Hello, my lovelies, I'm back! Well, here's my newest story, a one-shot about Anna, Kristoff, and their little girl, Kirsten. As it says in the summary, this takes place about a month after "Opening New Doors", so I guess you could say this is a "mini-sequel". This is all I'm doing in terms of a sequel, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Please review! DISCLAIMER: I do not own Frozen or any of its characters or songs. Only Kirsten, Fredrik, and Bella-Grace are mine.
It was a beautiful early autumn day in Arendelle. The sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud to be seen. The air was cool, but still pleasant enough to only need a light cloak. The bright greens of summer had started changing to the bright reds, oranges, and golds of fall. All over the village, people were out enjoying the beautiful day before the cold set in and forced them back into their houses. The royals, too, were out enjoying the glorious weather as much as they could before the winter shut them up in the castle again. They were currently in the gardens, watching and playing with Princess Kirsten, who was two years old. Her mother, Princess Anna, was chasing her between the rose bushes, hiding and then popping out unexpectedly, making Kirsten giggle. Queen Elsa was sitting on a stone bench nearby with her husband, Prince Fredrik, holding a small bundle of blankets, which was their one-month-old daughter, Princess Bella-Grace, Bella for short. They laughed every time Kirsten did. The only person not sharing in the fun was Princess Anna's husband, Kristoff, who was off on one of his last ice harvesting trips of the season.
Kirsten was still running through the bushes, looking for her mother, who seemed to have disappeared again. "Mama!" she called. "Are you?"
"I'm right….HERE!" said Anna, jumping out from behind a bush just a few feet in front of Kirsten, causing her to burst into giggles again. Anna then swept her up in her arms and twirled her around, making her laugh even more.
"Papa?" Kirsten asked once Anna had put her down.
"Papa?" Anna repeated. "Papa's working."
"Ice?" Kirsten asked, looking up at her.
Anna laughed. Her daughter was so smart. "Yes, ice," she said, kneeling down in front of Kirsten. "Papa's getting ice."
"Me Papa!" Kirsten said.
"You want Papa?" Anna asked. "I told you, Papa's working. But he'll be home soon."
"Me Papa!" Kirsten said again, plopping down on the grass and starting to cry.
"Shh, shh," Anna said, trying to quiet her daughter. "Papa will be home soon."
"Me Papa! Me Papa!" Kirsten cried over and over. Anna looked helplessly over at Elsa, who seemed to get the message and nodded.
"Fredrik, I think it's time for Bella's nap," she said, standing up carefully so as not to jostle her daughter. "Could you go put her down for me, please?"
"Why me?" Fredrik asked, a hint of a smile on his face. "You're her mother."
"And you're her father," Elsa said, smiling back at him. "Besides, it's the perfect opportunity for you to spend some quality time with your daughter."
"Don't you think she's too young for that?" Fredrik asked, smirking playfully.
"You're never too young for it," Elsa answered. "Or too old, for that matter. Now here." She gently handed Bella over to her father. Fredrik kissed Elsa lightly on the forehead and then turned and walked back to the castle, gently cradling his daughter.
Elsa turned around and walked over to Anna and Kirsten, who was still having a little tantrum over not being able to see her father right then and there. "What's the matter?" she asked, kneeling down next to them.
"She wants to see Kristoff," Anna answered. She was now holding Kirsten against her chest, trying to calm her down. She was still crying "Papa! Papa!"
"She's been awfully clingy to him lately, hasn't she?" Elsa asked, a concerned look on her face.
"Yeah," Anna sighed, now rocking Kirsten back and forth. She had stopped crying and was now just sniffling. "I'm hoping it's just a phase she'll grow out of."
"Well, thankfully, the season will be done soon and then she can spend more time with him," said Elsa, smiling.
"I hope so," said Anna, sighing again and looking down at Kirsten. She was finally quiet and was now sucking her thumb.
"You know," said Elsa thoughtfully. "I just had a thought. Since this is one of Kristoff's last harvesting trips, why not take Kirsten up to visit him?"
"Really?" Anna asked, looking up at her sister. "You don't think she's too little yet?"
"Of course not," said Elsa, waving her hand dismissively. "After all, you've wanted to take her up there almost since the day she was born."
"Not quite," Anna protested. "She was a month old when I started wanting to take her up there. Don't you remember? I mentioned it to you at breakfast one morning. But I decided not to yet because it was too warm and she was too little at the time."
