FROST
Chapter 2: An Invitation
The sound of the yammering crowd became muffled as the two sisters, Kristoff and Sven, and Olaf walked away from the arena. As they traveled, it shrank behind them, and they drew nearer to the center of town where people went to and fro throughout the marketplace. "So… what now? Are we just wandering into town aimlessly?" Olaf asked, hobbling next to Anna. "Um, I guess," Anna said, then looked at Elsa, "Is there anything you want to do with your time off?" "I'm fine with just walking around," Elsa replied, "It's a beautiful day; we might as well enjoy it." Anna watched the scrambling townspeople, teeming with chatter and laughter, and off in the distance heard the merry sound of fiddle, the plucking of a banjo, and the buzz of a harmonica pervading the air. "I hear music!" Anna said eagerly with a smile, "Do you know what that means?" "There's going to be dancing?" Olaf asked inquiringly. "I think so!" Anna beamed, then looked at Elsa, "Do you want to come?" "Oh, I suppose," Elsa said. "Come on! Let's go!" Anna said, dragging her sister by the wrist and startling her.
From afar, they watched as skilled dancers gathered in front of the townspeople. The throng clapped and cheered with excitement as they watched men and women tap their shining, black shoes against the ground, moving their legs fluidly across the cobblestones. The rhythmic sound of clicking and clacking of the thin metal plates on the fronts and ends of the shoes rang out loudly, and the feet of the dancers moved swiftly yet gracefully. As the dancers spun in smooth, tight circles, the loose ends of women's dresses swayed through the air. Men swiveled and reeled off their feet, then after turning sharply broke out into a wild, lively series of steps. The voices from the crowd grew louder and people whistled and shouted. The men stomped louder, finishing with a single tap, then vanished behind the women that came to the forefront.
"I don't know if I want to watch people dancing all day, I'd rather be the one dancing," Olaf said to himself, looking around, "I wonder what else is going on in town." Then, he spotted a jester near the alleyway surrounded by children. "Oh! That looks interesting!" he said smiling, and teetered over on his feet towards them. The man was juggling three balls into the air, and the children clapped loudly for him after he took a bow. "Do it again! Do it again!" a little boy shouted. "Juggle something else!" another one said. "Yeah, juggle with something else!" Olaf said eagerly, and then someone pointed at him, "Hey, what about that snowman?" "What about a snowman?" Olaf asked, looking confused, "Oh, right! I'm a snowman! Hey kids, good afternoon! How are you all feeling on this lovely day?" "Mister," a girl tugged on the entertainer's sleeve, "Could you juggle that snowman for us?" "Now, wait! You've got the wrong idea!" Olaf said, backing away slowly. The man in the clown suit smiled, and reached down to grab Olaf. "No, no, no, no, no!" Olaf said, but then he felt himself being lifted off the ground, "Hey, put me down!" After the man grabbed him, he pulled him apart to start tossing him into the air. "Yay!" the children yelled with glee. "Oh, no!" Olaf said sounding worried, and feeling dizzy, "This is not what I had in mind about having a good time!"
"Well, that was fun!" Anna said as they wandered away from the crowd, and then asked, "So, now what do you want to do?" "I don't know, whatever you want is fine with me," Elsa shrugged her shoulders. "Um, we could… go shopping!" Anna said, beaming at her. "Haven't you already gone shopping yesterday? How many more things do you need to buy?" Elsa asked, reminding her. "Honestly Elsa? What else is there to do in town?" Anna said, "Oh, look! There's a bunch of shops that sell candles, soaps, perfumes, and of course, who could forget dresses?" She peered through the windows of the shops, "Oh! A jewelry store! Do you want to look in here?" "Alright," Elsa said, agreeing to come with her. "Wait for us out here, ok?" Anna said to Kristoff, and then closed the door behind them. Kristoff sighed, "Does she really expect us to stand around and wait for her to come out?" Sven spoke, as if to talk, but it sounded like garbled, unintelligible noise. "Alright, I get your point, Sven," Kristoff said, trying to shut him up. He surveyed the town, and then after a moment of hesitation he said, "Sven, I think we should go for a little walk. What do you say?" Sven retorted, insisting that they wouldn't wander off from outside the shop. "Sven," Kristoff said with a small laugh, "Come on, buddy, we won't go far." He tugged at his reins, lightly pulling his head and started walking alongside of him.
