Disclaimer: I do not own anything but my life.
...
"… cause for the first time in for-uoooooooooh! Ouch! Hey!"
"Are you serious? Didn't you have another place to fall than my just finished preparing wagon?"
That stranger who stood before me with his shoulders slumped forward, looking at me with a certain desperation, spoke to me with a mixture of anger, frustration and resignation. I had probably just spoiled the fruit of hard work.
"Oh, I'm so so…" I was on my way to a sincere apology when it dawned on me. "Hey! Wait! What with the manners?! Are you not thinking of helping me?"
"I bet you can get out of there by yourself," he replied amused. "Well, maybe not with that skirt… hang on."
I frowned at the boy who offered me his hand with a kind and mocking smile. It would have been perfect if he hadn't treated me so rudely just before. He hadn't even asked me if I got hurt!
"It will not be necessary. I can manage by myself," I replied with a haughty tone even though I didn't see myself very capable of disengaging myself from all that stuff. Indeed, the gown did not help.
"Oh, yeah? Okay, then try not to take too long, I have to re-arrange all this before I go to work." "Work? Aren't you planning to go to greet the queen?"
"We're at the height of summer, people need ice. I can't take a day off right in the best season."
"You sell ice?"
"Uh-huh. And I need my wagon for that. Do you plan to spend much more time lying there?"
I had no choice but to accept defeat.
"You know perfectly well that I can't even move. Come and help me!"
The boy laughed contentedly and extended his hand again. Although he had not been very charming, I did not miss his warm gaze or the care and firmness with which he pulled me and he took me by the waist to pull me out of that tangle with surprising ease.
"Thank you," I muttered reluctantly when I finally found myself standing on solid ground.
"Maybe next time you can watch your step. That would save you this kind of trouble."
It was possible, just a little bit, that he was right.
"Yeah, sorry, okay? I was very excited because the gates are finally open and maybe I've lost control a little bit."
"Are you so excited? I deduce then that these fineries are to meet the queen," he commented casually as he began to rearrange the back of his wagon.
"Oh no, nothing like that. If I'm excited, it's because I can finally get out of the castle."
"What do you mean?"
"I guess I haven't introduced myself, isn't it?"
The boy looked up without really understanding the situation.
"Princess Anna, of the Arendelle."
"What? Are you serious?"
'And now everything's gonna change.' That was what I thought as I waited for his bow and perhaps some shame for the trusts and the tone with which he had treated his princess. But none of that came. Instead, he held out his hand again with complete confidence.
"Kristoff Bjorgman."
I couldn't get out of my astonishment. No one outside the family had ever treated me like this. Probably within the family either. However, I was not displeased with the closeness that this Kristoff displayed. It was always warmer a good handshake than an uptight bow.
I accepted his hand and shook it vigorously, perhaps with too much illusion, to which he responded with a chuckle.
"And tell me, Anna. What are you doing running around town on a day like today instead of preparing for the coronation?"
"What? Oh! No, no, no, no! I'm not the one to be queen. That's my sister Elsa."
'So he would treat like that even the queen… Will all the people of the kingdom be like that?'
"Shouldn't you be there anyway?"
"How badly do you want to get rid of me?"
He laughed again and I was totally captivated by his laughter.
"I was just curious."
"Well…"
Again, before I finished my sentence, something dispersed my attention. A moving figure in the front of the wagon caught me completely.
"Oh, my God! Is this a reindeer?!"
"What? Oh! This is Sven: my best friend."
'His best friend is a reindeer? I definitely don't think the rest of the people of the kingdom be like him.'
I ran over to Sven and planted myself right at his face. The smell was not the best, but I found him a fascinating animal. He had a look that I had never seen on a horse: it looked like he was going to start talking at any moment!
"Hi, Sven. I'm Anna."
"Hi, Anna. I'm Sven, the only one who can put up with the grumpy Kristoff."
Kristoff spoke for the reindeer making an exaggerated and somewhat guttural voice while the surrounding people looked at him with a mixture of caution for his apparent insanity and repudiation. Personally, I found it amusing; perhaps more people's reactions than the voice itself. But there was something that fascinated me about him and it was how, despite noticing the looks and comments of the others, he didn't seem to care in the least. I gladly stroked the animal and continued talking to him.
"Wao! And how do you do? He seemed so stroppy to me!"