"That's right, you did mention that," said Elsa. "I guess I was so distracted by all those annoying missives that I forgot. Well, it's the perfect time to take her up there. It's not too warm and she's old enough now that you don't have to worry about her quite as much." She smiled.
"You're right," Anna conceded. "Besides, it would be nice to get away from the castle for a while. I haven't really been out much since Kirsten was born."
"It's settled, then," said Elsa, in a tone of finality. "Tell you what; why don't you go up tomorrow? The weather's supposed to be even nicer than it is today."
"What about you?" Anna asked. "I mean, can you handle things yourself?"
"Anna, I'm the queen," said Elsa, laughing. "I spent almost my whole life preparing for this."
"What about Bella?" Anna asked. "Who will watch her while you and Fredrik are performing your duties?"
"Gerda can look after her," said Elsa. "You know how much she loves her and Kirsten. Besides, I already asked her and she said yes. There, now you have no excuse not to go." She nudged Anna playfully and grinned at her, which was somewhat unlike her. Normally, it was Anna doing that to her while she sat in uncertainty about something.
"You had this all planned out already, didn't you?" Anna asked, narrowing her eyes playfully at her sister.
"Of course," said Elsa, smiling at her. "You, Kristoff, and Kirsten deserve some time together."
"Well, it has been a while since it was just the three of us," said Anna thoughtfully. "I've been wanting to ask Kristoff to take us up there with him at least once. But I just know what he wouldd say; that it's too dangerous. But since he won't know we're going up there, he won't really have a say in the matter." She smirked mischievously at Elsa, who did the same thing back.
The next day was as beautiful as Elsa had predicted. The sky was a clear blue and the air was cool, but pleasant. When Kristoff kissed her goodbye in the entrance hall before heading out, Anna tried not to show how excited she was about her "secret", surprise visit later, but she couldn't wipe away the smile that had been on her face almost since the moment she woke up. Of course, Kristoff noticed and commented.
"What are you smiling about?" he asked, smiling back at her.
"Nothing," said Anna, but she was still smiling. "Just—have a good day."
"Uh-huh," said Kristoff. He looked unconvinced, but to Anna's relief, he didn't push it. He gave her another kiss on the cheek and left.
"Way to keep a secret, Anna," said an amused voice behind her. She turned and saw Fredrik leaning against the banister, arms crossed and a playful smile on his face.
"I can't help my excitement," said Anna, shrugging. "I've never been that good at keeping secrets. That was always Elsa." Just then, her face fell as those old, somewhat painful memories came flooding back.
"Hey," said Fredrik quietly, walking over to her and putting a hand on her shoulder. "You saved her from that, and you saved Arendelle from the winter. None of that matters anymore. What matters is that we're all here together, and we're a family." He gave her a friendly hug.
"Thanks, Fredrik," she said when they had broken apart. "It means a lot to hear you say that." She smiled.
"Hey, anytime you want to talk, you know where to find me," he said, smiling.
"Thanks," Anna said again. "So, where are the girls?" By "girls", she meant Elsa and Baby Bella.
"Still upstairs," Fredrik replied, jerking his head in the direction of the stairs. "Elsa's nursing Bella before her first meeting. I would have stayed, but Elsa requested some privacy. I can't really blame her. It's one of the few times she gets to spend time alone with Bella, other than rocking her to sleep at night. Most days, it's her nanny or Gerda looking after her."
"I know what you mean," said Anna, nodding. "It was the same with me and Kirsten. I guess it runs in the family." She smiled. There was a slightly awkward pause, and then she said, "Well, I guess I better go see if Kirsten's awake yet. We should start planning out the best way to get up there. Thanks again for the talk."
"You're welcome," said Fredrik, smiling. "Good luck and have fun."
"Oh, I intend to," said Anna, winking at him before starting up the stairs. She made her way to Kirsten's room and found her awake but quiet. She was laying down, but when she saw her mother, she stood up and held out her little arms to be picked up.
"Good morning, my little angel," said Anna, picking Kirsten up and kissing her on the cheek.
"Papa?" Kirsten asked, looking up at her.
Anna sighed. "Papa's at work," she said. It felt like a repeat of yesterday. "But guess what? We're going to see Papa today."
"Me Papa?" Kirsten said.
"Yes, we're going to see Papa," said Anna, smiling.
"Papa! Papa!" Kirsten said excitedly, seeming to have understood what Anna had said.