Kristoff strolled down the cobblestone paths and lanes that were lined with shops, passing by weapon smiths, food merchants, and traders selling pottery, and after some time grew bored of wandering endlessly through the streets and sat onto the stone edge of a fountain. "I wonder what's taking Anna so long," Kristoff said, "Are all girls like that? They spend their day looking at stuff they don't need?" Sven shrugged his shoulders. "Say, she's in that jewelry shop, it makes me think… perhaps I should start thinking about something," Kristoff said, and Sven looked at him slightly baffled. "You probably don't know what it is that I'm talking about, do you? Well, you know that Anna and I have been together for four years now, right? So I was thinking," Kristoff's voice trailed off again, and then he noticed Sven staring at him with an annoyed look, "Alright, I'll cut to the chase! I should ask her to marry me!" Sven's ears perked up and a broad grin lit up his face. He brayed, prancing around happily. "Sven, settle down!" Kristoff said, "Before someone notices you!"
"Hi Sven! Hi Kristoff!" Olaf said, waving his twig arm at them as he walked towards them, "Where's Anna and Elsa?" "I don't know, they've gone shopping somewhere to look at jewelry," Kristoff said. Sven was bouncing happily up and down, and Olaf noticed asking, "Sven, what's gotten into you? What are you so excited about?" Sven neighed and snorted at him, but Olaf said, "I can't understand you, Sven. Kristoff, do you know what he's trying to tell us?" "Nope," Kristoff said, and then Sven bonked him on the head with his antlers. "Ow!" Kristoff glared at him, rubbing his head to ease the pain, "What was that for?" "Is there something you're not telling me?" Olaf asked, "I think Sven is trying to say that you're not telling the truth!" Sven nodded, agreeing with Olaf. "It's about Anna," Kristoff said. "Oh, it's about Anna!" Olaf smiled, "So, what is that supposed to mean exactly?" "Uh…" Kristoff didn't know how to respond, and was reluctant to share the bit of news he had mentioned to Sven. "Where is she now?" Olaf asked. "Last place I saw her was a jewelry store," Kristoff said, "Which had got me thinking, I should maybe buy her a ring." "A ring? What are you going to buy her a ring for?" Olaf asked, "Is it just something she likes?" "Well," Kristoff put his hand behind his head, "This isn't supposed to be just any ring."
"Oh?" Olaf gave him a quizzical look, "And what makes this one so special?" "Um, well…" Kristoff's voice trailed off nervously. "Come on, spit it out already!" Olaf said, encouraging him to speak. At that, Sven spat on the ground, a long thread of saliva hanging from the corner of his mouth. "Not you, Sven," Olaf said, covering up his look of disgust, and then looked back at Kristoff, "What is it that you're not telling me?" "Alright, I'll tell you!" Kristoff hesitated a moment, then confessed, "I want to propose to Anna!" "Oh! A proposal! How wonderful!" Olaf beamed, clasping his hands together eagerly, "Kristoff! You should propose to her tonight!" "Olaf, I don't even have the ring yet!" Kristoff replied irritably, "Besides! I can't do it tonight! I'm… not ready." "Well, when you are ready, just find someplace where you can be alone and tell her!" Olaf said with a grin. "Well, I don't know what to say to her," Kristoff said. "Just talk to her like you always have," Olaf said, "Just say, 'Anna, there is something that I have been wanting to ask you for a long time. Will you marry me?' And then show her the ring!"
