Anna looked around the valley where Kristoff had brought her, trying to see where these friends or family of his were. All she saw were rocks, and rich green moss. For whatever reason, this place hadn't gotten any snow, but in spite of the warm steam vents, Anna still felt increasingly cold.
Olaf suggested she should go, and then the rocks started moving. Anna felt a wave of cold, and everything went black. Kristoff was holding her as she came to, and someone was speaking… a troll?
"Anna, we've got to get you back to Hans," Kristoff told her.
"Hans…"
"So, you're the young man who rescued Princess Anna from her folly?"
Kristoff nodded silently, not sure how he should be addressing this Prince Hans that he had heard both so much and so little about.
"Queen Elsa told me that she's given you a title. It's no kind of title that I've ever heard of, but I guess she wants to keep you around. If Anna and I weren't already engaged, I think I might feel some jealousy."
Kristoff's eyes widened, afraid to look away even as Hans's eyes dug into his gaze.
"Relax, have a drink!" Hans laughed.
It wasn't in his nature to care, Kristoff thought to himself. He had taken her to the North Mountain, and he'd helped get her back to Arendelle, but it was because he needed the money. It wasn't anything else.
And of course he'd carried her when they had arrived at the castle, she was too weak at that point to walk, and of course he was grateful when the spell broke and Anna was better, who wouldn't be? It was pure luck that Hans had just gotten back with Elsa, because imagine if they hadn't gotten to Elsa right away…
Her eyes were blue. Kristoff wasn't very poetic, and while he'd heard so many other words to describe the colors exactly, he could never be sure exactly what color turquoise was supposed to be, and whether it was more blue or more green. And what was aquamarine, exactly? And the color of her eyes was different sometimes. When he took her back to the castle in the snowstorm, they were almost grey.
The ice was in the wagon, ready to bring to the castle. He wasn't supposed to think about this. He wasn't supposed to think about her like this.
"So the wedding is happening next week?" Kristoff asked Elsa, not really needing confirmation of the schedule.
"Yes," she replied, wringing her hands as she stood in the kitchen doorway, "Anna was quite determined, and she… she can be quite persuasive, you know."
"So you approve now?"
"I have my reasons," Elsa sighed.
"I mean, you didn't know him before, so that's understandable."
"Oh, yes, of course," Elsa said quickly, "you're absolutely right."
"I have to admit, when she first told me, I questioned her judgement."
"Her naivety is certainly charming, don't you think?" Hans asked, startling both of them.
"Hans and I never fight," Anna declared confidently, "in fact, I don't think we've ever had a fight."
Kristoff nodded silently as he unloaded more ice into the castle kitchen. Anna was watching him from the interior door.
"I know why you're skeptical. I shouldn't have told you so much last week. I really shouldn't let my mouth run like that."
Kristoff paused what he was doing. "So you're telling me what you said wasn't true?"
"I…" she paused. "I could have phrased it better. I was upset that he was traveling again. That was all. It wasn't a fight."
"What?!" Anna exclaimed, coming into the courtyard decorated with bright yellow sunflowers.
"Happy Birthday!" everyone exclaimed in unison.
"Elsa? Did you do this for me?"
"Of course! You deserve a proper birthday!"
"And everyone is here!" Anna said, starting to cry.
"Except Ha-mmph" Olaf began before Kristoff muffled his mouth.
"Well," Anna sniffed, "he had… something he needed to travel for."
Kristoff noticed Elsa clench her jaw.
Anna didn't seem to notice, but walked over to Gerda when she heard the baby fuss slightly.
"Please, Your Highness, we'll take care of him right now. You need to enjoy your cake."
"Kristoff!" Anna exclaimed happily as she entered the kitchen.
"You sound surprised to see me," Kristoff chuckled.
"I didn't realize you would be here this early."
"You're usually not up this early."
"Well, the baby was up most of the night. I'm wide awake now."
"I thought royalty always had servants to take care of those things." Kristoff winked.
"Hans wants me to, but it's not what I want. Elsa has made it clear to him that I get to decide on this."
Kristoff nodded, and turned around to get another block of ice. Anna thought she heard him sigh.
Kristoff helped set down another row of pumpkins for the harvest. The color made him think of Anna's hair… like the orange crystal he had found on his last trip to the mountains. He gazed at the princess helping across the square, her young son following along cheerfully. Kristoff walked toward them to see if he could help out.
