Fingertips, northern lights
Tracing colors right through the sky
Underneath a lullaby
I never felt as blissful as I do here
Cider Sky, "Northern Lights"
–
The mid-summer sun was warm on Anna's face, and she relished in its light as she tipped her face to the sky, absorbing it into her skin. Growing up in Francia, any amount of time she spent out in the summer sun usually left her fair complexion red and sore, but since arriving to the North the parts of her body not covered by her dresses had gradually taken on a bronze, sun-kissed glow that almost matched Kristoff's own tanned skin.
Anna rode on the back of Kristoff's reindeer as he walked alongside it, leading it to wherever they were going. They trotted along the forest path at a leisurely place; Kristoff couldn't afford a horse, and so he made do with the beast that he had, although it was not nearly as fast or strong as a proper stallion or mare.
Still, Anna found it to be a charming way to get around.
They had been travelling for nearly an hour already, in the opposite direction of the Viking settlement. The air was filled with the sounds of their own footsteps in harmony with the songbirds and other woodland critters that chattered and squeaked in the woods surrounding them. Every so often the wooden longbow that Kristoff carried, slung across his back, clattered against the matching quiver of arrows, startling Anna from her reverie, before she resumed wondering when they would reach their destination.
"Almost there," Kristoff said softly, as though he could read her thoughts.
The trees began to thin out, and soon enough they found themselves entering a clearing at the edge of a large, sapphire lake, the calm surface of which glittered in the sunlight. The valley seemed to stretch on forever, and was surrounded on all sides by an infinite blue sky and snow-capped mountains, their bases green and lush with colorful, fragrant flowers dotting the grass like stars.
"Kristoff," Anna breathed as she took in the scenery surrounding them, turning her head deliberately as her ride slowed to a stop. "This place is incredible. I mean, we have some beautiful views back in Francia, but nothing like this."
"You like it?" Kristoff asked rhetorically, the shadow of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Anna slid from the reindeer's back to plant both of her bare feet in the cool grass. "Like it? I wish that we could live here."
I wish that we could live here.
The words left her lips before she could stop them, but in the thick silence between them that followed, she realized that she had meant each one from the heart.
Over the past month, Anna had caught herself referring with increasing frequency to "we" rather than simply "I" whenever she spoke. They had continued to share a bed every night since the first, and Kristoff had even started to include her in more of the decision-making around the homestead, as he had gradually come to trust her judgement in most matters. Their late-night talks around the fire were rarely ever punctuated by the long, unsure lulls that had plagued their first few conversations anymore– or, if there was a break in the conversation now, it was meaningful and contented. They were comfortable enough with one another to not always feel compelled to fill the quiet or suffer in its uncertainty.
Something was blossoming between them, a sleeping bud waiting to bloom, but they dared not speak of it. They were practically husband and wife– without the marital relations.
The thought made Anna's skin burn hotter than the afternoon sun did.
After setting his animal at the edge of the water to drink, Kristoff made his way back over to Anna and pulled the bow from his back. In one swift movement, he drew an arrow from the quiver and nocked it, drawing back and letting the sinew fly from his fingertips before the young woman could even blink. The projectile whizzed through the air and embedded itself in a tree with a thunk, a hundred paces from where Anna stood observing with piqued interest.
"Your turn," Kristoff stated with a tip of his chin, holding the longbow out to her.
"What?" Anna squeaked, taken aback. "I've never held a bow in my life!"
A handsome grin lit up Kristoff's face and Anna felt her insides boil into a stew at the sight.
"That's why I'm going to teach you, Ǫndōttr Brók."
Reluctantly, she reached out and took the bow from Kristoff's outstretched hand; it was lighter than she expected, and her small fingers wrapped easily around the grip, as though it had been precisely carved to fit her. He pulled an arrow for her next and she took that from him, too, swallowing with a gulp as she tried to figure out where to begin.
Apparently amused by her antics as she attempted to simultaneously hold the bow steady and nock the arrow, nearly dropping both, the burly man allowed Anna to struggle for a minute while he watched her before stepping forward with a laugh.
"Easy there, Ǫndōttr Brók," he chortled as he moved to stand behind her. His voice softened. "Here, let me show you."
A boot nudged the heels of her feet.
