Kristoff froze, taking in the form of the girl who had apparently been sleeping in Sven's empty stall.
She froze as well, and after a fearful look, backed up against the other end of the stall.
"Please don't hurt me. I just wanted to sleep. I didn't mean to bother anyone. I'm sorry."
Kristoff blinked, taking in her words.
"I-what? No, no, I'm not going to hurt you!"
He held up his hands in surrender, but she remained on edge.
"Are you alone here?" he asked, but the girl didn't react. He looked around the stables for any obvious signs of movement, but saw none. The other empty stalls were still and silent.
He didn't know what to say next. Anna would know what to say, how to put her at ease; but he didn't want to risk leaving the scared child to run off. He decided to try speaking.
"I'm...Kristoff. I live here in the stables and help out with the animals."
She still stared blankly. He lowered himself down to the floor to seem less intimidating.
"This is usually where Sven lives. He's a reindeer, and also my best friend. We've known each other for...a long time. Since I was little. Back then, I didn't really have a family, or a place to live," he paused, and saw her narrow her eyes slightly at this statement before he continued.
"Anyway, eventually my family took me in. And then I met my fiancee, and started living and working here, and now I have new friends and family as well." Kristoff realized that he had been absentmindedly fiddling with a strand of hay from the floor of the empty stable.
After a short silence, the girl finally spoke.
"What's a fiancee?"
Kristoff laughed.
"It means I'm going to marry her."
Kristoff thought he saw the girl smile slightly at this, but the blanket still covered her mouth. She moved it in order to speak.
"Is she pretty?"
"Beautiful."
Another silence.
"I'm Mari," she finally said, sitting up so that he could now see her face. She was young, no older than ten, and frail, so that her face looked more drawn than those of the children in town. "I live near the farms. It's a few days' walk from here. I came here because I like animals."
Kristoff smiled. "I like animals, too. Do you live with anyone?"
"My mom."
"Where's your mom now?"
She shrugged. "She's been gone for a while."
"Is that unusual?"
"Not really. But this time I ran out of food, so I went out. I had to keep moving around so no one would catch me. And I always wanted to see the town. And then I saw the castle, and the stables were just so nice, so I came here."
Her voice was surprisingly animated for telling such a morbid tale. He realized as she spoke that she was shivering.
"Are you cold? Here, let me bring you inside," he moved to stand, but her eyes widened again.
"Inside where?"
"The castle."
"But what if they catch us sneaking in?"
Kristoff laughed.
"I'm allowed in the castle. I was just there. With my...future wife."
"Oh. Does she work there?"
"...Yes. Come on, I'll take you."
He opened the door and gestured to her. She rose and wrapped the blanket around herself. She was frail, but lanky. Her clothing was worn and ripped in places, and a toe poked out of her shoes. She began to walk, but seemed unsteady on her feet.
Kristoff removed his jacket and wrapped it around her.
"Do you want me to carry you? Would that be all right?"
She considered the offer.
"Sure. But only because I'm really, really tired. I can walk. I walked really far."
He chuckled. "I believe you."
Slowly and gently, he lifted the girl into his arms. She was light. Much lighter than Anna. Probably lighter than she should be for a girl of her height.
He walked in silence, seeing her eyelids droop as they reached a steady rhythm. Suddenly, her eyes shot open.
"What if the queen sees us? Is she scary?"
"You really haven't been around much, have you?" Kristoff asked.
She shook her head.
"The queen isn't scary at all. She loves her people, and they love her, and she's friendly and warm and kind to everyone."
"And you know her?"
"I do."
"Wow."
"Yeah. Wow."
Kristoff had no idea how to explain this situation to Anna, or what this situation even was, but he knew that she would likely handle it better.
They didn't pass anyone on their way into the castle. Mari was asleep by the time Kristoff opened the large doors-not even struggling to support the child with one arm-and made his way to the library, where he knew Anna was still finishing up the last of her work. For once, he was glad that she wasn't an early riser.
He knocked lightly on the door before opening it.
"Anna?"
At his voice, she looked up and smiled.
"Miss me already? I-Kristoff, what-who-are you carrying?"
He laid the girl down on a couch closest to the fire; she stirred, but he kept his voice low.
