"Do you want some help with that, mister iceman?"

Taking advantage of the clothes that Rapunzel had given me, I walked calmly through the center of town watching its people, the children running through the streets, and, exactly at the same point in the market, Kristoff and Sven sharing a… 'Yuck!', super drooling carrot. 'I'm going to pretend I haven't seen that.' I stood next to him and offered my help with the wagon's junk with a grin from ear to ear.

Kristoff turned around with a start, and when he recognized me under that hat and with those braids so different from the elegant updo I was wearing when we met, his jaw dropped completely. Then, he quickly recovered and, with a crooked smile, he answered.

"I'm fine with you just don't disorganizing it."
"Hey! Is this how you're going to greet me?!"

He laughed heartily and I could feel some relief in the rhythm of his laugh.

"How did you do it?"
"I couldn't tell you if I've escaped or if I am actually free…"
"What?"
"But this is not the place to talk about that…"
"Are you coming incognito?" he said with a smirk.
"That's how it is. I don't want the guard to recognize me or… much less he!"
"Who?"

Hans the goodman had entered my field of vision and seemed to be desperately searching the area for something or someone. He was looking at everyone and his expression reflected a lot of frustration.

"Why isn't he already gone? Will be he looking for me?"
"Anna, who?" Kristoff asked with a concerned face.

I was betting I wouldn't get the same understanding from Hans that I got from Rapunzel and Eugene. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to take me back to the palace. Well, I was not going to make it so easy for him.

"I don't have time to tell you now. I must hide!"

I jumped into the back of his wagon and, for the second time, I turned everything upside down. Then I covered myself as best I could with the junk and blankets that he had there and I saw through a hole how he himself helped me to cover myself.

There were a few minutes of silence in which Kristoff continued to "organize" his wagon while I wondered how I would know when to get out of there if I hadn't told him who I was hiding from.

"Where is she?"

'Hans's voice? Can't be! Has he seen me?'

"Sorry?" Kristoff replied calmly but with a somewhat annoyed tone.
"Do not play dumb. Where is Princess Anna? Last night she went with you, didn't she?"
"The princess? I don't know what the hell are you talking about."

'Wow, he also talks informally to Hans…'

"I'm not liking your tone, commoner. You are speaking to a prince."
"Don't you say…"

'I could hear Hans clenching his teeth.'

"Listen… … …"
"Kristoff."
"Kristoff… I have nothing against you. I am only worried about the princess. Yesterday she disappeared after arguing with her sister and we don't know where she could be. I know she has come to you; last night she was talking about you more than I would like. Tell me where she is and I will reward you handsomely."
"Sorry, but I have no information to sell you."
"Wait, you haven't fallen in love with her, have you?"

'Have you?'

"I insist that I don't know what are you talking about."

'I guess it's better this way…'

"Come on, you don't think you have anything to do with her, right? She is a princess! And you… look at you!"

'Hey! What with this jerk?!'

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I don't have time for this, I have to go to work."
"Listen to me, blonde, my patience is running out. If you dare to sully the princess…"
"It'd be none of your business."

'Wow…!' I had to swallow hard. 'And I've missed it!'

"You will regret this, Kristoff."
"Come on, Sven. We have work to do."

The wagon rushed off and I could feel how my whole body vibrated as the wagon bounced through the cobblestones of the town and how all the things that were hiding me were giving me small blows that, as they were repeated, were getting more and more annoying. Suddenly I felt my body being pushed down and the junk crushing me even more. We were definitely going uphill now.

After what seemed like an eternity, the wagon stopped and, finally, Kristoff removed from upon me all the junk that was overwhelming me.

"I'm so sorry, are you okay? I couldn't stop until I was sure he wasn't following us."

I looked around and realized that we were in the middle of the forest and that Kristoff was looking at me with concern as he waited for my answer.

"I'm fine. Thanks for helping me. Can you get me out of here?"

He smiled in relief and pulled me out of that terrible mess.

"I'm sorry, I've done it again… I'll help you to tidy it up…"
"Leave it for now," he said laughing. "More importantly, who was that guy and why do you have to hide from him?"
"Hans? He's the thirteenth prince of the Southern Isles, and he proposed to me yesterday."
"Oh… so you are a couple?"
"Oh no! I met him the very yesterday."
"And he has already asked you in marriage?!"
"Yep. I must be irresistible… I'm afraid of myself…"
"And what was your answer?"
"I said no, obviously."

