Chapter 9
Anna paced back and forth with her hands behind her back, anticipating Kristoff's return and getting antsy. She has been pacing, back and forth, back and forth, for so long she was sure that she was going to carve out a rut on the castle's polished wooden floor.
Where is he? She thought. He said he'd be back in a few minutes. It's felt like hours...
In reality, it'd been about eight minutes. Anna was not very patient at times like this. Out the window, the sun was making its beautiful exit from the sky, painting the sky a sort of blend of orange and pink as it set.
Kristoff startled her. "Hey." He approached her, coming from behind her, smiling.
She turned to face him. "Kristoff!" she said happily, her eyes lighting up, unable to conceal her excitement that he'd returned, even if had only been a few minutes.
Then she crossed her arms, her wicked grin fading a little. "You said you'd only be a few minutes."
Kristoff laughed. "And I was," he said, smiling, raising an eyebrow expectantly. "Anyways, sorry about that. What do you want to do now?" He looked down at her, and couldn't help but smile. The girl had a knack for hitting him in the soft spot. She knew how to coax that smile out of him, without even trying.
Anna looked right back up at him, bearing that smile of a mischievous, brave, little angel that Kristoff loved. "It doesn't matter, really, as long as I'm with you."
He stared into her eyes for a little while, brainstorming possible activities to enjoy with Anna. "Hey, maybe we could go for a sled ride with Sven. The sunset is absolutely gorgeous. Reminds me of you."
She gushed. "Kristoff, that sounds like a wonderful idea."
So they packed some warm clothes, in case they decided to visit the North Mountain. Kristoff went out to prepare the sled, and he fetched Sven from the castle's stables. Kristoff, of course, fed him a carrot in his usual manner, voicing Sven for him.
Then he hooked his loyal reindeer up to the sled and said to him, "We're gonna have a great time, buddy! Anna will love it!" Kristoff had to admit, he was absolutely ecstatic about going on a sled ride with Anna. He'd only done it once before, and his sled had ended up exploding in the bottom of an abyss. Ah, good times, good times. This time, though, he'd be careful to avoid that route, and they'd return by dark. He went to fetch Anna from the castle with an extra spring in his step. That girl made him happy.
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Kristoff held the reins while Sven's hooves pounded on the ground furiously, taking them away from Arendelle. Anna sat next to Kristoff, careful not to rest her feet on the dash this time.
"Were you raised in a barn?" She remembered Kristoff asking, while his spit proceeded to land in her face when he attempted to clean the dash.
"No, I was raised in a castle," she had responded, wiping his spittle off of her face. Anna brightened at the memory.
The sled was moving at an incredible pace. Anna liked fast.
"So, where exactly are we going?" Anna asked Kristoff, although it was clear to him that she would be content no matter where he was taking her.
He smiled. "To my favorite viewpoint on the mountain pass," was his reply. He knew these mountains well. He had travelled them his whole life. He was taking her to a place on the mountain with an incredible view, where they could watch the mystical sunset together. He longed to wrap his muscular, oversized arm around Anna's petite shoulders. It would be perfect. He began to fantasize dreamily about the look in her eyes when she took in the magical sight. He thought Anna would enjoy such a beauty of nature. He couldn't wait to see her eyes light up in delight when she gazed at the beautiful sun descending the illuminated, massive mountains. He had Sven gallop with such great speed because Kristoff wanted to get there in time to see the sight.
Then, his daydream was interrupted. He smelled something. It took him a few moments to place the scent.
Smoke, he thought. Why would there be smoke? There are no ice harvesters out here at this time of the year, and nobody lives around here. Then it dawned on him. Bandits.