"I found her in Sven's stall, trying to sleep. All I know is that her name is Mari, and she comes from the farmland when she ran out of food, and her mother has been gone…"
Both of them turned to the couch, where the girl had sat up to observe their conversation.
Anna sat down on the other end of the couch and spoke gently.
"Hi! I'm Anna. I hear your name is Mari?"
The girl nodded.
"Mari, I want to help you get home. But for now, let's just get you a warm place to sleep. And some food? Does that sound good?"
Again, the girl nodded. Anna turned to Kristoff, who spoke next.
"I'll be right back with some sandwiches. And hot cocoa."
Both Anna and Mari smiled back at him.
When Kristoff returned, Mari lay across the couch, leaving just enough room for Anna to sit at the other end, drafting a letter.
"I'm writing to General Mattias to ask for a search to find her family. He'll get this first thing in the morning."
"Good. I'll set this down on the table."
When the tray hit the table, Mari sat up, eyeing the food. Anna noticed, handing her a plate.
"Here. Kristoff makes good sandwiches. And then you can have some hot cocoa once it cools down. I'm going to go get a bed ready."
Anna got up while Mari ate ravenously. Kristoff remembered his own days of wandering, hungrily accepting whatever food he could find. How his life had changed….
Mari slowed, eventually setting down the plate and nestling back into the more comfortable blanket that Anna had found.
"Was that your girlfriend?"
"Yep."
"She's nice. And pretty."
"I agree."
"It's weird being in a castle."
"I agree with that, too."
"Nice though."
"Yeah. This castle is nice. Because of the people in it."
She yawned, so he stopped talking.
When Anna returned, Kristoff picked up the sleepy child and followed Anna to one of the many spare bedrooms near Anna's own chamber. He laid her down in the large bed, covering her with more fancy castle blankets.
"Goodnight, Kristoff and Anna."
She mumbled.
"Goodnight, Mari," they both responded.
After leaving the room and closing the door, they stared at each other.
"That was…"
"Yeah."
"How did she wander all the way here? And she looks like she hasn't eaten enough in days. Maybe years."
"She said she was alone, ran out of food, and wanted to see the town. That's all I know."
They were now in front of Anna's chamber, but she made no move to enter.
"Hopefully we can figure this out in the morning. At least she has food and a place to sleep."
"Right."
Kristoff hesitated.
"Would...would it be all right if I slept in one of these rooms? I just-in case she wakes up, I'm the one who found her, and it might be good if-"
Anna's face lit up. "Of course! That's so thoughtful of you. Here, this will be just fine…"
She led him into a room very close to her own-on the opposite side of the hall, between hers and the one where Mari now slept.
"Thanks. Let me know if you need anything. Just, I don't know, throw something at my head. Like how we first met."
Anna pulled a face, punched him in the arm, and then stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.
"Goodnight. Love you."
"Love you, too."
Anna disappeared behind the door to her chamber.
Kristoff grabbed the door handle to pull the door shut, then wondered if he should leave it open, then settled on half open.
He looked around the dark room, simpler than Anna's, but still rather ornate.
In spite of spending much of his time in the castle, even to prepare for special events like Anna's coronation, Kristoff had actually never slept there. He had always worried about overstepping, about the staff and Elsa and appearances, and about his and Anna's privacy.
Now, his concerns seemed silly in comparison to the idea that there was suddenly a strange child sleeping in Anna's hall. He worried for both of them, to be honest.
As a result, Kristoff didn't sleep much. He didn't bother to move the heavy blankets on the bed, used to colder weather and thinner walls. He sat atop the remarkably comfortable furniture, listening carefully for any signs of movement.
He must have fallen asleep, but he awoke a few times throughout the night, checking that both doors were still closed. Finally, morning light streamed through the window, and Kristoff decided to check on Mari.
He slowly opened the door and peeked his head in, but stepped forward abruptly when he saw the empty bed.
She was gone.
He looked frantically around the room, suddenly stopping to hear slow, even breathing across the room.
Looking over the bed, he saw a breathing heap of blankets on the floor, a blond head barely visible at the top.
Kristoff exhaled, chuckled softly, and left.
"Kristoff!"
He started.
Gerda was approaching from the other end of the long hallway, a note in her hand.
"I've just seen Queen Anna's message. Where is the child?"
