DRAGE HJERTE

Chapter 1: Curious

Just a little bit more…

Princess Anna of Arendelle was so close to her goal, to her greatest achievement yet! She refused to look back and stumble now. She had trained for this moment, and this was her moment of glory! Just a bit higher and she would reach the peak.
Her hand grabbed onto the ledge and she pulled herself up. Anna sighed in relief when she realized she had made it at last. She had made it up the North Mountain, and all by herself!

This may very well make her the first princess in history to have ever climbed a mountain.

Anna got to her feet and grinned in triumph as she looked down at the view of Arendelle from where she stood. "Thank you Kristoff! Looks like I owe you a new sled after all," She chuckled to herself as she recalled the joke-bet she had with her good friend Kristoff, the very man who helped her trainin the way of a survivalist, and mountain climbing.
Naturally Kristoff was against Anna climbing up the North Mountain on her own, but Anna continued to insist until Kristoff eventually gave up and took it upon himself to personally train her until he was absolutely certain the feisty princess was ready to brave the climb up the North Mountain.

Now here she stood, at the top. Now what?

Anna groaned; she had not thought about what she would need to do next after she had reached the top. In fact she had been surprised she got this far already. She could head back down, but she was worn out and she needed a break.
She shivered when a cold wind hit her. She knew it would be cold up on the mountain, but this was almost beyond freezing. It was colder than Kristoff had said it would be, and it was warmer back down the mountain.

The cold wind hit her again and Anna was so sure her entire back must have frozen. She turned around to face the direction of the chilling winds, only to be faced with the entrance of a huge cave. "That's funny… Nobody ever said anything about a cave…" Anna mused out loud as she stared at it. Perhaps it had always been there but nobody had noticed or even came this far to see it.

Anna felt curiosity overcome her. Going inside the cave was probably a bad idea since there would be no telling what was in there. However she wondered what could be inside, if there was anything in there. It also seems that the cold winds were coming from inside the cave itself, which only added to the mystery.
If Kristoff were here with her right now, he would be telling her and urging her to begin the climb back down and ignore the mysterious cave altogether despite her protests. And maybe he would have grabbed her, tossed her onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and climbed back down with her in tow.

The princess took a cautious step towards the cave when another gust of wind blew in her face. Anna trembled from the cold and wrapped her arms around herself. She should have brought extra clothing for more warmth…

Something about this cave was drawing her in, making her want to take a look in, to explore whatever could be hidden in the dark depths. The urge to do so was strong, but this time she allowed reason to guide her. She would most certainly explore that cave, but at the moment, she doubted that it would be a good idea to do so while she did not have that much supplies with her. She had only brought enough for the climb itself rather than a climb and a cave exploration.

"You win this day, cave. But I'll be back!" Anna swore before chuckling to herself. "As if caves could talk…" Another cold wind chilled her like a sort of karma for the words. Anna chuckled to herself nervous before quickly beginning the climb back down the North Mountain.

"There you are! Finally! I was worried the wolves might have gotten to you." Kristoff Bjorgman said with a chuckle as he greeted Anna.

The feisty princess smacked him in the arm for the comment before turning her attention to the happy-looking reindeer. "Did you miss me, Sven? I bet you did! Who's a good boy?" She cooed, making Sven wag his stubby tail. Kristoff rolled his eyes. "Oh sure, give me the cold shoulder. So…how did the climb go?"

Anna took off her cloak once she began to feel warm again. She grinned at the blonde man victoriously. "I, Anna of Arendelle had officially made it to the top of the North Mountain!" She squealed, jumping into Kristoff's arms like an excited child. He laughed and twirled his friend around. "Good for you, feisty pants! I told you that all of that training would pay off!"
"And I guess I owe you a new sled to replace the old worn out one…" Anna chuckled, playing with her braids. Kristoff nodded smugly. "That you do." Anna smacked his arm again and Sven let out a sound that might have been a laugh or a snicker.

