Chapter 15: Here´s to our boat-ship…

Sending the photo to Sven had been a good idea. The friend had answered promptly with a big emoji smile and dropping a short note, "what a sight – can´t wait to see you guys!"

Sending the photo to his mother had been a bad idea. Bulda Bjorgman stirred her son out of bed at 5:30 in the morning after she had spotted at her mobile at getting up. By now it was 6:30 and Kristoff hadn´t got a chance to get up really, since his overly excited mother had asked him any sorts of questions. He had to tell her everything, and he couldn´t deny the appreciation of doing so. Best was his father, who occasionally plainly commented on the news with his adorable grumbling short words, by in-between falling in the word of his nearly crying wife. The mobile speakers were on and the excitement in the Bjorgman´s home practically crawled through the phone line up to the young man. Eventually Kristoff managed to sooth Bulda´s exorbitant thrill by promising to bring Anna for visiting before he´d drive her back to Arendelle.

When Kristoff put down his phone, rubbing his face to clear his mind, he secretly thanked his parents for their care and empathy. And while he got ready for the day, he smiled to himself by the thought of how Anna may well be greeted there. Doubtlessly she´ll be the princess on the red carpet and that was just the only thing she deserved. And when he thought about what she had told him about her family, he was aware that this will surely be less fun of a meeting, but nevertheless he would pay them just the respect they´re granted, because they were her parents and sister.

Anna had been awake since a while and untypically early. She was that excited and nervous and thrilled, all in one, that sleep had abandoned her when the first sunray had darted through the tiny window. They had one more day left before docking the boat at Waren/Müritz for good. Time had passed like flying by the previous days and the trip back a weaving mixture of leisure time and simply enjoying the other´s presence. And now, they were to head back to daily life. Anna had tossed in her sheets, her heart singing to her about love and happiness. Still, she must keep her head together and not get all head over heels and doing and saying stupid things. But then, had not her original character roused the reasonable man out of his nutshell? After all, that was what he had said… The cheerful girl sat up and rubbed her face, to brush away her self-doubting musing, and with an excited sigh, she hopped out of her bed and got ready. Why not being up first for once…

She had set the table, the toasts were roasted and sending that inviting smell of a new day start throughout the quarters, and Anna was about to pour hot coffee into their mugs when Kristoff came out and stood with raised eyelids upon this morning surprise.

"Good morning!" Anna bit her lips, while her eyes smiling across the room.

It was all still so new and exciting, and yet there was this familiarity between them. She put the coffee pot on the table and then turned just to be pulled into this wondersome hug that she would probably never get enough of. Like the sound of his heart beating and the touch to this bold chest, that still sent a shiver down her spine. But of course, she would not say this out loud, it was silly. But still, Anna couldn´t restrain a content sigh and squeezing her arms just a bit tighter around Kristoff´s waist.

"Are you alright? You look tired, bad dream?" Anna crooked her head questioningly gazing at the blond man slurping his coffee in thoughts.

Kristoff looked up, putting down his mug, and shaking his head with pursed lips.

"Hmph. Everything fine. Got an early wakeup call from my mom…"

"Oh." Anna now sat straight with blinking eyes. "Tell me?"

Kristoff laughed with a smirk. She must not worry!

"Trust me! They´re happy, there´s not more to say to that. Maybe only to warn you of their overflowing cheerfulness and chaotic chatter. I mean they´re awesome, but sometimes a bit difficult to handle in their enthusiasm that is." Kristoff leaned back into his bank-rest with an amused chuckle.

Anna fiddled with her napkin and smiled at him vaguely.

"I´m glad to hear that, and I don´t mind chaotic prattling at all you know. And with that, I fear that my family may not be that free and careless about showing their happiness. I mean, they care a lot, you know. They´re just… well I guess… different than your people. So, I guess I need to warn you, too, but differently…" She lowered her gaze with a sigh, the thought of such a meeting made her stomach clench a little. She had not noticed that Kristoff had come around the table to sit by her, when she felt an arm coming around her shoulders.

"Hey sweetheart," and he brushed a gentle hand through her hair, smiling, "your family is your family and they´re important and good in their ways, after all that you´ve told me about them. My family is my family and they´re good, too. We don´t have to live with them or up to their expectations, whatever those might look like. Don´t you think we can handle differences of relatives, if only we know who we are together? I might not fit into your family´s raster, but I´m absolutely positive that you´ll do with my folks. I can live with that. And you?"

And by now, Anna climbed his lap to cover kisses all over the chortling man.

Kristoff had shown Sven´s website to Anna the previous week already.

The young photographer worked for the renowned national geographic magazine. This summer he was sent up to Norway, which was part of a series to exploit about Scandinavia´s beauty. He had sent Kristoff a link with new photographic clips and videos of his late work, that they planned to sit and watch this out on their last evening out here on their own excursion. So, Anna had pleaded that they would round up their journey like they had started it on their first night on the boat. By sitting outside with a glass of wine – like they had in fact done nearly every evening, never mind, - and giving themselves the treat of a self-baked pizza. And of course, the young man consented with this splendid idea.

This contribution of nature´s wonder and beauty, and the cultural depts, that was better than any movie. For example, the sparkling whirl of the famous Northern lights, or the valleys flowed by fjords of different colours depending on mountain sides, weather, and thermal logistics. The mountains further up north within that wide and vast lands that brimmed the shores right out up to the arctic sea. And then there were the traditional ways of reindeer herding by indigenous Sami tribes, a grounded culture that counted back to a time older than Europe itself. Sven had written of how much admiration he felt towards that old and respectful world.

It was sort of an odd thing, to watch this captivating documentation, while dwelling right in the middle of one of the most beautiful realms of Mid-European´s north. After all, the ´Mecklenburg Lake Plateau´ wasone of the largest coherent lake and canal region in Germany and sometimes called ´the land of a thousand lakes´. And yet, Kristoff´s best friend was travelling a land beyond comparation.

"Please let us go there someday!" Anna had exclaimed with excitement when they closed Sven´s site.

Why not? Surely, such a vacation must be an unforgettable journey. And then, there was the possibility of cruising the fjords by boat, too.

"Oh yes, and that would be our ´north-boat-ship´, then!" She beamed with expectation.

"Yes, that it would be!" He laughed and pulled her close into a tender kiss.

In case of interest:

Where Kristoff and Anna have cruised their "boat-ship"

wiki/Mecklenburg_Lake_Plateau