A Mother's Love

This short story will serve as a link between Frozen 4 and Frozen 5, part of my Frozen continuity. It will center around Mathew, Anna and Kristoff's son. It might be sad at times, but there will be a happy ending.

If you're only interested in reading this, just know that Anna and Kristoff are married and had a boy names Mathew. Some mentions of events from my past stories will be mentioned, but they are self explanatory.

Inspired partially by "Tell Me it Gets Better" by Lugubrious DBB.

It has been almost a year and a half since Mathew, Anna and Kristoff's son and prince of Arendelle, began speaking. His first word was "Papa", much to Kristoff's joy. He was a quick learner, and quickly figured out the shape toys his parents gave him and figuring out how to open the latch on the toy chest with ease, much like his father. He was trying at times, having his mother act for mischief. All was well in the castle.

Then Mathew tried speaking simple sentences.

At three years, his curious nature had him trying to communicate using simple words with his parents. They quickly realized, however, that he had a problem speaking; he stuttered every other word.

When asking for milk, for example, it would sound like "Can I h-h-have m-ilk?" It brought dread to Anna whenever she heard the stuttering. Anna and Kristoff began to worry.

"What if it's permanent?" she asked Kristoff one day as they got ready for bed. "He won't be able to make friends. He'll be alone."

"He won't be alone" Kristoff reassured her. "I promise, he'll always have friends."

"But he can barely speak Kristoff. How is he supposed to communicate?"

Kristoff finished hanging his jacket in the closet. "I don't know, Anna." He walked up to her, tilting her head up. "Let's pray on it, I'm sure we'll find a way to help him."

Anna nodded. "O, OK... Oh Kristoff, we have to do something."

"And we will. Don't worry, we'll find a way."

A week passed since then, and Anna came up with the idea of practicing with Mathew herself. Every afternoon, she would sit with Mathew alone in the room and practice saying certain words without stuttering, without any distractions.

"Say reindeer" she said, holding a stuffed toy up to him. "Can you say reindeer sweetie?"

Mathew stared at the stuffed animal. "R-r-re-re-d-de-de..."

Seeing him struggle, Anna put the toy down. "You know what, my bad, big word. Here, let's try bird..." she picked up a little blue bird toy. "Can you say bird?"

"Bi-b-b..." he paused for a bit, taking his time. "bird" he said.

"Very good!" she said delightedly. Patting him on the head, she moved on to the next toy. "How about horse?"

He took a second to respons. "H-H…horse."

"Good Mathew, good!"Anna said, making him smile. She felt hopeful.

And it continued on like this for weeks. Eventually, he was able to say most of the smaller words without trouble, but when it came to putting them together into sentences, he lost it. Months past, and he could barely get by one sentence without stuttering. Anna would keep him in the room for hours at a time, keeping him from playing or going outside. He was becoming fussy and upset most of the time as she pressured him, and Anna was becoming distant and easily set off, and Kristoff was noticing. He would try to get Anna to relent, but she was stubborn, insisting that he'll get it eventually. One day, something happened that made Kristoff put his foot down. During one of Anna's 'sessions', Kristoff entered the room after coming back from an ice run. He noticed Anna was on edge, and Mathew seemed unhappy, staring at the window.

"Over here" said Anna, getting Mathew's attention. "Calm on, again."

"I s-s-s-s-ee a-a b-b-b-b...bi.." Mathew tried to say.

"OK, hold it" said Anna, trying to keep calm. "Let's try it again."

"Anna" said Kristoff, "how long have you been at this?"

"Just a few hours" said Anna, refocusing on Mathew, who was getting fussy. "OK, now say 'I want milk'."

"Anna..."

"Quiet Kristoff!" Anna snapped. "Come on honey."

Mathew hesitated, not really wanting to continue, and Kristoff could see it. "I-I s-s-s-e-s..." He continued to try, but his face started getting red. He couldn't say something that seemed so simple in his little mind. Eventually, he stopped, and started crying.

"Anna, we're done" said Kristoff, reaching down to pick up Mathew.

"No, wait!" said Anna. "Come on baby, you can do it, just say it!" Anna asked the three year old desperately. Mathew looked t her for a second, then broke down into a full fit when no words could come out.

"Anna, that's enough!" Kristoff snapped, picking up the crying child. Anna just sat there on the floor. She was on the verge of breaking down, her eyes filling up with anger that her son couldn't speak his mind.

"We just have to keep practicing" she said, wiping away her tears stubbornly.

"No, that's it Anna" said Kristoff sternly, bouncing the crying Mathew.

"But, we can't just give up!"