"Yes, Papa!" said Anna, and she twirled around, making Kirsten giggle.
She heard a soft chuckle from behind her and turned to see Elsa standing in the doorway, holding Bella, who appeared to be asleep.
"What are you laughing at?" Anna asked.
"Nothing," said Elsa unconvincingly. "You're just so good with her."
"Thanks. And you're good with Bella," said Anna, smiling at her.
"Thanks," said Elsa, looking down at Bella. "I never thought of myself as a mother. But now I realize that it's the best thing that's ever happened to me."
"I told you you would make a good mother," said Anna, smiling. "Because you're such a good sister."
"I don't know about that," said Elsa quietly.
"Elsa, stop it," said Anna firmly, setting Kirsten down and walking over to her. "We've been through this before. I forgive you, and I love you. I loved you before we were separated, I loved you during our separation, and I still love you. I love you so much that I died for you. I will always love you no matter what. Now, give me Bella. I think it's time for some niece/aunt time."
"Anna, she's sleeping," said Elsa, looking down at her daughter.
"So?" Anna asked. "When Kirsten was born, you wanted to hold her whenever she was sleeping. Please? I haven't really held her since she was born."
"Okay," said Elsa, sighing and gently handing Bella to her. "But be careful not to wake her. And don't jostle her too much, either. I just fed her and—"
"Elsa, hush, I know what I'm doing," said Anna, smiling as she took her niece into her arms. "I was a mother first, remember?"
"I know," said Elsa. "But—"
"Shh!" Anna scolded playfully. "I'm trying to bond with my niece." She gently started rocking her back and forth. "Hello there, baby girl. So you're a princess just like me. And your mama is the snow queen, and she's probably the best queen Arendelle has ever had. You may not remember my voice yet, but someday you will. I will be here for everything that happens in your life, every birthday, every holiday, and every special day in between. I know that you and I will be best friends, just like I am with your mama." She kissed Bella's cheek. Bella squirmed but didn't wake up. "I love you so much, but there's only one person in this world who loves you more, and that's your mama." She continued rocking and swaying until she heard Elsa clear her throat behind her. She turned around to look at her.
"Don't you have somewhere you need to be?" Elsa asked, smiling mischievously.
Anna suddenly remembered her plan to take Kirsten up to visit Kristoff. She had completely forgotten while she was holding and talking to Bella.
"Yeah, you're right!" Anna exclaimed, and she handed Bella back to her. "I completely forgot! Thanks for reminding me!"
"Somehow, I knew you would forget," said Elsa, smiling and gently bouncing Bella up and down. She had woken up and started fussing after Anna's excited shout. "Any plans on how you're going to do it?"
"I don't know yet," Anna confessed. "Kristoff has the only sled and Kirsten is too little to ride a horse yet, even with me on it with her."
"I think I may have a solution for that," said Elsa, and she smirked.
"What solution is that?" Anna asked.
"You'll see," said Elsa mysteriously.
"Are you sure this is going to work, Elsa?" Anna asked, a little uncertainly. "I mean, is it safe?" She shifted on her horse to look back at Kirsten, who was sitting snug and secure in a seat that Elsa had fashioned entirely of ice, with a small cushion for added comfort. It wasn't the thin, clear, delicate kind that made up her ice castle, but a thick, opaque kind that was more resistant to shattering.
"Yes, Anna, it's perfectly safe," said Elsa, smiling at her reassuringly. "I made absolutely sure of that. Don't you trust me?"
"Well, of course I do," said Anna. "But—"
"No," said Elsa, holding up a hand. "No more buts. You're just wasting time. Now go, but not too fast, though, okay? She may look secure, but one good jolt could jar her loose and send her flying. Just take it nice and slow."
"Elsa, we'll be fine," said Anna, this time being the one to reassure her sister. "Won't we, Kirsten?" She looked back at Kirsten and smiled, but Kirsten just said, "Papa!"
"You see?" said Anna, turning back to her sister. "We'll be fine. And in case you forgot, I was the one who convinced Kristoff to take me up the North Mountain to bring you back."
"Yes, I guess I do have you to thank for that," said Elsa, smiling. "If you weren't so stubborn and determined, we would still be separated. But all the same, you can never be too careful. Now get going, it'll be getting dark soon." She lightly smacked the horse's rump and he took off at a steady trot. Anna waved goodbye until the trees in the forest blocked Elsa from view.
