It was decided that Kristoff would leave for Northuldra in a few days' time, after joining Anna for a farewell dinner for the visiting foreign dignitaries.
These dinners, while never Kristoff's favorite, had become somewhat routine before his engagement to Anna.
It was different now that they were engaged and she was in charge of the kingdom. Before, he had been a background member of the gathering, acting as just another citizen (albeit one close to the royal family, especially Princess Anna).
Now, he was her fiance. He loved that fact more than almost anything when they were alone or in the company of close friends; but at stuffy, formal dinners, it brought him more attention than he wanted.
Anna was good at keeping the conversation going. She would bring him into it when he was knowledgeable about a certain subject, and would hide his inexperience with her own animated chatter when he wasn't.
At one point, though, he was off to the side of the crowd forming around Anna when a Duke of Somewhere came up and engaged him in conversation.
When he held out his hand after an introduction, Kristoff offered his in return. He hated having to use titles, but knew that here it was necessary.
"Nice to meet you. I'm...Lord...Kristoff..of Arendelle," he articulated, still sounding awkward and stilted when bringing up his role.
"So you are from here?"
"Near here, yes."
"And how was your family involved with the Royal Court?"
"I'm sorry?"
"Your family! What were their titles? What did they do?"
"My family. Ah. Well. They were ice harvesters."
"Ice harvesters! You come from common folk? They must be happy that you have risen above your station."
Kristoff could feel the undertone of rudeness in the Duke's comment, and felt the color rise in his face; but then he thought of the trolls and responded, "They're just happy that we're happy," with an almost genuine smile.
The Duke didn't have much time to react before he was pulled into another conversation and Kristoff was left to exhale the breath he didn't realize he had been holding and turn back to Anna.
She was still engaged in her own conversation, but caught his eye and smiled. He smiled back before turning away, using the array of chocolates that he knew Anna was eyeing as an excuse.
As he prepared a plate for his fiancee, Kristoff couldn't help but reflect on the fact that, while he immediately thought of Bulda and Cliff when anyone mentioned family, there was some other family lurking in the shadows of his mind.
To say that he hailed from ice harvesters was, to be honest, probably generous. His earliest memories involved wandering around while his father tried to perform odd jobs, finally settling on ice harvesting as a fleeting option.
One day, Kristoff had awoken to find that his father was no longer there. Having gotten to know some of the other ice harvesters, he asked around; but the answer he got was simply, "Gone." Every gruff voice of every ice harvester seemed to be equally vague by consensus.
Privately, Kristoff had debated whether he would prefer "gone" to mean "dead" or simply "moved on". When his new start three years ago had given him yet another warm and welcoming family, he had pushed the thought even further to the back of his mind. As the trolls always said, though, the past has a way of returning.
When there was finally a lull in Anma's conversation and she turned to mingle with another group, Kristoff met her and handed her a plate of her favorite sweets. She looked at him with wide, dramatic eyes.
"Have I ever told you that I love you?" She asked.
"Once or twice," he chuckled, leaning in to whisper, "You're doing great as queen."
She smiled. "Thanks. You too. Well, not as queen, but you know what I mean."
She kissed his cheek and ushered him over to the next group of guests to be entertained.
It was later than they would have liked when the guests finally left to rest up for their impending journeys. Kristoff, though he too had a journey planned for the following morning, went to the kitchen for tea and met Anna in her study.
She had tossed her shoes dramatically toward the center of the room, and was slouched on a comfortable sofa and writing at an odd angle. Kristoff grinned at her from the doorway, and she scrunched up her nose at him, anticipating his teasing.
"Well you can't expect a queen to act dignified all of the time, can you? Except maybe Elsa. No idea how she did it. Anyway, sit down and hand me that mug."
They sat in mostly comfortable silence before Kristoff spoke.
"I don't have to leave tomorrow, you know. There's been so much happening lately. I don't want you to feel like I'm leaving you to deal with all of it on your own."
"Kristoff, as much as I appreciate the gesture, I think I'll be fine."
"I know you'll be fine. My only worry is that you might forget how amazing you are without me there to constantly remind you."
Anna rolled her eyes.
"No, I think this will be good! I mean, I don't like being apart, obviously. But it won't be for long. I have things pretty much under control. And I think you've earned a break."
"I have? How?"
