The start of winter break guys! You have no idea how relieved and exhausted I am! Now it seems as though I owe all of you a chapter (or two) right?
Well your wish has been granted!
Enjoy!
Early the next morning, the early chill spreads throughout the kingdom. The sun tried, but failed to peek through the winter clouds looming in the sky. Frozen dew rested on the plants and icicles hung from the rooftops. It was a pleasant winter morning in Arendelle, like any other. Yet, off in the distance, a very large, very powerful storm was brewing over the mountains.
"Cold!" Anna jerks awake as the sudden gust of cold air hits her bare skin. Searching in shock, she found that her comforter had slid off the bed and onto the floor. After reaching down to drag it back on top of her she turns to find Kristoff sleeping peacefully beside her on his back. She noticed how angelic he looked as he slept. His mouth was slightly open and his eyelashes cast shadows under his eyes in the morning light. His hair was a bushy mess and his left arm was stretched behind his head and a makeshift pillow, even though he was already on top of one. His right hand was splayed over his stomach on those jaw dropping abs of his. She reaches over and gently places her tiny hand on top of his oversized man hand. His was about five times bigger than hers, thinking about it made her smile. She could watch him sleep all day, but he was a light sleeper as it was.
"Hmm?" He groans and turns his head toward the direction of the shadow hovering over him. He slowly opens his eyes and sees Anna smiling.
"Good morning." She smiles down at him and moves her hand to caress his cheek. He leans into her hand and stretches out with a long yawn.
"Morning." He finally mumbles when he's done.
"Sleep well?" She asks and rests her head beside his. He smiles and turns to face her with his head propped on his arm.
"You toss and turn a lot in your sleep, you know that?" He replies with a smug grin.
"Well duh, how do you think I get bed head every morning?" She laughs up at him. He rolls his eyes and kisses her forehead before sliding out of bed.
"Leaving already?" She sits up and watches him make his naked way to the lavatory.
"I've gotta use the lavatory." He calls over his shoulder and disappears into the lavatory adjacent to the bedroom.
"Fine." She mumbles to herself and slumps back onto the bed.
"Will you smell that fresh air?!" Olaf smiles and skips through the garden. As he pattered through the fresh blanket of snow from the night before, Sven followed closely behind.
"Aren't ya proud of our two love birds?!" Olaf stops and turns around to face the reindeer. Sven smiles and nods with a wag of his tongue.
"I knew they would fall in love, I knew it from the second she kicked my head and turned my WHOLE world upside down. I knew it!" He sighs and admires the view into the distance. Sven snorts and gives him a questioning look with a raised eyebrow.
"What? I guessed it right from the start! Even though I didn't necessarily know both of their names until halfway through the adventure, I KNEW it was true love." He grins and waves his arms around. Sven just shakes his head and reaches for Olaf's nose.
"No! Bad reindeer!" Olaf swats at him, but Sven keeps going for the delicious carat.
Early the next morning, the early chill spreads throughout the kingdom. The sun tried, but failed to peek through the winter clouds looming in the sky. Frozen dew rested on the plants and icicles hung from the rooftops. It was a pleasant winter morning in Arendelle, like any other. Yet, off in the distance, a very large, very powerful storm was brewing over the mountains.
"Kristoff..." A now wide awake Anna calls from the floor beside her bed. He hadn't yet returned into the bedroom.
"Kristoff!" She cries and pulls the comforter off the bed and wraps in around her shoulders to cover her bare body.
"You all right?" He calls from the next room over. She throws her head back against the mattress and groans.
"No...I need your help!" She calls and rubs her eyes with the back if her hand.
"What happened?" He rushes out if the lavatory and takes in her current position. She was sprawled out on the floor beside the bed.
"Why are you on the floor?" He kneels beside her. He had already gotten dressed in his daily clothes. Blue shirt, brown vest, purple belt, goodness he looked hot.
"Well, I got out of bed, and...I...fell..." She explains nervously. She didn't want to outwardly say that she had pain down there, but she really couldn't take a step without falling.
"Did you trip?" He rests his hand on her back. She glares up at him and sighs.
