I felt warm lips on mine. I recognized that smell; I craved their warmth: they were the lips of the man my heart beat for. I opened my eyes and found him there, a few inches from me, grinning at me like never before.

"Good morning, Anna."

Without quite believing that waking up that morning had really been the kiss that I had longed for for so long, I sat up slowly and looked around us. That was not what I expected to find. Instead of my cold, comfortable bed, a hard and somewhat sharp layer of stones lay beneath us. Before me, a monotone, dry meadow stretched almost as far as the eye could see to be crowned by partially forested mountains, and, behind me, the waves of the sea threatened to wash from top to bottom my nightgown. Ah ... well no, there was no nightgown either. Instead, a heavy, soaked dress covered my body. The sun was beating down on us and the breeze blew thick and damp.

I reached for Kristoff's face with my hand and stroked him slowly, trying to figure out how much reality and how much sleep there was in that situation, and his rough yet sweet touch made me understand everything.

"Is this heaven?"

Kristoff laughed and hugged me tightly.

"I hope it's not so hot in heaven, actually."

The intense sensation of his strong body covering mine, finally brought my memory back, taking me back to the sea, to his arms, to the deepest exhaustion, to fear, to hopelessness, to regret.

It had barely been a couple of weeks since last time Kristoff had come to wake me up. That last morning, putting aside his original and varied ways of making me come out of my dream, he again caressed my cheek like the first time. However, something was different; there was delight in his touch. He took his time; carefully ran over my skin and caressed the corner of my lips; and, even as I lazily opened my eyes, he took the liberty of keeping his palm on my jaw as he gently stroked my chin with his thumb. His lips were serious, but his eyes were smiling at me. At that moment, it was clear to me, whatever that feeling that intoxicated me was to be, it was mutual.

The next morning, Kai's powerful voice came back into my life waking me up without even needing to open the door out of sheer habit acquired after years of exhausting effort (on his part). His leg had healed and the super man was back in action. I was terribly happy for him, but an emptiness settled in my stomach when I realized that Kristoff was just the carriage boy again.

"Hunger, Anna, the emptiness in your stomach is called hunger."

Without a doubt, Elsa's responses were always practical and concise. She had the spirit of a queen.

"I wonder hungry for what," Gerda commented casually as she led us to the room where the seamstresses were waiting to finalize the details of the dresses we would wear for Elsa's coronation day.
"For chocolate, Gerda, Anna is always hungry for chocolate."
"I bet she is," she answered with a mischievous smile. "Not so long ago she started the day with a good tray of chocolate in her mouth."

The colors rose to my ears at the memory of Kristoff's rough hand holding the chocolate while I savored it half asleep. How much did Gerda know about all that thing?

"Anna! Chocolate on an empty stomach?"
"Do not worry, Your Highness, it was just a desperate one-day means. Since then she has managed to wake up without chocolate."

Definitely, castle walls can speak.

"Well, I'm glad that Kai is back at last and that everything is in its place again," Elsa commented, oblivious to the tension inside me and the knowing glances that Gerda was constantly throwing me. "These days are going to be tough and Kai out of the game would only make things more chaotic."

'Wow, very considerate of you, sis…'

The following days were a real lack of control even with the revered presence of Kai, which meant that I didn't find any time to go out for a ride and take advantage of, at least, exchange a look and a greeting with Kristoff. That shouldn't have been anything so exceptional either, but the feeling of loneliness it left me was devastating.

In the end, after much begging Elsa for a while to get a break, a couple of days before the coronation I managed to get a few hours and asked the carriage to be prepared.

"Good morning, Princess Anna."

Of course, out of my room, I was Princess Anna again, I must have known. I clenched my lips and fists at the pang that hearing him call me that provoked me, and answered with an inevitable air of frustration.

"Good morning, Kristoff."

"Are you alright, Ma'am?"

My reaction had probably been very obvious.

"Yeah, it's just that I'm kind of tired. With the hustle and bustle of these days, I'm missing the ten minutes of sleep you gave me."

A shy smile crossed his face and the emptiness inside me disappeared as if by magic.

