The sled was the only place they could have a decent argument. It really was the only place that could have let them drop their walls down, to breeze past rank and to sit beside each other as equals. It's how they got to know each other.
Every argument, every prolonged discussion, and all ongoing bickering got paced on the sled like cargo and strapped along for a ride, Sven trotting cautiously along -pretending not to listen- as the two teenagers edged under each other's skin for the millionth time. The reindeer's pace picked up with the intensity of each argument, today was no exception. And the pace was break-neck.
Anna sits at Kristoff's side, her arms folded, as he barely holds the reigns in one hand when he turned to hover over her face.
"I just don't see how it's any of Elsa's business," His brow is furrowed and he's shaking his head. Anna sullenly watches the snow pass by.
"It is her business. I could sully my reputation. It would reflect badly on her. And on me."
"How, what is going so terribly wrong?"
"People might just assume…I'm a certain type of person, I guess. Men, really. When you're not around, there's just could this assumption that I'm willing to…" her face twists in response to Kristoff's offended expression, she leans back defensively. "Well, they do already because I'm unmarried, after a broken engagement."
"People might assume because of our relationship you're willing to go to bed with anyone?" he sputters, "Who acts like this? What men?"
"It doesn't matter. What I'm saying is, you don't spend enough time in court to understand it's not a normal relationship. We can't just run around doing whatever we want."
"Unless we get married." He looks forward, reiterating Elsa's previous suggestion. His face is grim.
"Wow, I'm really overwhelmed over here by your passion." She says dryly, turning to face the racing trees at her side.
He whips around again, eyes wide and panicked, "You know that's not what I meant. I just didn't want Elsa deciding for me if we were ready."
"She's not telling you because she thinks we're ready. She's telling you because you were ready for all this other stuff." Anna bites the inside of her cheek. "If we get found out, it's just going to get worse. So all I'm saying is we have to be careful. I can stomach the flirting, I really can. If you want time to decide if you're ready or not."
He winces, wanting to throw an arm around her, but holding back. "Is the flirting really bad?"
"Increasingly more aggressive. Elsa takes care of the ones that don't get the hint though. Mostly because icing them is a bit more diplomatic than punching." She glances down a mittened fist.
He chuckles at her fire, realizing he should have known better than to think she was having a huge problem with her potential suitors. He shrinks into himself though, at the detached expression on her face.
"Are you, uh, ready?" he asks cautiously, staring straight ahead with a flick of the reigns.
She sighs. "I don't know. I don't feel ready." She rests her cheek on her hand. "I mean, if I was told we had to get married right now, or tomorrow…I'd probably panic a little."
"That's exactly what I meant! I wouldn't ever want to marry anyone else but you; I just don't see the rush. What are you getting mad at me for?"
Her eyes roll heavenward. "Maybe I would have liked to see you get a bit more excited over the prospect of marrying me instead of dreading it."
"Alright!" he pulls on the reigns, halting Sven. He jumps down from the sleigh to unhitch the reindeer, giving his flanks a smack to signal his friend to find another place to be for the moment, before he hops back in the sled beside her, tossing an arm over the back of her seat.
"I want to marry you," he announces with determined clarity. "I think about what it's going to be like waking up next to you for the rest of my life, and that's what gets me through the day. What it's going to be like to call you my wife both terrifies me and drives me crazy. I also do not regret that we didn't wait to share a bed, because I knew this was as important to me as it was to you, and that we were being careful. And that it wasn't like I was just using you for…you know. I had always planned on marrying you! But I wanted to ask you when we both felt like it was right, and not jumping into things because your sister wanted to make the decisions. However…" He grabs her hands, gripping them tight. She chews her lower lip nervously.
"Wait," she cuts him off gently. "Not like this. Not because Elsa said so."
He nods gravely, giving her hands, carefully clasped in his, a gentle squeeze. "I'm glad we agree on this."
She stares up at him, her eyes shining at his and a little timid smile on her face.
"So do you want to start taking this a bit more seriously? Do you want to try…I don't know… sharing a room, for real? I'll move my things, or you can stay in mine, just a bit more permanently?" he asks cautiously.
"I do." She blurts out matrimoniously. They both blush. "I mean, uh, I would like that. Yes." She brushes some stray hair behind her ear, falling against the seatback.
"I'd like that. Get used to the unattractive stuff, the nose-picking and the snoring and the cold feet." He teases, adding an air of relief to the conversation.
"If you do that in front of me, you can find your own place to sleep."
"I'm the one who has to put up with the snoring. It was cute to begin with, but every night?" he wails mournfully, ducking a fearsome snowball lobbed at his head.
Kristoff whistles for Sven, who barrels through the trees, a distance that concealed his eavesdropping but thoroughly encouraged it.
"Aright. Will you talk to your sister then? About her pressuring me? She seemed fine with us spending the night together before." He calls to her as he re-hitches the reindeer back to the sled.
"Yeah, well, I think that's because she was still in her big sister/queenly learning curve and didn't want to make a habit of icing out my suitors."
They both flinch at 'suitor', such a little word for something between them so much bigger.
"Well, then she shouldn't be so concerned, I think I'm doing a lot better than the last one."
"I wouldn't exactly say that…" she mutters as the sled glides forward.
He whips around to face her again incredulously. "Are you saying Hans was a better suitor than I am?"
"I'm just saying the first time around the engagement was the easy part. For me, at least."
"Wait, what? The first time around? You're comparing me to Hans? Are you serious?"
"I'm not comparing you to Hans, I'm just pointing out that it was easier for me that time. Less complicated, less confusing."
"Anna, we're the easy part, we, us. So the engagement process is complicated and uncomfortable. But when it was easy with Hans, think about what you and him would have been like. Together."
She shudders, twisting her face up in disgust. "That wasn't my best argument, I will admit."
"Glad to hear it." He flicks the reigns again, glancing up ahead to see the town growing closer up ahead.
"Alright, so we're not engaged, we're not hiding our relationship, we're… completely defeating the purpose of this argument?"
He sighs, finally tossing his arm over her shoulders and drawing her against his body. "We'll be more careful. The servants already know, but they love you so much I don't think it should be a problem. Everyone else… who cares? They can see us together, we just have to be careful about if people can tell that we're living together."
She snuggles against him, glad to have his warmth. "I really wasn't that bothered by the flirting and everything. I just wanted to hear you say it."
"What? That I want to marry you? That I plan on it?
" I love you. I'm sorry if I didn't make those plans clear enough, I just assumed you'd know."
"It's still nice to hear it." She points out, playing with the end of her braid. He plants a kiss against her brow, smiling down at her again.
"I love you. I want to marry you." He says, over-enunciating each syllable.
"Enough," she says with a smile, kissing his cheek. "I'll talk to Elsa about easing up on you."
"You can talk to me, if your mind changes. If you wake up tomorrow and you need to marry me immediately. I wouldn't hold it against you."
"I'll keep that in mind."
And she did, for a while, drifting in the back of her thoughts. But it got crushed down and ignored, because living with Kristoff was so like being married she really didn't need any other way to be close to him. Once her mother had told her that her virginity was meant for her husband and how it wasn't special on her wedding night without it. Anna wasn't sure. She didn't mind not waiting, of being careful, of testing the waters. Things felt pretty incredibly special as they were.
a/n I saw one review about how well I write about their 'married life' and kind of awkwardly laughed to myself. Yeah…not married in most of my fics. Living together though! I feel like Elsa has so many other things to care about that as long as nobody gets pregnant or isolates Anna, she'd be allowed a lover.