"Anna" said Kristoff. "Maybe we should just accept this."

"What!? What are you saying! I'm not going to just sit back take this!"

"Anna, I think it's clear this isn't going to change. This is our son, and we are going to accept this as it is and stop trying to push this on him."

"I'm not trying to change him, Kristoff! But I'm not going to let something keep him from making friends and living a life!"

"Anna, he's not going to be alone! He's going to be happy! But not if you keep locking him up in this room and trying to teach him to control something he can't? Do you want him to be like Elsa?!"

Anna froze. She was so angry that she couldn't continue on. She felt like her son for a moment, letting her emotions run hot and clouding her mind.

"I'm not going to take this" she said, stomping out of the room.

"Anna!" Kristoff called after her, but she was already gone. Knowing he had an upset Mathew to take care off, he decided to let her cool off. Turning his back to the room, he heard someone walk up.

"Anna?" asked Elsa. "Kristoff? What's going on? I heard screaming."

"I don't know Elsa" he said, patting his son's back. "You know Anna's been pushing Matty right?" Elsa barely got a chance to nod before Kristoff continued. "Well, he got upset today and Anna tried to pester him with the exercises. Well, we got into a fight and she ran off."

Matt began crying gain, and Kristoff went scouring for his favorite reindeer toy. Seeing Kristoff busy, she decided to leave him be.

"I'll go find Anna" she said, walking off.

"Let her cool off first" he said while rummaging through the toy box.

Elsa considered it for a moment, then went off anyway. "I'll go find Anna."

"Elsa, wait, she's not... oh boy."

Elsa walked around the castle for almost an hour before she found Anna in the library, where she was pouring over books on child care, hoping, praying, for an answer. She did not look like herself; her eyes were wild looking, scanning the books with an intensity.

"Anna?" Elsa asked.

Anna was silent.

"Anna?"

"I'm not in the mood, Elsa" she said coldly.

Elsa ignored her and sat next to her. "Anna, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Anna almost snapped. "My son can't speak and you're asking me what's wrong!"

"Anna, that's not what I meant" Elsa said in a calming tone. "Anna, come on, we can always talk."

"Kristoff gave up on him" Anna said, finally putting down the book she was on.

"What?"

"He said we should just 'accept' this. That he should just live with it. Well I'm not going to stand for it!"

Anna continued on her book, while Elsa thought carefully about a response. This wasn't the Anna she had grown accustomed too. Not even on Anna's worst days had she ever been like this. She could tell that Anna was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

"Maybe we should take a break from this."

"What?!" Anna snapped.

"I mean, just take a break. Maybe you're just pushing him too hard…"

"I am not being to hard! I'm trying to help him! He's not improving! And who are you to tell me how to raise my son!"

"Anna" Elsa tried to say before Anna sat up, flinging the book to the floor.

"Why can't I find an answer!" she shouted, almost to herself. At this point, Elsa was frightened by Anna's behavior. She felt like she had already snapped, and what was to come could only be worse. "I've read more than I've read in my entire life, I-I've been asking every mother and doctor in Arendelle, I've prayed harder than anyone I know! I'm not even sure if He's listening up there!"

"Anna..."

"And you! Wh...what have you done to help!"

Elsa was taken aback. Hurt was written on her face. "What? Anna, how can you say that?"

Anna was quiet for a second before blurting out. "This all your fault!" she shouted, pointing an accusing finger.

"What?! Anna, how can this be..." Elsa tried to say, but Anna cut her off, her face red as ever.

"It was you! You and your magic! It's because you froze my heart when I was caring him! It, it did something to him, made him like he is! This is all your stupid fault!"

Elsa was speechless. She could only look down, not knowing how to respond to that. Anna, who never blamed her for anything, just accused her of handicapping her son. "Was she right?" Elsa thought. It never occurred to her that her magic might have affected him.

"Anna, I..."

"Just shut up!" she shouted again. Anna grabbed the nearest book and began scanning it, completely ignoring Elsa. All Elsa could do was turn and walk out, regret and guilt forming in her heart.

Kristoff decided to leave Anna in the library, so he took Mathew to the chapel, deciding he needed a one on one with the man upstairs. To his surprise, he found Elsa, by herself, and sniffling.

"Elsa" he asked, surprised.

Elsa turned, facing him. Worry and dread was written on her face. "Oh, Kristoff, I, I just wanted to be alone."

Ignoring her statement, he sat Mathew down next to him and took a seat beside him. "I take it you found Anna?"

Elsa nodded. "It's my fault."

"What is?"

Elsa looked down to the boy next to her. "For Mathew. He can't speak because of me."

