"So how do you know how to find this… magic?" Anna grabbed Kristoff's hand and let him pull her into the sleigh.
"I was raised by people who know it, I've grown up seeing its power." Kristoff threw the bag of supplies into the back and grabbed the reins. "If anyone can help, it'll be them."
Trying to distract herself from the anxiety and dread that lingered in the corners of her mind, Anna pried, "Your family?"
Kristoff laughed sharply and clicked at Sven to get them moving. "Kind of. They might as well be. My parents aren't in the picture."
"What happened to them?"
Kristoff's face hardened and he glanced over quickly before looking back at the road ahead. "It's ... not something I like to talk about."
Anna could see anger and deep sorrow in his eyes. She wanted to press further but his demeanor cautioned her not to.
They rode well into the night, mostly in silence, the weight of the last few weeks weighing heavily on them. Valleys turned to hills and trees were overshadowed by the mountains around them. Under any other circumstances, Anna would have been awed by the beauty surrounding them, the way the starry night sprinkled through the dying leaves and evergreens, the silhouetted mountains, the sounds of nature all around. She laid her head on Kristoff's shoulder and let the passing forest quiet the haunting images of her sister, all the blood, the limp and lifeless body.
After what seemed like hours of silence, Kristoff spoke up. "So, your sister has… what, ice powers?"
Anna kept her eyes on the road ahead. "I guess so."
Kristoff looked over, into Anna's worried eyes.
Anna chewed her lip, the last few weeks flurrying into her vision. Blood, ice, fear, panic, and that lifeless body.
"We used to be close. I never knew this was going on. Ever." Anna choked on loneliness and words that couldn't wait to spill out. "She was my best friend, you know? We spent all our time together, and once she shut me out, shut the world out, I just… I had no one."
Kristoff pulled her into his chest, resting his chin on her head. He kept quiet and Anna kept going, pouring out more, every wound and question surfacing for the first time in years.
"I guess I always blamed her a little bit. She was the one who closed the door. No explanation, no goodbye. Mother and Father kept the world out, kept us in- I never had a chance to see the world outside our gates. Never got a chance to make a friend, or explore our kingdom, or fall in love." She looked up at Kristoff, who smiled gently back.
"I would have given anything for a way out- but now… if I could go back and change anything, I'd just want Elsa to know she wasn't alone. I just keep thinking, if I felt lonely, if I had no one, how much worse was it for her? She was carrying this… this burden, this secret, and she didn't think she could even tell her own sister. What about our parents? Did they know? Was that why we couldn't go outside? Why no one could come in? I love our parents, but I don't even know if they understood how lonely we were. How could they have let us stay in so much pain?"
Tears overtook her, and Anna drifted off into tears, feeling pain she had shut out for longer than she could remember.
Kristoff stroked her hair thoughtfully. He was quiet for a while, letting the sound of Sven's hooves and the creaking of the sleigh fill the silence. After a while, Anna's tears subsided some, and Kristoff replied, "It's not over, yet."
Anna sighed deeply, her breath shaking.
"I know it seems hopeless right now." Kristoff hesitated, looking for the right words to say. He was never good with people. "But she's alive, and as long as that's true, we'll find a way to save her. And, you know, when you do…" he shrugged. "When you do, you can write a new story. Make a new ending. Now you know the truth- she doesn't have to hide it anymore. And you'll have your sister back and hey- neither of you will ever have to be alone again."
Anna looked up at him with red eyes and the slightest glimmer of hope.