Chapter 8: Brothers and Sisters
As evening fell over the Magic Kingdom, Ralph found himself sitting on the roof of the Niceland Apartment building, looking out of the television screen of the Fix-It Felix Junior game cabinet at the dim arcade beyond. Ralph sat with his legs hanging over the edge of the roof, his arms resting on his knees with his hands clasped together. Ralph was so lost in thought that he didn't notice Felix come onto the rooftop until the diminutive man had walked up next to him.
"There ya are, brother," Felix greeted as sat next to Ralph and slung his legs over the side of the building, "I've been lookin' all over for ya. What's brought ya up here this fine evenin'?"
"Oh, uh, hey Felix," Ralph greeted, blinking in surprise at the smaller man's sudden appearance, "I just came up here to think."
"Think?" Felix asked in surprise, "I don't wanna sound rude, Ralph, but you never really struck me as the philosophical type."
"Yeah, I get what you mean," Ralph agreed with a self-depreciating chuckle.
"So what, exactly, are ya thinkin' about?" Felix asked, "If ya don't mind me askin', that is."
"No, I don't mind," Ralph answered with a shake of his head, "I'm actually glad you're here. I was hoping to ask you a question."
"Well, shoot, brother," Felix encouraged with a friendly grin, "What did ya wanna ask?"
In response to this, Ralph covered his mouth with his hand for a moment, his expression turning contemplative.
"When did you know that you liked Calhoun?" Ralph asked after the moment had passed.
"When did I know?" Felix questioned in reply as he blinked in surprise at Ralph, "Gosh, I suppose it was right when I met her. A poet would call that love at first sight, I suppose."
"And Calhoun?" Ralph questioned.
"Oh no, I don't think she liked me at all when we first met," Felix replied with a chuckle, "I had to grow on her."
Seeing Ralph smirk at this as well, Felix gave the wrecker a questioning look.
"Why are ya askin' me all this, Ralph?" Felix asked.
"...I'm pretty sure I like someone," Ralph admitted after letting out a long sigh.
"Really?" Felix asked in surprise, looking up at Ralph with wide eyes before a smile broke across his face, "Oh my land, Ralph, that's wonderful! Does she feel the same way?"
"No," Ralph said immediately before he sighed and continued, "Maybe. I'd like to….geez, I have no idea."
"Sounds like ya haven't talked to her about it," Felix observed with a chuckle, "So tell me, who is the lucky lady?"
Ralph fell silent for a moment, his gaze focused on the cabinet's screen as he covered his mouth with his hand again.
"Ralph?" Felix questioned as his face fell slightly, "Look, brother, if ya don't wanna tell me, that's fine. I didn't want-"
"It's Elsa," Ralph suddenly blurted out, cutting Felix off in the process.
"Elsa?" Felix repeated in surprise, "Queen Elsa, who just arrived? That Elsa?"
"Yeah," Ralph admitted, his face turning red as he did.
"Well," Felix said with an amused chuckle, "I knew ya were showin' her around earlier today but the other things I've been hearin', well, I figured those were just rumors."
"Wait, what are people saying?" Ralph questioned in surprise.
"Oh, just the normal things people tend to gossip about when they see two people spendin' time together," Felix answered before giving Ralph a knowing look and elbowing him playfully in the side, "Especially if one of those people is a pretty woman."
"Oh geez, that's the last thing I need," Ralph grumbled as he ran one of his hands through his hair.
"I wouldn't worry too much about it," Felix said with a dismissive wave of his hand, "People are always gossipin' about these sorts of things."
"I guess," Ralph replied with a shrug, "I would just hate for any of this to get back to Elsa."
"So, tell me," Felix pressed, "What is it about Elsa that ya like?"
"I don't really know," Ralph admitted with a shrug, though Felix took note of the small smile spreading across his face, "I mean, she's beautiful, that's obvious. But she's also nice and really smart. She's even pretty funny, and I can't help but feel like she and I are similar in a lot of ways."
"I can see that," Felix agreed with a nod, "I didn't really see ya talkin' to her at the welcomin' party though."
