"Okay, go ahead and stop right here," Kristoff instructed.
"What?" Elsa said, startled. "But...there's no stop sign or anything. It's just in the middle of the road." She gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. "On a hill."
"I know," Kristoff said. "But you need to practice this."
Elsa reluctantly pressed the brake pedal, bringing the old truck to a stop on the deserted country road. Why had she agreed to this again?
It wasn't like she needed to know how to drive. She had all kinds of transportation, from staff cars to Crocus One, to take her anywhere she wanted to go. None of which she needed to know how to operate. If she wanted to take herself out of the Castle, she could always walk. And Arendelle had great public transit. It drove Revel nuts when she used it, but it was an easy and reliable way to get around. She'd ridden it a lot during her all-too-brief time at university.
So why was she here in this battered old truck, taking a driving lesson from Kristoff?
Because Anna had insisted. You're a grown-ass adult, Elsa, and driving is a basic skill. Kristoff said he would teach you while I'm gone.
Ugh, she could almost hear Anna's voice scolding her. But it wasn't like Elsa was going to deny her this request.
I expect you to drive me somewhere when I get home!
Well, at least she had remembered to push in the clutch when she stopped this time. The last two times she'd forgotten and stalled out the truck.
"Okay, now what?" she asked Kristoff.
He gestured to the road. "Now get going again."
Elsa suppressed a sigh. She was...not great at this. Her last several attempts at starting from a dead stop had all involved multiple stalls and the truck jerking down the road until she could get it smoothed out.
She took her foot off the brake and the truck immediately started rolling backward down the hill. "Ahhhhh!" she squealed. Frost spread over the steering wheel as she tromped on the gas. The truck kept rolling backwards. "Kristoooooofffff!"
"Use your brakes," he said calmly.
Elsa stomped the brake and the truck jerked to a halt. She turned to him with wide eyes. "Why did it go backwards? I gave it some gas!"
"Check what gear you're in."
She looked at the gear shift. She couldn't really tell if it was in second gear or fourth gear, but it was definitely not in first. "Oh."
Kristoff shrugged. "It's possible to start out in second gear if you're facing downhill or if you can time it right, but uphills are tricky until you get the hang of it. When you take your foot off the brake, you have to let out the clutch and give it some gas"
Elsa cleared the frost from the steering wheel, then shifted into first gear. She looked up the hill. The very steep, very long hill. With a very steep, very long, very windy road.
At least there was no one behind them. She took her foot off the brake, let out the clutch, and stomped the gas. The truck took one very big jump forward and stalled. "Urgh!"
"That's okay. Try again. Let the clutch out a little easier, and don't give it quite so much gas."
Elsa blew out a frustrated breath, but tried again. This time she managed three small jumps of the truck before stalling out. A vile swear escaped her lips.
"What language is that?"
Elsa's face flamed cherry-red. She clapped her hand to her mouth.
Kristoff grinned. "Must have been a bad one."
"Ah...yeah. It's, uh, Old Norse, and I, um, would rather not translate it."
Kristoff burst out laughing. "So much for the cool, collected Snow Queen."
Elsa stuck her tongue out at him, which just made him laugh harder.
"Okay, okay," he said finally. "Let me show you a trick. Start the truck and put on the parking brake." Elsa did so. "Now, ease off the clutch and give it a little gas. As soon as you feel forward movement, release the brake."
She bit her lip as she followed his instructions. The truck lurched forward and she released the brake. A little more gas and a little less clutch. One more small jolt and the truck started rolling up the hill.
Elsa broke into a wide smile. "I did it!"
"Yeah, you did. Now stop and do it again."
"Oh come on!" Elsa shot him a pleading look. He just stared back at her impassively. She pouted, but slowed the truck to a stop. She put the parking brake on and went through the whole sequence again. It was a bit smoother this time.
"One more time," Kristoff instructed.
