Once outside, Anna found Kristoff with relative ease, seeing as the stable boy is always at the stables. Unfortunately, being in the stables meant certain hygiene deficiencies.

"Kristoff!" Anna called as she came up behind the man.

Kristoff looked around, as if to check for other workers around. Once he was sure they were alone, a smile spread across his goofy face. "Anna banana!" he cried, arms encircling the redhead and pulling her in for a hug.

"Hey big guy. As much as I like your hugs, I'd rather not go back inside smelling like the stables," Anna replied, pushing herself away.

"Of course, your highness," Kristoff said as he bowed.

"Anyways I need some help," Anna said, ignoring Kristoff's attempt to get under her skin.

"With?"

"Love."

"L-love?!" Kristoff's jaw dropped as he stared at the redhead. He shook himself from the shock and continued, "So who's the lucky man?"

"I'm not sure yet," Anna replied, looking out into the distance, "I'm not even sure if I'm in love yet."

"O-oh!" Kristoff muttered, scratching the back of his head.

"How do you know when you're in love?" she asked, not looking at him.

"W-well...when you think about this other...person, your heart skips a beat or two. When they say your name, you feel like the only person in the world and you are all that matters. You won't be able to stand the very thought of the other person being intimate with anyone other than you. I g-guess...the biggest hint is when you kiss the other person. If you're kissing just anyone on the lips, you'd feel nothing. Maybe a bit warm if it's someone you like, but it wouldn't compare to even thinking about a kiss with the person you're in love with."

Anna turned around. "Wow...I didn't know you knew so much about it, Kristoff. Who's the lucky girl?!" she asked, eyebrows wiggling suggestively.

She watched as Kristoff's face turned red. "Figure it out," he muttered.

"Is it someone I know? Is it a girl? Is she pretty?" she asked, now eager to find out.

"Um...Maybe, yes, and definitely yes."

"Blonde? Brunette? Redhead?"

"Why don't you change into your riding briefs? Some of the horses look eager for a ride," Kristoff said, refusing to look Anna in the eye.

The redhead pouted. "Fine," she said, "But I will get it out of you!"

Anna quickly left the stables and back inside the estate to change. The moment she finished putting on her over-sized riding breeches and tunic, she opened the door to run, only to find herself crashing into a servant.

"My apologies, your highness," the servant said quickly as she got up, holding a hand out to help Anna.

"It's okay," Anna replied as she pulled herself up, "Did you need something?"

"Ah, yes. Her majesty says to inform you that Princess Elsa will be here soon."

"Really? Oh my god, maybe I should wear my better breeches, the ones that fit better...I-I'll be right back!"

Anna raced back inside her room and shut the door, changing out of her current breeches and into the new pair that she only wore once in a while. The over sized ones reminded her of her brother, which was why she kept wearing them. Anna checked herself in the mirror. Her breeches were a light shade of beige, and hugged her legs rather tightly, just enough to ensure a comfortable ride. She now wore a white tunic, tucked into her breeches, along with a belt that went around her waist. Satisfied, Anna left her room again in search for Elsa, Kristoff's love interest escaping her mind completely.

Anna practically skipped her way out the doors of the estate and towards the stables. The moment she saw those platinum blonde locks, she froze in her steps, staring at the beauty she called her best friend. Elsa wasn't wearing a dress like usual. She was in her own breeches, which could only mean she came alone on a horse. Not that it mattered much to Anna. The redhead was too busy staring at the blonde's body, her own heart beating a thousand times a second. Elsa was wearing a black riding jacket over a white undershirt. The jacket hugged Elsa's curves almost too perfectly, but unfortunately didn't show off the blonde's breasts. Anna was almost jealous of the jacket with how perfectly it fitted the blonde's body. And those breeches. They fit Elsa as well as Anna's fit her. The white breeches were too perfect. They hugged every curve of Elsa's legs, including her bottom. Anna knew Elsa wasn't very athletic, but those legs couldn't be more perfect. They were nice, long, perfectly shaped, and Elsa couldn't possibly be more perf- What was she doing?

Anna felt her jaw drop lower than it already did, especially as she watched Kristoff walk up to the goddess with a deep blush on his face. He was holding flowers behind his back, most certainly meant for the beauty before him. Anna felt her heart drop.

W-what...what is he doing? No...no! Don't give her the flowers! NO!

...

Don't...don't take my Elsa away...don't...don't. DON'T!