"Hey guys!" came Anna's voice from behind, and then Kristoff spun around with a startled look on his face, "Anna?" "Kristoff! I was wondering where you were, didn't I tell you to wait for me outside?" she said reminding him. "Oh, that's right! Well, Sven wanted to walk, so I went around town and I planned to meet you back outside the jeweler's shop. I didn't know how long it was going to be," Kristoff said explaining to her. Anna raised an eyebrow at him, "Well, I was only planning on staying there for five to ten minutes, and then discovered that you were missing. So, Elsa and I decided to go and look at some other shops, wondering when you were coming back." "Well, you could have said that you were only going to take five minutes!" Kristoff said defensively. "Alright, sorry if I didn't tell you. Next time I'll let you know how long I'll be gone, but I'm pretty sure I told you to wait for me, so I assumed that you knew it wasn't going to be too long," Anna said, "So, what did you all talk about while I was gone?"
"Uh…" Kristoff had a bewildered look on his face, lost for words. "Aw, look at how red in the face he is!" Olaf giggled, pointing at Kristoff. "Hey, just be quiet, okay?" Kristoff barked at him. "He's got a secret!" Olaf whispered to Anna, and then chuckled by covering his mouth with his hand. "Wait, a secret?" "What? What secret?" Kristoff asked. "Olaf said you had a secret," Anna said. "No! No, I… he's just messing with you," Kristoff said with a small laugh. "Kristoff, really? I know you're lying, just tell me!" Anna said. "We… talked about, um, guy stuff," he told her. "Guy stuff?" she asked. "Yeah, things that only a guy would understand," Kristoff said, "And things that only guys would be interested in." "Oh, sure!" Olaf said sarcastically. "Guy stuff, huh? Come on, what is it?" she asked. "I can't tell you," Kristoff said. "I'm not giving up until you tell me!" Anna said, badgering him. "It's none of your business!" Kristoff raised his voice, "It doesn't involve you! End of story!"
"Um, alright," Anna said staring at him, "Sorry to make you mad. Let's not ruin today, we're all in town to have a good time, right?" "Yeah, I suppose," Kristoff said, "Speaking of which, aren't you tired from all of the activity today? Don't you want to go back to the castle to get some food? It's already past lunch hour." "Aw, but it's so much fun in town!" Anna said. "Yeah, but, I could use a break from being on my legs," Kristoff said, "The race has put a real strain on me. Sven is tired, too. We just want to relax somewhere where it's quiet." "Oh, alright, you big baby!" Anna teased him, and then called, "Elsa!" Elsa stopped talking to someone to turn around and face Anna. "We need you over here!" Anna called her again. Elsa walked towards her, away from the townspeople, "What is it?" "Kristoff wanted to go back to the castle. He's feeling tired and hungry," Anna told her. "You don't want to eat in town?" Elsa asked him. "Nah, not with the crowds. Look at the lines; there's people waiting outside almost every door. It could be an hour before we get a chance to sit somewhere," Kristoff pointed out, "And all the spots outside are taken, so they wouldn't be anywhere we could put Sven." "I suppose you're right," Anna said, agreeing with him. "Well, in that case, we'll go back to the castle," Elsa said, smiling at him.
"Hit me," Anna said, looking down at her cards while playing a round of blackjack. Elsa slapped an ace flat over top of her two cards. "An ace is one point, right?" Anna asked, not remembering the rules of the game. "It can either be one or eleven points," Kristoff said. "Wait, what?" Anna looked confused, "One or eleven?" "You have a soft hand, which basically means that you're holding an ace," Kristoff explained, "An ace is the best card you can get, you can win with it even with twenty points, but at twenty points it's the only card you can win with. But with an ace, you get to choose whether it's worth one or eleven points to get you closer to twenty-one or to prevent yourself from busting. In your case, you'll probably want to make it worth one point so that you have twelve points instead of twenty-two." "Alright, I'll go with that," Anna said. "Are you still playing this hand?" Elsa asked, seeing that she was distracted. "Oh, yeah," Anna responded back, "Hit me!" She was handed a three, adding to fifteen. "Hit me!" she said again. "That's a bit risky at this point," Kristoff said, and then watched her get a five, adding to twenty. "Stay," Anna said.