"In this room, asleep. I thought she was gone, but she just moved to the floor."
"Good. General Mattias has just arrived to speak with the queen. Will you meet him while I wake her?"
"Of course."
Kristoff was almost startled by his own easy response as he headed toward the entrance. He wouldn't say that he was comfortable taking on Anna's meetings for her, but at least it was only General Mattias, who was easier to speak with than most. He descended the stairs quickly.
"General Mattias. I'm glad you stopped by. You got Anna's note?"
"Yes. It doesn't happen often that a child goes unattended in Arendelle, but when it does, it's heartbreaking. I've just sent a few of my people to speak with the farms within a few days' walk. See if anyone knows her, or her family, or has seen her wandering around."
"Good. Thank you. She'll be glad to hear that."
The general nodded.
"Would you like any breakfast while Anna wakes up?"
"No, thank you, I'm meeting Halima."
"In that case, I can pass along the message if you'd like to go. Or you can stay, of course. It's not my-"
The general smiled. "Thank you, Kristoff. Please let Her Highness know that I will return as soon as I receive any news."
"Right. I'll tell her. Thanks."
The general shot him one last sympathetic look before leaving, laughing softly and shaking his head.
As he opened the door, the general waved.
"Queen Elsa! What a pleasant surprise!"
He opened the door wider for the ice queen, who entered with her usual graceful presence, making small talk and allowing the door to close behind her before regarding Kristoff.
"Ryder, Honeymaren, and I brought Sven back from Northuldra. I'm surprised to find you here...in pajamas."
"It's early…"
"It's not terribly early, actually. Late night?"
"I, uh…"
"What was Mattias doing here?"
Kristoff didn't have time to answer any of his future sister-in-law's rapid fire questions before Anna yelled from the top of the staircase.
"Elsa! I'm glad you're here! It's been a strange day."
She slid unabashedly down the railing to make up for lost time before hugging her sister.
"Okay, so I know you said you didn't want any kids running around the castle until AFTER we were married…"
"Anna…?" Elsa raised an eyebrow and Kristoff buried his head in his hands at Anna's lack of clarity.
"...But last night Kristoff found a girl in the stables."
Elsa's expression changed to one of pure confusion. "I'm sorry, I don't follow…"
"A girl wandered into the stables-all the way from the farmlands-to try to find a place to sleep. We brought her into the castle and are trying to figure out what to do next. She says she lives with her mother, but hasn't seen her in, I'm not sure how long, and ran out of food…" Kristoff took over and saw understanding dawn on Elsa's face.
"Oh! Well. An interesting dilemma, for sure."
"We asked Mattias to start looking for information-"
"-And he just arrived to say that he had sent some of the guard to ask for information," Kristoff finished.
"Good. At least you have a plan. I can consult with the spirits and see if they have any insight-she's likely further south than Northuldra, but maybe not much?"
"Maybe."
"Good. In the meantime, Sven would like to see you. And Ryder and Honeymaren would like to say hello as well."
After Kristoff had dressed, they walked out to the stables, where a water Nokk, four reindeer, and two young adults stood in anticipation. Sven, upon seeing his friend, bounded up to say hello.
"Hey, buddy! I missed you too!"
Sven brought Kristoff to the others, bounding excitedly up to another reindeer with a gesture like an introduction.
Ryder helped to translate.
"Sven is wondering if his new friend can stay here for the time being. He missed you, but let's just say that these two weren't eager to part."
Sven shared a loving gaze with the reindeer at his side.
"Well, he wouldn't be the first to change his surroundings for love."
Kristoff turned his gaze to Anna, who was regaling Elsa and Honeymaren with the full details of the previous night, which were hopefully more coherent now that she had woken up fully.
"Sounds like you had a busy morning? We expected to find you over here."
"Yeah, I usually am here, but...I should probably get back to the castle. Come with us, we'll explain on the way. And get you some food. There's always food."
"Now that is a perk of castle living…"
Anna took the visitors to the kitchen, but Kristoff chose to go upstairs, sitting in the hallway where he had slept the night before.
The pull he felt to sit outside of the closed door came not only from the past night, but from a past life.
One where he, too, had woken up in unfamiliar circumstances, but often without a familiar face to guide him.