"I mean, she was talking with all sorts of other people, she was kind of the center of attention," Ralph explained, "I didn't want to cut in on her conversations, especially after she was stuck talking to me all day."
"Ya make it sound like she wouldn't wanna talk to ya," Felix observed.
"Why would she?" Ralph inquired, "I practically talked her ear off today."
"Are you sure she didn't enjoy talking to you today?" Felix questioned, "You sure she didn't want you to come talk to her?"
"I mean, I saw her look over at me a few times," Ralph replied, his face reddening at the thought, "But I….that doesn't mean anything."
"I think I'm startin' to see what ya're real problem is Ralph," Felix stated as he stroked his chin, "Ya're afraid that she doesn't feel the same way as you."
"Aw geez, Felix, I barely understand what I'm feeling right now, I've never even thought this way about anyone before," Ralph replied with an agitated tone before letting out a defeated sigh, "But yeah, I guess I'm afraid of that."
"Well, there's only one way you're gonna get around that," Felix insisted, "You're gonna have to tell her how ya feel."
"Oh yeah, I'm sure that will go great," Ralph replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "'Hey Elsa, I know you've only known me for a day, but I think you're swell. Do you want to be my girlfriend?' Man, I think I'd rather crawl into a pit of cybugs."
"Ya seem awfully sure that this isn't gonna go the way ya want it to," Felix observed.
"Well, why would it?" Ralph scoffed, "I mean, I don't know if you've noticed, Felix, but I'm not exactly Prince Charming over here."
"Nah, ya're easily two feet taller than that guy," Felix joked with a smirk.
"I'm being serious here, Felix," Ralph stated crossly, "What would Elsa want with a schmuck like me when she could have any guy she wants?"
"What did Tammy see in a guy like me?" Felix retorted with a chuckle of amusement, "Looks ain't everythin', Ralph."
"They're not nothing either," Ralph replied glumly.
"That's true, but ya're actin' like ya're some kind of pimply ogre or somethin'," Felix stated, pantomiming an ape as he spoke, "Ya're a pretty handsome guy, if I do say so myself."
"Gee, thanks, Felix," Ralph drolled as he rolled his eyes.
"I'm serious, Ralph, but I suppose ya're not gonna take my word for it," Felix replied with a sigh, "But ya know there's only one way you're going to get past this, right?"
"No, there's two," Ralph retorted simply.
"Oh?" Felix replied dubiously, "And what's the other way?"
"I bury my feelings for Elsa deep, deep down and I never ever think about them again," Ralph explained.
"Ralph, that sounds extremely unhealthy," Felix pointed out, his expression unamused.
"I know," Ralph agreed with a sigh as he ran one of his large hands through his messy hair again, "I've just….never really been in this situation before and it's kind of….I don't know…."
"Scary?" Felix suggested.
"Yeah," Ralph agreed with a small smile, "Terrifying, actually."
"Everyone feels like that in this situation," Felix reassured him, "I know I did. It's because you don't know what will happen next."
"So, it's like I thought," Ralph stated, a note of resignation in his voice, "There's no good way out of this."
"That's still assumin' she doesn't feel the same way," Felix pointed out.
"Okay, hear me out, what about this?" Ralph began, ignoring Felix's comment, "What if I just ignore my feelings?"
"Ignore yer feelin's?" Felix inquired with a doubtful expression, "Didn't we just talk about how that's a bad idea?"
"No, I don't mean bury them," Ralph explained, "I just mean I won't act on them. I just won't tell Elsa how I feel. Eventually, it all has to fade if I don't do anything about it, right?"
"I suppose," Felix stated with an uncertain expression, "But that might just lead to other problems."
"What do you mean?" Ralph questioned.
"If ya never say anythin' to Elsa about yer feelin's, they might fade like ya said," Felix explained, "But they might also turn into somethin' else."
"What?" Ralph pressed, his brows furrowing in confusion.
"Regret," Felix elaborated, "Say ya do what ya're thinkin' and just ignore this attraction to Elsa until your feelings fade. But what if, some day, ya realize ya should have told her how ya feel, and then ya end up regrettin' not sayin' somethin' for the rest of yer life?"
