Hey everyone. I'm sorry it's been so long since my last story. It's not that this one is long or was hard to write, it was just due to a complete lack of motivation. Hope everyone's doing okay with everything that's going on and staying safe and healthy. Here's a new story for you, and it's definitely not an epic like my previous two. It's actually shorter than what I usually do. But for once, I wanted something short and lighthearted. You may notice a little bit of a change, but I'll let you figure it out for yourself. ;) DISCLAIMER: I do not own Frozen, Frozen 2, or any of its characters. But I do own my OCs. I do not own the cover artwork, either. That belongs to the talented artist.
"Lissy! Lissy, come here! Lissy! Kristoff, can you please catch her?"
Kristoff hurried after his four-year-old daughter, catching her easily and lifting her into his strong arms. "Whoa, there, Lissy-girl!" he said. She giggled. He tickled her, causing her to squeal with laughter.
"Kristoff, please don't get her riled up," said Anna from where she was sitting. She was holding two more squirming children on her lap. "You know how long it takes her to settle down and I need her to be still for this."
"Right, sorry," said Kristoff, going to stand just behind Anna's chair, their daughter still in his arms. The little princess squirmed, but Kristoff whispered something in her ear and she immediately stilled. He then set her down in front of him, next to Anna's chair. He looked back at Anna, whose mouth was open in surprise. "What?" he said.
Before Anna could say anything, the court painter arrived. He was an older man, with dark hair and beard that were both graying and chiseled features. He had been the court painter since Anna and Elsa's grandfather had been king.
It had been Anna's idea to commission a royal family portrait, not a photograph from the new-fangled invention, but a formal portrait. Kristoff had been hesitant at first. He pointed out that the children were still quite young and asked how they were expected to sit still for several hours. Anna had reassured him with a laugh.
"Kristoff, it takes more than a day to have a portrait made," she had said. "Remember our first official portrait as queen and prince consort? It took a few weeks just for that, even with regular sittings of a couple of hours each. This one will just take longer, that's all. For one thing, there are more of us, and for another, the sittings will be shorter because of the children."
"Okay, but are you sure you want to have this done now?" Kristoff asked. "Wouldn't you rather wait until the children are older and can sit for a longer period of time?"
"Kristoff, we haven't had one done since that one shortly after our wedding," said Anna. "I want to do it now, while the children are young. The longer we wait, the older and more independent they'll become, and soon, even they will be too busy. I personally feel they are old enough now."
Kristoff sighed. He knew it was no good to argue, especially when Anna put up a rock-solid defense like that. "All right," he relented. "Let's call for the court painter and commission a portrait."
Anna stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. "That's why I love you," she said, smiling.
"Why?" Kristoff asked with a teasing smile. "Because I let you have your way?"
"No," said Anna, putting her face close to his. "Because you know better not to argue with me." She kissed him and smiled again.
Anna shook her head to clear her thoughts and focused her attention on the court painter, Johan, who was setting up a large blank canvas on an equally large wooden easel. "Good morning, Your Majesty, Your Highness," he greeted them with a smile. "Are you ready to begin?"
"Just about," Anna answered, making one last attempt to settle the still-squirming children in her lap. They were her and Kristoff's two-year-old twins, Kristian and Karolina, and they were at that stage where they would poke and swat at each other and squabble. Mostly, it was Kristian poking at Karolina and Karolina retaliating. Kristoff was impressed that Karolina was able to hold her own against her brother, but Anna was beside herself, and the fact that she was in the early months of her third pregnancy didn't help matters. Her daily bouts of morning sickness coupled with her regular royal duties and her children's constant squabbling had her more stressed out than was wise. She had written Elsa numerous times on the subject, with Elsa replying back that they reminded her of Anna when she had been that age. Naturally, Anna had tried to flat-out deny that she had acted any such way, to which Elsa had then replied by teasing her.