...

Why aren't you saying anything? You're my mind! Shouldn't you be giving me some kind of reality check here?!

For once, I wholeheartedly agree with you.

Don't you dare! Don't you DARE lean in for a kiss. Kristoff! Don't you DARE!

As much as Anna willed herself to move, she couldn't. She was frozen in place as she watched the scene unfold before her. Kristoff was holding out flowers for Elsa, and leaning towards her. It's had to be for a kiss. It just had to be because there's nothing else that action could be! The closer Kristoff leaned towards Elsa, the worse Anna felt. When Elsa finally turned her head away from the kiss, Anna was already on the verge of tears. Through her own watery eyes, she couldn't see that Elsa was staring directly at her.

"Anna?" Elsa called out, backing away from a shocked Kristoff as she walked towards the shaking redhead.

"Anna? What's wrong?" she cooed, placing a hand on Anna's back and rubbing soothing circular patterns into it.

"It's okay," she said as Anna leaned her head into Elsa's shoulder.

The tears were there. They just weren't falling. After a few blinks, Anna cleared away her urge to cry. It was okay. Elsa didn't kiss Kristoff. Elsa isn't holding the flowers Kristoff wanted to give her. Elsa's attention wasn't on Kristoff. Instead, Elsa was here, planting soft, gentle kisses in Anna's hair; instead, Elsa was here, rubbing circles on Anna's back; instead, Elsa was here, holding Anna like the most precious thing in the world.

"It's going to be okay, Anna," Elsa cooed again.

Anna closed her eyes as she felt a wave of calm come over her just before she pulled away.

"Thanks, Elsa," she said, smiling.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No...can we go for a ride?"

"Of course."

Elsa took Anna by the hand as they headed towards the stables. Kristoff bowed, but Anna wouldn't look at him. She couldn't see the guilt in his face. Instead, she got on one of the brown horses as Elsa got on her own white one. Anna led the way as Elsa followed, unaware of the looks the blonde was giving her.

They rode to the usual tree Anna loved so much, and took their respective places on the branch.

"Elsa...last night. What were you going to say?" Anna began, desperate for an answer.

"I...Anna...I was...um..." Elsa's eyes darted everywhere, trying to look anywhere but at Anna.

"Elsa, whatever it is, you can tell me," Anna said, leaning towards the blonde.

"I...I can't, Anna. I'm sorry, but I-I can't."

"Elsa, please!"

With every second of silence that passed by, Anna felt her heart wither away a little bit more. Was whatever Elsa had wanted to say so bad she couldn't say it now?

"Do you...do you hate me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. It had to be that, right? After all, Anna was the cause of the most terrifying moment of Elsa's life. Perhaps every time Elsa thought of her, she felt fear because of what happened. Anna felt her fingers dig into the bark beneath her hands. She couldn't bring herself to look at the blonde, and every second of silence after her question made her fear the worst. Perhaps Elsa didn't just hate her. Perhaps she despised her. Who knows what years of fear could do to a person, and Anna felt as if she's scarred Elsa for life. After minutes of silence, Elsa finally spoke up, so softly Anna wasn't sure if the blonde spoke at all.

"No. I don't hate you."

Anna froze. It was like she just experienced the worst moment of her life and the best moment of her life all within the same second. Her fears were assuaged but she couldn't shake the feeling that Elsa wasn't done talking. Or perhaps she was done talking, but simply hadn't said all she wanted to say.

What's so bad that she can't tell me?

"Then...why won't you tell me what you were going to say?"

"Anna-"

"Please! I need to know!" Anna was shouting at this point, her shoulders hunched as she tried to curl into herself. "Elsa, I-"

Before she could finish, Anna felt a cold hand on her cheek. Elsa had taken off her gloves and the feeling of the blonde's skin against her was soothing. Slowly, she felt the blonde tilt her head so that they were looking at each other, and while Anna would love for time to freeze at that point so she could stare endlessly at the goddess before her, she felt something cold but soft and warm at the same time press against her lips. Her eyes widened and her body froze, and all she could register was how close Elsa was to her and the sensation of a gentle kiss on her lips. By the time she could recover from the shock, Elsa was already pulling away.

Don't go...don't stop.

