The Reply
Dealing with affairs of state had seemed daunting at first, but Anna quickly mastered the art of negotiation. She had been a bright, shiny, easy-to-talk-to, rainbow of joy since childhood and even the most stoic of rival nations tended to melt in her presence. She'd already won an amazing trade deal, side-stepped a near catastrophic misunderstanding regarding a questionable territory line, and doubled Arendelle's chocolate production. Hey, who said she couldn't do at least one thing for personal reasons? Truthfully though, it was a good thing. The bakers and chocolateers of Arendelle were already renowned across the globe. It was one of the best ways to drive up tourism and bring new faces to her wonderful country.
Sometimes she wondered how Elsa would have handled things differently. Though she did send an occasional letter asking for advice in a particularly tricky situation, she relied on her gut more often than not. She sent the letters less and less—not that she didn't write just as often, just that her notes to her sister were almost exclusively personal in nature: how are you? I miss you. Are you liking life in the Enchanted Forest? Can you make it to family game night?
On this particular occasion, however, it was in fact all business. Anna had received a disagreeable missive and was fairly sure telling the Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms to shove it wouldn't end well. She was sitting at her desk, penning the particulars to Elsa, when a paper crane floated in her window amidst a flurry of leaves.
Raising an eyebrow, Anna muttered a quick "Thank you, Gale," and took the letter. When she opened it and read its contents, she laughed out loud.
"She answer already?" Kristoff asked, lying a hand on her shoulder. "No, you haven't even sent it yet."
"Elsa is having troubles of her own," Anna said.
"What kind of problems?" Kristoff asked.
"Oh…girl problems," Anna said.
"Say no more," Kristoff waved a hand and started to walk away. "Wait. Girl problems or girl problems?"
"The second one," Anna said.
"Huh. Well, that actually explains a lot," he said. "Who's the girl?"
"You remember Honeymaren?" Anna said.
"Yeah. Really?" He stared at her, as if trying to determine whether or not she was joking. "I don't see it."
"That's kind of why Elsa is writing. She's not sure if Honeymaren means it that way," Anna said. "Wow. I'm not real sure what to tell her. I mean, shoot. The way she's describing the situation, I think it's just a friend thing, but I wasn't there and the line is thin."
"Can I read it?" Without waiting for an answer, Kristoff grabbed the letter. "Hmm…yeah, no. I still don't see it."
"So do I tell her Honeymaren is just being friendly?" Anna asked.
"I would. I don't know the subtle inner workings of lesbian dating though," he said, nudging her. "I think if anything were happening, someone would have to say something to make it clear."
"Should Elsa say anything? I mean to check?" Anna said. "Cause…what if, you know?"
"I'm pretty sure in her position I would rather throw myself off the North Mountain," he said.
"Kristoff!"
"Elsa is not the kind to put herself out there. You know that," he said. "If Honeymaren is into Elsa, she has to be the one to make a move."
"But Elsa being who she is…she has to do something to show the door is open," she said.
"And Elsa is one widely known for having open doors?" Kristoff rolled his eyes. "Anna, she can't do something entirely against her nature. She's probably not going to do anything with whatever advice you give. She's just looking for…should I expect anything stuff. So tell her probably not, and if Honeymaren surprises us all by making a move that's great. Otherwise, she won't be disappointed."
"Is Honeymaren even her type?" Anna wondered.
"She wouldn't be talking to you about it if she wasn't her type," Kristoff said.
"I wish I could be there for her," Anna said.
"Believe me, it's better she handles this on her own." Kristoff laid a kiss on the top of her head. "Wasn't it you who told me that love was about going with your gut?"
"This is different though. It's more complicated when you don't even know—" Anna began.
"Tut tut, no it's not," Kristoff said. "Finding love is hard no matter what. There's risk and danger and picking flower petals, saying to yourself over and over again she likes me, she likes me not. If it's meant to be, it will work itself out without interference."
"And if she does make a move—I know, you don't think it likely—but what if Elsa does put herself out there and it goes badly?" Anna asked.
"She can run away and live with the snow people in Ahtohallan," Kristoff suggested.
Anna swatted him, and smiled. "I know I shouldn't worry so much. She's just…so vulnerable, even with all her power."
"I'm telling you, she'll be fine. And that's what you should tell her. Whatever happens, whatever she does, she'll be fine. She can handle it," Kristoff said. "And also the snow people thing."
"I am not telling her to go live with the snow people." Anna laughed. "Okay. Thanks, sweetheart."
"Anytime." Shrugging in a can't-help-being-perfect sort of way, Kristoff left her to finish her letter and went to bed.
