"Morning, Anna," Kristoff said to his wife, who was lifting her head off his chest and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, the day after they arrived in the duchy of Weselton. Kristoff tried not to let it show, but he was very worried about her. Every day, he didn't know if that day's Anna would be the laughing, joyous bundle of cheer and energy, or the brooding, hopeless shell of a woman. It was like she only had two settings now, boundless happiness or bottomless sadness. What was doubly difficult for Kristoff was that Anna was determined not to let anyone else see her bad days, which meant the good days were spent away from him, and the bad days were spent sheltered behind him.

"Morning." She smiled at him, and it seemed genuine. Still too soon to tell. She made as though to get up, but Kristoff held on to her, pulling her close. "What is it?"

"I love you so much, Anna."

"I love you too, Kristoff." Her tone was one of quiet surprise. "What's wrong?" He hesitated. She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. "What is it?" she asked, giving him a little shake.

"Nothing. I just… I don't want to lose you."

"Lose me? What do you mean?"

Kristoff ran a hand across Anna's back. "I feel…" He stopped. Was this fair? Was this fair to dump this on Anna when she was already struggling? No. He couldn't. "Never mind. I'm okay."

She smiled sadly and kissed him, then snuggled closer. "Support goes both ways, sweetie," she whispered, then hugged him tightly. "Tell me."

Kristoff hugged her back, then sighed. "I'm afraid that we've changed too much. That we've gotten too far apart. Some days it's almost like it's normal, other days, I feel like I hardly know you. It feels… like you're slipping out of reach."

Anna didn't respond for a long time. She didn't try to get up or move away, she just lay there. When she finally did speak, it was in a hoarse whisper. "I'm sorry, Kristoff. I didn't realize it was that hard on you. I'm afraid of losing you too. That whatever is wrong with me can't be fixed. That I'm just too far gone. I love you so much, but if I can't show it, what's the point? It feels like I'll never get better. And…" She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I'm afraid that you'll wake up someday soon and be tired of waiting for me to love you back like you deserve."

Kristoff lifted Anna's head. Her eyes were wet, and she was biting her lip. "Anna… you're worth waiting for. I'll be by your side as long as you'll have me. I'll support you when you're down and celebrate with you when you're not. I promise."

"Then I promise I'll never stop fighting for you," she whispered. She kissed him, then said, "We can get through this. Together." They stayed like that, holding each other, until the group was threatening to leave them behind if they didn't get up soon. By that time, both were feeling better. Though it was clear to both of them that they still had work to do, they got out of bed with a new determination. Just knowing that they were both aware of the other's fears made them so much easier to face.

"You guys have no appreciation for a healthy amount of sleep," Anna grumbled as she exited the tent, to assorted eye rolls.

"It's almost ten!" Heins cried, laughing.

"Yeah, well," Anna said, but she didn't seem to actually have an argument. Kristoff could see Elsa watching Anna with a suspicious eye, and was therefore not surprised when she asked to be with Anna for the start of the day's travel. It happened that it was Kristoff and Heins's turns on horses, so they rode together near the back of their loose caravan.

"How's Anna?" Heins asked as they set off.

"No small talk, huh?"

"C'mon Kristoff, I know full well you guys weren't sleeping, and unless you guys are really, really quiet, you weren't doing anything else either."

"Maybe we're just that quiet."

"If that's the case, I feel really bad for Anna." Heins was grinning, and Kristoff could see he had been walked straight into that one.

"You're an ass," he said casually.

"Yeah, and you're dodging the question."

Kristoff shrugged. "I don't know, Heins. I love her, so much, and I know she loves me too, but…"

"But what?" Heins prompted, when Kristoff didn't elaborate.

"I just feel so helpless. I want more than anything for her to feel like herself again, but I don't know how to help her."

They rode in silence for a while. Kristoff didn't mind, he could tell Heins was giving a great deal of thought to the situation. He enjoyed the sun on his face, the wind at his back, the sound of birdsong, and tried not to think of how far his wife had slipped away from him.

"I... think," Heins said. "You've always been a man of action. You see a problem, and you work tirelessly to fix it. It's one of the things I respect most about you. But I don't think it's doing you any favors right now."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I think you feel so helpless because this might be one of the first problems you've come across that you can't fix. No one can, except Anna. And time."

Kristoff threw out his hands. "Then what the hell am I supposed to do?"

"Be patient. Be supportive. Be there." Kristoff felt Heins put a bracing hand on his shoulder. "You know better than most of us how strong she is. She'll get through this."

"I hope so," Kristoff sighed, then, "Don't tell Anna I told you anything. I feel like I probably shouldn't have."

"Don't worry," Heins laughed. "I promise you they're talking about the same thing."