"Kristoff, don't think I haven't noticed how hard you've been trying to make a good impression. Believe me when I say that all you need to do is be yourself."
Seeing the doubt in his face, she put her papers aside and wrapped her arms around him, burying her head in his chest while he naturally wrapped her up in a hug and kissed the top of her head.
"Is there anything you want me to pass on to Elsa while I'm there?" Kristoff asked.
"Oh! Chocolate. I have a bunch, but just take whatever will fit…"
As she went to gather the rations, Kristoff immediately felt her absence. These moments with Anna were the ones he cherished, the ones that made everything else worthwhile-when they weren't Queen and Ice-Whatever of Arendelle, but just Anna and Kristoff, allowing themselves to rest and be madly in love.
They spent the rest of the evening in that relaxed state, making it even more difficult for Kristoff to leave in the morning. Seeing how excited Sven was to finally meet up with other reindeer-under less stressful circumstances than the last visit-helped slightly.
They reached the forest in the early afternoon. Kristoff soon realized that he didn't exactly know how to get back to where Elsa and the others were living. Just as he wondered where he should even start, a gust of wind circled through his hair, blowing dead leaves in a whimsical zigzag in front of him. He followed the helpful breeze, and soon ran into Elsa, who was traveling the opposite way on the Nøkk.
"Kristoff! You found us."
She dismounted gracefully and raised a hand to rub Sven's ear in greeting.
"Hi, Elsa. Thanks for coming to get us. How's life in the forest?"
"Great," she said simply, and for once, she truly seemed to mean it. "How is Anna?" Now, the nervous undertone had returned to her voice.
"Also great. Really seems to be in her element with the whole ruling thing."
"That's a relief. Not that I didn't believe in her, of course!"
She added the last part hastily, and he nodded. He knew what she meant-in fact, he had experienced the same feeling.
When they were still in Northuldra, Elsa staying and Anna ruling had somehow seemed like the most natural thing in the world. Once they had returned to Arendelle, however, reality had set in.
Elsa and Anna had spent a large chunk of time on their own, trying to decide how to explain their adventure and their decision to the kingdom. The dynamic between the two had changed quickly-suddenly, Anna had taken the lead, with Elsa trying to help without hovering or giving away her anxieties about the coming change and the kingdom's reaction. When he could tell that they were on the verge of fueling each other's descent into self-doubt, Kristoff had tried to conveniently choose that moment for a hot chocolate break or to relay a message to the busy queen-to-be and...queen-to-not-be?
In the end, they had spun a marvelous and honest tale that had mesmerized the kingdom with stories of far off magic, and broken their hearts with the truth of past wrongs. There was certainly shock when, at the very end, they announced the change in rule; but they did so hand in hand, with assurances that Elsa would never truly leave for good.
Elsa had stayed until after Anna's coronation, which had happened in a whirlwind. She had chosen the coronation ball to announce her engagement to Kristoff, which had officially brought him into the madness.
When they arrived at the camp after a ride through the breathtaking woods-Kristoff on Sven's back, Elsa on the Nøkk's-Elsa gave Kristoff a short tour. Ryder was the first one to greet him, and offered a greeting to Sven as well.
"Nice to see you again, Kristoff! I assume you're here for more romantic advice, since mine worked so well the last time?"
The three of them chuckled as a couple of reindeer from the local herd nudged against Ryder as they investigated Sven with interest. They gestured to each other, looking back at the larger herd grazing nearby.
Kristoff turned to Sven, giving him some carrots to share. "Go ahead, buddy. You earned it."
While Ryder introduced Sven to the rest of the reindeer, Kristoff turned to Elsa.
"So. I was hoping to ask for some advice. I don't exactly have any experience with the whole 'trying to impress royalty' thing, and since you were queen for years and prepared to be queen for years before that-"
"...And because it came about as naturally to me as it does to you, you thought I could give you some tips on how to get by?" She laughed lightly.
"No! I mean, you were a great queen! At least you didn't have to worry about how to get rid of the reindeer smell."
"No, I just had to worry about accidentally destroying the kingdom and its people at any given moment. Believe me, the reindeer smell is easier to tolerate."
"Elsa, I know the kingdom appreciates your abilities and everything you've done for them."