"Kristoff! Look! A ship!" the boy shouted.
"What?" Anna said, looking up. "Hans's ship! They're back from the West Indies already!"
"Is Father home early?" the boy asked.
Kristoff nodded. "You two should go greet him," he said, forcing a smile.
"Do you enjoy these games in which the player must appear ridiculous?"
Elsa looked over. "Hans, life is a game in which the player must appear ridiculous."
"Not my life."
"You've never been home for our games before," Anna whispered apologetically. Elsa went back to shouting out guesses to the word Kristoff was trying to act out, while Olaf offered increasingly ridiculous suggestions. "We do this fairly often."
"I can see that," he sneered.
The bell rang. Everyone except Hans let out a groan.
"Ice!" Kristoff exclaimed.
"You couldn't act out ice?" Anna laughed.
"Anna, it's your turn," Kristoff announced.
The fire from the lantern cast a glow over the wagon.
"They're both asleep!" Anna whispered, climbing over to the front with Kristoff.
"How are you doing?" he asked her, keeping his eyes straight ahead.
"I'm fine," she replied, suspiciously cheerful.
"You're sure?"
"They'll be fine. Hans knows what he's doing."
"He knows how to run a kingdom."
Anna began crying.
"Hey, I didn't mean-"
"It's the first time I've been away from him since he was born," she sniffed.
"Come here," Kristoff said, putting his arm around her.
"Thank you, Kristoff," she yawned, leaning her head on his shoulder.
The autumn leaves were a deep red in the clearing. Elsa had told Anna her plan to stay with the Northuldra and the spirits, which meant that Anna would now be Queen, and now Anna was sitting alone while everyone else made plans to head back south to Arendelle.
"Hey." Anna heard the painfully familiar, gentle voice behind her. "Can I join you?" Kristoff asked as she turned around, smiling sadly.
"Of course!" she insisted, "You're always welcome."
"Elsa told me…"
Anna nodded.
"I'll help you get back to Hans," he said, "and then…"
"No," she grabbed his hand, "Please…"
Kristoff pulled away from the kiss. "Anna, no, we can't."
"Please, Kristoff," she pleaded, "tomorrow night, we'll be back in Arendelle, and everything will be just as it was."
"It's not gonna be the same-"
"Yes, I'm the Queen now. You have to do what I say," she teased, pulling him to her.
"Anna!" Kristoff kissed her forehead. "Don't do this to me."
"I wish I'd listened," she sighed, holding back tears as she sat down.
"Listened?"
"When you told me I shouldn't marry him." she looked up, eyes filled with passion. "Some days, I wish I'd married you instead."
The warmth of Anna's skin against his was all he wanted to think about. She was warm and soft, and that was all that mattered. When he thought about nearly losing her when the dam broke yesterday, he held her tighter.
He didn't want to think about tomorrow, when they would return to Arendelle.
Tomorrow, he would return her to her husband. She wasn't his, and never would be. This was borrowed time. Years of secret longing had won out over his best judgement.
"I love you, Kristoff," Anna murmured into his shoulder.
She wasn't his, but he was hers.
Sunshine streamed across the square as Kai announced "Queen Anna of Arendelle" to the cheering crowd. Anna walked along, smiling and waving.
Her coronation had happened a few days after they had returned from the Enchanted Forest. Today they were dedicating the new statue. Hans was skeptical of the idea, but she was sure he'd come around. He would probably be in a better mood once the council approved his new title, and was even now inside the tent talking with an elderly duke.
"Your Majesty," came the familiar voice.
"Kristoff!" she exclaimed happily, "You're here?"
"Of course," he smiled.
The ice harvest was exhausting, but exhausting in a good way. Kristoff liked being too worn out to think at the end of the day. Ever since he'd met her, Anna occupied his thoughts if he wasn't careful. Before, it was frustrating, but fine. It was fine. She was beautiful and funny and so many other things, but she was married to someone else.
She was still married to someone else, but now… He felt guilty about it, and yet, she was clearly so much happier when he was around.
There was no way this could end well, and yet…
"Good morning, Kristoff," Anna announced cheerfully, stepping into the kitchen.
"Your Majesty," Kristoff replied with full propriety, raising his eyebrows and giving a subtle nod in the direction of the kitchen maid.