"I'm sore from last night. I can't walk, at the moment..." She avoids eye contact as she speaks. Then she hears him chuckle and feels his body heat closer against her skin as he pulls her against him.
"Ahhhh, I see. That would probably be my fault, right?" He gathers her into a hug and rests his chin atop her head. He can't help but grin at the fact she couldn't walk.
"I can tell you're smiling. It's not funny, or cute, or adorable." She mumbles into his shirt. He pulls away and tucks some stray hair behind her ear.
"I'm sorry, here, let me help you." He tucks his hand under her knees and his other under her shoulder blades and lifts her with ease. She takes the comforter with her, not in the mood to show off her exposed body.
"Bath?" He asks while making his way back to the lavatory.
"Yes, please." She whispers and looks up at him, he still had smug grin on his face. Someday she would get him back for that, someday.
"You hungry?" Kristoff asks as he watches Anna braid her hair from the bed. He managed to get her bathed and dress, but he'll admit, it was the most difficult task he had ever encountered. Even climbing an ice covered mountain wasn't as difficult as taking care of her. Girls are so fickle, since when did they care about what shampoo to use? She had like fifty different soap bars!
"I'm starving! I haven't really eaten anything since I snuck some chocolates during the meet and greet last night!" She checks herself in the mirror and lifts herself off the bed. She wasn't as sore anymore, but she couldn't walk without wobbling.
"Help?" Kristoff walks over to her side and extends and arm. She links her own arm with his.
"Did I ever tell you how amazingly helpful you are?" She gazes up at him.
"You have, numerous times." He smiles.
"Well that's cuz it's true!" She reaches beside the bed and picks up her engagement ring. It glowed and shimmered a silverish turquoise in the morning sun.
"I think we should wait to tell her. Elsa." She looks up at him.
"How long?" He inquires. He didn't really mind when they decided to tell Elsa, because she already knew. In fact, she suggested it.
"I don't know, I just don't want to spring the idea on her like I did last time. She kinda froze the whole kingdom last time that happened." She nervously laughs and avoids making eye contact with him. He chuckles and wraps his arm tightly around her.
"That's what you get for getting engaged to a man you had just met." She could hear the mock tone in his voice and swats him on the chest.
"Okay, okay, I know, I get it now. You don't need to keep reminding me. For someone who is socially impaired, you sure know how to get on someone's nerves perfectly!" She pushes away from him a wobbles to sit on a chair.
"Now who said I'm socially impaired?" He crosses his arms and stares at her. She laughs and smooths out her skirt.
"The love experts? Duh!" She reminds him of their last encounter with the trolls at the Valley of the Living Rock. He laughs and shakes his head.
"Do not remind me of that!" He makes his way across the room to her.
"Hmmm, they also said that you are...a grumpy talker...clumpy walker...and that you only like to tinkle in the woods!" She says in a sing-song voice.
"Alright, alright, that's enough of that now!" He kneels in front of her and clasps her knees.
"But they also said you're sensitive and sweet, and...desperate for human hugs?" She giggles and pulls his head to her chest and wraps her arms around him.
"Now I know who to talk to to incase I need information about you. After all, you are my fiancé, I'll need to know everything about you." She whispers into his hair and feels his grin in response.
"We can wait however long you want to tell Elsa. I don't mind." He pulls away and rests his forehead against hers. His arms slide around her waist and tuck themselves behind her back.
"Thank you." She whispers.
"Now how about something to eat?" He kisses her quickly and pulls back all the way.
"Sure, let's go." He helps her stand up and lends her an arm as they make their way into the hallway.
"So tell me? Where did you get the materials to make this?" She holds the ring between her pointer finger and thumb as she examines it.
"Uh, the trolls gave me the gem, and the band..." He trails off wondering if he should tell her about her mother's wedding band.
"What about the band?" She turns to him as he hesitates.
"I uh..." He knew he couldn't lie, she would see right through it.
"You...?" She asks, her eyes urging him to tell.
"Good morning you two!" They look up to find Elsa by the dining hall doors. Anna quickly slips her ring into the pocket of her dress.
"Morning!" Anna chirps. They stop in front of Elsa.
