Between the two of them, Kristoff and Anna hadn't had the best childhood family experiences. Kristoff had been orphaned at six, left to fend for himself until the trolls had adopted him. Then he found a family in trolls, and he loved them dearly. Boulda had been like the mother he never knew. She was the warmest of the trolls, comforting him when he had a fever or woke up with nightmares.
Anna had been abandoned by her sister for what seemed to be no apparent reason. Her parents were still there, still warm and caring and present, but when she lost them at fifteen, she had no one but the castle servants to talk to. Despite all responsibility being put onto Elsa's shoulders, she still refused to say much more than formal passing greetings to Anna.
So when Anna and Kristoff married, they are in sync. They were going to have a huge family. Kids running around everywhere. They would love them all. They planned for so many kids, the castle would strain to contain them all.
So after the first year of marriage, they were confused about why Anna hadn't gotten pregnant. Having a baby was supposed to be easy enough to do. They knew how to make a baby and had been doing their best to do so every night, but nothing was happening.
By year two, they were desperate. They sat together, hand in hand, in front of the foremost expert of the ages. They had been consulting with Dr. Fischer for half a year now, and they sat across from him, waiting to hear what he had to say. He cleared his throat, and Anna's had became a vice grip on Kristoff's. Dr. Fischer cleared his throat again. "I'm afraid Queen Anna will not be producing an heir."
Thick, smothering silence filled the room. Seconds stretched into centuries before Anna took a breath. "No. No. No." Her throat was already raw as she clenched her eyes shut. Her breath was gone, and she wasn't sure it would ever come back. It did, shallow and shuddering, and then she looked to Kristoff.
Kristoff's mouth was hanging open, his eyes squinting at the doctor. He shook his head. "You're wrong. There is no way Anna can't conceive." His ears were turning red, his fist clenching. "Your tests are wrong. Do them again."
Dr. Fischer shook his head. "I assure you, the Queen will never carry a child."
Anna felt sick. She couldn't bare to look at Kristoff. She thought of all their late night talks, of their plans and names and the future they had imagined. It was all gone before it started, just vapor in the air. It was her fault. She couldn't give Kristoff the family they had both desired so deeply. Dr. Fischer said something, but she didn't hear it. The door closed and then she felt a heavy warmth around her shoulder.
Kristoff.
She turned to face him. He had unwiped tears streaming down his face, but it was the concern in his eyes that broke her the most. She breathed deep, knowing that just as he was being strong for her, she would be for him. She softly put her hand on his cheek and drew him in close, giving him a soft kiss. She pulled away and looked into his eyes. "It will be okay," she said.
"I know." Kristoff cupped her face in his hands. "I will always have you, and you will always have me." He used a thumb to stroke her cheek.
Anna's vision blurred again, though this time it was from the warmth of Kristoff's words feeling the hollow coldness the doctors had left. She flung herself forward, wrapping her arms around him.
It wouldn't take long before a walk around Arendelle led them both to the orphanage, to children they could love and nurture and raise, until they had the family they dreamed of, but until then, they had each other, and they knew that, too, was enough.