"Oh!" Anna exclaimed, "they have you working early this morning, Oline."
"Your Majesty," she smiled, "there's a dinner for the visiting Russian royalty this evening, so they needed me to start the preparations early."
"My goodness, I quite forgot!" Anna exclaimed. She glanced over at Kristoff, who grimaced as he lifted the final block of ice.
"Your Majesty, I hope you enjoy your day," Kristoff announced, heading out.
Kristoff could never beat the sunrise in the summer. They weren't that far north, but if he slept at all during the night, he would miss the sunrise. He brought the ice into the castle kitchen, not sure whether or not he wanted to be finished before anyone else showed up.
He didn't know what the news would be, but at sunset the night before he had heard the excited commotion that the Queen was in labor. He had tried his best to keep busy, looking no more interested than anyone else. After all, she told him she wasn't certain.
Anna stared out over the fjord from the window. The sun reflecting off the water was glaring, and it hurt her eyes, but she needed to look, to try to see if Kristoff was in town today. It wouldn't do for her to go out, not this soon, but she desperately wanted him to see the baby, to know with a subtle nod what she could already guess, even at only a week old.
She finally saw him across the market square, bringing in an ice delivery, as always. It was a warm August day, and she opened the window.
"Oh, here they are, their highnesses!" the cook smiled as the nanny brought the two into the kitchen.
"Good morning," the boy greeted her.
"Morning!" his little sister followed.
"How is Her Majesty doing?" the cook asked the nanny quietly as the children tasted the morning's pastries.
"Quite well. And the baby is healthy, too."
"Who does this one resemble?"
"Oh, you know it's too early to tell."
"The girl looks so much like... her aunt... of course. Except for the eyes." She looked at the girl's face as she took another pastry. "Her eyes… Oh, here's the ice delivery!"
"Yay! We're going to visit Aunt Elsa!" the little blonde girl cheered as Kristoff lifted her into the wagon, her hazel eyes sparkling with joy.
"Mother, why does Father never visit the Northuldra with us?" her older brother asked innocently, climbing over the back of the wagon.
"There's been too much to do in the West Indies," Anna explained, shifting the baby to her other hip so that Kristoff could assist them up. "He misses you all terribly when he's away."
Kristoff met Anna's eyes, knowing very well the look when she hid the truth.
"Ready Sven? Let's get going!"
There was always a strange calm after a heavy snow. Anna went out with the children to play in the fresh snow, a rare luxury in recent years, since Hans insisted it was unbecoming for a Queen. But he wasn't here, traveling again, so she did what she wanted.
The youngest toddled through the snow, having just turned a year old. Anna found the mess of blond hair both adorable and terrifying.
Eventually, the cold, wet snow was too much, and the nanny helped them inside for warm baths and bedtime.
Anna stepped into a spare room.
"Kristoff," she whispered.
The purple crocuses were blooming in town even before all the snow had melted in the hills above. As the days got warmer, the children went out to play, and the melting ice meant that more ships would soon be visiting the harbor.
Anna watched as her three children ran around with the children from the town. She spotted Kristoff returning from the castle.
"Your Majesty," he bowed with a knowing smirk.
"Have you finished the ice delivery?" Anna asked as they walked to a protected corner of the market square. He nodded.
"When is he returning?" Kristoff asked her.
"Are you going to run off with him now?" he asked dryly.
"What are you talking about?"
"I've only been back from the West Indies for a month. I'm not stupid. Before you've been much better about providing plausible deniability."
"Before… what do you mean?"
"The first one, I know he's mine. But the others… the girl, yes, they say she resembles her aunt. That's very convenient. The younger boy, though, do you think I'm blind? Do you think there aren't whispers among the staff?"
"Are you threatening me? I'm the Queen."
"Your condition is delicate, I can just wait.
"Kristoff!" Anna hissed as his cart entered the castle gates.
"Anna!" Kristoff gasped, not expecting to see anyone in the early summer morning twilight.
"You've got to get out of here," she whispered, running up to him, "Hans knows."
"What about you?"
"I'll be fine."
"How can you be sure?"
"He wasn't in a rage, in fact he was very calm… it won't do to have anything happen to me or the children. I think we can count on that much."
"Is that what he really said?"