Kristoff placed a hand on top of Anna's head. "By the way, the king and queen were looking for you. Shouldn't you be heading off now?" Anna's eyes widened. "Oh! Were they? Yeah I better go…time to go!" She ran off towards the castle, nearly stumbling and dropping her things on the way.

Kristoff just chuckled and shook his head before Sven nudged his arm. "Oh alright buddy. You were right about her. I guess I owe you a carrot." Sven snorted and the blonde rolled his eyes. "Okay… Two carrots." Another snort. "Three carrots and that's my final offer!" Kristoff said. Sven stared at him for a moment before nodding in agreement. "You sure drive a hard bargain…" The ice harvester joked as he reached into his bag to grab the carrots.

Anna startled several of the servants when she rushed past them down the hall. She apologized when she nearly ran over some of them while rushing back to her room. The servants watched her with odd looks on their faces before they decided it was best to get back to work.
The redhead took off her 'adventurer's clothes' and put on a dress she had ready once she returned home.

She hurried to her father's study once she believed she was presentable enough and stopped right outside the door. Anna cleared her throat and knocked.
"Enter." The voice of her father called out. The redhead pushed the door open and peeked in. "You wanted to see me?" She asked upon seeing her mother and father looking over some papers on the desk.

Queen Idun smiled upon seeing her daughter back home, safe and sound and went over to hug her. "Welcome back, Anna. So tell us, how was it?" She smiled widely as he husband; King Adgar glanced up from his desk to offer his daughter an encouraging smile.
Anna grinned proudly and once again told the good news. "I've done it! I have finally managed to climb up the North Mountain! All the way up!" She jokingly flexed her arm and her parents laughed heartily.

"Well done, Anna. I am glad you allowed Kristoff to train you before you actually went up there," Adgar said as he embraced his daughter tightly. Idun joined in and Anna laughed. "Yeah I know! I'm thankful. And…I want to thank you both too…for allowing me to go through with it."

When Anna had first expressed her want to climb up the mountain for the sport of it because she enjoyed such activities, and to prove herself not a helpless little princess, Adgar and Idun had been very much against it and full of worry over their daughter's insane idea to climb the North Mountain.

But Anna had been determined to climb up that mountain! She had had enough of overhearing from the other nobles how she was a delicate flower meant to be married off and bear children; some even said that it was a shame Adgar had no son to take the throne when his time as king was over. As much as Anna loved romance and sometimes wished she had a sibling, she was not going to take such words lying down.

So she had asked Kristoff to teach her how to survive in the wild, and even climb mountains. Just like her parents, he had been reluctant. Anna had badgered him until Kristoff finally gave in and began training her. She had been taken aback by how stern and tough Kristoff's training had been but she took it all in stride, knowing that it could help one way or another. She was not that reckless.
Eventually Adgar and Idun had seen the fire in their daughter's eyes and reluctantly allowed her to continue training with Kristoff until the time came for her to climb the North Mountain.

Now she was back and she had proven herself nothing like a delicate or fragile thing. And it felt good.

Once the royal family broke the embrace, Idun placed her hands on Anna's shoulders. "Well it looks like we'll have to celebrate this later. For now your father and I have a dinner planned with some of the nobles tonight. We'd like for you to be there…"
Truthfully, Anna never did enjoy dinners with visiting nobles. But for the sake of her parents, she agreed. Adgar smiled thankfully and, with a kiss to Anna's forehead, sent his daughter on her way.

Anna left the castle once again to join Kristoff on his ice deliveries with Sven.

She caught up with them just as the duo managed to sell another block of ice. Sven was the first to notice the princess and his tail wagged happily before he let out happy groans.
Kristoff turned and grinned upon seeing his feisty friend. "So, how did they take it?" "Proud of me! Thankfully." Anna said with relief as she sat on one of the ice blocks resting on the sled.

Kristoff crossed his arms and looked at her expectantly. "But…?"

