It was early the next morning when General Mattias came to check in with Kristoff and Anna. When the castle staff knocked on each of their doors to alert them of his presence, even Kristoff was groggy, having spent much of the previous night trying to convince an excitable child to calm and sleep while Anna had finished the day's work.

It had already been late when Mari had finally settled, but Kristoff and Anna had stayed awake, both to discuss the impending conversation and to catch up on the alone time that had suddenly become even more scarce for the two of them.

Kristoff wasn't accustomed to being needed every second of every day. It wasn't as if he had been lazy before-he had responsibilities in the stables, in the castle, and in the larger community, especially when it came to ice deliveries-but his responsibilities were much more sporadic than the constant task of keeping a child out of trouble (not to mention safe, happy, and healthy on top of merely "alive and present").

Anna's responsibilities had already increased upon her coronation, chipping away at the time the two of them spent together; though with Elsa gone, he could more reliably count on Anna's presence when she had a spare moment.

The need to inform Mari of her mother's prolonged absence weighed heavily on Kristoff's mind. Though he wasn't exactly an open book, Kristoff had always felt the need for honesty with people in important matters that involved their own wellbeing. He still had trouble forgiving Grand Pabbie, and even Anna's parents, though they had never met, for hiding from her the truth of her past.

He could understand Elsa's privacy about her powers. He himself had long hid the secret of his upbringing by trolls. But to erase years of memories, with no intention to return them...that was difficult to understand or justify.

Anna, too, hated secrets. She had been hesitant at first to reveal too much to Mari, for fear of ruining her childhood innocence; but remembering her own past and the lasting insecurities it caused, she quickly agreed that too much information was probably better than none.

Where Anna and Elsa justifiably teased Kristoff for his lack of etiquette and knowledge about the finer things in life, they were the clueless ones when it came to the world beyond the edges of the largely friendly and scrupulous kingdom. Kristoff had tried to point this out gently, with his normal use of humor to stave off the uncomfortable; but the sisters had been initially offended by the insinuation that he "didn't suppose they encountered issues like this at the castle."

"You're not seriously implying that we've never faced hardship!" Anna had accused, hands on her hips.

"Or that I'm not aware of the kingdom's issues? I know Arendelle isn't perfect," Elsa had ceded with her usual cold precision.

"That's not what I'm saying at all!" Kristoff had quickly elaborated, holding up his hands, deflating as the two suddenly made him feel smaller. "It's just…" he shifted uncomfortably, unsure how to continue. He sighed. "There's a difference between working to solve the problem of children going hungry, and...experiencing that problem."

It was the women's turn to deflate as heat rose in Kristoff's cheeks. After a short, charged silence, they all moved on; but he did notice gradual changes in the way that they related to problems in the kingdom, with a touch more gentleness and the same compassion that they showed to those closest to them.

When Kristoff finally rose to meet the day, Anna wasn't far behind him, yawning dramatically before settling into her more regal way of carrying herself.

They greeted Mattias and informed him of their plan. They would look after Mari in the castle, but continue to monitor her mother's progress to see if she might be able to care for the child in the future. They would write up a list of conditions that she would need to meet in order for the child to be returned.

"For one, she'll need a job that's not-" he cast a glance toward Anna, then seemed to recalculate, "That's, well, legal. And stable."

Anna seemed to be considering his meaning, but didn't press any further.

"All right. Well. Best of luck to you both. This seems to be out of my hands in terms of enforcing the law-but you know you can always come to me for anything you might need."

They thanked the man for his hard work and kindness, and set out to make a plan.

They would allow Mari to sleep, but once she woke up, Gerda would begin to assess her prior knowledge and come up with a plan for lessons. Kristoff, too, would begin learning, starting with the history of Arendelle. He knew the basics, of course-the past few generations had had a direct impact on his life in recent years-but part of Anna's lessons had been a long-winded genealogy of royal families. The families in Arendelle who had lived there for generations would not be impressed with having more knowledge than someone so close to their queen.

The three of them-Kristoff, Mari, and Gerda-walked into the library, where Gerda produced a large volume containing meticulously-kept historical records dating back many generations, as well as a smaller volume, a slate, and chalk for Mari.

Kristoff was trying to focus on the elaborate family tree, failing to absorb any information other than the disconcerting differences in birth years between the older kings and queens, when he heard a small commotion on the other side of the room.

"But I can read! I can!"

"Child, there's no shame in not knowing! It's lying that shows poor moral character."

The child buried her head in her hands, clearly frustrated.

Kristoff approached the small table.

"Something wrong?" he asked gently.

Before Gerda could respond, Mari raised her head.

"She says I can't read! But I can! It's just that the words are wrong!"

He gave a puzzled look as Mari's eyes blazed and Gerda sighed in exasperation.

Suddenly, he had a thought.

"Mari, could you write your name for me?"

She looked skeptical, but picked up the slate and chalk and began to write. Gerda's face showed confusion, then understanding.

"It's one of the more rural dialects. Used in the mountains, too," Kristoff explained.

He began to search the library for the volumes in the older dialect, which were mainly folktales and historical records, as well as information on the basics of traditional Norwegian.

Kristoff tried to periodically return to the large, old, very dry historical volume, but it was much more interesting to assist his companions in their task. By the end of the day, he hadn't made much progress, except to assemble a sparse timeline of a few of the more important events in the kingdom's history. Mari had made some progress translating the alphabet. Gerda had made progress returning to the mindset of instructing very distractible pupils, musing that at least Anna had given her some practice.

In spite of their small successes, Kristoff's stomach turned as Mari recounted the day's events to Anna over dinner.

They had planned the conversation for right after. In all of their time generating ideas, Anna and Kristoff could think of no way to soften the blow; she simply needed to know the truth.