A pensive expression spread across Ralph's face but he remained silent.
"If she rejects ya, sure, that will hurt," Felix continued with a shrug, "But pain like that heals with time. Regret, though? Well, that's forever, brother."
Ralph continued to remain silent as he rubbed his mouth, his gaze turning to look out the screen of the game cabinet.
"Ultimately, the choice is yers, Ralph," Felix said with a sigh as he stood up and pat the larger man on the shoulder, "Try not to lose any sleep over it. Have yerself a good night now."
"Night," Ralph mumbled in reply as Felix left, the smaller man giving his friend one last sympathetic look over his shoulder as he walked away.
Silence fell over the rooftop as Felix departed, Ralph making no noise as he stared out the game cabinet's screen.
"Try not to lose any sleep over it," Ralph repeated with a snort of contempt, "Like I'm going to sleep at all tonight."
Leaning back on his hands, Ralph looked up at his game's eternal night sky and sighed.
"And you know what's the worst thing?" Ralph asked no one in particular, "I bet you I haven't even crossed her mind."
Meanwhile,
In her purple and white wallpapered room in one of the upper levels of Arendelle's royal castle, Elsa sat in front of her white bedroom vanity, dressed in a simple white sleeping gown, her platinum blonde hair unbound and a hairbrush clutched in her hand. She was silent as she stared at her reflection, a pensive look in her blue eyes. Suddenly, a knock from the tall, white doors caused Elsa to blink in surprise before she turned her attention to them.
"Elsa?" Anna's muffled voice asked from the other side of the door, "Can I come in?"
"Yes, Anna," Elsa replied with a smile as she began actually brushing her hair.
Grinning, Anna opened the door and stepped into the room. Walking over to Elsa's bed, Anna pirouted gracefully before flopping backwards onto the cushion.
"So," Anna said as Elsa continued brushing her hair, "A lot happened today, huh?"
"That's certainly one way to put it," Elsa observed with a chuckle.
"Okay, do you mind if I recap?" Anna asked as she sat up on the bed, "I think it will help me digest everything."
"Go right ahead," Elsa replied.
"So, the last thing I remember before waking up today was ice skating with you," Anna stated as she looked over at Elsa, "Does that sound right to you?"
"It does," Elsa confirmed with a nod, looking at Anna's reflection as she continued to brush her hair.
"So then, suddenly, we all wake up in our beds, and then we find out that someone came along and moved Arendelle somewhere else?" Anna continued, a confused look on her face, "Also, we're in the future?"
"I believe I heard someone mention that the year was 2013," Elsa stated offhandedly.
"2013!?" Anna repeated in shock, "That's insane!"
"I think that describes a lot of things we've both seen today," Elsa observed with a chuckle as she placed her hair brush down and turned towards Anna, "I still can't get over these….automobiles they have."
"Trust me, as someone who's ridden in one, they're not all that great," Anna stated, her face turning green at the memory.
"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," Elsa replied with a chuckle, "Or, at least, I'm sure not everyone drives like Vanellope."
"I sure hope not," Anna said as a pensive expression crossed her face, "Though she did seem agitated after the princess meeting. It seemed like it was really important that she find you and….uh….what's his name…."
"Ralph," Elsa answered immediately "Wreck-It Ralph."
Blinking in surprise at the suddenness of Elsa's response, Anna looked at her sister in confusion.
"Right," Anna stated as she mulled something over in her head, "That's it."
"What?" Elsa questioned, confused by the look Anna was giving her.
"So, you spent a lot of time with this Ralph today, right?" Anna asked, her expression turning suspicious.
"Yes, we spent most of the morning together," Elsa answered, her brows furrowing together, "What of it?"
"Tell me about him," Anna pressed.
"He's….he's nice," Elsa answered, growing flustered, "I thought you wanted to talk about everything that happened today?"
"I changed my mind," Anna replied with a nonchalant shrug, "And really? He's nice? That's the best you can give me?"
"I could give you more if I knew what you're trying to get at, Anna," Elsa answered, annoyance seeping into her tone, "You're awfully interested in Ralph when you couldn't even remember his name a minute ago."