Anna sighed and swung her legs slightly. "My mother and father asked if I could join them for dinner tonight. With a bunch of nobles…" The blonde man nodded in understanding. "And…you don't want to, right?"

Anna groaned. "Well I did climb up a mountain. It's the least I could do for my parents after they allowed me to go through with it. I just wish the other nobles weren't so…boring, and snobbish!" Sometimes she also wondered why her parents kept such company around. She knew it was for the good of the kingdom to have such good trade partners, and the like. Too bad nearly half of them were as dull as a brick wall or have egos the size of a castle.

She tagged along during the ice delivery, sharing a joke and a tale or two with her friends. Sven enjoyed Anna's company and Kristoff did enjoy having her along. It was like having a younger sister he never had; it was one of the reasons he was also quite protective of her.

Anna grimaced when Kristoff shared a carrot with Sven. Though she was very used to it, and sometimes found it amusing, she still could not believe anyone was willing to share spit with a reindeer.

"Come on, it's not that bad," Kristoff reassured when Anna had told him so. He offered her a bite of the carrot but she leaned away from it. "No thanks. I had a big breakfast and I'm still full." She said sheepishly. Kristoff gave her a look before shrugging and giving the rest of the carrot to Sven.

All the while, Anna wondered if she should tell Kristoff about the cave she had found while up on the mountain. However she suspected Kristoff would likely advise her not to go in there, not matter how enticing it was explore it. He was probably not going to look into it himself. Thus, Princess Anna remained silent about her discovery.

Anna tried not to groan and regret her decision to join her mother and father at dinner. Her beloved parents offered to let her stay in her room, away from the prattling nobles, but she had insisted and said she would be fine for the night. Sadly, she now wished she had not said that.

Just like always, the visiting nobles rambled on about business, gossip, and sometimes even about themselves.

"I say Majesty…it's quite chilly tonight, don't you think?" One of the noblemen said, rubbing his arms a bit. Adgar just nodded in agreement. Indeed it was quite cold outside despite the fact that it was spring. Perhaps the cold weather had not left completely. "I'm sure it will be warm again after a day or two. After all, winter did end not too long ago."

"Speaking of warm… Princess Anna, how have you been lately? You've grown lovelier than before." Another male noble complimented. Anna just forced a polite smile. "I'm…great. Doing a lot better, and…stuff."

A noblewoman giggled. "How wonderful. Tell us, Your Highness, has any man caught your eye yet? Surely it cannot possibly be that…ice harvester you spend time with."

Anna held back the urge to smack that woman right in the face; she understood why some people would sometimes mistaken her and Kristoff for sweethearts since he was the only male company she spent time with aside from her father and the captain of the guards when he was teaching her sword combat. But she hated it when other nobles looked down on Kristoff just because he was not royalty. Her mother and father treated him like family! So why couldn't the other nobles treat him with more respect?

The redheaded princess did her best to maintain proper manners at the table, but she was beginning to grow restless, and when she grew restless her mind wandered, and when her mind wandered it reminded her of things; one of which was about that cave up on the North Mountain.

Unable to take anymore of the gossiping and mindless babble, Anna excused herself from the table. Adgar nodded and the princess retreated to her bedroom for the rest of the night.

In the middle of the night, when nobles had left and everyone turned in for the night, Anna snuck out of her room to steal some chocolates from the kitchen and bring them back with her. She frowned in confusion as she headed back to her room. It really was quite chilly. Not but as cold as the North Mountain and that odd cave.

She could not fall asleep for some reason. She kept thinking of her climb earlier that day, and her little discovery. She did want to get back up there and see what was in that cave. But now would probably not be a good time.

Anna decided she would just have to plan it all carefully. She knew she would not be able to stop thinking about that damn cave if she did not do something about it; and that was to explore it. It was probably a bad idea, but if she did not do it, then her mind and curiosity were never going to leave her in peace. Besides, what could possibly be in there? She doubted that even a bear could climb up that far. Did they?

