Disclaimer: I in no way own any part of Frozen; the characters, location etc. belong solely to Disney and their fantastically talented story tellers. I am receiving no compensation or financial benefit from the writing of this story. It is only for personal entertainment. Please no suing or legal retribution. I am only paying homage to an amazing story and characters.

A/N: Thank you again to every person who has taken time to give me a review on my writing. It's incredibly wonderful to get your notes and feedback and I appreciate it more than I can properly express. This story has been twisting around in my brain all summer and I finally feel ready to start stringing the bits and pieces that I currently have together. Bad news, I still don't know how this all ends or even who the entire cast of characters are, but it's going to be fun to find out. There's some interesting personalities who've moved into the story recently, I've been getting to know them, hopefully you'll be able to as well soon. Thank you especially to the wonderful fandom I've become a part of, Kristanna peeps you are spectacularly wonderful! ;)

...

Sunrise came, warming the palace and soon after Anna opened her eyes then blinked. Pink, everything was very pink. Why had she never noticed that before? Anna turned her head and looked over the rosemaled, flowery expanse that was her room. She pulled herself up into a sitting position and took stock of herself. Why was it that half of her wanted to leap out of the bed and dance around the room and the other half was ready to pull the coverlet back up and pretend to hibernate? It hit her simultaneously; Kristoff, Elsa. oh no. Anna groaned and sank back down. This was a mess. The same night she decided to move forward with Kristoff into new territory, Elsa came to her room to talk betrothal plans. How in the world this was going to sort itself out?

"Elsa, I'd like you to know I'm going to marry our Ice Master." Anna breathed into her pillow.

"Kristoff, Elsa plans to ship me off on a diplomatic mission to who knows where. Also, in pursuit of that mission, she'd like me to get married." Anna muttered. Yes, both of those conversations would go well. She'd just decided that staying right here for the rest of the day was her best option when a knock rattled her door.

"Miss, your sister requests your presence in the library." No, no! Leave it to Elsa to tackle all difficult subjects bright and early.

"Ummm...actually," Anna paused frantically strategizing, "Actually I'm feeling terrible! Agcccchhhh,...Achooo!" she gave her best impression of a dying goat.

"Please, tell Elsa I think I need to stay in bed & rest." Anna paused hopefully before giving another hacking concerto.

"Miss, are you all right?" came the questioning and concerned voice. "Should I send for the Doctor?"

"No! No, no, no. I'm fine. Really!" Anna sputtered, "I just need to rest a bit!"

"As you wish, miss. I'll inform your sister of your indisposition." the butler said doubtfully.

"Thank you!" Anna halloo-ed before remember to sound sickly, "I mean, yes, that would be very kind." Whew...ok well, that had bought her precisely half an hour at best. She had to get out of here before Elsa came to see if she was well or not and to pin her into an irrevocable engagement. Anna exploded out from under the covers and frantically yanked a dress on. She spun around the room like a child's top as she dressed. Her hand halted above the door knob as she realized that there would be servants and people that she was bound to pass in the halls who would immediately alert Elsa of Anna's vacating the building. Anna reluctantly turned to face the diamond paned windows.

...

Kristoff woke in the hay loft with a sense of wonderment. Last night had been...beyond anything he'd ever dared to dream. Then reality clubbed him like a baby seal on a snow bank. What had he been thinking?! He berated himself as he scrubbed his face and yanked a shirt over his head. What was the next step? Should he go into the castle & formally ask for pardon?

"Please, excuse me. I've accidentally- on purpose deflowered the princess of Arrendale." He snorted and blushed at the very thought. Well, if asking pardon was out he might as well do something useful. He placed his tools in the cart and hitched Sven to the sled. Some time to consider what he'd done would be a good thing, even if all he wanted was go find Anna and kiss her. He slapped the reins on Sven's back and they set out for the mountains.

...

Anna was bruised and breathless when she bolted through the stable doors.

"Kristoff! Kristoff!" She ran past startled horses, slipping on the hay as she went.

"Your Highness!" a groom called as he stepped out of a stall. "Ice master Kristoff set off early this morning." He looked at her with alarm and curiosity. "Did you need something?"

Anna skidded to a stop,

"What do you mean? Where did he go?"

"He didn't say, my lady, but he took his reindeer and sled" the stable lad looked uncertainly at her.

"Oh, oh," Anna breathed, "I just...I needed...never mind. It's all right, I'm sorry to have disturbed you." She turned and hurried out of the stables. Anna rounded a corner and leaned back against the stable wall gasping for breath. What was she doing? Better yet what was Kristoff doing? This wasn't what she'd been prepared for. A serious conversation, yes. Some kissing in the hay; absolutely, but Kristoff gone, who knew where? No.

Anna had wandered through the courtyard for half an hour when she was apprehended by one of the pages.

"Princess Anna, everyone has been looking for you." the young boy said as he hurried up to her.

"Oh, yes. Well I was just," Anna paused, "walking! Yes, I needed to take a walk." She looked at the boy trying to gauge his reaction and if he believed her, but his face was carefully composed.

"Princess Anna, the Queen is concerned and wishes to see you as soon as possible." He gave a short bow, "If you will allow me to escort you?"

Anna felt trapped, but she couldn't refuse, could she?

"Yes, of course," she answered, instead of bolting towards the gates. "Please, let's go." She gave one last look towards the stable and then followed the green jacketed boy up the palace stairs.

...

"Anna!" Elsa turned from the paperwork and documents covering the tabletop and rushed toward her sister. "Kai said you weren't feeling well." She raised one hand to feel Anna's forehead and concern furrowed her brow.