"What? Elsa, how can that be your fault?"

Elsa sniffled. "Anna's heart was frozen when she was pregnant with him. It must have done something to him. It must have been to cold and it hurt him..."

"Stop right there Elsa. This is not your fault."

"Kristoff, think about it! Anna had ice in her for almost twelve hours! She was cold! It makes perfect sense!"

"Elsa, what happened was an accident, you know that!"

Elsa looked back down. "It doesn't matter. It was my magic." She looked up. "Every problem in my family seems to stem from me."

Kristoff breathed out, both angry and frustrated that Anna would do this to her own sister. "Elsa, this is not your fault, you hear me? I hear of children with worse impediments, and their mothers had normal pregnancies. I mean, I didn't know my parents, or my grandparents for that matter. How do you know this wasn't inherited from me? Maybe it was."

Elsa turned to him. "Kristoff, don't go blaming yourself!"

"Then don't go blaming yourself" he smartly replied. Elsa smiled slightly, seeing what he did there. "Elsa, I'm proud of my son" he said, looking to his confused son. "He's smart, and strong. So he can't speak like most can, so what? If it's how God wants him, than that's good enough for me." He scuffed up his son's head, which made him smile. He glimpsed a small smile from Elsa as well, knowing that she was feeling better. "Anna didn't mean what she said, she's just upset is all."

Elsa nodded. "Well, she has reason too." She looked down on at Mathew. "She just loves this little guy so much."

Kristoff nodded in agreement. "She does, she just needs to clear her head is all..." he had an idea. "Elsa, can you watch Matty for a few hours, I need to take Anna out for a while."

"Take her out, where? It'll be dark in an hour."

"Won't be the first time we were out after dark."

When Kristoff found Anna in the library, he made no attempt to be calm about it.

"Anna, what's your problem?" he blurted out.

"What? My problem?"

"Yes, your problem! I just found Elsa in the chapel, and she was crying her heart out!"

Anna turned back down to her book. "Maybe she deserved it" she muttered.

Kristoff stared at her wide eyed. "Anna Bjorgman! You are the most stubborn, irritating, headstrong woman I have ever met!"

Anna turned to him slowly. "How dare..."

Kristoff reached down and grabbed Anna's hand, yanking her from the couch.

"Kristoff, what are you..."

"You and I are going to have husband to wife talk, missy!"

Anna protested as he dragged her down through the castle. Servants just stared on at the odd sight of the mountain man prince drag the hot-headed princess through the castle, through the courtyard, and into the stables. Sven snapped his head up at the strange sight. Jase was there as well, grooming Cliff.

"Whoa, what's going on?" he asked as Kristoff signaled Sven to get in front of the sled.

"Husband and wife stuff. Say, can you strap Sven up?" Kristoff said as he threw Anna into the sled.

"Don't you dare!" snapped Anna.

"Who do you fear more?" asked Kristoff.

Jase looked back and forth between the two…

"Scratch that, who do you fear more right now?"

Again, he looked back and forth…

"Just do as I say!"

Nodding in understanding, Jase grabbed the harness and slipped it around Sven, till not sure hat was happening. He knew things were tense with Mathew, but as of what brought this odd scene about was beyond him. Before Anna could escape, Kristoff was in the seat and ushering Sven to ride out.

"Tell Elsa we'll be back, eventually" he said to Jase as he and Anna road off.

Now an hour into the woods, Kristoff silently road Sven through the woods, while Anna refused to make eye contact. She was pouting, staring out into the woods.

"Almost there" he said quietly as they road. Finally, they made it to an overlook. With a full moon, they had clear view of Arendelle and its light below. Kristoff sighed at the sight, while Anna kept looking to the side.

"Nice view, now can we go home?" Anna said bitterly.

"Nice? I think this is a great view" said Kristoff matter of factly. Anna remained stubbornly silent, probably still furious that she was forcibly dragged up here. "You know, the mountain air always helped me sort out my problems.

Anna huffed. "Yeah, well, maybe for a mountain man."

Kristoff tried not to take it personally. "You know it wasn't Elsa's fault."

Anna didn't change her face. He knew this; it was her stubborn face. Not just stubborn, but fearful, and frustrated.

"Anna?" he asked again, more persistently. "You know it wasn't her fault, right?"

Anna turned slightly, her eyes, rolling over to barely see his in her periphery. "I don't know."

"What?"

Anna sighed, blinking rapidly so as to avoid letting her emotions show. "It could have been..."

"Anna, come on. You know you're talking about Elsa, right? Your sister, Elsa, who is easily hurt?"