"Thank you. I didn't ask you here to complain, though. I actually did want to talk about Anna's note. Come have a seat, we'll grab some food."
"Oh! I just remembered that Anna sent me with chocolate for you."
Elsa grinned. "Of course she did. Oh wow, there's enough for everyone! Ryder and Honeymaren will have to thank her later."
As they started to eat, Elsa broke the silence.
"My father always tried to instill in me the qualities and strategies of an effective ruler. I always watched him, eager to try to be like him and do everything he did for the kingdom. But the one lesson that studying never taught me came from my mother.
"Mother didn't take on the same level of royal duties as Father. In public, he was the one who spoke. He was the one speaking in quick, hushed tones or writing furiously when there was a crisis.
"But Mother was always there by his side. When he had this look that said everything was just too much, she was right there to look back at him with comfort. In joyful times, they would dance across the ballroom as if no one else existed in the world, and everyone who saw them couldn't help but smile."
Kristoff smiled too, picturing not only Agnar and Iduna, but also the similar dances that he and Anna had shared in the very same room. Elsa continued.
"Whatever they did, they did together. That's what taught me that ruling is a two-person job. As much as I tried to involve Anna, I just never learned to rely on the people around me. I'm not two people. I'm...just me."
"Just you?"
"I've always had a sense that I was different. In a bad way, at first, but then...just different. I love the people of Arendelle, and of Northuldra, but I've never really desired to let people in...not the way that Anna does, at least. I belong here, united with the spirits."
As she spoke, Bruni had crawled into Elsa's hands, and the two of them watched him with amusement before Kristoff responded.
"I think I can understand that. I used to feel the same way, sort of. But not since I met Anna."
"I should certainly hope not!" Elsa laughed, but then smiled calmly and said, "I'll never forget the moment you proposed. The looks on your faces...pure happiness, from both of you. I couldn't ask for anything more for her, or for you. And that," her tone changed again, "Is why I wanted to talk to you."
She paused as he looked up from the fire spirit, his blush from her last few lines fading.
"You may have a new title of some sort and a busier schedule and a more confining wardrobe and living space, but your most meaningful role is supporting Anna. And you already do. That's one of the many reasons that I entrusted the kingdom to Anna. To both of you. I trust her judgment-as do you-but I worry sometimes about how she'll feel as queen because of how I felt. But I can tell it will be different for her."
Kristoff sat in silence, taking in everything Elsa had said, before hesitantly asking a question.
"How did it feel to you? Being queen?"
She gave a melancholy smile. "Like giving everything I had, and still feeling guilty for not giving more. I didn't tell Anna that way," she said quickly, and then added, "Not that I don't trust her. But you know how she gets! Telling her you've been hurting is like…"
"Kicking a baby reindeer?" Kristoff offered, looking toward the grazing herd that Sven had enthusiastically joined.
"Something like that," Elsa laughed.
"And then, after a moment, it's like having your problems chased down by the angry mother of that baby reindeer."
They laughed for a moment, then settled back into silence, observing the reindeer and greeting whomever passed by their seats near the fire.
After a while, Elsa spoke again, this time hesitantly.
"I wanted to ask you another question. You know that I took Anna back to Ahtohallan to experience the memories that I saw...and I was wondering if you would want to go. I have a sense that she has some answers for you as well."
Kristoff shifted uncomfortably. He had been prepared to face hard truths about his odor, sense of style, and general presentation for Anna's sake, but this was another matter entirely.
"Thank you. But, ah...not at the moment. Maybe someday." He stared down at a chunk of bread that he had been eating with fish cooked over the fire. He could sense that she was studying him.
"If I may...is there any particular reason?"
He thought about how to phrase it.
"It's just...if there are answers I don't have that I should, I could always find them out in the future. But if there are things that don't need to be known...I can't un-know them. That probably sounds silly."
"No, I don't think it does," Elsa offered thoughtfully.
"I, uh, found this book in the library. Anna said it was probably yours." He pulled the heavy volume of Royal Etiquette out of his traveling pack.
She wrinkled her nose. "Ah, yes. I remember. I've since thrown out some of the advice and philosophies from that time...but some of it was useful. Here, let me flag some relevant passages for you."
She took the heavy book and flipped through its pages, carefully considering. Kristoff thought that, for better or worse, this seemed more like the Elsa he remembered from Arendelle.