"You beat Elsa's hand that time," Kristoff told her. "Ready?" Elsa asked him, then he nodded, and she dealt him a king and a four. "A hard hand," Kristoff smiled slightly, "Not bad." "Ok, so what is a hard hand and how is that different from a soft hand?" Anna asked him. "It's when you have a face card, and that can be a king, queen, or a jack. They're all worth ten points," Kristoff said clarifying it for her, "So anything with a face card is a hard hand." Kristoff looked at Elsa, "Hit me." She dealt him a five, adding to nineteen. "Stay," he said, and Elsa looked at Anna to deal her two cards, and she got a two and a four. "Hit me!" Anna said, and was handed a three, "Hit me!" A four. "Hit me!" A two. "Hit me!" Elsa raised an eyebrow, but then put down another card. Another two. "How many hits are you going to risk making before you lose your hand? Most people only make one or two hits," Kristoff said, trying to advise her. "Kristoff, don't distract me," Anna brushed him off, "Hit me!" She was given a five, totaling up to twenty-two points. "That's a bust," Kristoff said. "I lost?" Anna asked, looking surprised, then sighed, "Darn it." "Well, that was five hits," he said, "So it's no surprise that you lost with seven cards."
"Alright, now it's just me and you," Kristoff said, looking at Elsa. He was dealt two eights, and then raised his eyebrows. "Make this a split," he told her, and then she separated the two cards and dealt a six and a ten to match each one. "So, that's fourteen and eighteen, which eighteen beats seventeen," Kristoff said aloud. "Aren't you going to hit?" Anna asked. "You can't hit with a split," Kristoff replied. Elsa dealt him a seven and a ten, and then Kristoff tapped the table, "Hit me." He was handed a six. "Twenty-three," Elsa told him. "Aw, come on!" Kristoff threw his arms up, complaining in a whiny tone of voice, "I was so close to winning!" "Do you want to play again?" Anna asked. "No, I'm done with blackjack," Kristoff replied angrily yet in a calm tone, "I'm done with games, period." "Well then, maybe Elsa and I could play," Anna said. "I think I'd prefer to do something else at this point," Elsa told her, "Care for a game of chess?" "You're on, sister!" Anna grinned excitedly, accepting the challenge.
Anna made her opening move by sliding the white pawn two spaces forward to E4, and Elsa moved the black pawn across from it to E5. Anna moved her white knight on the right side of the board to F3, and on Elsa's left she moved her black knight to C6 where it sat diagonally across from the white piece. Anna glided her white bishop to C4, and Elsa's black bishop moved to C5. Anna skimmed the board, and then pondered a moment. She moved her white pawn two spaces to B4, sacrificing her pawn with the Evan's Gambit in the attempt to put Elsa in a bad position. Elsa's eyes flicked up, noticing the aggressive yet seemingly weak move. Elsa then captured the white pawn by moving her black bishop one square diagonally, but observed that if Anna moved her white bishop to F7, her black king would be cornered. She pursed her lips in contemplation. Yet, she realized, the king at E8 could still capture the bishop, even if meant that she could not castle it with her rook should she later move her black knight out of the way.
Anna then shifted her white pawn from C2 forward a space to C3. Elsa's lips curved slightly in a smirk, but then she concealed it and moved her black bishop backwards to A5 where it was less vulnerable. Anna inspected the board, and then thought to protect her white king by castling it with a rook. Elsa stared, and then looped her black knight to F6. Although it was protected by a pawn, it was nevertheless at risk of being captured should Anna's white bishop continue to slide diagonally down its path. Anna moved a white pawn to D4. Elsa scrutinized the board, realizing that with an en passant of the black pawn at E5 to D4 would capture a white pawn, but would then easily put her black pawn at risk of being captured by another pawn or even a knight. She did an en passant anyways, moving one square diagonally across the board. Anna moved a white bishop from C1 to A3, then Elsa moved a pawn forward to D6. Once Anna slid a white pawn to E5, Elsa captured it with an en passant.