"But you did," Anna replied, pointing at Elsa as a smirk pulled at the edges of her mouth.
"So?" Elsa questioned in confusion.
"So, I was there, Elsa," Anna continued, her smirk blossoming into a smile, "And something just occurred to me about the way you acted around him."
"What was wrong with the way I acted?" Elsa asked, clearly baffled by the turn the conversation had taken.
"Nothing," Anna replied with a roll of her eyes, "I'm just saying I could see that you were treating him differently. The way you looked at him. The way you let him call you Elsa."
"I let Kristoff call me Elsa too," the blonde queen argued defensively.
"Yeah, and Kristoff helped save both of our lives, so I feel like he earned that," Anna retorted, "But this Ralph guy, you just talked with him for a couple of hours."
"Okay, so what of it?" Elsa questioned as she averted her eyes from her sister's gaze.
"So, the point is that, while I know we haven't exactly been close for the last, like, decade and a half, I still know you well enough to know that you've always been a bit of a stickler when it comes to proper decorum," Anna explained.
"Well, of course I am, Anna," Elsa replied with a sigh, "I was-"
"The heir to the throne and now you're the queen," Anna finished, "Look, I get that, I'm not saying that's a problem."
"Then what are you saying?" Elsa inquired as she folded her arms.
"I'm just pointing out that you told Ralph to call you Elsa," Anna explained as she got up from her sister's bed, "You're the one who broke decorum, and that's….that's not like you."
"You're trying to insinuate something here, Anna," Elsa said as she narrowed her eyes at her sister, "I would prefer if you just came out and said it."
"Fine," Anna said with a sigh as she walked over to Elsa and leaned over she was even with her seated sister, her hands resting on her knees, "You like Ralph."
"Of course I like Ralph," Elsa replied, her expression confused, "He seems like a nice man, and I would not object to us becoming friends."
"No, no, no," Anna said with a dismissive wave of her hand, "That's not what I mean. I mean you like Ralph."
The accusation inherent in Anna's emphasis on a single word seemed to take Elsa completely off guard and she visibly started.
"I-I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about," Elsa quickly replied, trying to appear prim and proper even as she felt her face heat up.
"You're such a liar!" Anna exclaimed with a laugh as she pointed at her sister's face, "Your entire face just turned red!"
"It's red because you're in my face!" Elsa snapped as she batted Anna hand away, trying to glare at her little sister even as she continued to blush. The action seemed to put Anna out and she let out a sigh as she straightened back up.
"Fine, Elsa," Anna said with a disappointed tone as she began making her way towards the bedroom door, "Have it your way. I just thought this might be something you wanted to talk about with, you know, your sister."
Elsa watched Anna walk away until she was roughly halfway towards the door, at which point the blonde's shoulders slumped.
"Anna, wait," Elsa said, causing her sister to grin before she turned back towards her sister, "It's not that I don't want to talk with you about this. It's that I don't know how to talk about it."
"What do you mean?" Anna questioned in puzzlement as her smile fell away.
"I mean that until you said something right now, I had no idea what I was feeling," Elsa explained, a troubled look on her face, "Ever since we left Ralph and Vanellope, I've had these feelings churning in my chest. Feelings that I have never experienced before. I've been walking around in a daze since then, just trying to figure out what it all means."
"You did seem pretty distracted at the party," Anna confirmed as she walked back over and leaned against Elsa's vanity, a smile spreading across her features again, "Though, now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure I caught you glancing at him a couple of times."
"Yes, I suppose I was," Elsa replied glancing away from Anna and blushing as a small smile graced her features.
"Look, I get it," Anna said as she smiled warmly at Elsa, "Growing up isolated in a castle isn't the best way to learn how to interact with people. I haven't really had the best of luck with this sort of thing either either."
"I don't recall you ever struggling to figure out your own emotions," Elsa observed dubiously.
"No, but the first guy I liked did try to kill us and take over the kingdom," Anna countered.
"Fair," Elsa allowed with a chuckle.