"May I set out for your regular ride?" he asked without leaving the formality required by the position.
"Please."

During that short ride, we didn't exchange a word, but a couple of more than significant glances, and, just with that, I felt so happy that I hated my life. If that man was what filled me, why couldn't I entrust myself to heaven and tell him clearly? It wouldn't do any good. What my soul yearned for was forbidden.

The coronation came in a heartbeat, and by the time I realized it, my sister was accepting an invitation from I don't know what prince of the Southern Isles to a sea voyage in his marvelous new ship. However, none of that mattered to me at the time; the only thing my senses paid true attention to was that magnificent blond who, with a serious face, did not take his eyes off me from a discreet corner of the ballroom.

"Kristoff, come here."

Elsa's sudden command made my heart skip a beat. Would she have noticed? Nothing had really happened, but… what if they decided they didn't want him in that job any longer? What if my feelings for him turned to his ruin?

Kristoff approached apparently calmly and, avoiding eye contact with me for the first time all night, gave us a deep and graceful bow that restored in me that feeling of rage.

"Kristoff, I want you to have everything ready. In four days Anna and I will embark on a journey to the South with Prince Hans."

This Hans nodded and smiled kindly at me.

"It will be only about five days of travel," added the prince, putting an elegant and refined intonation to each of his words. "But I hope it's just the first of our journeys together," he said smiling at me again.

Was that what I was fearing? I looked at my sister who nodded cordially as if she were signing any commercial pact and then at Kristoff, who clenched his jaw as he fixed his gaze on the pompous prince.

"I don't understand, Your Majesty. What are my services required for that day? Should I prepare the carriage to take you to the harbor?"
"Of course you should, but, in addition, you will accompany us on the trip."
"What?!" Kristoff and I answered at the same time with the same lack of composure and eyes almost as wild.

Elsa raised her eyebrows with a smile and continued.

"I would appreciate being able to have a trusted man by our side to attend to our possible needs during the journey."

'I don't think she agrees that he attend mine…'

"Of course, I thought about Kai at first, but we have already seen these days that he is essential here, so I hope you can take his place during that time."
"I am at your disposal, Your Majesty."

Kristoff bowed to her again and exchanged a fleeting but haunting look with me.

"I appreciate it. You can leave."

The evening continued and while it was clear to me that, thank God, Elsa was not selling my hand for a good political deal, she was neither against Prince Hans and I forging ties.

"Elsa! What are you doing?!" I inquired her as soon as we had a moment of privacy.
"Come on, Anna, I'm not asking you to marry him, just to take the time to meet him."
"Why?!"
"He is an attentive, young man who would provide us with a beneficial link with a neighboring country. And he is clearly interested in you."
"So, in the end, it's all a matter of politics."
"I repeat it. I don't expect you to get engaged to him right now. I just want you to find out if you can ever feel something for him. There are not as many opportunities as this. Do you know how old most of your potential candidates are? Before rejecting him, think carefully about your options."

I thought of reproaching her that she was still single. Why wasn't she looking for a candidate for herself? But it wouldn't have been fair. In her terrible way, she was thinking of me. She was giving me the one that had seemed the best option she could find. She was sacrificing before trying what might have been her best option as well.

"And if I don't want him? What if I don't want any of those candidates?"
"I'll give you time if that's what you need, but keep in mind that the older you are, the older they will be too. And I doubt you will find a husband who does not want offspring."

'Yuck…'

"And… what if I never get married?"
"Then, if one day I am not here anymore and you find yourself becoming a queen, you will be completely exposed to the decisions of the council. You would be surprised by the power they have over the supposed ruler."
"And, what if one day I fall in love?"
"Then you will be a lucky woman."
"No! I say if I fall in love with another man. With someone who doesn't meet their stupid requirements."
"Well, then I hope that he would be a discreet lover, because the punishment for betraying the king that way, could be death."

I gulped. I already knew all that crap; I had been hearing it since I was a child, but I never cared so much. I lowered my gaze as I searched my thoughts for the solution to that madness, but, all I saw in my mind was the image of Kristoff being led to the gallows.

"Fine. I'll know him. But I don't promise anything else."
"I don't ask for more."