Kristoff lost interest in the game and twiddled his thumbs, staring off into the distance to oversee the canopy of the forest amongst the foothills. In the heavens above, he could make out pale blues blended into light yellows and muted oranges in the sky, while a red sun glared above a darkening purple line on the vanishing point of the horizon. He heard birds chirping, yet it was replaced by the lulling, romantic hum of crickets as time rolled on. He then looked back at the chess board. Olaf suddenly made his appearance outside, "Hey, guys! What are you all doing?" "Shh!" Anna hushed him. "Oh, chess," Olaf said, and then asked Kristoff, "Is that hard?" Elsa lightly drummed her fingers on the table awaiting for Anna to make her move. Anna moved a black pawn, and then Elsa's eyes lit up as she seized her opportunity to corner the white king and take it, saying, "Checkmate!" "Rats!" Anna said, frowning slightly, "Well, I'll do better next time." "That's a good way to look at it," Elsa said with a small smile. "I might even beat you! Just you wait and see!" Anna said confidently. "Oh, please! She beat you at everything!" Kristoff said judgmentally, "She beat you at chess, blackjack, and not to mention poker with a royal flush." "What's a royal flush?" Olaf asked curiously. "Ace, king, queen, jack, ten… almost nothing beats that," Kristoff answered, explaining to Olaf. "Don't be mean!" Anna scolded him, "I bet you couldn't pull that off yourself!" "Perhaps, but how do you know?" Kristoff crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair, "That was a lucky hand, without a doubt."
"I don't know how to discover your weak points," Anna said. "You did discover my weak points," Elsa said, "You just didn't notice them." "Really?" Anna asked, "Well then, how can I beat you next time?" "Are you really that determined to beat me?" Elsa asked with a small laugh. "Here's a bit of advice," Kristoff said, looking at Anna, "Don't focus so much on your pawns. You could have easily put her in a bad spot with your bishop earlier on in the game, and that would have given you an advantage of defeating black." "When was that?" Anna asked, demanding an answer. "Well, I can't tell you which move it was, but try to look a little closer next time," he said with a suggestion. "Well, how about a rematch?" Anna asked. "Sure," Elsa nodded approvingly, "If that's what you want."
Night fell over them, and the quiet was soon broken by the thundering sparks of fireworks that streamed into the air. "Oh! Look, Elsa! There's fireworks!" Anna said, looking up towards the spacious sky. It crackled and burst with color, shaking the earth as the fireworks boomed and resonated with pops and cracks. A stream of light spewed into the heavens rich with shadow, and hissed as it died down from sputtering into glaring shades of red. "Come look!" Anna waved Elsa over, and she gazed up at the explosives held high in the darkness. Firecrackers whistled, squealed, and spun in pinwheels, appearing in colors like amethyst and emerald. Gold blazed like a lion's mane, and its fire fizzed and faded as it cascaded down before disappearing. "They're so beautiful," Anna said, "I always loved fireworks." "Me, too," Elsa said with a small smile, agreeing with her. "Do I hear fireworks?" Kristoff asked, walking towards Anna and Elsa, and then tilted his head up, "Wow, would you look at that." Olaf appeared suddenly, "Hey, what's all that loud booming?" "Fireworks," Anna said, "Care to join us Olaf?" "Sure! I would love to!" Olaf said grinning widely.
As time rolled away, more pops rang out with the sky sparkling and emitting smoke into the air, and a shining, silvery light gleamed and formed the shape of a snowflake. "Look at that! A snowflake!" Olaf said pointing. After the spark ignited and faded, more surged and flooded the air, unraveling into glittering white and blue snowflakes. "Oh, wow… I've never seen anything like this before," he said, and then asked Kristoff, "Are those made of ice?" "Ice?" Kristoff asked, looking amused, "More like fire." "Oh…" Olaf frowned, "Well, that's a shame." One last jet of crystalline fire flew skyward, exploding into the shape of a blue heart with the queen's name, and a pink heart with the princess's name. "Anna, Elsa! Your names are in the sky!" Olaf beamed at them, "How cool is that?" When the rumbling had finally subsided, the fiery glimmers that fizzed from the afterglow had vanished into puffy clouds of smoke. "Aw, come on! Was that it?" Olaf asked in a disappointed tone of voice. "I believe so," Kristoff said. "But… but! I wanted to see more fireworks!" Olaf shouted, and then stared with his mouth ajar.