Kristoff breathed a sigh of relief and that made me blush slightly.

"Is it me or you do look relieved?" I said with a mocking smile.
"Well, it would have been crazy to marry a stranger, don't you think?"

'And there go my hopes…'

"And so what happened? Why are you running away from him?"
"Well, not much. I rejected him, ran to my sister, and begged her to leave the gates open. Then she refused, so I told her that I couldn't continue living like this and she said: 'Then leave'. So I took advantage of her approval and ran out of there before being locked again."
"So easily?"
"Yes… and it didn't seem that the guard was following me, but I don't dare to walk around there. And Hans… I have a feeling he would take me back to the castle. You know, he wants me to accept him and stuff, but I bet he wouldn't want to marry a deserter."
"I see… And why does he know me?"
"Maybe I told him about the man who made me think I deserved to live life too."
"I've done that?"
"Uh-huh… And, apparently, he saw me kiss you that morning and assumed there was something else between us."
"And hence the taint thing."
"Yeah, sorry about that."
"It's nothing you're responsible for."

There was a strange and somehow awkward silence. I didn't know how to explain that, if something will happen between us, I wouldn't feel sullied without looking like some kind of proposal. But I lost track of my thoughts when he finally spoke again.

"And… are you alright?"
"Sure. Why shouldn't I be?"
"Well, I don't know if you liked that boy, but things seem to have gotten complicated with him. Besides, you find yourself with nothing in the middle of a world that you don't know, and, despite how convenient it has been for you, I gotta the feeling that you've been hurt by your sister letting you go like this."
"You're not wrong about Elsa, but it's nothing to be surprised about, she's been setting me aside for many years. As for Hans, we just spent a while chatting, eating, and dancing, and I can assure you he is not my type. He's very refined, uptight, and… clean."
"That doesn't seem negative qualities. Rather, I'd say that you're flattering him."
"Maybe… but it's not for me. Plus I've heard how rude and hurtful he was to you. I bet all the treatment he gave me was pure theater. That guy pisses me off! I don't trust him."
"I'm with you on that. He seemed shady to me. Be careful with him."
"And, yes, I am quite lost and I have no idea what to do, but it's not true that I have anything. I have you, right?"

Kristoff turned as red as a beet and I realized that I hadn't expressed myself in the best way.

"I mean… you know, you helped me get out of there and not be seen and… But you don't have to! It doesn't mean you have to take care of me or anything! I'm a grown-up, I'll handle it. It's only…"
"Count on me."
"What?"
"We all have needed help at some point in our lives. It's nothing to be ashamed of and you don't need to go on alone. I'm here for you: count on me."

He touched my soul terribly, but it wasn't so easy to say yes.

"I really appreciate it, Kristoff, but you have a job you can't neglect to try to invent a life for me. I don't want to leave Arendelle, but I can't get to work anywhere here either because they would recognize me right away and, of course, I have no idea how to survive in the wild. I can only be a burden to you and I don't want to be that for you."
"Okay, let's do this. How about you come with me to my cabin until we can come up with something better?"

Was he serious? Why make his life so complicated for me?

"It's not a big deal, in fact, there isn't even proof of its construction. But it works for an emergency."
"Is it illegal?"
"I… I guess, yeah…"
"So, in the end, you're a bad boy," I joked giving him a little elbow in the ribs.
"The ice harvesters made one for each of us to be able to spend the night in the mountains when the weather conditions didn't allow us to return home. I think its construction was legally requested, but it was never approved. It is what happens in a kingdom without a defined leader. Although now that I think about it, it doesn't seem like a very good idea to have told this to the princess of that kingdom…"

I laughed out loud watching how his face was changing.

"Okay, I'll sell you my silence in exchange for temporary support."

That time he was the one who laughed. Then he held out his hand to me and waited patiently for me to make up my mind.

"Deal?"

It took me a bit to hold his hand. I was clearly taking advantage of his kindness. Hopefully, one day I could return the favor.

"Deal," I said shaking his hand as he grinned.
"Then, go up and hold on tight, we're going to get you warm clothes."
"So cold is it going to be?"
"You'll tell me when you feel it. Come on, Sven. To Oaken's."