Chapter 19: Reunion

The Fjords of Arendelle

January 21, 1813

"We've sighted the port, your highness. The fjord is clear and we will be docking soon."

Anna heard a voice speaking to her but she couldn't understand what he was saying. She decided it was not worth making the effort. She continued to stare into the ceiling of her cabin. In her mind, Kristoff looked down at her, smiling at her with his ever charming grin. She could almost imagine him singing to her one of his ridiculous trollsongs. What she wouldn't give to smell his pungent reindeer odor or even partake of his horrible grass-seasoned cooking? She was sure she can at least eat the vegetables from his stew and feed the rest of it to Sven.

Poor Sven. Who's going to share his carrots now? I don't know yet how to talk reindeer. How will I ever speak to him?

She didn't know that tears were streaming down her face until she felt a soft handkerchief wipe at her cheek. Startled, she looked up and saw Tommy by her side. It was he who held out a clean white handkerchief to her, while he held a steaming bowl of porridge in his other hand. A second bowl was placed on the table near her bed next to a cup of hot glogg.

"Princess Anna, please you need to take in something. You haven't been eating right for days now."

She eyed the bowl but shook her head. She had no appetite for it. Her eyes took to the ceiling once more as she tried to picture Kristoff's face once more. How does his the melody go again about the Ballad of Flemingrad? I must remember. I need to sing that to my kids next Christmas. No one sang it to them last Christmas and they could have forgotten it. Oh they can't forget that. Idunn and Agdar must hear it every year until they have learned it too. It's part of their heritage, they mustn't forget!

"The Captain says we're docking in a few hours. We'll be seeing Queen Elsa and your children soon. Please Princess Anna, you don't want your little ones to see you like this," Tommy begged. "They need their mother to be healthy and strong."

What Tommy said suddenly made her feel ashamed of herself enough to wake her from her stupor and for the first time in days she asked herself: What am I doing?

Since they left Copenhagen, Anna never came out of her cabin on the ship. She barely ate anything, slept only when her body fell unconscious and spoke to almost no one. The Arendellian soldiers regularly visited her during the early days of their journey but she had little to say to them. After days of barely any response, they had all given up coming to see her. Only Tommy came to visit her at regular intervals. He was the one that pushed food into her and probably was responsible for keeping her physically alive for she didn't exactly know if she was even considered mentally living. All she could think of was that her life was now so dull without the light of Kristoff in it. Half the time she wallowed in the sorrow of his loss and the fear of facing her babies to tell them their Papa was gone forever. The other half of the time, she spent in fury over Hans' betrayal. She imagined a million ways to kill him but it left her no comfort at all. Nothing she can think of seemed enough to assuage the pain in her heart.

"Please Princess Anna," Tommy went on. "Think of little Prince Agdar and Princess Idunn. You still have them and they need you. A part of Prince Kristoff will always live in them. But first you must learn to live."

Anna sat up and wiped away her tears. She was astonished how this sixteen-year-old boy could be so wise to say something like that. She met his eyes and then suddenly remembered.

How could I have forgotten?

Little Tommy Thomson lost his father at age 12 to an ice harvesting accident one month before Elsa's coronation. That loss forced Tommy and his younger sister to be left with a mother who was pregnant then with her third child. His mother in fact gave birth the same night of Elsa's disastrous coronation and their home was among the few houses outside the village that were destroyed accidentally due to the heaviness of the snowfall. She remembered Elsa had given priority to rebuilding their home and Kristoff had spent months donating part of the profits of his ice business for them when he became the official ice master and deliverer. It was no wonder Tommy enlisted in the army quite young. He was essentially the breadwinner of the family and the best hope for them to get out of living day-to-day from royal charity. In many ways, this boy had gone through so much more sorrow in his young life than Anna had ever experienced in her 23 years.

"I'm so sorry for being so much trouble to you," she said to him as she sniffled. "You don't need to take care of me like this."

"It's nothing, Princess Anna," he shrugged humbly. "My family and I would not have survived if you and your sister and Prince Kristoff hadn't supported us after my Papa passed. I'm just honored to be able to return the favor for once."

Anna's heart warmed at his generous sentiment. She sat back at the edge of the bed and took the steaming bowl with the tiny spoon he offered. "I'll take this in, thank you. Won't you join me?"