"Don't worry Olaf, you'll get to see more someday," Anna said reassuringly. "Aw, I can't believe that was the end of it! And those snowflakes, they weren't even real snowflakes, even if they looked cool," Olaf said. Elsa stared at him momentarily, and then pondered a bit. "Hold on, Olaf," she smiled at him, "I've got something for you." "What's that?" he asked, pivoting around. "Watch this," she held out her hand, releasing an orb of white magic, and everyone watched as it propelled high into the air. Suddenly, it burst into thousands of feathery ice crystals with a loud crack, alighting the black night with illumination. In the distance, the townspeople's cheering could be heard, as if they were responding to Elsa's magic at that given moment. The dispersing snowflakes floated down gently, swirling delicately and dancing in the light breeze. Olaf gasped with amazement, his eyes brightening with excitement, "Snow! Yay for snow!" He jumped with glee, "Oh, that was the coolest thing! Do it again, do it again!" "Elsa, this is amazing!" Anna looked in wonder, and then patted her on the shoulder, "I'm proud to call you my sister."
"I love it when the sky is awake!" said Olaf, stretching his arms happily up high. "Your highness," the servant Gerda came out appearing before Elsa, "My apologies, I've almost forgotten about your evening tea! I should have brought it out sooner to help you get some sleep." She placed a silver platter flat on the table. "Oh, why thank you," Elsa said. "You're welcome, darling," she poured the tea for her, and then looked at Anna, "Would you like a cup of tea, dearie?" "Sure, why not?" Anna said. Gerda poured her a cup as well. "Oh! I almost forgot! My queen, there's an important letter for you to read, allow me to go and fetch it for you," she said, and then disappeared to go search inside the castle. "Thanks for having me stay to play games with you," Kristoff told Anna, "Oh, and also for feeding me. Same with you, Elsa." "Oh don't thank me, Kristoff, there's no need to," Anna said, smiling at him. Gerda returned with the letter, setting it on the table near Elsa's tea, "Here's the letter, dear!" After she left, Anna grabbed the letter and opened it.
"Anna!" Elsa scolded her, "Don't read my letters! That could have important information, it could be confidential!" "Elsa, please," Anna waved her off, and took a moment to read it. She smiled, "Oh, Elsa! It's your lucky day!" "What?" Elsa asked, slightly curious, and a bit anxious about what Anna was reading. "This is an invitation to a coronation!" she beamed at her, "The coronation of Prince… oh, what's this name? Jah… jah-ah… jah… oh, I give up!" "What kingdom?" Elsa asked. "The kingdom of… Eee… er, I don't know. Could you read it?" Anna handed the letter to her, and Elsa inspected it and read aloud, "'Queen Elsa of Arendelle, you are invited to join us for the coronation of Prince Jacques at the Kingdom of Ethereal. Please RVSP if you wish to attend within a week to notify us if you are coming.'" "Oooooo! Those words sound fancy!" Anna exclaimed.
"Can I go? Can I go?" Olaf asked excitedly after eavesdropping. "No, Olaf, I'm afraid you'll have to stay here to prevent everyone from knowing about Elsa's ice powers," Anna said, "After all, not too many people have ever seen a talking snowman before." "Aw! But… it sounds like so much fun!" Olaf said, then pouted, "Well, I guess you're right." "Do you want to go?" Anna asked her. Elsa stared, contemplating the decision. She realized that if she was going to another kingdom, she would have to conceal her ice powers, or else the worst could happen again. "Elsa, are you alright?" Anna asked, looking concerned. "Hmm?" Elsa looked up. "I think that this would be a great experience, don't you think so, too?" Anna smiled at her, "Remember your coronation? I had a lot of fun, at least, for a while… you know." "Because you met someone?" Elsa said, guessing at what she meant by fun. "Well, that, and there was food, music, and dancing! Don't mention Hans. But that's not the point I'm trying to make, the point is that if you go, you could have a really good time!" Anna beamed at her, "And who knows, you could meet someone." "Oooooo… Elsa's going to meet someone!" Olaf's eyes went wide with interest.