"But forget about that, let's get back to my original request," Anna said with a dismissive wave of her hand, "Tell me about him. What is it that you like about this Wreck-It Ralph?"
"He's….nice," Elsa replied, laughing as Anna slumped her shoulders and groaned in response, "I mean he's….kind, and warm, and friendly. He didn't have to spend so much time with me today, but he went out of his way to make me feel welcome. And that was after he went out of his way to help out Vanellope."
"They seem pretty close," Anna observed.
"They are," Elsa confirmed with a nod, "Ralph calls Vanellope his best friend but if you asked me, I'd say they were closer to…."
"Father and daughter?" Anna provided.
"Exactly," Elsa confirmed, "The way he talks about her, it reminded me of how Papa used to talk about us sometimes."
The sisters were silent for a moment as Anna reached out and laid a hand on Elsa's shoulder, which the blonde briefly touched with her own hand.
"So, what else do you like about him?" Anna questioned as she pulled her hand back.
"I feel like he understands me in a way that most people can't," Elsa answered.
"Why's that?" Anna pressed, her brow furrowing.
"Growing up, not only was I afraid of hurting someone with my powers, but also having someone discover I even had them," Elsa explained, "I knew some people would see me as nothing more than a monster for what I could do. And Ralph, he went through exactly that. People would look at him and assume he was some kind of savage brute, a "bad guy" as he put it. I didn't really talk to him about it but I could tell he would know exactly how I felt all those years I spent hiding in this room."
"Wow," Anna said, blinking in surprise, "That's….wow."
"It was just a sense I had," Elsa replied with a shrug, looking away from Anna as she spoke.
"So, you guys get along well, you have this unspoken bond," Anna listed, before a mischievous smile spread across her face, "Do you think he's handsome?"
"Anna!" Elsa snapped as she whipped her head around and glared at her sister, which was undercut by the fact that her cheeks were bright red.
"What?" Anna laughed, "That's kind of part of the whole deal. So come on, out with it. Do you think he's handsome?"
"N-Not in a classical sense, I suppose," Elsa mumbled, her face turning redder as she thought about Ralph in that way, "But he does have a sort of….ruggedness to him that you could say is….a-attractive."
"It's the muscles, isn't it?" Anna suggested, leaning down so she could plant her elbows on the vanity and prop her chin up with her palms, "I get it. Kristoff's a big guy too. Like, not as big as Ralph, but to each their own."
"I am not talking about Ralph's muscles with you," Elsa said firmly as her face grew even hotter.
"Oh, so you noticed them then?" Anna observed, her own cheeks turning pink as she grinned, "I bet they're not those pretty round muscles that statues or guys in paintings have, but those kind of flat, thick, "I lift things for a living" muscles. Kristoff has muscles like that."
A moment of silence followed as both sisters thought over what Anna had just said, their cheeks red as a dreamy smile spread across the younger's face. Abruptly, Elsa blinked her eyes and shook her head before glaring at Anna.
"Okay, no, that's enough," Elsa said firmly, "If you want to….want to….fantasize about Kristoph's muscles, you can do it in your own room."
"Alright, alright," Anna replied, chuckling as she stood up straight again, "I should probably head to bed anyway. It's been a long day."
"Indeed," Elsa agreed as she collected herself, picking up her hairbrush again as Anna began walking away.
"One last question, though," Anna said as she paused near the door, "When are you going to tell him?"
"Tell who what?" Elsa questioned as she looked at Anna in confusion.
"When are you going to tell Ralph you're attracted to him?" Anna elaborated.
"Oh goodness, I'm not going to do that," Elsa answered, clearly surprised by the question.
"What!?" Anna exclaimed as she rushed back over to Elsa's side, "What do you mean you're not going to tell him!?"
"It would be pointless," Elsa replied with a shocking amount of surety as she went back to brushing her hair, "All I would do is get myself hurt for no reason."
"How could you possibly know that?" Anna questioned as she looked down at her sister in confusion.
"For what possible reason would Ralph be attracted to me?" Elsa asked in return.