The gallant young soldier sat on the chair beside her bed and sipped at the cup of glogg but his eyes carefully watched as she took in spoonfuls of porridge. Anna was suddenly aware he was treating her like a patient similar to how she used to watch over her own patients back in the hospital. The irony wasn't loss on her that the nurse was now being nursed.

"I don't know if it helps, but I know things will get better eventually," he said gently. "You still have your family and that's the important thing."

Anna nodded as she felt humbled once more by his words. This boy certainly knew what he was talking about. He had probably endured more grief that she had and yet he was still here providing a positive light to someone who needed it. He's absolutely right. I need to live for my children. If he survived his loss I can too and I'm not going to be a burden to anyone, least of all this young man who probably has his own problems to deal with once he gets home.

"How is your family?" she asked him.

Tommy lit up with a genuine smile. "Well. I hope," he replied. "I received a letter from Mama just before Christmas and she's just so glad to hear from me. She said she's still working as a baker in town but when I come home with my soldier's pay we might even afford to open up our own little pie shop. My sister Elsa has a talent for decorating Mama's pies. I think we could offer something novel in the village."

Anna couldn't help but smile back. She remembered that Tommy's little sister was named after Anna's own sister. Elsa Thomson was the adorable girl that used to idolize and follow her namesake every time Queen Elsa visited the village. Anna remembered the little girl once presented the queen with a handmade apple pie decorated with a single snowflake in spun sugar as a topping.

"I almost forgot, both our sisters are named Elsa. You must be very proud of your sister. I've seen her work. She's very good."

Tommy beamed at the praise. "Yes, Mama and I are very proud of her." And he went on to tell her eagerly all about himself and his family. His mother was an assistant baker and he took on as an ice harvester apprentice shortly after his father passed. His little sister became the official nurse to their baby brother so he and their mother could work. In many ways, Tommy had a similar childhood to Kristoff. The difference was he had two more mouths to feed than her husband. And just like Kristoff, It was so touching the way he was devoted to them and how much he looked forward to seeing them again. Tommy had so many stories to tell about his siblings' antics that Anna soon found herself enthralled by his tales. It was so refreshing to think of something else for once that she forgot her own feelings of gloom. Eventually, she found herself laughing to some of his more funny stories and she became eager to know more about this young lad's family.

"Your little brother must be what… five years old now?" she asked.

"Yes, quite the troublesome imp," Tommy replied fondly. "When I left, he was already running around all over the place and sticking his thumbs in Mama's newly baked pies. We've taken to calling him 'Little Jack Horner'."

Anna laughed once more at the memory of that nursery rhyme she used to read to her twins. The thought of her children suddenly gave her an idea.

"He's almost the same age as my children. We should get them to have a play date."

Tommy suddenly blushed beet red. "Oh, your highness, I would never dare... I mean your children are royalty... my brother and I… we're just humble folk..."

Anna understood his hesitation. She remembered well her governess' words when she asked to play with children of commoners when she was five years old: "Princesses do not play with commoners. It's tradition for royalty to be above the common people. Mingling with them is out of the question." Well Frau Benedicta's traditions can hang. I'm going to let my children play with as many common folk as they can meet and I can start with Tommy's siblings. It's ridiculous that we haven't let my twins out to play before with the other children.

"Royalty or not, it doesn't make a difference. We're all Arendellians and that's all there is to it," Anna assured him. "They're children and they should play together. I'd be honored to have my children play with your brother."

"I... I'm sure my brother will be honored as well," Tommy nodded gratefully.

"What's your brother's name? I suppose it's not really Jack Horner?" she teased.

Tommy said nothing and looked away. Anna realized he was suddenly uneasy. "Tommy... did I say something wrong?"

He shook his head and his hand went to the pocket of his coat, but she could see through the indentation of his fingers, he was tinkering with whatever he had in there self-consciously. "Of course not your highness, it's just that... my brother..."

Anna took his other hand to reassure him. "What is it?"

He heaved a sigh but refused to look at her directly. "His name is… well… his name is... Hans."

He muttered the last word almost in a whisper but Anna caught it and she dropped his hand. She immediately shuddered. However, she composed herself as she reasoned: "Well, I suppose it's a common name."

Tommy remained silent for several moments and Anna understood that there was more to it than that.

"Look, your highness, I supposed you will know eventually. My sister and I named him Hans... after Prince Hans."