Elsa went through it once more, and this time, she got the truck to start up smoothly, no jolting or bouncing. She let out a little whoop of delight and flashed Kristoff a grin.
"Do it again," Kristoff said, "this time without the parking brake."
"What? Why?"
"Because it's a crutch. You shouldn't be dependent on it."
Elsa huffed and stopped the truck. She was so close to the top of the hill! Her hands twisted nervously on the steering wheel.
"You can do this, Elsa," Kristoff said. "There's a sweet spot between where you let out the clutch and press on the gas, you can feel it, and when you get more practice, you can actually keep the truck from rolling without using the brake."
"Okay."
She eased her foot off the clutch, trying not to panic when the truck started to roll back. Some pressure on the gas pedal, and the truck lurched forward. Elsa popped the clutch and stomped the gas. The truck shot forward. Elsa's cry of triumph morphed into a yelp of surprise when they crested the hill to see a reindeer standing right in the middle of the road.
"Whoa!" Kristoff cried.
Elsa jerked the wheel to avoid hitting the reindeer. Gravel spewed from under the truck's tires when they hit the shoulder of the road. She took one look at the steep drop outside her door and screamed again.
"Other way, other way!" Kristoff shouted.
Elsa jerked the wheel the other way. She overcorrected, and they both yelled in terror as the truck went airborne off the other side of the road. They landed in the grass and bounced a few times before coming to a stop.
"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!" Elsa cried. The entire inside of the cab was coated in ice. "Kristoff, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm good." Amazingly, Kristoff's voice was still calm and steady. He looked around the cab in awe. "Whoa…"
"I'm so sorry." Elsa's hands shook as she tried to get rid of the ice. It took her three tries to clear it. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the steering wheel. It was all she could to keep from frosting it over again.
His hand touched her shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?"
She gave a little nod, but didn't lift her head. "I could have hurt you. I probably destroyed your truck." She looked up in surprise when he laughed.
"Eh, if Grand Pabbie can't fix it, it's not broken. Besides, I've been through worse."
"Why do I doubt that?"
"Elsa, I was Anna's IP for Basic Flight. Trust me, this was nothing compared to some of the stuff she put me through."
Elsa's hand flew to her mouth, but her giggles escaped anyway. "Really?"
"Really." He grinned. "She's a great pilot now, but when she first started...whoa. I bet she took ten years off my life."
"Oh, God, no wonder you were so calm!" Elsa couldn't hold back her laughter anymore.
"I'm only calm on the outside. Inside, I'm screaming like a little girl."
Elsa let out another giggle, then asked, "Are you going to tell Anna about this?" I'll never live it down if he does...
She held her breath while he pondered his answer.
"I'll make you a deal," he said finally. "You teach me to swear in Old Norse, and it'll be our secret."
Elsa grinned. "Deal."
Kristoff got out of the truck and walked around it, eyeing it carefully. "No new damage that I can see. Pull it back onto the road."
"You still want me to drive after all that?"
"Yep. The scary reindeer is long gone."
"Pffft." She made a face at him. He laughed and she flicked her fingers. He yelped when a mound of snow fell on his head.
"Ohhh, that's cold!" Kristoff danced around as the snow slid down under his collar. "In more ways than one!"
"That's what you get for teasing your Queen." She let him hop around for a few more seconds before waving the snow away.
He sighed in relief, then got back in the truck. "You know, there's a little pub in the town not too far from here. I think we could both use a couple of beers."
"Are you sure you want me to drive?"
"You'll be fine. Once we get there, maybe I'll even tell you a few more stories about your sister's flight training."
A few minutes later, they were rolling down the road again. Elsa felt a surge of pride at having gotten the truck back on the road without stalling out.
"Where is this pub again?" she asked as they drove into the small town.
"Go straight through this light."
She did, then said, "I think I'm getting better at this."
"Yeah," Kristoff said, "but next time, maybe wait until the light turns green."
A/N: As always, I would love to hear what you think!