She shook those thoughts from her mind and laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling while she reached over to pick some of the chocolates she managed to plunder from the kitchen and pop it into her mouth. Maybe tomorrow? She was certainly not busy tomorrow; perhaps she could manage to head back up the mountain and see what that cave was all about, and finally satisfy her insatiable curiosity.

Anna nodded, finally making up her mind. Tomorrow she would back up there and finally put an end to whatever it was she wanted to know about when it came to that strange cave. She popped another chocolate truffle into her mouth before setting the rest aside, and finally getting some sleep.

Anna was certain she would be able to return home quickly if she started out early. Nobody in the kingdom was awake yet and this would be her chance to sneak out and get started. The only obstacles that would be in her way were the guards who were stationed about to guard the castle and its halls. But growing up with the tendency to run around the castle and explore every nook and cranny she could, Anna was certain sneaking past a few guards would be easy.

Indeed, it was.

While she did stumble a bit by accident in the dark, she had not been seen or heard. Anna kept her pack close and tightened her cloak around her. This time she was ready and properly dressed for climbing and for exploring a cold, dark cave.
Determination and adrenaline took over as she snuck out of the castle just to climb the North Mountain once again. This has got to be the most daring thing she had ever done, and who knows how much trouble she was going to be in later if she did not return to the castle in time and got caught. If.

Anna slipped away undetected and ran out the gates, past the houses and closed shops. Everyone would still be asleep, but not for long. She would need to make this quick. Climbing mountains was not quick, however…

She shook her head from any pessimistic thought and ran out to the outskirts of town, until she was out in the wilderness. Another worry was attracted any wild animal that was out hunting for an easy meal. Hopefully she could get to the mountain before she bumps into any hungry wolves or whatever was willing to hunt down a lone human.

"Not today, Mother Nature. You're not getting me today. Or ever…hopefully…" She mumbled to herself as she made her way to her destination. Hiking up there would probably be the easy part, but then came the climb that she had accomplished only yesterday.
She planned to stand firm and get back up there, and step into that cave once and for all. She was not planning on being stopped by Mother Nature, or any story of obstacle. Not until she had sated her curiosity. "This is so going to be the death of me," Anna groaned and rubbed her temples. No time for regrets, and too late to turn back now.

Anna looked up at the sight of the mountain, feeling slightly intimidated.

Yesterday she had been so eager to climb the mountain that she did not take the time to take in its mighty form. It had all been a blur when she had begun climbing, but now as she stood here after the day she had conquered the mountain, she finally felt the intimidation the mountain provided to anyone who dared look upon it. Beautiful, but still intimidating.

If only she could told those nobles in their faces what she had accomplished…

But knowing them, if she had mentioned her mountain-climbing activities, they would have been appalled and mention how princesses were not supposed to climb mountains. Say things about royalty not being allowed, or able to, do such dangerous and dirty activities. There was just no pleasing those people. Not that she wanted to; she just wanted to somehow prove that she was nothing like they all thought; prove to them that she was not helpless or pathetic.

Anna lowered her head; perhaps deep down she knew that she mostly wanted to prove it to herself. At times she did feel helpless and pathetic, especially if she couldn't get anything right. But she always brushed it off, or laughed it off when inside she felt like such a klutz.
It did not matter; she was still right and they were wrong. Even if they say so, she was not going to take their words lying down, and she didn't. Now she had a mountain to climb once again.

She should have known that when she began her climb that it would be no easy task. Not that her first climb was less difficult.

Anna kept moving, reminding herself not to look down and to do what she did the other day; keep climbing until she reached her goal for the second time.
Nothing was going to stop her this time, not when she was so close to getting back to where she had started yesterday. Consequences be damned, for now.

"Keep going Anna, just keep climbing, and climbing…" She mumbled to herself as she checked her harness once more before continuing on.
Her footing slipped a bit and Anna froze for a moment. Once she felt steady again, she went on her way. "Okay…no rush. Don't rush…" She chanted the words to herself for a few moments.

