside of Kristoff's cabin. Queen Elsa was kind enough to have one built for him after the Great Thaw. It wasn't much, but it was a perfect fit for Kristoff and Sven. The mountain man walked inside, and laid on the coach. "I think I'll catch a few Zss before dinner tonight," he said. He closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep. When he awoke a few hours later, he saw that it was almost 6:00. Kristoff changed out of his day clothes and into a nice suit he had bought a few days ago when he had taken Anna out to dinner. He combed his hair really quick before exiting the cabin. Before he left he turned to Sven. "How do I look?" he asked. "Be honest."
"You look handsome," Kristoff said, in his usual way of talking for Sven.
"Thanks buddy. I appreciate that. Well, here we go!"
Before heading for the castle, Kristoff stopped by the florist and picked up two roses for Anna and Elsa. "Got to make a good impression," he said to himself. When he arrived at the castle, he barely had to knock on the door before it swung open, revealing a man who Kristoff assumed was Kai.
"Can I help you, sir?" he asked.
"Yes, I am here to see Princess Anna and Queen Elsa."
"Oh. You must be Kristoff Bjorgman. We've been expecting you. Right this way please." Kristoff followed Kai inside, and the servant man took him down a long hallway which led to the dining room. Kai opened the doors, and ushered Kristoff inside. In the center of the room was a long table with dozens of chairs. Up on the ceiling, hung an ice chandelier similar to the one Elsa had made in her ice castle. At the far left end of the table, Kristoff saw Elsa and Anna sitting together talking. They looked up as soon as Kai started to speak.
"Your Majesties, The Royal Ice Harvester and Deliverer has arrived" he said. Kristoff blushed. He wasn't used to being introduced like that.
Anna got up and ran to greet him, while Elsa sat in her chair looking regal and reserved. "Kristoff! I'm so glad you could make it!" Anna cried, giving him a hug. "Come here, I'll introduce you." Anna led Kristoff by the hand to the end of the table where Elsa was sitting. The Snow Queen stood up and walked towards them.
"Kristoff, I'd like you to meet my sister, Queen Elsa of Arendelle."
"It's a pleasure to formally meet you, Mr. Bjorgman. I've heard so much about you," Elsa said smiling.
"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Your Majesty," Kristoff replied, trying hard to contain his nervousness.
"Please, none of that 'Your Majesty" stuff. Just call me Elsa," she said.
Kristoff was surprised at how laid-back the queen was. Due to her usual regal appearance, he expected her to be very strict on formalities such as these. He looked at the roses in his right hand.
"Oh I almost forgot. These are for you two," he said handing a rose to Elsa and Anna.
"Kristoff, they're lovely. Thank you so much," Anna said, giving the rose a sniff.
"Yes indeed. That was very sweet of you, Kristoff," Elsa said.
"It's nothing really. I just wanted to do something nice," Kristoff shrugged.
"Well, I don't know about you two, but I'm starving," Anna said. Let's eat."
The chefs brought in several large trays of food and placed them on the table. Kristoff almost salivated as he saw the many types of food placed in front of him: Steak, turkey, ham, corn, peas, carrots, breadsticks etc. The ice harvester didn't know where to start.
"I hope you're hungry, Kristoff, because there's plenty to go around," Elsa said.
"'l'll say," Kristoff said, staring at the large steak in front of him. Once the three had started eating, Elsa thought it would be nice to start the conversation off.
"So Kristoff, how are you enjoying being "The Royal Ice Harvester and Deliverer?" she asked.
"I like it. It's giving me more business than I ever had before. More business means more money so that's always great. Not that I only care about the money, I enjoy the job very much, it's just…yeah I like it," Kristoff said, finishing off his statement before he could make it any worse. His nerves were really doing a number on him.
Elsa smiled. "I'm glad to hear it. Anna tells me that you know quite a bit about ice."
Kristoff nodded as he finished chewing a piece of steak. "Yeah, ice has been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember."
"Well, that's something we have in common," Elsa said. "If you like, maybe you can come and make ice sculptures with me sometime."
"That's very kind of you, Elsa, but I'm not the creative type I'm afraid," Kristoff admitted.
"That's alright. I'm not so good myself," Elsa said.
"Oh she's just being modest," Anna said, jumping into the conversation. "Come on, Elsa, he's seen your ice castle, he knows what you're capable of."
Elsa blushed. "Well, that was just one thing."
"One very impressive thing," Anna said. "You should show Kristoff the project you're working on after dinner."
"It's not ready yet, Anna. When it's finished, I promise I will show him."
Kristoff picked up his glass filled with red wine. His fingers struggled to maintain a good grip. Even though it was going well so far, he still was very nervous. Elsa was the queen after all. One mistake and she could have him thrown in the dungeons. As Kristoff brought the glass to his lips, his fingers slipped and glass fell onto the table. The wine quickly spilled all over Elsa's dress.
"Oh my God, I am so, so, so, sorry, Your Majesty," Kristoff said, offering the queen his napkin. "I can't believe I did that. I'm so stupid I swear…
"Kristoff," Elsa said firmly, getting the mountain man's attention.
"Two things. One: It's Elsa, not Your Majesty. Two: It's OK. Accidents happen." She wiped her dress the best she could with her napkin.
"To be honest, I never really cared too much for his dress anyway," Elsa said, laughing.
Kristoff sat back down in his seat. He was relieved that Elsa wasn't mad at him, but he still couldn't help but feel like an idiot. Way to make a good first impression, he thought to himself. The rest of the evening passed by smoothly. Kristoff mostly listened to the two sister's talk, and only spoke when he was spoken too. When they finished with their plates, Anna was starting to get a little tipsy. "That was fun," she said drunkenly.
"Alright, Anna, I think you've had enough," Elsa said, taking the glass of wine from her sister's hand.
"You're no fun!" Anna murmured. Elsa called Kai over and asked him to escort her sister to bed. The servant agreed, and after the two had left the dining hall, Elsa turned her attention back to Kristoff.
"Well, it's been a lovely evening," she said.
"Yes it has," Kristoff agreed.
"Anna really thinks a lot of you," Elsa said.
"She's a nice girl," Kristoff said, rubbing his hands together in an attempt to calm his nerves.
"You don't have to be so nervous, Kristoff. I don't bite," Elsa reassured.
"Nervous? Oh no, I'm just little cold that's all," he said, trying to explain why he was rubbing his hands together."
Elsa laughed. She really liked the mountain man: he was sweet, funny, and humble. She could see why Anna liked him so much. He was a good man.
"Well, either way, I'm very glad you came this evening, Kristoff."
"Thank you for having me. We should do it again sometime."
"I would like that."
"Well, it's getting late, I should be heading back," Kristoff said, looking at the grandfather clock at the other side of the room.
"Yes, I should be retiring to bed myself. Big day tomorrow. Dozens of meetings," Elsa said.
"Have fun with that," Kristoff teased.
Elsa laughed, and extended her hand. "Have a good night, Kristoff. It was nice meeting you."
Kristoff took Elsa's hand and gave it a firm shake. "You do the same, Your Majesty…I mean Elsa. It was nice meeting you as well," he said.
Kristoff left the castle and headed back to his cabin in the woods. He went over to pet Sven when he arrived. "Well, that was a lovely evening, Sven. Arendelle has a really interesting queen."
I had this idea for a while and I figured I'd write it. Let me know what you think!