Like clockwork a petite ginger girl showed up at the arena ten minutes before the Arendelle Ice Harvesters' hockey practice ended and she took her seat in the stands every Saturday morning. She'd sit there and watch intently as she waited for hockey practice to end and for her sister, Elsa Andersen, to take the ice and practice her figure skating. The two of them were a constant appearance on Saturday mornings, but then one day Elsa came unaccompanied. He didn't know if any of the other guys noticed her absence, but Kristoff, the team's right wing, sure did, but he wouldn't admit that to himself or anyone else.
He figured she'd be back next week, but it didn't take that long to see her again. He was at the arena helping out with supervising the Wednesday evening free skate. Every so often he would volunteer to help out at the rink so he could get some more skating some in. He was skating along peacefully when someone slammed full speed into his back.
"Hey, watch where you're going" he grumbled. As soon as he turned around though he saw the ginger girl laying on her back on the ice and his face flushed with a blush.
"Sorry, sorry. I've never really skated before. If I manage to get myself going I can't stop properly" she scrunched up her face as she tried to stand up, her feet slipping and sliding.
"Here, let me help" he extended his hand to her and pulled her up. Seeing her so close he couldn't help but take in her features. Her blue-green eyes. The tiny freckles that were scattered along her nose and cheeks. The little way she bit her lip.
"Hey, I know you. Well I don't know know you. I know of you. You're Bjorgman. I've seen you at hockey practice. Not that I like stalk you, don't think that. I come here to watch my sister, Elsa Andersen, skate and I catch the end of your practices. I know your name because I've seen it on your jersey" she smiled proudly, "I'm Anna by the way"
"It's Kristoff, Kristoff Bjorgman. They..uh put our last names on the jerseys" he let out a little chuckle.
"Ooh, that makes sense. Anyway, nice to meet you" Anna started to shuffle along the ice while holding the boards.
"Wait!" Kristoff called our, which wasn't such a good idea because it made her stumble and flail a bit. "Your...uh...skate is untied. You'll fall for sure like that. Come, let me fix it" he grabbed her hand and pulled her along to the penalty box.
"My goodness it is so nice to be off my feet" Anna flopped down on the bench.
Kristoff knelt down and started wrapping her loose laces around her hands and then he pulled tight.
"Owwwww" Anna winced, "are you trying to make my feet fall off?"
"Sorry, skates have to be super tight though or you'll slip around too much. They need to be an extension of your feet"
"You really know a lot about this. Hey, I have an idea!" Anna gasped and clapped her mitten clad hands, "You could teach me to skate! You can give me lessons and I'll pay you. You'd be a great teacher. You're so fast and you can even go backwards"
"Me?" he looked up at her with surprised, wide eyes, "I don't really give people lessons. Why don't you just ask your sister? She'd probably do it for free"
"Well..umm... her and I had a fight" Anna winced , "I mean, not a fight fight" she made little punching motions at the air, "but we had a disagreement. She got all upset because I just got engaged and I had only just met him that day and..."
"Wait, hold on, you got engaged to someone you'd just met that day?" his head snapped up to look her in the eye.
"Yes, pay attention. Anyway she got mad and now we've been barely talking, just tip toeing by each other in the hall. It's true love though. She doesn't understand."
"Didn't your parents ever warn you about strangers?"
"Yes they did... but Hans is not a stranger"
"Oh yeah, do you know his last name? his eye colour? Favourite food? Best friend's name? Foot size? Have you even shared a meal with him? What if you don't like the way he eats? What if you don't like how he picks his nose...and eats it" he grinned.
"Ewww, look it doesn't matter. It's true love, Kristopher" she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Ugh, it's Kristoff" he rolled his eyes. Not the first time someone had messed up his name.
"So KristOFF, you going to teach me to skate? I was hoping if I learned how to skate then it could be a bridge to help things with Elsa, it would empress her and then I wouldn't be so clumsy and she'd come skate with me"
Truthfully, he needed any extra money he could get and yes, she was cute.
"Okay, fine" he sighed.
"Thank you! She exclaimed and then cleared her throat and put on a serious face "We start official lessons on Friday" she said sternly.