"What?" Anna gasped. She could think of no reason why Tommy would do that.

"Please don't be mad," he pleaded desperately. "I know what he did was horrible but he wasn't all evil. Well at least I know of one incident when he wasn't."

"What do you mean?" Anna asked doubtfully.

The teenage soldier swallowed hard before he spoke again. "Do you remember my mother gave birth the night of Queen Elsa's coronation?"

Anna nodded but said nothing to let him continue.

He stared down at his coat, his hand still in his pocket, fingers twitching there again in an obvious sign of discomfort but he managed to go on: "Most people don't know she went into labor during the coronation ball. I was out looking for a midwife but I couldn't find one as everyone was busy celebrating near the castle. And then it started really snowing hard and our house... well we live at edge of the mountain and our roof wasn't really fortified quite yet for the winter since Papa was no longer there to do it."

Anna's mouth fell open as realized the implication of that fact. She knew his house was destroyed but she never really knew the details of how it came about.

"My sister came running to me while I was knocking at the doors of the almost empty village. She said our roof was about to collapse and Mama was stuck inside. We couldn't move her. We weren't strong enough. I went to the castle to get help but people all around me were busy trying to get out of the snowstorm and would not listen to me. Then I saw this elegantly dressed man. I didn't know who he was but he seemed to be in charge because he was getting people to move to get everyone to shelter. I went to him and told him my Mama was trapped in our house."

He paused and his eyes gained a far away look as if he was remembering it. "He didn't even hesitate. He ran with me and saw our roof was already creaking with the weight of the snow. He just went in and carried her out, just seconds before the roof gave way. He brought her all the way back to the village and got her to a midwife just in time to give birth to my baby brother. After that, he had my sister and I bundled up and given a warm dinner that came from the castle kitchens. Before he left, I asked for his name and he said it was 'Hans.' My sister and I decided right there that was the name of our little brother."

Anna could just picture Hans doing heroics. It's what he does. But he probably did it for an ulterior motive. I'm sure of it. Perhaps he did this one deed so he can use it to win favor with the peasants.

"Princess Anna, I know he did awful things," Tommy said hesitantly. "But for one instance he did save my mother's and my brother's lives and I can't help but be grateful to him for that."

And perhaps it's that misled gratitude that made you stop the other Arendellians from exacting revenge on Hans, she thought though she said nothing out loud. She was grateful for Tommy's assistance and she didn't want to sound as if she was berating him for his beliefs. Besides, if she thought about it, Tommy's reasons for not encouraging violence among the Arendellians were well… reasonable.

"Princess, I know he hurt you," continued Tommy as his hand fidgeted once more in his pocket. "And perhaps you don't think now is the right time that I bring this up…"

He stopped speaking as there was a knock on the door and a voice called out. "Princess, we've arrived. You may want to get ready to disembark."

Anna didn't realize how much time had gone by since she became aware that Tommy was there. Her bowl of porridge had long lay empty and his glass of glogg lay just as empty next to it on the nearby table.

"I'll be right out," she called towards the door before she turned back to Tommy. "You were saying?"

But the young soldier just shook his head. "It can wait your highness. I'm sure you're eager to see the Queen and your children."

Anna beamed at him. "Yes I am. And I'm sure you're just as eager to see your family as well." She got up and offered her arm to him. "We'll talk more once we've met them. Will you escort me down?"

"With pleasure, your highness," he replied as he held his own arm for her to take.

"You know, you ought to stop calling me that. Just Anna is fine."

The young man blushed. "I wouldn't dare... I mean I wouldn't be able to... not in front of other people."

Anna chuckled but understood that people were not used to going on first name basis with her when others were around. "Well, in private then."

"Oh, alright... uh… Anna."

"It's a start," she smiled.

They walked to the deck together where they were immediately greeted by a group of Arendellian officers who bowed in reverence to her. The ship captain was among them and he said it was her privilege to disembark first. Anna gratefully thanked them and went ahead to the edge of the boat to get her first glimpse of her home since she left it months before. As she stepped towards the now lowered gangplank, she was met with an unusual sight. Dozens of people had turned up at the port. Whole families, mostly women and children were waiting at the pier with eager looks on their faces.