Kristoff and Anna exchanged glances as they went into the drawing room, asking Mari to sit down and taking seats across from her.

"Did I do something wrong?" She asked hesitantly.

"No, not at all!" Anna assured her quickly. "It's just…" She looked toward Kristoff for help. He sighed.

"Mari, after a lot of conversations, we think...it seems like it would be best...if we give your mother more time to prepare to take care of you."

"How much time?"

"We...don't know for sure. But until then, you can stay here. You can learn from Gerda for a while, and then maybe join the other kids at the school. There are a lot of fun things that happen in Arendelle, and we would love for you to be a part of it, if that's something you would want," Anna finished quickly and breathlessly, pausing for a response.

"I guess that would be fine for now," Mari concedes, but Kristoff can sense her lingering uncertainty.

"Mari…" he starts, faltering, then decides to just say what he's thinking. "You didn't do anything wrong. This isn't your fault. I just want you to know that. Sometimes adults don't make the best decisions, and sometimes kids are the ones who go through difficult times because of that."

He sees Anna glance at him with a combination of love and sadness, and works to keep his composure, made uncomfortable by the moment.

Mari stares at him with wide eyes. He deliberates, then continues.

"When I was a kid, I was left with a group of ice harvesters. They looked out for me, they were good guys, but I didn't really have a family. It was just me and Sven for a while. But then...a family found me and took me in," he explained. "They're actually...trolls. They live in the mountains. So my childhood wasn't exactly normal, but I'm glad to have them in my life."

Mari considered this information.

"Do you think the trolls would take me in, too?"

Kristoff laughed. "I'll definitely take you to meet them some time."

"Okay. I guess I can stay here then."

She stood, and with the air of someone much older, said, "I should get some sleep. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight," Kristoff and Anna said, unsure whether they should follow. They settled on giving her space, then watching up the staircase to make sure she had made it to the room where she had been staying.

"Well that was…" Anna started, but there were really no words, so they settled back into the drawing room to finish their work for the night.

Anna had to shake Kristoff awake when she left for bed-he had fallen asleep reading about some 18th-century king and his diplomatic relations.

They settled themselves into a routine, and before long, Mari had integrated herself into their odd little family. Her lessons progressed, with occasional interruptions from Olaf, who was sometimes helpful and sometimes more distracting. Kristoff began to correctly answer the questions Gerda rattled off about names and dates and family relationships, realizing that it wasn't entirely dissimilar to the record keeping he had always done for his ice business.

Even though Mari quickly warmed to Elsa, Kristoff could tell that it took time for Elsa to truly be comfortable and herself around the girl. He wasn't terribly surprised-it wasn't that Elsa wasn't genuine, but she certainly took time to open up. He supposed that made sense.

They made no effort to inform the kingdom about Mari in any official capacity, but the spread of information via hushed conversations in the castle, the marketplace, and all throughout the kingdom meant that everyone was pretty well informed. They still weren't quite sure how to regard the new addition to the cast of faces around the castle, but they did their best to be welcoming, and her easy manners charmed everyone she met.

Kristoff also took Mari with him on various trips around the kingdom. He became more comfortable talking with Arendelle's citizens without Anna, even when Mari found it amusing to share compromising details, like the way Kristoff sometimes received more chiding for his table manners from the staff than she did.

Anna commissioned the tailor to make a few dresses better suited to Mari's slim frame, though she began to look healthier as she ate ravenously from the food offered by the skilled kitchen staff.

She still hated mornings about as much as Anna did, which meant that convincing her to sleep and leave him and Anna time to talk at night was always a challenge.

It was especially so on the night when, at exactly the wrong time-the time of night when Anna had cast her crown to the table and her shoes across the floor and, finishing her reading and stretching, leaned toward him with that specific look before they pulled each other close and lost track of time for a while-they were suddenly pulled apart by a loud "Ew, gross!" from the doorway.

Kristoff felt his face becoming more flushed than he had thought possible as he froze on the spot, but Anna took it in stride, straightening her hair as she got up and walked over to the small intruder.

"There's nothing gross about a True Love's Kiss," she said dreamily, twirling dramatically and taking Mari's hand to twirl her as well while the girl giggled; "True love can break curses and save lives!"

"That's not what saved you, though," Mari argued, knowing the story well.

"That's true! Not all love is romantic love. True love just means putting someone else's needs before your own. But Kristoff was coming to save me with a True Love's Kiss if nothing else worked," she offered, winking at her fiance, who had calmed somewhat.

"Would that have worked, do you think?" Mari asked.

"Only Ahtohallan knows," Anna said dreamily, stifling a yawn.

"Ahta-what?"

"Ahtohallan! That's right, we've never mentioned it, did we?" She looked toward Kristoff, who shook his head and reached for his lute.

"Where the North wind meets the sea…" Anna began, walking upstairs as Kristoff followed behind and provided an accompaniment on his reliable instrument.

Anna tucked the child back into bed, stroking a finger across her nose as they softened the music and eventually went silent. When they were sure she was asleep, they signaled to each other and quietly left, closing the door behind them.

"Works like a charm," Anna said smugly.

"I think your mother must have had some sort of magic," Kristoff agreed.

They each leaned against a door, until finally they said goodnight, broke their lovestruck gaze, and proceeded into separate rooms.

Kristoff repeatedly counted off the months until July before he finally fell asleep.

The next time Elsa came to visit, the first news Mari chose to share was that she had caught Kristoff and Anna "kissing, can you believe it?"

"Can I believe it? You have no idea how many times I've had to do this!"

She sent a flurry of snow at each of their cheeks (Kristoff was somewhat grateful, thanks to the heat that had risen in his) and then at Mari as she giggled with delight.