Note: This will eventually have somewhat of a plot, though calling it that could be slightly optimistic! The main point is to give Kristoff some of the time and character development that I felt was missing from Frozen II (as much as I loved the movie for the most part).
By the time Kristoff was finished with his morning routine, Anna's meeting had begun. Normally, this meant that Kristoff would spend time around town with Sven-but he paused at the thought.
As much as Kristoff loved his best friend, if ever there were a time to spend a morning apart, it might be today. Still, he didn't want Sven stuck in the stable all day with the royal horses; he simply wasn't used to that type of confinement long-term, even as luxurious as his new stable was compared to previous sleeping arrangements.
Kristoff approached the stall that had been designated for Sven shortly after the two had taken up residence in the royal stables.
"Hey buddy! I'm wondering if you and Olaf could spend some time around town together this morning. I have some things to take care of, and you know how antsy Olaf gets when Anna isn't around."
Sven gave him a look, but eventually tilted his head in hesitant agreement.
"Great. Thanks. I'll send Olaf out this way as soon as I find him."
Kristoff once again started for the castle, carefully dodging the usual commotion of the castle grounds as citizens walked in and out of the permanently-open gates to chat with each other around the gardens, selling various wares and attending to other business.
Olaf wandered the castle freely, but was generally not difficult to find. After searching some of his usual haunts, Kristoff eventually found the snowman in the library, his carrot nose buried in a book.
When Kristoff entered, he looked up.
"Reindeer King! Where's your loyal subject? And why are you in the library? Are you going to read? Do you know how to read? If not, I can teach you!"
Kristoff rolled his eyes.
"Yes, Olaf, I know how to read. I'm pretty sure we've had this conversation before. As for Sven, he's still in the stables. Looking for you, actually. I thought you two could head out into town and spend some time together."
Olaf's face lit up at the suggestion.
"Oh, that sounds like fun! We could stop by the school and read this book that Elsa recommended! It's about a mermaid. I don't know how it ends, but I bet it's happy."
"Great! Go get Sven when you're ready. He's excited to get outside."
"Wait! You're not coming with us?"
"No, I have other things I need to do today."
"Huh. I guess that's fine. I do have some important matters to discuss with Sven in private. We'll catch up with you later!"
Kristoff watched the snowman waddle off with the book and sighed, deciding on his next course of action.
Anna and most of the staff would be in a meeting for-however long meetings tended to last, and now Sven and Olaf were off on their own adventure.
He casually scanned the bookshelf where Olaf had been sitting until one title caught his eye-Royal Etiquette. Though presumably not a captivating read, it was exactly the kind of information that Kristoff currently needed. He pulled the volume off of the shelf and flipped to the introduction. The text itself looked about as dry as he expected, but he was surprised to see a series of markings and notes on the paper. One paragraph in particular seemed to have been studied intently.
"King" and "Queen" are more than just titles. They hold the weight of a variety of expectations and responsibilities to one's kingdom. A ruler must possess an air of poise, sophistication, and grace; the ability to be organized, punctual, and straightforward in royal society as well as warm and personable toward one's subjects.
Here, "warm and personable" had been pointedly underlined.
It is necessary to be in control of one's emotions in front of the kingdom, but able to express emotion when it is desirable to gain the trust and camaraderie of the populace.
The passage had been indicated with an arrow, each mention of emotion doubly underlined. In the margin, were the words, Conceal, Don't Feel. There was something vaguely familiar about the phrase that he couldn't immediately pinpoint. He was just beginning to ponder what it was when a familiar voice interrupted.
"Here I was expecting to find Olaf with his nose in a book...but this is a pleasant surprise."
He smiled instinctively at Anna. She was radiant as she had been earlier that morning, but more reminiscent of the sophistication and grace mentioned in the heavy volume in his hands than when she had slid down the banister in a nightdress.
"I just sent Olaf to spend the day with Sven. I thought it might be good for the two of them to get out...and for me to spend some time here."
"That's nice, but I have a better idea. You're going to accompany me to my meetings with local shopkeepers today!"
He could tell by the way she proposed the idea that she was expecting his protests. This was a bad sign, because it meant she would be prepared to respond. He expressed his thoughts anyway.
"Today? Are you sure? It might be better to wait until the gossip has died down-"
"That's exactly why today is the right time! The longer you hide from this, the more uncomfortable it will be. I'll be right with you the whole time. And there's nothing terribly important to discuss. I'm just checking in since my foreign meetings have finally died down. Fewer people traveling as the weather gets colder. Come on, it will be fun!"
Kristoff's eyes fell back on the underlined phrase, "warm and personable".
"Anna, this isn't yours, is it?"
He walked toward her and indicated the notes in the margin of the book in his hands. She met him in the middle, and he saw her expression change as her eyes fell on the phrase-
"Conceal, Don't Feel. No, that's Elsa all over. I can see why she left this behind."
Anna took the book, glancing at the title and flipping haphazardly through the pages.
"I'm sure that this is something that Father had her study. She did a lot more preparation than I did, naturally…"
As she trailed off, Kristoff saw the question lingering on her face, the one he could tell she was constantly trying to fight: What if I don't measure up?
"Anna-"
"Oh! I did send her a message, by the way. We'll see if she sent a response once we get outside. Let me change my shoes first. I hate walking in meeting shoes."