About an hour later, it was starting to get dark and Anna was worrying that she wouldn't find the right place. But then she heard a soft rumble of voices coming from up ahead. She urged her horse closer and was soon able to discern where the voices were coming from and what they were saying.
She had come to the edge of a large, frozen mountain lake. There were about thirty or so ice harvesters scattered about, cutting ice into large blocks and loading it onto carts and wagons. As Anna got closer, she could tell that the voices weren't talking, but singing. The song had a steady rhythm, but wasn't any song she had heard before.
"Born of cold and winter air
And mountain rain combining…
This icy force both foul and fair
Has a frozen heart worth mining."
Anna dismounted her horse and then carefully unstrapped Kirsten and lifted her off before settling her on her hip. She gingerly tested the ice with her foot, and then, finding it solid, started making her way across, looking for Kristoff. She looked everywhere, but didn't see him, so she decided to ask someone. She walked over to the nearest harvester, a tall, broad man with dark hair and rugged features.
"Excuse me," Anna said.
The man straightened and turned to see who it was, and was startled upon seeing that it was the princess.
"Your Highness!" he said, bowing.
"Relax, it's just me," said Anna, smiling.
"What can I do for you, Your Highness?" he asked.
"Have you seen Kristoff?" Anna asked.
"Yes, ma'am, he's over there," the man said, pointing across the ice. Anna looked in the direction he was pointing and saw Kristoff a short way away, loading ice onto his sled, to which Sven was tied.
"Thank you," Anna said to the man, smiling at him.
"You're welcome, Your Highness," he said, bowing again before going back to work.
Anna continued across the ice in the direction the harvester had pointed. As she got nearer, Sven noticed her and started panting excitedly.
"Hey buddy," Anna said, smiling and patting his head. "Kirsten, can you say hi to Sven?"
"Hi, Ven," said Kirsten, and she giggled as Sven tried to nuzzle her with his nose. "Ickle!"
"Does he tickle?" Anna asked, laughing with her. But Kirsten just giggled as Sven nuzzled her again.
"Anna?" said a voice behind them.
Anna turned and saw Kristoff coming toward them, carrying a big block of ice on his broad shoulder.
"Hi!" said Anna, and she hurried forward with Kirsten and kissed him.
"Uh, hi," he said, walking over to his sled and setting the block of ice on one of the stacks. "What are you doing here?"
"We wanted to surprise you!" said Anna excitedly. "Surprise!"
"Well, it is a surprise," said Kristoff, rubbing the back of his neck, something he always did when he was uncomfortable or nervous.
"You're not happy?" Anna asked, disappointment creeping into her voice.
"No, of course I'm happy to see you!" said Kristoff, kissing her. "It's just – I wasn't expecting you."
"That's why they call it a surprise, silly," said Anna, smiling at him.
"So, what made you decide to come up here?" Kristoff asked, smiling back.
"Oh, well, Kirsten threw a fit yesterday," Anna said.
"A fit?" Kristoff asked, confusion etched on his face.
"Yeah, she noticed that you weren't around to play with her and she asked where you were," Anna answered. "Well, sort of."
"Sort of?" Kristoff repeated.
"Well, she just kept saying 'Papa' over and over," said Anna. "But I knew what she meant. So, when I told her that you were out working, she just plopped down on the grass and started crying. She misses you, Kristoff."
"Well, the ice harvesting season is almost over, so I'll be able to spend more time with her after that," Kristoff said.
"I know, but she doesn't understand that yet," Anna said. "I felt so helpless. I didn't know what to do." She hung her head. "That was when Elsa suggested that I bring her up here for a visit."
"Wait," said Kristoff, holding up his hands. "You mean, this was all Elsa's idea?"
"Well," said Anna slowly. "Yeah."
Kristoff just rolled his eyes. "That stinker. You know, if I didn't like her so much, I would probably kill her," he said in an amused voice.
"So, you're—you're not mad?" Anna asked, looking up at him.
"Mad?" Kristoff asked. "Why would you think I would be mad?"
"Well, I was afraid that if I asked you, you'd say something like 'No, Anna, ice harvesting is a dangerous job, you could get hurt'," she said in a deep voice. "You know, something like that."
"Well, I'm not going to lie to you, Anna," he said, pulling her and Kirsten close. "Ice harvesting is dangerous. There's not a day when I don't worry that I won't get back home to you safely."