"No, no," Anna protested, "I'm fine really! I just needed to take a walk in the fresh air." She smiled at Elsa hoping that she couldn't see the worry in her eyes.

"Well, I'm glad you're here now," Elsa said, "We have so much to talk about. Half the princes and delegations will be arriving in the next few days, and then we have the welcome ball soon after." She paused to look closely at Anna before continuing. "It's going to be a long process, but there are so many things we need to discuss."

"Oh...oh." Anna said feeling slightly unwell as she looked over all the papers and invitations littering the desk. "That's a lot of paperwork." Elsa nodded and said,

"Yes, but don't be worried, most of this is mainly just for show. The real work will begin when we see the men that are represented by these replies."

"The men, who are coming here. Soon." Anna trailed off and began to feel for the first time, that she could faint.

"Elsa," Anna said quietly. "I wanted to talk to you about something." She trailed off as Elsa looked at her quizzically. "Well, Kristoff and I," she broke off as Elsa smiled and put a hand on her arm.

"I'm so glad you brought him up, there's something I need to mention, You must be careful about the time you spend with Kristoff. I know Kristoff is a good man, but people talk and not all they say is well meant. With the delegations coming we need to be very careful and not give any reason for people to speak idly about the two of you. Kristoff will always be a dear friend, but this undertaking is more important than you know." She finished looking expectantly at Anna who nodded reluctantly as she picked at the edge of a particularly ornate piece of stationery. Elsa tugged the paper away from Anna,

"This is from Henri de Valois, French." She said studying the embossed lettering. "Very wealthy and influential family. It's people like this that we have to keep on the right side of.

"So that's someone you'd like to see me married to?" Anna asked.

"No, probably not him. History of family instability and a penchant for violence, I think we can find someone much kinder and better suited for you, but we have to be careful not to offend the wrong people. This is going to be a balancing act."

"The wheels are already turning aren't they?" Anna asked. Elsa heard the tone in her voice and looked at her with concern.

"They are." She replied. "Is there a problem?" She asked gazing at Anna questioningly.

"No, no problem." Anna said brightly forcing a smile that slipped the instant Elsa turned back to the invitations.

...

Kristoff returned to the palace that evening, his back aching and his mind spinning. The time spent working had been nearly counter-productive. He'd had all the time he needed to think and he'd come up with no solution to the problem of being in love with Anna. The palace walls remained an insurmountable barrier.

"Easy Sven, just let me get the harness off." He sighed and pulled the leather harness off of his friend before resting his head on Sven's shoulder. Sven twisted around to look at him with concern.

"I'm ok, buddy. I just don't know what to do next." Sven snorted and stamped his hoof.

"Yeah I know," Kristoff said, "Just be a man. I'm trying." He pulled the tack off Sven and hung it on the hooks. Sven trotted into his stall and looked towards the oat bucket expectantly. Kristoff was measuring out Sven's dinner when he heard scurrying footsteps and he knew beyond a doubt who was about to round the corner.

"Kristoff! I'm so glad you're back." Anna glowed with exertion as she crossed the distance between them. "I've been waiting to talk to you all day!" She looked up at Kristoff with a mix of happiness and nervousness. He smiled down at her, every worry and inadequacy erased by the way she was looking into his eyes.

"Me too." He said. Then he looked around realizing that anyone could be listening from the shadows. "Why don't we go up to the loft after I feed Sven." Anna nodded in agreement and waited as Kristoff emptied the oat bucket into Sven's trough. They walked up the loft stairs, Kristoff trailing a step behind Anna as he scanned the darkness for any watchful stares.

When they reached the warm and softly lit space Anna turned and flung herself into Kristoff's arms.

"I'm so glad you're back! I have so much to tell you!" He caught her and pulled her close feeling as though a missing piece of himself had clicked into place. Anna stared up at him with such happiness and relief that everything he was worried over became insubstantial and all that really mattered was the fact that she was in his arms. He leaned down to kiss her with all the desire that had built up after a long day without her. Anna kissed him back with a hunger that banished any rational thought. They resurfaced much later with clothing disarrayed and hair pushed into odd angles, hay embedded in their clothes.

"Kristoff I was looking for you this morning. I couldn't find you and then Elsa sent a page to find me and we've been going over plans - betrothal plans - all day. She wants to make an alliance and she thinks the best way to do that is me getting married to some kind of prince or royalty. She's invited delegations from everywhere to come."

"Betrothal." The word caught in his throat like a rock. Kristoff froze, "Alliances, there are men coming here to court you." He repeated dully. Anna nodded regret and anxiety crowding in her eyes. He stood and walked away stunned, but that was how it always was with bad news. The icy water that jerks you awake, the ground unexpectedly crumbles at your feet. Your balance is compromised and you spin, falling heavily against reality with bruising force.

"Princess, yes, and a few Dukes I think." Anna replied. Kristoff exhaled deeply, his back to her and ran a hand through his hair. He turned to stare at Anna who was looking up at him from her seat nestled in the hay.

"They're coming soon, and Elsa wants you to marry one of them?" He asked.

"Yes, yes, but that's not what I'm going to do." Anna jumped up and rushed to his side. "I'm going to find a way out of this. Just because they're coming here doesn't mean that anything is decided. I can be polite, meet them and then send them home. I'll tell them I can't make up my mind- stall for time!"

Kristoff shook his head, "It doesn't work like that Anna."

"It can, it has to." She said leaning against him.

Kristoff shook his head once more before pulling her close and tucking her head under his chin. His arms wrapped around her, sheltering her, making him wish it was this easy to shut the world out. He didn't know what lay ahead, but he had a feeling that it wouldn't be as simple as Anna hoped. All he could do was hold her while he had the chance and pray for another storm to freeze the fjord and hold the world at bay.