Elisabetta, their oldest, was also spirited, but nowhere near as rambunctious as her siblings. She was called Lissy for short, as her full name was a bit of a mouthful sometimes. She appeared to have a special bond with her father, as he was able to calm and soothe her when her mother couldn't. Anna felt a little envious, but what with her hands full with the twins and dealing with her pregnancy symptoms on top of running the kingdom, she had to admit that she needed all the help she could get.
Finally, Anna was able to get the twins settled, and they got started with the portrait sitting. Anna was also not much for sitting still for an extended period of time, but she told herself that if her children could do it, so could she.
As the time of the sitting stretched on, Anna allowed her mind to wander, mainly to Elsa. She hadn't seen her sister much over the past few years, which saddened her a bit. Of course, she sent letters off with Gale as frequently as she was able, but it wasn't the same as physically being with her or having her there. Even though it had been several years since Elsa had handed Anna the throne and taken up her new position as the fifth spirit and protector of the enchanted forest, Anna was still getting used to not having Elsa around all the time. Sometimes, she still found herself running to Elsa's room to tell her about some exciting or important new law she had passed, only to find upon entering that there was no one to tell. This brought on another bout of sadness that only Kristoff was able to pull her from.
Her thoughts then strayed to Kristoff. He was so good to her, which made her feel like she didn't deserve him. Kristoff had eased her worries about this numerous times, but she just couldn't help herself. She also felt that she wasn't being fair to him. He had had to give up so much when he married her and became her consort. Kristoff had reassured her numerous times on this point, as well. He kept reminding her that meeting and falling in love with her had been the best thing that had ever happened to him. He also kept reminding her that he knew what he would be getting himself into, asking the soon-to-be queen of Arendelle for her hand in marriage. He had also said he would do it all over again if given the chance.
"All right, that will do just fine for this sitting," said Johan, jerking Anna out of her thoughts. "I thank you for your time and I look forward to seeing you next week." Elisabetta immediately squirmed away from her father's light touch and started racing around the room. The twins then started fussing, so Anna let them loose before standing up and stretching the kinks out of her muscles.
"Are you okay?" Kristoff asked, coming up behind her and laying a hand on her shoulder.
"Hmm? Oh yes, I'm fine," said Anna, turning to face him.
"Are you sure?" Kristoff asked. "You're not coming down with another…. episode, are you?"
"If by 'episode', you mean 'morning sickness', no, I'm not," said Anna, smiling. "Why do you ask?"
"I don't know, you just seemed a little…. distant during the sitting, is all," Kristoff answered, shrugging.
"Oh, I was just thinking," Anna answered.
"About what?" Kristoff asked, smiling.
"About you," said Anna. "And Elsa." Her voice got quiet and her eyes were downcast.
"You still miss her, don't you?" Kristoff asked. He tilted her chin up and saw tears shining in her eyes.
"So much, it hurts," Anna admitted, her voice thick with unshed tears. "It's like having a constant heartache."
"I know, it's okay," said Kristoff soothingly, pulling her into him and wrapping his arms around her. He kissed the top of her head. "You know something, though? I miss her, too."
"You do?" Anna sniffled. She pulled away to look up at him, wiping her eyes as she did so.
"Of course," said Kristoff, smiling again. "You know she's like my sister, too."
"I know," said Anna, now starting to smile, too.
"And just think, next time she comes for a visit, there'll be a brand-new portrait for her to see," said Kristoff.
"I suppose you're right," said Anna. She collected herself again. "So, what did Johan say when he left?"
"He just thanked us for our time and that he will see us next week for the next sitting," Kristoff replied.
"Oh, well, I'm glad one of us was listening," said Anna, grinning. "Now, where are the children? It's time for their naps."
Over the next few weeks, the royal family had a few more portrait sittings. Anna got more and more antsy between each one, excited to see the progress after each sitting. Luckily, as queen, there was plenty to keep her occupied. When she wasn't busy in meetings or overseeing the staff in their various duties, she was holed up in her study, catching up on the daily missives, looking over trade agreements, and signing one document after another.
Despite her massive workload, Anna still managed to write almost daily letters to Elsa, telling her about all the day-to-day activities within the castle, expressing her excitement about their new family portrait, and keeping her updated on her current pregnancy.