With that, she shoved the volume back at Kristoff and walked purposefully down the hall. He chuckled, shaking his head, and followed her.
After Anna changed her shoes and Kristoff convinced her to bring a warmer cloak, the two set out for the town square.
Anna chatted eagerly about the current happenings in town, preparing Kristoff to participate in her conversations. He expected to be bored, but was surprisingly intrigued by the inner workings of the town-and by how much Anna knew about everyone's daily lives, struggles, and triumphs.
As they visited each shop, shopkeepers and customers alike greeted Anna and Kristoff. While children circled around Anna to fill her in on their imaginative games and asked Kristoff to see how many of them could hang off of his one arm, adults expressed joy in the season's abundant harvest and their plans for winter.
There were a few minor conflicts among various citizens, and Kristoff noticed that Anna had a knack for empathizing with each person without blaming another. Most of the disputes seemed fairly petty to Kristoff, but Anna listened as intently as she did in her foreign policy meetings. When Kristoff could no longer tolerate a conversation, he busied himself by helping with whatever each person was working on: retrieving objects from high shelves, checking windows for drafts, and hoping he wasn't seeming too far away from "warm and personable".
With the chaos of the past weeks, many people took the opportunity to congratulate Kristoff and Anna on their engagement. She showed off her ring, gushing over Kristoff's taste in jewelry as he blushed and avoided eye contact.
It certainly was a nice reminder that he was, in fact, Anna's fiancé. Though no one had ever been outright cold to him, Kristoff could sense that they had never quite been sure what to make of him. Now that his role in Anna's life was more solid, they regarded him with more certainty, treating them more like a couple, or a single unit, rather than a princess and her quirky sidekick.
Between two of their stops, when Anna was talking with a woman selling preserves at a farm stand, Kristoff saw a gust of wind bringing a folded piece of paper. Anna instinctively reached for it, not breaking eye contact until a pause in the conversation, when she scanned the paper quickly and deposited it in her bag before Kristoff could see what it said. Sensing that she was waiting for a calm moment, he waited until they headed back to the castle for dinner at nearly dusk (lunch had been unnecessary, as they had visited multiple shops and sampled goods both savory and sweet).
As Anna sighed and declared the day a success, reaching for Kristoff's hand as they neared the castle gate, he finally remembered the message.
"Hey, did you end up hearing from Elsa?"
Anna wore a neutral expression, but Kristoff could tell she was holding something back.
"Yes, I did."
"...And?"
Anna sighed.
"Read."
Anna,
I can certainly sympathize with Kristoff's dilemma, and would be happy to pass on whatever small pieces of advice I picked up in the past years.
If you can spare them, I would recommend sending Kristoff and Sven to Northuldra for a short time. It would provide a break from the attention, and maybe Sven could find some new reindeer companions while I talk with Kristoff. If he wouldn't mind helping out, there are still some cleanup efforts necessary after the collapse of the dam.
Love always,
Elsa
Kristoff had to admit that the idea of visiting Northuldra again-under less pressing circumstances-sounded like a nice break. At the same time, leaving Anna was not something he had any desire to do, even for a short time.
"What do you think?" He asked her.
"I see what she means, but I'm just not sure if isolating yourself is the way to handle this."
"Well, no need to get rid of me right this second. I'll be around for as long as you want me here."
"Thanks, Kristoff. And I really do think today went well. Don't you?"
"I do, surprisingly. I had a lot of fun."
"It's not surprising! You're more known and loved around here than you'll admit," she argued.
"Only because they know you love me, and no one wants to be on your bad side."
She made a face at him as he laughed teasingly.
When they returned to the castle, they proceeded to their normal evening routine. After dinner together in the dining room-not a location Olaf and Sven frequented-the four of them gathered in the sitting room. Anna sat down with the day's paperwork. While Kristoff would normally interact with Sven or tell stories with Olaf, he settled into an armchair with Royal Etiquette. It was even more difficult to focus on the dry volume after a long and eventful day, and with Olaf recounting facts and tales with Sven in the corner of the room. Still, he wanted to give it a solid effort.
After reading a particular sentence multiple times without absorbing any meaning, he looked up to see Anna's eyes meet his.
"You should go," she said quietly.
He sighed. "I really don't have to. I know things are busy for you here, and I don't want to leave you to handle it all on your own."
"Things here will always be chaotic. You should enjoy some time out in nature with Sven before we're married and you're trapped here for life."
Kristoff laughed and rolled his eyes.
"Once again, I'm not trapped. I chose this life, because I chose you. And I'll do it again, every single day."
"As sweet as that is, it's all right for you to spend some time away. Not too much time, but some time. Go visit Elsa. Queen's orders."
"Which queen?"
"Both of us."
"All right. But if ever you disagree, you're my queen, and I'll always side with you," he winked as she laughed at him, then walked over and fell into his arms for a kiss.
After sitting together in a comfortable silence, Kristoff finally spoke.
"Anna?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you procrastinating on your paperwork?"
"You know me too well. I'm also spending time with you, though. I love you, Not Paperwork."
"I love you too, Never Going to Finish the Paperwork at a Reasonable Hour."
They giggled, but Anna still made no effort to move, and Kristoff wasn't quite ready to force the issue. After all, Anna usually slept late anyway.