Kristoff

Kristoff thought he had never had a longer wait. Anna, his Anna, was dying in front of him, and there was nothing he could do about it. He was keeping pressure on her wound as best he could, but she had already lost a lot of blood and was fading fast. Kristoff's mind was racing, straining to understand what took place in just one day. It seemed like a lifetime ago that he had woken up that morning in Anna and his shared bed, alone, filled with sorrow at the absence of his wife but full of hope that she would come back to him soon. He tried to grasp the thought of a world where Anna's heart beat no more, where her laughter had stilled, where her smile had gone. Don't do this Anna. Be strong, baby. Fight this. Please don't leave me...

In a daze, his thoughts drifted away from Anna and towards Elsa and Heins. Karl was an enemy, he knew that much. Heins, he was not sure of. Both he and Elsa were missing, and it was possible that Karl had betrayed Heins even as he betrayed Arendelle. While he was loathe to admit it, he had rather liked the polite and charming Prince Heins, and didn't want to admit he was probably their enemy. For the first time in his life, he realized how powerful a charismatic Prince could be. Oh Anna. You never even had a chance against Hans, did you? Now, Kristoff could just hope that Karl survived. If Karl woke up, he could tell Kristoff everything- with a little persuasion, that is, that Kristoff was only too happy to provide. Just then, Cari came back through the door, with the healer, Gerda, following close behind, her medicine bag slung over her shoulder.

"Back away from her, Kristoff." Gerda was using the tone she used when she knew the patient had a very low chance. Gerda's voice terrified Kristoff more than he ever thought possible. Flashes of the worst case scenario raced through his head- black clothes, flowers, sorrow, muttered condolences, a funeral... He stood up and backed up a few feet, allowing Gerda better access. Gerda's hands were a blur, digging into her pack for a knife, then cutting away Anna's dress and exposing the wound. The sight of it stunned Kristoff. I will hunt down anyone and everyone who had a hand in this. Gerda gasped when she beheld the wound, but as she examined, her face softened with relief.

"The knife missed her major organs, and the bleeding has slowed. It looks much worse than it is. She will be alright. She will live, Kristoff." She found Kristoff's eyes as she said this.

"Will there be permanent damage?", Kristoff asked.

"Well, it's too early to say for sure, and she will carry that scar to the end of her days, but other than that... no, I don't think so."

"Gerda... Thank you."

"I watched her grow up, Kristoff. This one's not as fragile as you think." Kristoff couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'll keep that in mind. When will she be able to move?"

"Normally, I'd recommend a month, just to be safe. Considering the circumstances and her station... I can have her alert and functioning by the morning, up and about within a week. Shorter if she's willing to endure some pain, I have some herbs that will help to close the wound, but they are extremely painful."

"Do it."

"But, Kristoff, shouldn't we wait for her to at least wake up first?"

Kristoff shook his head. "No. Queen Elsa is missing, maybe dead. We need Princess Anna back. Use them as soon as you are able. That's an order, Gerda. One last thing. When you are sure Anna is safe, do what you can for Karl. Keep him alive, but his pain is of no interest to me. Use nothing to control it. Cari, please stay here as a guard. I go to inform the castle staff. Send Gerda to fetch me when her work is done. No one else is allowed in this room until I personally come back. Is that understood?"

"Understood, My Lord."

"Then I take my leave." He turned to go, then stopped at the door and looked back. "Keep Anna safe... please."

When Kristoff reached the assembly hall, it was crowded and extremely noisy. A small smile crossed his face when he saw Alan, standing on a chair, waving his hands around in a desperate and pointless attempt to restore order. Kristoff shook his head and walked into the room. As each person took notice, they fell silent, and the silence grew. In seconds, every eye was on him. Kristoff cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Princess Anna is still alive, and is out of immediate danger. Gerda expects a full recovery." The crowd murmured in relief among themselves, but quiet reasserted itself. "This attack on Arendelle shall not go unpunished. As I speak, Gerda works to wake Prince Heins' servant, Karl. Once he wakes, I'm going to have a friendly conversation with him, and he's going to tell me where to find Queen Elsa, as well as the truth behind these events. For now, we will have to content ourselves with a search of the surrounding area. Alarik, where are you?"

"Here, My Lord." The Captain of the Arendelle Royal Guard, and the best soldier Kristoff had ever met, rose from his seat and walked toward Kristoff. Alarik was not a particularly imposing man, but he made up for it with an excellent tactical mind and a keen eye for finding talent among his ranks. He wore his normal uniform, a blue coat with tan trousers and knee high black boots. A hand-and-a-half sword hung from his hip. "You have need of me, My Lord?"

"Yes. I want you to gather half your men and begin a search of the surrounding area. Cover as much ground as you can. Double the existing guard on the castle. Send the remaining men off to bed, they will provide the relief in the morning."

"As you command, My Lord." As Alarik turned to gather his men, Gerda came into the hall. When she saw Kristoff, she hurried over.

"My Lord. Anna will be fine. Karl will be more difficult. He's awake, but I don't know if he'll survive. If you mean to talk to him…"

"I do. Thank you Gerda. Where are they now?"

"Anna has been taken to her chambers. She is resting. Karl is still in the throne room, I don't feel comfortable moving him in his condition."

"Thank you. I'll be speaking to Karl now. Please go stay with Anna until I arrive, take Alan with you." As Kristoff spoke, he signaled to Alan, who hurried to join them. "Alan, go with Gerda and take up a post outside her room. No one goes in or out except for Gerda and myself. Whoever arranged this attack will not be pleased Anna survived, they may come back. I'm counting on you to make sure that doesn't happen. I'm going to speak with Karl."