"Because he likes you?" Anna replied, her expression growing more baffled by the moment, "You were just talking about this bond the two of you shared. Plus, you know, you're pretty."
"I am not pretty," Elsa retorted, her gaze focused on her reflection.
"Are you kidding me?" Anna questioned, glancing around as if she were expecting someone to come along to reveal this was all a big joke before she leaned down next to Elsa and looked at her sister's reflection, "Does this mirror not work? Because you're gorgeous."
"Anna," Elsa said, pausing her brushing to shoot her sister a warning look.
"I'm serious," Anna argued, looking a little self-conscious, "I've always been a little bit jealous of you to be completely honest."
"Regardless, my looks aren't the issue," Elsa replied, "Ralph has been in the Magic Kingdom for over a year, to say nothing of the lifetime he lived before coming here. In all likelihood, he is already in a committed relationship with someone else."
"I mean, did he tell you that?" Anna inquired, quirking an eyebrow at her sister.
"Well….no…." Elsa admitted, pausing in her brushing.
"Because I didn't see him with anyone at the party," Anna observed, "Just his friends. Or, at least, who I assume are his friends."
"None of this matters, Anna," Elsa stated, frustration seeping into her voice.
"Why not?" Anna pressed.
"Because….Because I am a queen, and Ralph…." Elsa said, clearly struggling to put her thoughts into words, "Ralph….well, he isn't….obviously. And decorum-"
"Oh, now you care about decorum?" Anna questioned, frustration flowing out of her.
"Anna, I'm the queen-" Elsa insisted, her grip on her hairbrush tightening.
"Oh, save it," Anna spat, crossing her arms and shaking her head, "I can't believe you would use decorum to try and excuse yourself from putting yourself out there."
"Anna," Elsa warned sharply,
"I just thought that after everything we went through, after everything you learned, you were done shutting yourself away from the world," Anna continued, her expression turning sad.
"Anna, that's enough!" Elsa snapped, her words accompanied by a sharp crack that caught both sisters off guard.
Blinking in surprise, Elsa looked down at her hairbrush, which was now frozen solid, the head having snapped off from the handle. Slowly, Elsa's look of surprise turned to one of horror as she quickly tossed the frozen remains of her hair brush onto the vanity and clutched her hands tightly to her chest.
"I-I'm so sorry," Elsa muttered as she fearfully wrung her hands, "I didn't….I wasn't….I'm so so sorry."
"No, no, no, no," Anna quickly replied as she pulled Elsa into a hug, a worried expression on her face, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things. I should have known that it would upset you."
Pulling back, Anna rested her hands on Elsa's shoulders as she looked her sister in the eye.
"Look, I'm sorry that I brought this up," Anna apologized as Elsa looked down at hands, "I should have known you felt conflicted about this."
"Why do you care about this?" Elsa asked, raising her gaze to look at Anna.
"Because you're my sister and I want you to be happy," Anna answered with a smile, "And I feel like you won't be happy if you shut yourself away. You weren't happy when you were doing it physically, I doubt you will be if you do it emotionally."
Elsa looked at Anna for a long moment before sighing.
"I….I appreciate your concern, Anna," Elsa stated as she gave her sister a small smile, "I certainly want to be happy as well."
"Well, then, maybe you'll think about talking to Ralph?" Anna suggested hesitantly.
Elsa looked at Anna with a conflicted expression for a few moments before sighing again.
"I'll….think about it," Elsa relented.
"Thinking is good," Anna replied with a nod, taking her hands off Elsa's shoulders and stifled a yawn with her hand, "I can settle with thinking."
"Good," Elsa stated with a nod, "Because I think it really is time for the both of us to go to bed. It's been something of a hectic day."
"I'll say," Anna agreed as she moved towards the bedroom door, "Easily one of the craziest days of my life. And that's saying something."
"I know," Elsa said as she followed Anna towards the door, "And to think, most of it happened because of a fluke."
"What do you mean?" Anna questioned as she rested her hand on the doorknob.
"Well, you remember," Elsa replied, "Ralph wasn't supposed to be there. He was only there because Vanellope asked him to come with her. If she hadn't, Ralph and I may very well have never met."