She spotted Elsa almost immediately. Her platinum blonde hair and teal gown made her easily visible in the crowds. She stood to the side of the port next to a closed carriage and several gentlemen she recognized as among the courtiers and ambassadors she often saw at court. She couldn't see her children at all anywhere.

Elsa met her eyes and a smile encased her face. Her sister immediately waved at her frantically but Anna could only raise a hand to acknowledge as her grief hit her again with a fresh wave of pain. It became even more apparent when the crowds of women and children below began shouting out the names of their husbands and fathers on the ship and the eager soldiers began responding in earnest.

Dozens of voices suddenly rent the air as families began to shout out welcoming and affectionate words. Each pronouncement felt a stab at her heart. Kristoff was no longer here to welcome her or respond lovingly to her. She felt her knees give way but a pair of arms steadied her.

"Are you alright, Anna?" Tommy asked and she nodded, slightly embarrassed by her weakness. She looked behind her and realized there were several men there and she was holding up the line in the gangplank where the men were trying to get down from.

"I'm alright, Tommy. Just help me down."

The teenage soldier didn't need to be told twice. He assisted her until they reached solid ground.

"TOMMEEEE!" came a shrill childish cry. Anna turned and saw a middle-aged woman with a small boy in her arms and followed by a young girl at her side came rushing forward. Both mother and daughter pushed past the crowds and started shouting rather ecstatically:

"Tommy! Tommy! My baby, you've come home! Come here and hug your Mama!" Her cries were echoed by the girl but it was the little boy in her arms that touched Anna most of all. The five-year-old, held his arms out wailing almost madly: "TOMMMEEEEE!"

Tommy's grin widened but he did not dare move away from Anna.

"I'll be alright Tommy. Your family's waiting," Anna reassured him.

Another blush bloomed his cheeks and Tommy merely muttered an excuse to her before running towards his family and meeting them for hugs and kisses.

"ANNA! You're home!"

Anna turned in the direction of her sister's voice. A split second after she turned her head, she was immediately enveloped by a pair of warm arms. It felt good to be hugged and for a long moment she just savored the feel of Elsa's embrace without any words as fresh tears fell down her cheeks.

"I was so worried about you," Elsa murmured. "But everything's going to be alright now. We're together again. Our family's back together!"

Anna pulled away from Elsa but found her throat too thick with tears to speak. How can I tell her our family will never be together as a whole anymore with Kristoff gone?

"Ahhh, don't be sad Anna," Elsa said cheerfully as she wiped Anna's tears with her gentle fingers. She didn't appear to realize her sister's grief and went on to chatter animatedly. "You'll be with your children soon. Agdar and Idunn are waiting in the castle with a special surprise. But first things first. Where's Hans?"

Anna recoiled at the name and pushed away from her sister so fast that Elsa was startled into producing a bit of frost that fell in flecks on her shoulder.

"Don't ever mention that monster's name again!"

Elsa gave her a puzzled look. "Anna... I thought you said you've become friends... you wrote to me that you've reconciled. I invited him to come. He's suppose to come here with you. What happened?"

Anna swallowed hard as tears began to choke at her throat. "He... he killed... my Kristoff... executed him... for desertion..."

Elsa stared at her with shock. "What? What do you mean?"

"Kristoff's dead, Elsa! He's not coming back. Hans… he killed him, Elsa. Hans killed my husband."

Anna was suddenly enveloped once more in her sister's fierce hug. "Where did you hear that?" Elsa whispered to her in a voice that was both dangerous and frantic. Anna felt a sudden drop in temperature and knew at once Elsa's emotions were also rising.

"Report... in Copenhagen war office... I wanted... to kill him... he doesn't deserve to live..." Anna rasped.

"Where is he now?" Elsa demanded. Anna suddenly felt a surge of hope at what appeared to be her sister's rightful indignation. Elsa will punish Hans for me. She'll find a way to make him pay for this.

"He took a ship to Sweden to join the army there or maybe find his next victim to exploit," replied Anna. She was rather surprised that came out rather straightforward. "I'm not even sure how much he told me was true. But I'm not going to rest until I make him pay for this. Help me Elsa?"

"Who else knows about what Hans did?" Elsa steadily asked but still low enough as a whisper.

"All the Arendellians on the boat with me. And I hope they tell every single person they meet how that monster killed my husband then lied to my face—"

Anna abruptly stopped as she realized Elsa was looking like she was suddenly terrified of what Anna just said. And she seemed even more frightened when the group of Arendellian courtiers that had been standing by turned their attention to them at her outburst and approached with concern.