"Please, Kristoff, just go… they'll be safe enough."
"But will you be safe?"
Anna sat in the middle of the portrait gallery and looked around. The people in the paintings seemed to be glaring down at her. Their grace and beauty had always inspired her, but she didn't know what to do now.
She had warned Kristoff to get away, but he wasn't leaving until she was safe. He was right, though, there were no good options. Arendelle had no army or navy. Any defiance on her part would bring in the Southern Isles. Anyone who came to her defense was at risk.
"Mama?" her daughter's voice echoed from the doorway.
"Yes, Inga?"
They'd taken flight the night before, away from Arendelle. Kristoff had Sven taking the wagon at top speed. This was madness but what other choice did they have at this point? Hans knew, and it was bad enough that she was at risk, but she couldn't put Kristoff at risk.
The mountains grew less familiar. They were deep in the woods now. He knew where they were going, but she didn't really remember. He had said something about the trolls. She would have to trust him. He said she'd been there before. She couldn't remember very much. They were close.
Kristoff knew the risk of returning to Arendelle, especially so soon, but Anna was safe with her sister, and he needed to see for himself what the official story was going to be, and besides, he had never seen a state funeral before.
The ceremony was brief, but Kristoff could see that all the children were well. The oldest looked oddly mature for a boy of seven, standing solemnly next to his father, now the regent, the two looking like a matched set. The younger two, their heads covered, were well tended by the nanny. He wanted to hug them.
The sadness was overwhelming. Anna woke up and looked around. She was alive. Kristoff was alive. They were safe. She had to trust that the children were more valuable alive, like Hans had promised. But as far as anyone in Arendelle knew, she was dead.
But she had gotten herself into this mess. She had gotten into this mess years ago, and had blithely trusted that things would be fine, and never said stop when she should have. Could they ever go back?
As she stepped outside, she saw a familiar gust of wind. A letter fell into her hand.
Dear Mother,
I remember that you told me that the wind spirit will always get letters to you, so I'm going to try writing to you, even though they tell me that you're dead now. At your funeral, you and the baby were covered with a dark veil, and they said it was best that I not look.
Freddy has been asking for you. Inga just cries. I'm working hard at my studies, like you told me to. Father tells me that he will take care of running the kingdom until I'm old enough. Please write back.
With love,
Lars
Dearest Lars,
I wish I could tell you where I am, but please know that I am safe and well. Try to cheer up your brother and sister the best you can, and tell them I love them.
You must hide the letters you get from me, and never tell anyone about them. I won't ask you to keep any other secrets, but please keep this secret. I hope when you're older, I'll be able to tell you everything.
Until then, I want to hear all about your studies and your games and everything going on.
I love you,
Mother
Dear Mother,
I've hidden your letter in the secret room you showed me when I was five, the one you said that Father doesn't need to know about.
I get to ring the Yule Bell this year. There wasn't a Harvest Festival because everyone was still in State Mourning, that's what they called it. I'm not sure if we're still supposed to be in State Mourning, but Nanny has me wearing black every day, but Inga and Freddy don't have to.
My studies are going very well, and I've started studying Latin. I play when I can.
With love,
Lars
Dearest Lars,
I'm so happy that your studies are going well. You'll need all of that in the future. There are some books in the secret room that you should be sure to read.
Please make sure your brother and sister are happy and well. Please let me know about how they're doing.
I wish I could see you all right now. I miss you so much. Think of me when you're ringing the Yule Bell this year. I know the preparations will be keeping you busy, so only write back when you have enough time.
I love you,
Mother
Dear Mother,
The Yule Bell ringing went very well, and everyone told me how brave and dignified I looked. Father says we are still in mourning, so we didn't get to celebrate anything for Christmas. The Yule Bell is for the people, so we needed to maintain that. We spent most of the week in the chapel, otherwise I would have written to you earlier.
I hope wherever you are you enjoyed the holidays. They let us play out in the snow, and I taught Inga and Freddy the song about the trolls. Do you remember it?
With love,
Lars
Dearest Lars,
I'm sorry for not writing back sooner, but I needed to wait until there was more paper, and the weather was too unpredictable to be traveling this winter. I hope you understand.
I hope you'll be doing something nice for your birthday in a few weeks. There is a book in the secret room, next to the north window, on the third shelf from the bottom. It was my favorite when I was about your age. I hid it there for safe keeping. Tell me what you think.