Another week had passed before they were informed by one of the staff that Johan had returned with the finished portrait. Anna immediately abandoned the paperwork she had been looking over with Kristoff and almost dragged him to the portrait gallery, where Johan was waiting, his easel set up, but covered with a cloth.
"Good afternoon, Your Majesty, Your Highness," he greeted them, bowing his head to each of them.
"How does the portrait look?" Anna asked eagerly, unable to stop herself.
"It turned out quite well, Your Majesty," Johan answered with a smile. "I think you will be very pleased."
Well, let's see it, then!" said Anna, almost bouncing up and down with excitement.
"Anna, please, relax," said Kristoff, placing a hand on her shoulder. "All this extra excitement is not good for you right now."
"But Kristoff, this is the most exciting thing that has happened since the twins were born," said Anna, removing his hand from her shoulder.
"Well, just be careful and don't overdo it," said Kristoff. "Dr. Olsen wants you to take it easy for a little while."
"Oh, phooey," Anna huffed, waving her hand at him, but she obeyed him all the same.
"Are you ready to see your finished portrait?" Johan asked now. He had been waiting patiently throughout this whole exchange.
"Yes," said Anna, looping her arm through Kristoff's.
Without another word, Johan removed the cloth and turned the easel to face them. Anna gasped.
It was better than either of them could have imagined. Johan was truly skilled. He had captured each of their likenesses perfectly. Johan had painted Anna sitting down with Kristoff standing behind her with his hand resting on her shoulder. Anna had a serene smile, while Kristoff's expression was more serious. Elisabetta looked very sweet standing next to her mother with her hands folded in front of her, and the twins perched on Anna's lap looked more angelic on canvas than they ever had in life.
Johan gave them another moment before speaking. "Judging from your reactions, I think it's safe to say that I succeeded?" He smiled.
"Johan, it's absolutely beautiful!" said Anna, once she had found her voice. "Kristoff, don't you think so?"
"Uh, yes, it's very nice," Kristoff replied, not really sure what else to say.
"Well, since my artistic services are no longer required, I will now make my departure," said Johan, gathering his things together.
"Thank you so much, Johan," said Anna, as she showed him to the door.
"You're quite welcome, Your Majesty," said Johan, giving her one last smile before disappearing into the hall.
Anna closed the door behind him and went back over to Kristoff, wrapping her arms around him. He did the same, kissing the top of her head.
"So, do you like it?" he asked her, though he already knew the answer.
"I love it," Anna answered, looking up at him and smiling. "Thank you for doing this with me."
"Anything for you, feisty-pants," said Kristoff, smiling back at her.
As soon as Johan had left, Anna wasted no time having the portrait installed in the drawing room, giving it pride of place over the mantle. Immediately after, she made a beeline to her study, where she quickly penned a short letter to Elsa, gushing about the new portrait and inviting her for a visit so she could see it for herself in person.
Anna was so proud of their new portrait, as though she had been the one to have painted it herself. And every time a foreign dignitary came for a visit, she would show it off, and they would remark how extraordinary it looked.
Many times, Kristoff would find her in the drawing room, asleep on the sofa, because she had stayed up late just admiring the portrait. He told her repeatedly not to do this, as the late nights made her extra tired during the day, but she found she couldn't help herself. It told so many stories that she couldn't wait to share, and she hoped that someday, her children and grandchildren would be telling the same stories, and that they would continue on, for generations to come.
Like I said, it's fairly short, and I hope the ending doesn't sound rushed. I've been working on this one for a while and I just wanted to get this done.
You probably noticed that I gave Anna and Kristoff's children different names. I chose Elisabetta for their oldest because it's a form of Elsa and I thought that Anna would want to name one of her children after her big sister. :) As for Kristian and Karolina, I just liked the two names together for a set of twins. Plus, Kristian could very well be a form of Kristoff. :)
I'm sorry for the sad scene just before the first page break. I just thought it would be realistic that no matter how much time passed, Anna would still miss her big sister.
Thank you for reading! Another story coming soon! :)