Anna's hands reached up and grabbed the lapels of Elsa's riding jacket, pulling the blonde back towards her for another kiss. This time, she could see the shock in Elsa's eyes. As they both processed the action Anna just performed, they shut their eyes and leaned into the kiss. It wasn't deep, but it was passionate. It was enough to prove to the redhead she was utterly and completely in love with the blonde. How long? Who knows, and honestly, Anna couldn't care less. She loves her now and that was all that mattered. They tilted their heads to the side, trying to get as much of the kiss as possible. Elsa's hand came up and tangled her fingers in fiery red hair, pulling Anna closer even though such a feat is practically impossible at this point. Her other hand wrapped itself around Anna's waist, pulling their bodies together as well. Anna wasn't sure where to put her hands. Simply holding on to the lapels for dear life wasn't enough. She wanted to be closer. Her hands slid up from the cloth beneath them, gliding onto Elsa's shoulders. Her fingers curled into the jacket, trying to find any folds she could grab. Anna pulled back barely a millimeter and Elsa was already making a sound similar to a whine. She smirked against the blonde's lips as if to promise to make up for pulling back. Making up, she did, for Anna was nibbling Elsa's bottom lip within seconds, feeling the blonde's gasps in her mouth and her breaths against her skin. Elsa's hands were running up and down Anna's back while the redhead's were rubbing against Elsa's shoulders and neck, fingers barely touching the white-blonde locks she loved so much. Unfortunately, kissing on a tree with no hands to balance them was harder than she thought. The moment the two princesses felt themselves lean too far in one direction, the kiss was broken immediately. However, they were beyond recovery. Within seconds, Anna found her back against the ground, her bones aching from the impact. Elsa, from the looks of it, was unharmed, having fallen on top of Anna instead of the dirt. Anna's chest hurt slightly from Elsa's fall, but all the pain and aches went away once she noticed the blonde was in her arms, safe.

Warm...

Elsa, once recovering from the shock of the fall, pulled herself away from Anna.

"Oh my god! Anna! I'm so-"

Anna cut her off with a finger to her lips. "Don't be sorry. It's my fault. I wasn't paying attention."

"No, Anna. It's mine. I shouldn't have kissed you like that...I-"

"Elsa, it's fine. Besides, I liked it."

"...Really?"

Anna felt her own face flush at the sight of Elsa. The blonde's face now held a hint of pink; her hair, though still perfect, was slightly messy; her bottom lip was red, either from the kiss or from Elsa biting it. Anna was sure there was nothing in the world more arousing than the sight of the beauty before her.

"Yes, Elsa. It felt really good."

"Are...are you okay? Does it hurt?" Elsa asked, her hands reaching out to touch Anna but stopped midair.

"It hurts," Anna groaned, faking an wince.

"Is...is there anything I can do to help?" Elsa asked, her face full of concern.

Bingo! Anna has Elsa exactly where she wanted her.

"Yes, actually. I'm not sure if you're willing, though."

"Anything, Anna. I'll do anything!"

"You...you could kiss me again."

Elsa's face at that moment was priceless. There was a mix of surprise, worry, mischievousness and most importantly love. Without another second of hesitation, the blonde leaned in, pressing her forehead against Anna's.

"Are you...are you sure?"

"Yes. Now kiss me."

Anna didn't wait for Elsa to respond as her hands reached up and pulled the blonde down, brushing their lips together gently before leaning in, sealing the kiss. A moan escaped Elsa's lips and Anna swore her heart was about to explode. The moan was the sexiest thing she's ever heard and there is no way she would let herself go another day without it, especially now that she's had a taste of it. Despite her urges, she managed to keep the kiss chaste. There was always time to deepen it, and at this point, she'd rather die than live life without Elsa. The blonde is her life, her goddess. Any concerns she had before regarding a marriage with Elsa could wait because no matter what happens, she swore silently, she will marry her.

A/N: I think I made up for making you suffer, right? Right?! Anyways, for those of you who were worried about me, thank you all for your concerns. I'm feeling much better now (no thanks to the people I see everyday). Who knew your feet and hands could get super cold at night while the rest of you burns like a supernova. It was not a pleasant feeling :(

Anyways, I enjoyed writing this chapter, and I know you all enjoyed reading it. I hope this makes up for any hard feelings for a while, cuz my cousin's wedding is coming up and I need to get ready for that...and I'm moving out (finally). Which means I'm going to be a bit busy for a while and you're all gonna have to wait for the next couple of updates (sorry). I'll make it worth the wait though. I promise :D