The Revelation
"I'm glad you talked me into this," Anna told Kristoff as the two of them sat and watched from the sidelines. The couple had been Bulda and Cliff's guests of honor before the two retired to their small tent. She looked up at him and smiled. "I have to admit that you're right. They really are the love experts."
Kristoff smiled down at her and folded his arms around her. "I told you it's not the first time they've done this. I've seen strangers come here for weddings. Not too often though. Most times it's just one of their kids who want a wedding."
Anna frowned and looked up at him. "Is this all you did while you were here, Kristoff?"
Kristoff's mood suddenly changed. He couldn't upset her, not again. "No, Anna," he answered carefully. "These guys taught me everything I know about life. They set me up with my own business after getting a small sled from the ice harvesters. After that, they looked after me and Sven when they needed to. I only came back for visits mostly. They're still my family."
"And now they're my family," Anna said, thinking out loud.
"And besides," he continued. "I have seen them do this before."
"Yes," she said, "You told me, but I thought you meant healing people, not weddings. I know they have magical powers. We heard lots of stories about them growing up." Anna smiled. "Look, I'm sorry Kristoff. I didn't mean to imply that you were a wild kid. I was pretty wild when I was younger."
Kristoff breathed a sigh of relief. "Really? You?"
Anna nodded. "Yep, I used to chew on books. And I once sprained the wrist of some Dignitary from Somewhere I can't even remember. My father defended me and told him that that was my way of saying hello. And if you think you're the only one who has to attend classes, I have to remind you that Elsa and I had a tutor as well. He name was Erlinger and he taught me about history. So I also had to…"
Kristoff watched her intently, in silence, with a big smile on his face. He was enjoying every minute of her storytelling.
He waited until she finished. "You once told me you and Elsa used to do everything together."
Anna nodded. "We used to play together. It was always out in the snow, if I remember right. We'd build a snowman and Elsa named him Olaf and he looked exactly like the one we all know and love. They were never alive though, like this newer Olaf is. Her powers must have gotten stronger. Or her magic did. Now that she's the Fifth Spirit, she was able to call up a memory of our parents from the waters of Ahtohallan. As soon as they got back, they were going to tell me about Elsa's powers. Well, you know they never came back."
"Yes, I know." Kristoff reached out and pulled her close. "Did you know she had powers when you were younger?"
Anna shook her head. "No, I didn't know, I didn't even remember. It was always snow and ice that I remembered nothing else. What I did remember was a white streak in my hair that I have no idea how idea how it got there. I dreamt that I was kissed by a troll. I am so sure that I met them sometime in my life, I just don't remember when or where."
She waited for a sound or a sign or a sound, but nothing came.
Anna turned around to face him. Kristoff was staring at her, wide eyed.
Anna frowned. "You okay?"
"That picture, in the Portrait Room, is that a picture of your mother and father?"
"I already told you that it was. My parent's portrait is also hanging in the Library."
"And the little white haired girl next to them was Elsa," Kristoff said, remembering. "I was almost eight years old when Sven and I saw your father speaking with Grand Pabbie," He looked at Anna. "Your mother held you in her arms. I never forgot that hair, that red hair."
"What? Where?" Anna asked, looking back at him.
"It was right here," Kristoff told her, "it was right here in the Valley of the Living Rock,"
He grabbed her hand and helped her up. "We've got to find Grand Pabbie."
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"Yes, Kristoff, Anna was here that night with her family," Grand Pabbie told him, and then he turned to Anna. "Your father and mother were frightened that you were hurt when you fell. They asked me if I could heal you. I told them that I could and I did."
Kristoff held Anna wrapped in his arms the entire time Grand Pabbie spoke.
"Elsa hit me in the head with her powers, didn't she? That's where the white streak came from, isn't it? I always thought it was a dream."
Grand Pabbie and Kristoff exchanged looks.
"Is that what happened?" Kristoff asked, looking at him.
"Accidently, Anna," Grand Pabbie told her, "Your parents brought you to me because they loved you very much. And Kristoff brought you to me for the same reason."
"No one told me."
She broke from Kristoff's grip.
"Anna," Kristoff protested.
"Anna, Kristoff" a female voice called. "Come with me. Let me explain. We should have done this sooner."
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"Well, at least you know the truth," Kristoff said, looking at Anna. He reached out and pulled her close, her back toward him. He rested his head on her shoulder.
"At least you both know," Bulda said. "Grand Pabbie thought it best to keep Elsa's powers in check. The less you knew, the better off you were. We all wanted to keep you safe. We all love you. We were wrong to keep it from you. I'm sure your parents thought so too.
"I know my parents believed in me, thanks to Elsa. And I know all of you did too. And thank you for explaining it to me." Anna smiled, hugged her and turned to face Kristoff. She was surprised when their eyes met. "And I will always love you."
"It's like it was always meant to be," he said, half aloud, touching her cheek. "I was always supposed to find you."
They got lost in each other's eyes.
Bulda watched. "Alright, you two, the party is over and it's time for bed. You have an early start."
Anna shifted her gaze to Bulda, smiled and hugged her. "This is one wedding I'll never forget. Thank you."
From Disney Wiki:
Aligning with their interests in romantic relationships, the trolls organize elaborate weddings for prospective partners. This involves dressing up the individuals in capes made from vegetation and presenting them with headdresses. Despite the similarities of the outfits, they do have distinct differences based on the gender of the individual; females sport a headdress made from grass, whereas males sport one made of branches bundled together. The manner in which the outfits are decorated also differ based on gender; females have crystals adorning their capes and their headdresses, while males only have grasses to decorate their capes.
During the actual ceremony itself, the prospective partners stand in a small hole with a tangle of branches and mushroom arching over them. The trolls surround those being wed in a large circle while a troll priest presides over the ceremony, formalizing the union by declaring the individuals "trollfully wedded".