Chapter Two

"Anna! Anna!"

Kristoff was out of the cabin in a flash, not bothering to put on a coat or shoes. The cold of the snow felt like knives against his bare feet, but he hardly noticed the pain; he was too preoccupied with fetching some rope and opening Sven's stable and panicking because Anna was freezing and drowning and crying out for him...

"Kristoff!"

Her voice, now raspy and winded, cracked on that last call; the frigid temperature of the iced-over water was getting to her, and quickly. She wasn't moving as fast as she was earlier.

Hurry, you idiot! Kristoff thought. The cold's going to kill her! Move, move, move!

With Sven right at his side, Kristoff stopped at the edge of the pond. He wanted to try to pull her out himself, but logic convinced him otherwise. If tiny Anna could fall through the ice, he'd shatter the whole damn pond. Instead, he tossed the rope to her, and he sighed in relief when he saw it plop right next to her in the water, floating by her waist.

"Take it, Anna!" he yelled. "Grab on!"

Anna grasped the rope with shaking hands, and once Kristoff saw that she had a secure hold on it, he gave the other end to Sven to hold between his teeth.

"Pull, Sven! Pull!" he shouted to the reindeer while tugging the middle of the rope, gripping it tightly. Without gloves, the rough material rubbed his skin raw and Kristoff was almost certain his palms would start bleeding. He didn't let go until Anna was dragged from the pond onto the snow surrounding it.

Kristoff knelt beside her shivering frame. A lump formed in his throat upon seeing that, after being out of the water for only a mere ten seconds, her soaking wet clothes were already hardening in the freezing air, reminding him of the time he'd watched in terror as her body turned to ice. Her lips, blue and quivering, looked as if they were trying to say something, but her throat was too cold. Everything about her at that moment was too cold; in fact, the only warm thing was the stream of frightened tears slipping from her closed eyes.

He didn't even bother with Anna's horse or Sven; they'd be fine outside for a while. Kristoff scooped up Anna, noting that her weight had significantly increased due to the sopping dress and cloak, and hurriedly carried her to the cabin. She trembled violently against him even when he placed her on the floor beside the fire and cradled her against him.

"You're alright," he murmured gently as he rubbed her back. "You're alright."

"I'm s-s-so-" she tried to say, but he stopped her.

"Shh. Just warm up, okay?"

Save for Anna's crying, they sat in silence for a few minutes, and for a fleeting moment Kristoff wondered how she'd ended up in the pond to begin with. What was she even doing out there? Why had she come out to his cabin? But he didn't ponder it too much because she was still shaking, and he knew what had to be done.

"Anna," he began nervously, "we... we need to get you out of your clothes. You'll freeze if you stay in them. Can you stand?"

He felt her nod and began to help her up. His eyes darted around, looking for a blanket to wrap her in once she was freed of her icy attire, and he grabbed the nearest one.

"Do you want me to leave, or should I... should I help?"

"C-could you h-help?"

Anna's eyes filled with fresh tears and her freckled cheeks pinkened. While Kristoff was relieved to see color return to her face, he felt horrible about the reason why. Of course she was embarrassed; the first man to undress her would be him, Kristoff. Why wouldn't she feel humiliated by that?

"I'm not going to look, I promise," Kristoff reassured her.

He wasn't lying; Kristoff had no intention to look at the skin he'd be revealing. It wouldn't feel right doing so. Kristoff had lost count of how many times he'd dreamt of removing Anna's clothes, but it was never like this. In all of his fantasies, he'd undressed her because she wanted him to, not because she'd die otherwise.

He hated this.

Kristoff began by removing her cloak and boots; those were easy. The rest, however, was a whole new adventure. There were so many buttons and ribbons everywhere that he wondered how she could stand dressing like this everyday. After figuring out the way to remove the dress was in the back, he gingerly began unlacing it until it was loose enough to push down to her ankles into a cold, lavender heap that he helped her step out of. Then there were several white skirts (Why are there so many?), wool stockings (Do they really need to be so long?), and her corset (How the hell does she breathe?).

He finally came down to what appeared to be the last garment: a thin, white, dress-like thing that Kristoff didn't know the name of. It fell just above her knees and dipped low on her chest, which he tried to ignore. He turned his focus to getting the thing off, eyes narrowing when he couldn't find any buttons or ties.

"How do I...?"

"J-just tug it," Anna choked out in a whisper. "P-pull it over my h-head."

"I promise I won't look, okay?" he repeated.

