"She's not going to go."
"Yes, she is. You'll see."
"I know your sister, and I'm telling you that she isn't going to go. In fact, I'll bet you ten kroner."
"Ten? Ten is nothing. Make it forty!"
Dawn had broken in the kingdom of Arendelle, and a sliver of sun was just beginning to peep over the horizon. Its pale orange light streamed in through the tall windows of the palace's easternmost corridor, illuminating two figures as they tiptoed down the hall: those of a petite, slender young woman and a broad-shouldered, huskily-built man.
"Elsa needs a vacation, Kristoff. She's been planning this for weeks," said the woman, who was clutching a flickering candle in a brass holder. Her pace was slow and careful, and she was clearly trying to walk without making any noise, yet there was a liveliness to her gait all the same. With each step she took, her strawberry-blond braids bounced lightly against her chest, as though they longed for her to set down her candle-holder and break into a run – or at least to walk a little bit faster.
"No, Anna, you've been planning this for weeks," corrected the man, Kristoff, who had yellow-blond hair and was easily a head taller than his companion. He moved with lumbering, weighty steps, the bulk of his upper body shifting slightly from side to side as he made his way down the corridor. "And I'm not sure that Elsa really thinks she needs a vacation – she only said she'd take one to stop you from pestering her."
"I wasn't pestering her," said the woman, Anna, in a dignified voice. "I just think she works too hard, and I made sure to let her know."
"At every available opportunity," chuckled Kristoff. "Anyway, I'm glad you got her to agree to a holiday. I'm just not convinced that she's actually going to take it."
"Of course she is," said Anna. "Her trunk is packed and she's all ready to go. As soon as we get to her chamber, I'll show yo-ooops!" The toe of Anna's embroidered slipper caught on a wrinkle in the carpet and sent her pitching forward. She managed to right herself, but not before a small amount of melted wax sloshed over the side of the candle-holder's base and landed on the rug with a soft, liquid plop.
Kristoff grinned. "Nice going." He nudged the puddle of wax, which was already beginning to harden, with a leather-booted toe.
Anna looked embarrassed for a moment, but her confident expression quickly returned. "We'll leave it there for Olaf to check out. You know how fascinated he is with anything that melts," she said.
"Speaking of Olaf and melting, is he going to be okay with Elsa gone? Is his snow cloud going to hold up without her around?"
"She says it will."
Kristoff nodded. "Good. I wouldn't want anything to happen to the little guy, even if not having to listen to his chatter would be a definite advantage."
Anna smiled. "There are other advantages to having my sister gone for two weeks," she said, leaning lightly against Kristoff's chest.
The big man wrapped his arms around Anna and nuzzled the loose strands of reddish hair at the back of her neck. "Like finally getting to sleep in the same bedroom?" he whispered into her ear.
Anna rubbed her face against his stubbly cheek. "Yes. Although I think we should be able to do that even when she IS here. After all, I have this now." She held out her left hand, her fingers splayed apart to display a spectacular engagement ring: a six-sided white crystal set into a band of pure gold. Anna had squealed out loud when Kristoff had shown her how it glowed and changed colour whenever she held it up to a source of light. He had refused to tell her where he had obtained the crystal, and for a while Anna had been unable to figure out where it could possibly have come from – until she remembered that he had been raised by a family of trolls. Crystal magic was just one of their many specialties.
"I do too, but being engaged isn't enough for Elsa. She says we have to be married first," said Kristoff, rolling his eyes.
"Good thing she only has ice powers and not clairvoyant powers. We wouldn't want her to know what we get up to when you sneak into my room," Anna said, giggling.
"Or when you sneak into mine." Kristoff released Anna and took her by the hand, and the two of them walked down the corridor in companionable silence, both thinking of the hours they had spent in each other's arms – and the nights they would spend there once Elsa had gone.
The two of them stopped before a magnificent set of double doors, which were painted white and decorated with an intricate snowflake pattern. Without bothering to knock, Anna threw open one of the doors and burst into the room. "Elsa! We're here to say goodbye before you – oh, no!"
The central feature of the chamber was an enormous canopy bed, upon which were stacked piles and piles of neatly folded gowns, skirts, blouses, and - to Kristoff's great embarrassment - undergarments. A massive leather trunk – completely empty – sat at the foot of the bed. Standing next to it was Anna's sister, Elsa, a slight young woman with very pale skin and a single platinum blond braid hanging halfway down her back. She was gazing down into the trunk and wringing her hands, her expression distressed.