Anna turned away. "I didn't mean, I didn't... I don't know."

"What? Don't know what?"

Anna opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't. Her own emotions where so crazy she didn't know what to say.

Realizing Anna wasn't going to say anything, he decided to speak for her. "I know you promised to give Mathew the life you didn't. You want him to communicate with people, and not be isolated from anyone. I understand that Ann. But, well, don't you think you're making the same mistake your parents made, with Elsa?

Anna turned, glancing at him briefly.

"You remember, they locked her away, hoping she would learn to control something that can't be helped? When all she needed as to be loved?"

Anna was still silent, but he noticed a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Anna, please, love him. Accept him as he is."

There was silence for a few minutes.

Then, Anna shook her head. "I didn't mean, to push him to hard. I just... I do love him" she cried. Kristoff grabbed her and pulled her into an embrace as she finally let it go. He felt her sobbing into his shoulder.

"I know you do" he said softly, kissing the back of her neck.

"I'm sorry!" she cried. "I- I do love him. I just, wanted to help him, I just want him to be normal!"

"I know" he said. "But you know, normal is overrated, right?"

He heard Anna laugh slightly, which relieved him.

"You were just trying to help, I know. We're going to be fine, I promise."

He sat there on the sled, holding his hurting wife beside him until she got it all out.

Elsa was in the Ballroom with Olaf and Mathew, making snow flurries for him to play with.

"Snow!" he screamed in delight. "Sn-snow!"

"That's right, snow!" said Olaf as showed him how to stick his tongue out to catch the falling snowflakes.

Elsa heard on of the doors open, expecting it to be Kai or someone. But instead, to her surprise, it was Anna, followed by Kristoff. As Anna slowly approached, arms crossed with downcast face, Elsa prepared for the worse. She walked away from Mathew and Olaf, letting them play as she walked to the far side of the room to meet Anna. When the finally met, neither of them said anything for a few seconds.

Finally, Anna looked up, tears already rolling down her face. She was shaking her head. "Oh Elsa, I's so sorry!" she cried, wrapping her arms around Elsa.

Elsa leaned back as Anna leapt into her, surprised to say the least. It wasn't but a few hours ago that Anna was this walking embodiment of negativity and anger. Now, she felt her old sister back. Quickly, Elsa returned the hug.

"I'm so sorry!" Anna continued. "I didn't mean too blame you! It was never your fault!"

"Shh" Elsa whispered. "I know, I know."

"...I was just so angry… I just wanted Mathew to be well so bad!"

Elsa smiled slightly. She gently pulled away, pointing Anna in the direction of Mathew.

"He is well. Look at him."

Anna watched as Mathew played in the snow with Olaf. He was happy. Even when he tried to talk to the snowman, the smile never left his face. Elsa pulled Anna to her again.

"Anna, there is nothing wrong with Mathew. He's perfect."

Anna smiled. "So are you… and I really am sorry. I should have never taken it out on you."

"Oh, it's in the past now. No need to bring it up anymore. Deal?"

"Deal."

Mathew caught site of his mother and immediately ran over.

"Momma!" he cried. Anna knelt down and picked him up as he ran into her arms.

"Are y-you b-b-better Mom-ma?" he asked.

Anna smiled. "Yeah, I'm better…" she hugged him tightly. "I love you, so much."

And so, for the next few months, Anna stopped the constant lessons. Occasionally, she would help him along when he tried to say something long and hard, but she never pressured him anymore. In fact, ever since the lessons stopped, his speaking has been getting better. He still stutters, and at times he gets frustrated, but he is able to speak more easily, now that the fear to sound perfect was not placed on him. All he needed was love, his mother's being the strongest, if not misplaced at times.

Inspired by the story of a friend of mine. At a young age, he stuttered, pretty badly too. The doctors had his parents take him to all sorts of treatments and even a special school for those with disabilities, none of them working. Finally they decided to take him out of treatment and home schooled him, where he was loved and was happy. The parents prayed with the intercession of St. John Bosco, patron saint of the youth. Shortly after, his speech greatly improved. Now, he speaks fluently without any stutters, and it was without those "treatments", just good old fashioned family support and prayer.

This came to me while outlining the next story, but it wouldn't fit into the main story, not cause it wasn't good or it wouldn't fit, but it kind of felt out of place with the story I'm going on with. So, I decided to write this one shot to provide a backstory for Mathew.

Note: this is cannon to my Frozen saga, so mentions of this story will be included in the next story.

Well, now that I got this back story out of the way, get ready for the first chapter of Frozen 5: Ice and Fire, which should be up… now!

Please review!

-Batman