"Is everything alright your majesty?" one handsome courtier Anna recognized as Ambassador Svenson asked.

"Everything is fine, Ambassador," Elsa replied curtly. "If you don't mind, I need a moment with my sister. We haven't seen each other for so long."

It was a clear dismissal and the ambassador immediately backed down. Elsa waved at Kai. The portly Arendellian stewart appeared to sense the urgency and was beside them in less than a moment

"What is it your majesty?"

"Get every single man on that boat proceed directly to the castle right now. Confine them for the moment to the ballroom. Don't let a single one of them leave your sight or speak to anyone else until I see them personally," ordered Elsa.

Kai seemed startled by such an odd request and Anna was just as puzzled. "But they're all going off to their own homes? To be with their families." He pointed to one soldier who was already walking away with his wife while he bounced his little son in his arms.

"I'm sorry but their reunion with their families will have to wait. Get every single man, including the crew." Elsa said firmly. "Do it now! Their queen commands it!"

Anna was astonished and confused at Elsa's order. She had never seen her sister like this before. Kai seemed equally puzzled but moved on to obey and had the guards mobilized to retrieve back all the men from her ship.

"Elsa what's going on?"

"This is not the time Anna," was all Elsa said. Elsa's eyes were not focused on her but on the courtiers who were curiously staring at them again. Before Anna could ask again, her sister quickly pulled her towards the waiting carriage.

"Elsa, I don't understand..."

"Get in, Anna!"

"But Elsa..."

"I'm sorry Anna. I don't have time for this. Get in!"

Elsa's tone was so commanding that Anna had no choice but to obey. She expected Elsa would climb into the carriage with her that she was startled when Elsa closed the door instead.

"Elsa, what's going on?"

But her sister wasn't even listening to her.

"Get her out of here," Elsa ordered the driver of the carriage who she couldn't even recognize from the hat and cloak that covered his entire head.

The carriage pulled away so abruptly that Anna didn't even have time to shout back at her sister.

"Hey! What's going on?" Anna called to the driver as soon as she got her bearings back. By then, they had already cleared away from the town and were headed, she realized not for the castle but towards the woods that led to the north mountain.

"Hey! I'm talking to you! I'm the princess! I demand you stop this carriage right now and tell me what the hell is going on!"

The driver didn't seem to hear her. He just kept on driving and even urged the horses to go even faster towards the thicker part of the woods where no one could even hear her scream. She should be frightened but she was just far too angry that she threw caution to the wind. She banged at the window with her fists.

"STOP THIS CARRIAGE! STOP IT AND TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON WHOEVER YOU ARE!"

Surprisingly, he did stop. As soon as her transport halted she scrambled out of it and faced with the driver though she remembered to keep her distance.

"Who are you and why did Elsa send me away?"

The driver slowly got down from his carriage seat, but he did so with a smooth grace that was all too familiar.

"Anna, I'm so sorry it has to be this way. It wasn't how Elsa and I planned it."

Anna gasped as she recognized the voice she no longer expected to hear in this life. She knew who it was even before he tugged off his cloak and hat.

"Kristoff."

Author's Notes: Most of you actually have got it right. Kristoff is still alive. Kudos to all of you readers and reviewers that got it early on. I couldn't really kill Kristoff, I'm not that cruel. He's one of the best characters in Frozen that I love. However, I did put him through a terrible ordeal which you will find out by the next chapter. And yes, the unread letter will have consequences later on. I think Anna's about to realize that now.

I couldn't help but create an entire backstory for Tommy. I wanted to flesh out the situation of the peasant families in this war. If you think about it, why would someone volunteer to go to a war they had personal no stake, and the answer is quite simple: it's a way to survive. I mean this is the 18th century and women would not be able to earn as much as a man would at this time. So Tommy's mother, even if she's the best baker in Arendelle would have earned less just because she's a woman. With three mouths to feed and no husband, she would struggled to get by on her job until Tommy, the first boy in the family could find a viable career to support them. The military is a way to do so, because it offers a better income. And if a soldier dies in battle, there would have been a pension for his family. It's quite tragic actually that a lot of soldiers do end up giving their lives just to see their families better off and some of them are practically still children by our modern standards.