"Anna, could we talk about this alone?" Elsa asked quietly in a whisper. Anna stared for a moment, "Oh, well… I suppose I would have to ask Kristoff to leave then, right?" Elsa nodded slightly. "Let me go talk to him," Anna replied, then walked towards him, "Kristoff." "Yeah?" "Um, could I ask you something? I mean not to be rude, but how much longer were you planning on staying?" Anna asked, trying not to offend him. "Uh, actually I don't know," he looked at his timepiece, "I guess it's late. Are you asking me to go?" "I mean, I like having you here, but Elsa and I… wanted to have some girl talk, if that's ok. You know how you and Olaf had your guy talk? Elsa and I have to talk about certain things we'd like to talk about in private," she grinned widely at him nervously, feeling a bit guilt-tripped about having to ask him to leave. "Oh… well, alright," Kristoff said, "I'm sure Sven would like to get out of that horse barn of yours. We prefer our home near the mountains." "Oh, but socializing is good for him! Maybe he made some new friends with the horses! Well, it was nice having you here Kristoff, and I would like to spend more time with you after tonight," she said, "Goodbye!" "Oh, right! Bye," Kristoff waved at her, staring silently for a moment as she walked away, and then went into the castle closing the door behind him.
"Alright, he's gone," Anna told Elsa as she approached her. "Anna," she began, then was lost at her words. "What?" Anna asked, anticipating her response. "It's great that you're thinking about having me go, but…" Elsa pondered momentarily, "I think it would be best if I didn't." "Oh, come on! If you always stayed here in Arendelle, that would get boring! I mean, when's the last time you left the kingdom?" Anna asked. "A couple of years ago to visit Corona," Elsa reminded her. "Right, to see our cousin. It's been a while since we've gone anywhere. We should check out this new place, it could be really exciting!" Anna grinned, "And… this Prince Jacques person, don't you want to meet him?"
"Anna, I think I know what you're getting at, that this is supposed to be more than just a visit," Elsa said, "And while that sounds great, I don't think there's anyone who's going to understand me." "This isn't about your powers, is it?" Anna asked. "Of course it is," Elsa told her, "why wouldn't it be? And who in their right mind would ever want to marry me if they knew about it?" "You forget something, Elsa," Anna said, "All of Arendelle knows about it, and you've had some suitors from Arendelle, haven't you?" Elsa smiled a bit, but rolled her eyes, "I know, but none of them are for me."
"Why not?" Anna was curious to know. "Well, I don't feel as if any of them are the right person. Some men just want to marry me for wealth or to rule over Arendelle, and then there are some guys who are nice but I don't have any interest in them," her sister explained. "Elsa, you worry too much! I bet all those nice, cute guys that asked to marry you didn't mind that you had ice powers," Anna said, trying to encourage her to pursue romance. "They weren't all cute," Elsa told matter-of-factly, "I've only met a handful of them that were actually cute, and most of them were jerks." "Alright, so I haven't talked to all of your suitors like you have, but there's got to someone out there for you, I just know it," Anna pondered a bit, "Maybe the problem is that you're too picky when it comes to a guy." "You think I'm picky?" Elsa looked surprised.
"Well, yeah, you don't give that many guys your attention," Anna pointed out to her. "I don't think I'm that picky," Elsa said straightforwardly, "I'm not picky about a man's appearance." "I thought you said only a handful of guys who asked to marry you were cute," Anna said, looking slightly baffled. "True, but I don't expect him to be taller than me or have a certain eye color," Elsa replied, explaining herself, "But if you mean picky by what kind of a person he is, then yes, I suppose I am a bit picky." "Oh, I see your point. I guess you're just… cautious. Still, I think you should just let down your guard and open up more, and then you might end up with someone," Anna said making a suggestion. "Cautious, I suppose that's the right word," Elsa said, but then asked, "Still, is there anyone who wants to actually spend some quality time with me and not whisk me into a hasty marriage?" "Sure there is!" Anna grinned cheerfully, but saw Elsa frown a bit, "It doesn't seem like it." Anna looked at her, and then thought for a moment. Her eyes suddenly brightened with something that popped in her mind, "I know! Here's an idea, how about we announce to everyone in Arendelle that you're single and you're looking for a man who's a certain way, whatever it is that you like in a guy. That way we'll have a better chance at finding him!" Elsa stared disapprovingly, "Please don't." "Why not?" Anna asked. "Just don't embarrass me. I don't need the whole kingdom knowing about my personal life," Elsa waved her off.