"Really?" Anna asked, pulling away and looking up at him again.
"Yeah," said Kristoff. "So many accidents happen, even to the most experienced harvesters. That's why I've been so hesitant about bringing you up here. What if something happened? I just can't bear the thought of losing you. What would I do without you?"
"Oh, Kristoff," said Anna quietly, and she gently laid a hand on his cheek. "I'm so sorry. If I had known you felt this way, I wouldn't have come up here. If you want, we can leave." She started turning away.
"No, no, it's okay!" said Kristoff, grabbing her and turning her back around. "I'm glad that you came to visit me. It's nice to see a new face once in a while when you're surrounded by the same people every day."
"Are you sure?" Anna asked, a little hesitant.
"Anna, it's fine," said Kristoff firmly. "Besides, the day is almost over and we won't be here for that much longer, anyway. An hour, at the most."
"Well, okay," said Anna. "I guess we'll just sit in the sled and stay out of your way, then."
"Anna, you're never in my way," said Kristoff, smiling and kissing her again. "But yes, you can wait for me in the sled. By the way, how did you get up here?"
"We rode," Anna answered, after settling herself and Kirsten in the sled.
"What about Kirsten?" he asked.
"Oh, Elsa made a little seat for her," Anna answered happily. "It's really ingenious. It's amazing what she can do with her powers."
"Yeah, I'm always impressed with them, too," said Kristoff.
"Well, that's probably because you love ice so much," said Anna, grinning cheekily at him.
"Probably," Kristoff agreed, laughing at her expression. "Okay, you two hang tight while I finish loading the sled, and then we can head home. There's a blanket or two in the back if you get cold."
"Okay," said Anna, and she reached back and grabbed one of the thick wool blankets tucked behind the seat. She spread it out so it covered both her and Kirsten, who was sitting on her lap. Even though they were both wearing thick clothes and cloaks, the air was colder farther up the mountain than down by the castle. Also, Anna didn't want the same thing to happen to Kirsten that happened to her five years ago. She tucked the blanket around them and snuggled her to her chest.
"Papa?" said Kirsten, looking up at her.
"Papa's working," said Anna. "But he's almost done, and then he'll take us home."
"Pay?" Kirsten said.
"Papa will play with you if it's not too late," Anna answered. But she looked up at the sky and saw that it was already pretty dark. As winter drew nearer, the days got shorter, especially in their part of the world.
Anna watched as Kristoff and the other ice harvesters cut and loaded their last blocks of ice for the day, then Kristoff climbed up in the sled next to her and Kirsten.
"Okay, buddy, let's go home," Kristoff said to Sven before slapping the reins and urging him into a trot.
"Wait!" Anna said, laying a hand on his arm. "My horse!"
"Where is he?" Kristoff asked.
"Over there, on the other side of the lake," Anna answered, pointing across the ice to where she had left her horse tied to a tree. Kristoff urged Sven over to the horse, tied it up next to him (though he wasn't too pleased with the arrangement), and they set off back down the mountain. Anna snuggled closer to Kristoff and rested her head on his shoulder.
"So," said Kristoff, smiling down at her. "What did you want to do once we get home?"
"I don't know," Anna replied.
"Well, why don't we ask Kirsten, then?" he asked.
"Okay," said Anna, and she looked down at her daughter. But Kirsten was sleeping, her thumb in her mouth. Anna laughed softly. "I guess we'll have to wait until tomorrow. Look."
Kristoff looked down. "I guess so," he agreed, smiling again.
Anna closed her eyes, too, and they rode on in silence for the next few minutes. But soon, she saw lights dancing behind her closed eyelids, and she opened them to find bright colors flashing across the sky. She smiled.
"Kristoff," she whispered, not wanting to wake Kirsten.
"Hmm?" he said.
"Look, the sky's awake," said Anna, and she looked up at him and smiled again.
Kristoff looked up, too. "Yeah, I guess it is," he said, looking back down at her and also smiling. He kissed her forehead and she snuggled even closer to him. She always enjoyed the time they got to spend together as a family, just the three of them, and she hoped there would be many more to come.
I absolutely love this couple and I'll never get tired writing about them. :)
I hope you enjoyed the brief scene with Anna and Fredrik. I didn't really give them much interaction in "Family Ties" or "Opening New Doors", so I figured it would be sweet to include a little brother-in-law/sister-in-law moment between them. :)
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! :)