"Huh, that's true," Anna replied, her brows furrowing, "Hey, do you think-"
"That's enough questions for tonight, Anna," Elsa interrupted as she gently pushed her sister towards the door.
"Right, right, sorry," Anna apologized as opened the door and stepped out of the bedroom, "Good night, Elsa."
"Good night, Anna," Elsa replied, shaking her head in bemusement as she closed the door.
As Anna stood alone in the hallway, a pensive look crossed her face as she mulled over Elsa's words. Turning from Elsa's room, Anna made her way down the hall, thinking as she went. So deep in thought was Anna that when she took a turn, she bumped right into someone walking the opposite way.
"Whoa!" Kristoff exclaimed as Anna bounced off him and began falling towards the floor, prompting him to reach out and grab her arms to stop her, "Geez, Anna, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Kristoff," Anna replied as she let him right her, the action drawing them closer together, "I'm the one who wasn't…."
Anna trailed off as she looked directly forward at Kristoff's chest, her cheeks turning red as her thoughts went back to her conversation with Elsa.
"Paying attention," Anna finished as she instinctively reached out to touch Kristoff before she stopped herself just short, pulled her hand back and took a step away from him.
"I'm just happy you're okay," Kristoff stated, his own cheeks burning as he watched Anna.
"Yeah, no harm done," Anna assured him as she gave him a smile.
"By the way, I wanted to thank you for letting me and Sven stay here," Kristoff said as he scratched the back of his head.
"It's no problem," Anna replied with a shrug, "If anything, it's a little weird that the people who apparently created us never bothered to make you a house."
"Yeah, definitely," Kristoff agreed before his expression turned nervous, "Also, Anna, there was something else I wanted to talk to you about."
"What's that?" Anna inquired, tilting her head inquisitively.
"Well, with everything that's been happening today, we never really got to talk about what happened yesterday," Kristoff answered as his cheeks began to heat up again.
"What happened yesterday?" Anna asked with a raised brow.
"Well, you and I…." Kristoff mumbled awkwardly, "We sort of…."
"Oh, you're talking about when you kissed me," Anna said with understand.
"I mean, you kissed me back," Kristoff argued somewhat defensively.
"I did," Anna agreed with a languid smile, "I wouldn't mind doing it again, either."
"I-You wouldn't?" Kristoff asked in surprise.
"Eventually," Anna clarified hesitantly, "I like you, Kristoff. I really do. But with everything that happened with….well, you know. And then with this big, crazy change, I'm just worried about rushing into something. Do you understand?"
"I do," Kristoff answered quickly, trying to seem supportive but failing to completely hide his disappointment from Anna, "I totally understand."
"Look, just give me a little time to get settled," Anna reassured him, "Then, when I'm ready, I'll let you take me out to dinner?"
"Take you out?" Kristoff asked in confusion.
"I heard some of the other princess talking about it," Anna explained, a look of puzzlement crossing her own features, "I think it's how courting works here. I get the sense it's all a lot more….casual."
"I can work with that," Kristoff replied, giving Anna a smile as he nodded at her.
"Great, I'm looking forward to it," Anna replied before she stifled another yawn, "But for now, I think I need to get to bed."
"I know how you feel," Kristoff replied, moving out of Anna's way so she could continue on her way to her room, "Have a good night, Anna."
"You too, Kristoff," Anna answered as she began making her way down the hall, looking over her shoulder at him as she went, "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"You know it, Feisty Pants," Kristoff answered with a smile before giving her a final wave and disappearing around the corner.
Giggling, Anna continued down the hall before sighing.
"So, now I have to deal with both Elsa's relationship issues, and my own?" Anna asked herself as she gently tugged on her braids, "And the others made it sound like things would be easier here. Wish there was some way I could solve both of these problems."
As the words left her mouth, Anna paused as a thought occurred to her, causing a smile to spread across her features.
"Maybe there is."
A/N: So, it's been a little while since I updated this one, huh? This chapter in particular turned out to be a monster, but the words just kept coming, and it turned out to be a blast to write. Hope you all enjoyed it! As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!