"Okay."

He stared at a spot on the wall just above her as he quickly yanked it over her shoulders and off her body.

She's naked, he thought. The princess of Arendelle is standing in your cabin, naked. Anna's right in front of you, naked. Take a peek. Just a little glance. She won't be the wiser, and you know you'll never have another chance.

But Kristoff wouldn't give in to the desire. He wouldn't take advantage of her vulnerability, her trust. Just because he couldn't be with her didn't mean she no longer deserved his respect. Kristoff blindly reached beside him for the oversized blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders before shifting his gaze back to her. He brought his hands to the ends of her braids and untied the ribbons.

"Your hair... it'll dry faster if it's loose," he explained, and she nodded. As each braid came undone, he tenderly ran his fingers through the cold, damp strands, spreading her strawberry blonde locks around her shoulders.

Slow, silent tears were still rolling down Anna's face, but at least she wasn't shivering much anymore. He didn't know what to say, so he busied himself beside the fire, prodding the logs with the iron. Remembering the kettle he'd been heating up before Anna arrived, he grabbed the cleanest mug he saw and fixed her a cup of tea.

"Thank you," she whispered, accepting the warm beverage with a trembling hand. Her cheeks still burned crimson.

"Hang on," he said, and he left her for a moment to step into the other room. Kristoff rummaged through one of his drawers and pulled out the longest winter tunic he owned. He decided he should at least give her something to wear other than a blanket so she wouldn't feel so exposed. Judging by Anna's height, he guessed the tunic would reach down to her knees. Coupled with the blanket, he figured that would suffice.

"Here," he said once he returned to the sitting room. "I'm going outside for a minute to put Sven and Lena in the stable, and you can put this on. It's all I have. I'm sorry. But at least it's warm."

"It... it's perfect," Anna replied. "Thank you."

Kristoff nodded, slipped on some shoes, and departed into the cold. Unsurprisingly, Sven and Lena were already standing in the stable, patiently waiting for him to come close it and save them from the sporadic gusts of winter wind. He ensured they had enough water and carrots, gave them each an affectionate pat on the head, and shut the wooden door. Before reentering the cabin, he stomped the accumulated snow off his shoes.

He couldn't help but smile when he saw Anna. Dressed in his tunic, she was sitting on the floor by the fire and using the blanket only on her lower half now. She grasped the mug of warm tea with both of her hands, sipping it slowly as she stared into the flickering flames. Her lips were pink again and she was no longer crying.

"Hi," she said when she saw him.

"Hello."

"Thank you for pulling me out."

"Well, I wasn't about to let you drown."

"I know," she said with a small laugh. "Come sit with me. Get warm."

Kristoff hesitated for a moment. Sitting with her would be a mistake. It would only make him want more, make him believe he could have more. It would make him temporarily forget about all of the potential suitors who were much better for her. It would give him false hope.

But he did it anyway. Hell, he was cold, too.

"I hope it's okay that I'm visiting," Anna said after a couple of minutes. "I know you don't like surprises, but you haven't been around."

"I know."

"I... I've been worried. Are you alright?"

Kristoff looked to the floor. She had been thinking about him. For a brief moment, his heart swelled with affection, but then he remembered that concern wasn't reserved solely for lovers; friends could worry about one another, too, and he was her friend. That was all she meant.

"I'm fine," he said quickly. "Once your clothes are dry, I'll ride with you back to the palace. It'll be too late for you to go alone."

"Wait, what?"

"If you have another accident-"

"That's not what I mean," Anna interrupted. "Did... did I come at a bad time? I'm sorry if I did. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"And you did, and I'm fine, so I'll bring you back, alright? You belong at the palace."

"Kristoff-"

"You can't stay here, Anna!"

It sounded harsh, but it was the truth. She was a princess – a beautiful, amazing one at that – and she didn't belong in a dingy cabin with a gruff mountain man. As much as Kristoff wanted her to stay, he couldn't allow it. They were both better off that way. Anna could go off and live the life she was meant to with someone who was worthy of her, and he could remove himself from the equation early and save himself the heartache.

However, when he finally looked up at her, it appeared that Anna was the one with the heartache. There were tears in her eyes again, and her face was scrunched up in unmistakable hurt.

Way to go, Kristoff silently scolded himself. You made her cry again. She really is better off without you.

But what Anna said next in a barely audible whisper was the last thing he expected.

"Whatever I did, I... I'm sorry."

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! :) See you soon for Chapter 3!