Please give hugs to Inga and Freddy.
Fondest love,
Mother
Dear Mother,
I found the book, thank you so much! I've read it several times now, though only when I can get to the secret room with nobody seeing me.
Now that I'm eight my tutor says I should spend even more time on my studies, and he thinks I can go ahead and start learning Greek in addition to Latin. I've also been practicing riding, and I've gotten quite good at it. Father says that's important, too. He's going to find someone to teach me fencing soon.
Do you want anything for your birthday next month?
With love,
Lars
Dearest Lars,
You don't need to get anything for my birthday, but please make sure that your brother and sister know that it's my birthday. I'm so happy that you enjoyed the book. Like I said, it was one of my favorites.
I hope you do lots of riding now that the weather is nice. Try to go beyond the castle courtyard now that you've got some experience, if your tutors will let you.
I miss you so much. I know I've said that many times, but I do. Give hugs to Inga and Freddy for me.
Much love,
Mother
Dear Mother,
I've had a very good summer so far. I spent lots of time riding around the countryside with my riding tutor, and we often went to the cliffs to see down to the fjord. I like looking out at the ocean.
I'm not as good at fencing, but I'm practicing. It doesn't seem quite as fun as pretend sword fighting, and the tutor is very strict about it.
Inga's birthday is next week. She'll be five, and Father says he supposes she should have a governess soon, but she's already reading my books.
I miss you.
Love,
Lars
Dearest Lars,
There is a trunk in the secret room, near the south window. If you open it, you should find a doll on the top. Please give that to Inga for her birthday. Don't tell anyone where you found it, of course.
Make sure that you share all your school books with her, and please make sure she's learning everything that you've learned. Let me know how she's doing, of course. And Freddy, too. I haven't forgotten him. Make sure they all get hugs, and let me know if they're happy.
Take care of yourself, too.
Fondest love,
Mother
Dear Mother,
It's been a year since they told me you died. We spent the day at a memorial service. Father was acting very sad, which he hasn't been most of the time. Maybe it was the ceremony. If I weren't getting your letters, I think I'd be sad, too. Nanny had to take Freddy out because he was making a scene. Inga was sad, but I tried to make her happy afterwards.
Father will be traveling to the West Indies in a few days, and he doesn't know when he'll get back.
I still miss you, Mother.
Love,
Lars
Walking into the library, Inga saw her older brother out on the balcony throw something into the air.
"What was that?"
He startled. "Nothing… just thinking about Mother."
"Oh. I wonder what she would think about you secretly teaching me Latin."
"Very much in favor," he smiled.
"I'd like to think that," she sighed. "I certainly wish Father approved. All I get now is French and dance. I must marry well."
Her brother cleared his throat. "Nevermind that, here's Cicero."
She opened the book at the bookmark. "Iustitia…" hesitating, she looked up at her brother.
"That means 'justice'," he explained.
The Bishop continued to intone about the eternal. Was the afterlife where she would see her mother again? This was the anniversary of her mother's death. She hadn't seen her since the age of four. Her younger brother was too young to remember, while her older brother, king in name only, was always strangely calm on this day. For her father, the regent, this day was the only day of the year he showed signs of emotion over his late wife. In ten years, she had only seen him grieve at public events. The memories never sat right with her.
"This is an affront!" Hans shouted, slamming his hand down on the table.
"Excuse me," the crown princess replied calmly, "but we're not the ones trying to turn our child's engagement into a business transaction. She's a sweet girl, and he seems to like her, so we have no objections, they have our blessing, but that doesn't mean you or Arendelle should get any special privileges."
"She is only seventeen," he reminded them. "You expect me to let her go so young?"
"He wasn't asking you permission to get married right away. At any rate, you came to us, remember?"
"You should kneel."
"Why? You're not the king, and as of yesterday, you're no longer regent." She stood up as tall as she could, not quite reaching his eye level, but close enough. He wasn't towering over her.
"Your brother may have come of age, but you haven't. I have half a mind to send you to a convent."
"Go ahead, Father. If I'm Catholic, that makes me worthless to England, and then where's your bargaining chip for Russia?" she asked seriously.
"Enough of this!" he shouted, "you're getting to be as bad as your mother."
She smiled. "Thank you."