"Elsa, being in a relationship can be a wonderful thing! If you're with the right person, like you said, since the person you're with makes all the difference," Anna told her, then let her voice trail off momentarily, only to speak again, "Haven't you ever been in love with someone? Really, truly deeply in love with someone?" "Well," Elsa uttered a word, and then noticed Anna staring at her, "Um, nevermind." "You won't tell me? You know you can trust me, we're sisters," Anna told her. "I don't want to talk about it, if that's alright with you," Elsa replied. She looked away, staring into the night sky at the glittering stars. "You know, for a long time, I thought you could care less about loving some guy," Anna said with a slight shrug of her shoulders. "Anna, you hardly knew anything about me," Elsa turned back to face her, "I know there's still a lot I haven't told you, even if we've grown very close in the last several years." "So, you have been in love?" Anna raised an eyebrow, and then waited for her response as she noticed Elsa was silent, "Is that right? You have before?" "Yes," Elsa confessed, "I guess that was the one thing I left out."
"Well, I must say that I'm a bit surprised," Anna said, "It's just that we've never talked about this before. I mean we're always talking about what we have to do, what we did, what we plan on doing for the day or for the week, and not to mention what the weather is like." "Stories about the weather never get old, do they?" Elsa said with a smile, "Yes, the weather is always a part of our conversations." "Another day without snow," Anna sighed, "That's always a good day, isn't it? I take it you're feeling well on those days." Elsa had a small laugh, "If you say so." Anna smiled, then it vanished into a slight frown as she contemplated a thought for a moment, "Elsa, you know we're talking about guys, and I thought about Kristoff." "What about him?" Elsa asked. "It's been four years since we've met, so I feel that we're comfortable with each other at this point," Anna told her, "Only he's been busy with his ice business, and I know that he stops by the castle to pick ice up from you, not to mention he's racing now… so, I feel that he's grown distant."
"Do you still think he wants me?" Anna asked, looking worried. "Anna, I truly believe Kristoff is the right person for you," Elsa told her, "And I'm sure he does." "Well, sometimes it seems like he doesn't," Anna looked down, "And I was wondering if he was going to ask to marry me or not, after all of this time has gone by." "Anna, you're still a bit young for a marriage," Elsa spoke in a candid manner, "Besides, getting married to him is not as important. What really matters is the friendship you have with him." "Friendship? So that's how he looks at it?" Anna replied in an angry tone, "Elsa, are you saying he doesn't want me?" "No, Anna," Elsa said, trying to calm her, then explained, "No relationship should ever exist between two people if there isn't a friendship between them. Some people who are married to each other aren't friends; they're practically strangers to one another. And then they wonder why they're never happy." Anna stared in marvel at what she said, "You know, I've thought of it that way before." "His friendship shows that he respects you," Elsa said, "And that's very important, if not the most important thing." "I guess you're right," Anna agreed with her, "I just felt like there was hardly any affection between us." "It will come eventually, I'm sure," Elsa said with confidence.
"Oh, and about that coronation," Anna said to remind her, "Tell me you're going." "Alright, I'll go," she smiled at her in agreement. "Yes!" Anna clapped happily, "Oh, Elsa! I'm so glad you're going! I mean that we're going, but that's great! It's going to be a blast; I think you'll enjoy it." "I hope you're right," Elsa replied. "And you're going to go and talk to someone, right?" Anna asked raising an eyebrow, then saw Elsa blink with a blank expression at her. "You know who," Anna smiled, then Elsa did too, "Oh, right." "You're going to try, yes? Because if you don't, I'm going to walk on over to that man for ya," she winked at her, "And I'm gonna tell him all about you, and how great you are, and if he doesn't say yes then I'll tell how much he's missing out!" "Alright, Anna," Elsa's eyes sparkled, "I'll talk to him."