"Open your stance," he commanded gently. Anna did as she was told and he stuck his own leg between them, planting his foot to keep her legs apart and sending a bolt like lightning shooting straight to Anna's womb.
Her heart sped up at his close proximity as his arms came forward then, trapping her between them like a cage, and took her dainty hands in his large ones. If he was as affected by their closeness as Anna was, he didn't show it. Rather, he moved her hands for her with ease, putting her fingers in their proper places and helping to nock the arrow.
Perhaps he was simply more used to such closeness by now than Anna was; she awoke most mornings cocooned in his embrace, with Kristoff entwined around her petite frame like an protective octopus, his body heat radiating through the thin linen of her shift. He always rose before she did, removing his arms and legs from around her with great care, doing his best to not wake her.
What he didn't know is that she was always already awake.
He brought her arms up and tipped her elbow, turning her body until the side of her torso was perpendicular to the target.
"Draw," he instructed.
Anna pulled, but the bowstring was surprisingly taut; she tried again, but she wasn't strong enough to pull it on her own. Sensing her distress, Kristoff's fingers came back over her own and, together, they drew the sinew back until Anna's fingertips were level with her nose.
"Aim." The burly man's voice was hot and deep in her ear. "And… release."
She released the bowstring at the same time that he retracted his fingers, allowing his arms to fall away from her. The projectile flew until it hit the targeted tree, sticking in the bark below Kristoff's own arrow with a thwack. It was a fitting spot, as Anna herself was much shorter than he was.
The Frankish princess let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in an astonished huff and lowered the bow, impressed by her accurate shot– even with Kristoff's assistance.
"Wow," she mumbled in awe. To not only hold a weapon, but to be able to use it– it was exhilarating, and yet she had only experienced a small taste of its full potential. No wonder men enjoyed fighting and hunting at every chance they got.
"Not bad for your first time," Kristoff praised from behind her. Anna felt herself blush.
As the initial excitement began to fade, she was once again hyper aware of his chest against her back, so she turned to face him– and gasped at what she saw.
He was still standing incredibly close to her, merely an inch of space separating them. His captivating brown eyes were dark, and they bored into her own with an unprecedented depth, but they were glazed over with the same tragic sadness that Anna had only ever seen whenever they talked about his family. Her skin buzzed and tingled at their closeness, every limb alive with cosmic energy beneath his unwavering gaze.
"Kristoff…" Her voice trailed off, the question on her lips forgotten, when his hand came up to brush her loose, red-gold hair behind her ear. She shuddered at the intimacy of his touch and almost let the bow she held between them slip from her grasp.
"I'll protect you until my last breath, Anna," he breathed. It was a promise, one that she had heard before, but something about the way he said it this time was different– more finite, somehow. "But, should anything ever happen to me, I want to know that you'll be alright. That you'll be able to defend yourself after I'm gone."
The Frankish woman began to shake, disturbed by his sudden intensity. The direction of the conversation was putting her on edge.
"Kristoff, what are you talking about?"
"You're important to me, Anna," he stated, taking her flushed face in his hands, cupping either side of her jaw. "You're the most important person in my life."
The calloused flesh of his fingertips felt heavenly on her face and Anna's eyes inadvertently fluttered closed at the sensation. He was so close, so near, that she could smell his earthy scent, like water and leather and pine. It was intoxicating.
She desperately wanted him to kiss her.
Her heart pounded against her breast in anticipation, but no kiss came. When her blue eyes opened to meet his gaze again, he seemed to snap out of a daydream and his expression changed; regretfully, he dropped his hands from her face and stepped back, away from her, and she felt the mood between them fizzle out and return to normal– or, as normal as it could, now that Anna was aware of the extent of his feelings for her. She was at a loss for words, staring at him with her mouth agape in shock as her fingers came up to caress her jawline; she could still feel his phantom touch on her skin.
Luckily, Kristoff was able to recover much more quickly.
"Come on," he said softly, pulling another arrow from the quiver on his back. "Let's try it again."
–
A/N: If you follow me on tumblr then you know that this scene where Kristoff is teaching Anna to shoot a bow is the first scene that inspired this whole fic. :)
Also: Should this story ever be removed from this site, I will re-upload and continue it on Ao3 once I make my way to the top of the waitlist (I am hopefully supposed to hear by this week or next week whether or not I'll be allowed to make an account). But I'll keep y'all updated on my tumblr!