It felt like it was taking forever, and as she looked up, it seemed as if the mountain was getting taller and taller.

"Okay… Looking up, also bad," Anna noted to herself as she urged her body to keep going up and ignore the seemingly endless mountain. She had done this already, so it should be easy to do a second time. Hopefully.
The strain on her body was getting to her, but she ignored it and pushed on until she could nearly see the ledge, the end of the line. At last. She was going to make it after all! That was a relief to know, and it urged the feisty princess to move quicker.

It was like déjà vu when she grabbed onto the ledge and pulled herself up. It was like a second victory, just as sweet as the first. Anna grunted as she reached the top once again. She took the time to catch her breath before getting back onto her feet and dusting herself off before facing the cave.

She stepped close towards the opening and shivered. It was still cold, but at least she had much warmer clothing in order to explore such a chilly place. Anna pulled her cloak around her even tighter. She took a deep breath and took her first step into the cave.

A cold wind blew out and made her shudder as she took another step, then another, and another.

Before Anna knew it, she was already inside the cave. To her surprise, it was not completely blackened and dark inside. It was rather dim but she could still see where she was going, at least. She stumbled a few times when she accidentally hit a stray rock with her foot. Cursing her clumsiness, Anna delved deeper into the depths of the cave.

The surfaces surrounding the cave started out as rock, but as she went in further, it looked as if ice began to take over. It was not too surprising since the North Mountain was such a cold place to be.

Placing a hand on the smooth icy surface of the cave walls, Anna could not help but admire the beauty of the ice. It was not every day she got to admire such things; now she could see why Kristoff loved ice a lot. At times she would wonder shy Kristoff always seemed to have such a fascination with cold, hard, wintery…stuff. But now she felt that she was starting to understand; winter, the cold, ice… It was rather beautiful in its own way.

A gust of cold wind shot through the cave, making Anna yelp and wrap her arms around herself as the cold engulfed her. Just what was inside this cave that made it so cold that it blew out such freezing winds? The redhead continued on her way, grateful for the dimness. It was better than complete darkness in her opinion.

The deeper she went, the colder it got. It felt unnatural for such a harsh cold to even emerge from a cave without rhyme or reason. Well, now she was going to find out the answer.
Anna blew into her hands and rubbed them together, keeping them as warm as she could. Maybe she should have brought her mittens…

Anna gasped when she heard a light rumble. Was the earth shaking? Was the cave going to collapse? No it did not seem like it. In fact everything looked sturdy and she did not feel any shaking. Whatever it was, it came from up head.

The grumbling was not that loud, but still high in volume nonetheless. If it was not an earthquake, or the mountain's cave becoming unstable, what could it possibly be?

More cold winds blew into her face and Anna could have sworn there was something odd about each gust of wind. It was like…someone's breath, rather than any natural blow of the wind. But that could not be possible, right? It was just her imagination playing with her. It had to be.

Soon she came to what seemed like the end of the line. She saw no more passageways, no other direction to go.

It was a wide and large space. It reminded Anna of an arena somewhat. It was cold and the walls were covered in ice. But there was no time to take in how lovely it all seemed as Anna walked around, feeling confused with nothing but more questions on her mind.
She felt her way around in the dim lighting and leaned against the nearest rock, rubbing her temples as she tried to make sense of all this. Her back side suddenly felt cold, causing her to jump back and gape. The large rock she had been leaning against had freezing white mist emerging from it.

To her shock and horror, she realized that it was no rock she had pressed herself up against. Her fears were only confirmed when a pair of deadly icy-blue eyes shot open. Black pupils that were vertical slits glared at her, and Anna could see herself reflected in them.

My first attempt at a story for this particular pairing. Let us see how well it goes. Hope enjoyed the first chapter of this very first Frozen tale told by this phoenix.

Until then…