"Hey!"
This time it was my turn to laugh.
"Come on, don't take it that way. I'm glad I met you, it's fun to talk to real people."
"Real?" he asked, probably not expecting an answer to my strange statement. "Well, you will have a lot of experience in that, right? A princess must deal with a lot of people."
"About that…"
At that point, I felt quite uncomfortable. What kind of life was I supposed to have led up to now?
"Not so much…"
"No?"
"You know, closed gates are not only from the outside in but also from the inside out."
I shrugged and his face revealed that he was beginning to imagine what I was trying to say.
"You're telling me you've been... What? Thirteen years without leaving the castle?"
"Uh-huh…"
His wide eyes pierced me deeply.
"Well, to be fair, I was out for my parents' funeral as well."
At that moment, clearly out of his comfort zone, Kristoff rubbed the back of his neck and ducked his head slightly. It may have been just my imagination, but I seemed to see sorrow and even anger in his expression. He clenched his jaws and spoke to me with a seriousness I hadn't expected from him.
"I'm sorry… I… I can't imagine how hard it must have been… I couldn't take it."
His heartfelt words filled me with a kind of warmth that was new to me. I smiled at him gratefully for his concern and put my hand on his shoulder to be the one to comfort him.
"You don't have to worry about me. Everyone has their own, right? I probably wouldn't have survived the life of an ice harvester."
"I would have been surprised if you hadn't. It's true that it has its dangers, but if you know what you are doing it's not so bad. And, of course, it has the advantage that you enjoy the air of the mountains and that you can go quite at your own pace."
"So the only problem is that I would have starved to death from not being able to move the ice blocks and therefore not being able to earn a living."
Kristoff laughed, I suppose visualizing the pathetic attempt I would have made in that situation.
"I'd like to see you try."
'I knew it…' I shook my head somewhat amusedly. Actually, even I thought how comical the idea was. But even knowing that I couldn't do it, something about that boy's life seemed really attractive to me.
"Sounds good. It feels like freedom."
"Sorry, I didn't mean…"
Without realizing it, I made him feel guilty for expressing my desire for everything that he enjoyed naturally and that I could only dream of. I guess he thought he was picking at the sore and, well, somehow it was possible that he was. I craved the freedom he spoke of.
As he continued to apologize without being totally on the ball, the cathedral bells began to be heard throughout the kingdom.
"The bells… the coronation! I'm late!"
"Enjoy your newfound freedom, Anna."
"I'll make sure to make it an unforgettable day. Will I see you around the castle when you finish your work?"
"I doubt it. As today is the coronation, I'll go to remote areas of the city to sell the ice I harvest, so I don't think I'll be back until late at night. In fact, maybe I have to spend the night on the mountain."
"Oh… I see… Have a nice day, then."
The idea of not seeing him again struck me as sadder than I expected and it showed in my tone. Kristoff certainly noticed, as he quickly came up with a solution that would have made me very happy.
"See you tomorrow?"
My jaw dropped at his proposal. Did he really want to see me again or was it pure pity for the feeling of loneliness that comes from me? Either way, reality hit me relentlessly and reminded me that all of that didn't matter because seeing him the next day was simply impossible.
"Tomorrow… the gates will be closed again."
"Wait, what? They're not to remain open?"
"No… today is special."
'Where has this boy lived until now? This is known to everyone!'
"Tomorrow we'll have a queen again, but everything will be as before. Today's my only day of freedom."
"Oh…"
His expression turned somehow dark. He pursed his lips and looked at me almost defiantly.
"And you are... alright with that?"
Didn't see that come in. It was the first time that someone asked my opinion on something that concerned my life and that did not involve hairstyles or dresses.
"Is there anything I can do to avoid it?"
"Nothing prudent, I guess…" he said thoughtfully as Sven nudged me gently with his snout as like trying to cheer me up.
"Thanks for your concern, but don't worry: I'll be fine. Now I must go."
I fondled Sven goodbye and then, necessarily on tiptoe, I gave this huge stranger, who had just given me the funniest time in the last thirteen years at the very least, a kiss on the cheek.
"Take care of yourself, guys."
He did not react, he just stood there with an, I bet, hurt expression and, only when I ran towards the castle in a hurry tripping over everything that was in my way, I seemed to hear an almost whispered: "It's been a pleasure" that let me go with a lump in my throat.