"Elsa! You were supposed to be packed and ready to leave!" said Anna, smacking herself in the forehead.
Elsa turned to her sister with wide, frightened eyes. "I can't do it, Anna. I can't go."
"Told ya," gloated Kristoff under his breath.
Anna elbowed him in the ribs. "Of course you can! You're going to have a wonderful time in Corona."
"But it's for two weeks!" Elsa cried. "How can I leave Arendelle for two entire weeks? I mean, we just re-opened trade with Weselton, and the Royal Navy has a new ship that needs christening, and you – " A few snowflakes began to dance in the air above Elsa's head. Although the queen was far better at controlling her icy powers than she had been three years ago, she still tended to create minor flurries in times of distress.
"Elsa! Look at what you're doing!" Anna pointed up at the snowflakes, then put her hands on her elder sister's shoulders as if to steady her. "We'll be fine. Everything will be fine. You can christen the ship when you get back, and you've left your instructions for the Weselton thingy – "
"Trade agreement!"
"-and Kai and Gerda will be here to make sure everything runs smoothly in the castle. Besides, Rapunzel and Eugene are expecting you. You don't want to let them down, do you?"
At that, Elsa's stiff shoulders relaxed very slightly. If there was anything she hated to do, it was let people down. "No, I –"
"And the ship is manned and ready to set sail for Corona. The crew have worked so hard to get it ready for you. You don't want all their work to be wasted, do you?"
"No, I – "
"And it'll only take me a second to re-pack all your clothes. Look, I bet I can do it even faster than Gerda!" Anna grabbed the nearest stack of clothing and shoved it haphazardly into the trunk, then began to do the same with the other stacks. A pair of Elsa's white cotton underpants – "granny panties," as Anna called them – flopped off of one of the stacks and landed on the floor at Kristoff's feet. He grimaced and stepped away from them, a red flush spreading across his face.
Anna stuffed the last stack of clothing into the trunk, then snatched up the fallen panties from the floor and tossed them on top. "There!" she said triumphantly, dusting off her hands. "Now all I have to do is get – this – closed –" She tried to shut the lid of the trunk, but a velvet sleeve was hanging over one of its sides, preventing her from closing it. "Hmm...maybe if I sit on it – "
"Anna," said Kristoff gently, "let me do that." Gingerly, he plucked the stray sleeve from the side of the trunk and laid it atop the mountain of clothes, then forced the lid closed. The trunk's brass lock snapped shut with a metallic click.
"Thank you, Kristoff," said Elsa.
Anna gave a satisfied nod. "See? All packed and ready to go. You can't back out now," she said.
Elsa sighed. "I suppose I can't."
Anna clapped her hands together. "Oh, I'm so glad! You need this vacation so badly, Elsa." To Kristoff, she turned and whispered, "Hah! You owe me forty kroner."
Elsa fixed her sister with a stern gaze. "But before I leave, we need to go over a few ground rules," she said, hands on hips. "Number one, no balls, celebrations or parties."
Anna pouted. "Not even a little one?"
"Not even a little one," said Elsa firmly. "Number two – and this concerns you as well, Kristoff – you need to remember that Sven is not allowed inside the palace – "
" – unless he's wearing a diaper," chorused Anna and Kristoff in unison.
"That's right. The cleaning staff were very upset about what happened last time."
"Sorry about that," said Kristoff sheepishly. "He's almost housebroken now, honest."
Elsa ignored him. "And number three: the two of you need to sleep in separate bedrooms."
Anna's face was wide-eyed and innocent. "We always do!" she chirped. Kristoff looked as though he wanted to agree, but he was overcome by a sudden fit of coughing.
When he had recovered, Kristoff stood and turned to Elsa. "Please don't worry, Your Maj – I mean, Elsa," he said. Even though he and Anna had been together for over three years, it was still difficult for him to call his royal almost-sister-in-law by her given name. "We'll make sure everything goes well." He offered Elsa his hand to shake, but to his surprise, she pulled him into a hug.
As she embraced him, Elsa whispered into his ear, "Don't let her do anything – "
"- crazy?" Kristoff whispered back, a goofy grin on his face. "I won't. I promise to keep her out of trouble."