"Did you hurt yourself?" Elsa examines as Anna wobbles her way to her.
"No, I'm fine!" She quickly answers.
"Why are you wobbling then?" Her sister asks.
"Elsa I'm fine! Don't worry about me!" She grips Kristoff's arm tighter and leads them into the dining hall. They take their seats as the servants scurry in and begin setting out the prepared dishes.
"Waffles my lady?" The young maiden who had helped Anna with her dress the day before offers her a plate of delicious smelling waffles.
"Yes and with chocolate syrup please?!" She takes the plate and another maid sets a mug of steaming chocolate syrup in front of her.
"What is it with you and your obsession with chocolate?" Kristoff asks from beside her. Anna just shrugs and motions to her sister with her fork.
"We love chocolate!" Elsa smiles from the head of the table with a plate of chocolate covered waffles in front of her as well.
"It must be kind of familial thing." He mumbles and pokes at his plate of waffles. He was so used to eating carrots all the time. His family had to practically hide his stash of carrots from him in order to get him to eat something else. Though it usually never worked, Sven could find a carrot a mile away.
About ten minutes later everyone had finished eating their breakfast. The maids swung in and removed the empty dishes and replaced them with cups of tea or coffee. Everyone was laughing at a joke Kai had just made when a palace guard rushes into the room out of breath and bright red as if he had been running for hours.
"Your Majesty! There is an emergency!"
"What is it?" Elsa stands up.
"We just got word that there is an emergency with the ice harvesting up the mountain!" He stands in the doorway panting.
"Where did we get this information from?" She moves away from her seat and grips the head of another chair.
"An ice harvester travelled down from the mountain. He's pretty shaken up and frostbitten." Elsa gasps when she hears this.
"Has he received medical attention?" She makes her way to the door.
"Yes my Queen." He bows when she approaches.
"Let's go see what's going on." Elsa turns around and smiles at her sister before leaving the room.
"I wonder what happened..." Kristoff looks down at his barely touched plate of waffles. Anna puts a hand on is shoulder and rubs.
"I'm sure it isn't that big of a problem, I'm sure everything is fine." She reassures him. He just smiles and takes a sip out of his cup.
"Wanna go for a walk outside?" She stands up and extends an arm to him.
"Yeah." He takes her hand and follows her out of the dining hall. Before heading to the gate, they swing by the barn and get Sven and Olaf.
"Can I see it Anna?" Olaf skips up next to Anna. She takes the ring out of her pocket and holds it out to him.
"Be careful Olaf." Kristoff warns Olaf not to lose the ring.
"Oh it's so shiny!" The tip of his nose pokes at the gem as he tries to examine it up close.
"I know! Isn't it?!" Anna grabs Kristoff's hand and smiles up at him.
"Well congratulations guys! I alwaaaaysss knew you two were meant for each other!" Olaf drawls as he hands the ring back to Anna.
"No you didn't..." Kristoff mumbles and stares at Olaf.
"I did too! Oh look! A blossom!" His short attention span gets the better of him when he sees the blossom to have survived the snowfall. He runs over to examine the bud and Sven trails after him. The happy couple just watches on in laughter.
"There was an attack. The ice broke...and...and some harvesters fell in..." An ice harvester sits huddled by the fire with layers of blankets wrapped around him.
"Did you see anyone?" Elsa questions as Kai hands the man a cup of hot water.
"Yes, men...a lot of men. Carrying spears and swords." He whispers between chattering teeth.
"Your majesty..." Elsa turns around to face the head of the army of Arendelle. The war and strategy specialist she had newly hired to protect her kingdom.
"Yes?" She asks.
"The ice harvesting site had been attacked. And technically, the ice harvesters are under your command and everything up to the north mountain is under your protection and control, yes?" He asks in a whispered tone. Elsa nods.
"That is correct." She notes with a nod.
"That means someone is targeting Arendelle my lady, and they're off to a pretty good start If they have eliminated our ice harvesters."
Chapter 11! Phew, we've come so far in less than a month!
I hoped everyone enjoyed this chapter and takes a few seconds to leave a review down below!
Thanks!