Author's Note:

Hello everyone and welcome to the third chapter. This one marks another dramatic turn in Kristoff's life and his exit from the orphanage. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

I own nothing.

Chapter 3

It was a couple of months later that life decided to throw him another sucker punch.

He'd settled into a sort of routine at the orphanage. He kept to himself and would often sneak out into the forest and if that was all, he'd have been quite content.

But there was also the bullying.

His tendency to be alone had attracted the attention of the other kids and some of them had seen it as an excuse to target him. In a way, it was kind of expected. They were all at the orphanage for some reason and not necessarily because their parents were dead. Some had been abandoned, others had run away from home and one or two were there because their parents were in prison. This brought a variety of children to the orphanage and variety, unfortunately, caused conflict.

It was a group of slightly older boys, old enough to know better but young enough to not care, that were the ringleaders and though it wasn't constant, they did like to pick on him from time to time. It rarely reached physical violence, such things were quickly picked up on by the carers and dealt with, but the verbal abuse and the way they 'included' Kristoff in their games was bad enough. It probably would've been a lot worse if he wasn't sneaking out so often and it wasn't like he was the only one being bullied but they then discovered one of the things he genuinely feared.

Fire.

Ever since the loss of his parents, he'd hated fire. He remembered all too well how it consumed his home and his mother and he definitely was aware of how dangerous it was. He wasn't so scared that he couldn't be anywhere near it but he was certainly wary and tried to avoid it if he could. As far as he was concerned, fire was to be confined to fireplaces and ovens where it was actually useful for cooking and heating, it was also fine on candles and inside lanterns but nowhere else.

Which was why he wasn't happy to see it behind some bushes in the orphanage grounds.

He didn't know how the boys had got their hands on some fire-lighting materials but they were certainly making the most of them. They'd got a little fire going and were busy playing about and burning things out of sight of the carers.

"What are you doing!?"

Normally, Kristoff wouldn't draw attention to himself like this but the fire had unnerved him. The boys glanced round in fear then smirked when they saw it was just him, one of them shrugged, "What does it look like Krissy?"

Krissy was the name they'd started calling him and he hated it, this time though he ignored it, "You shouldn't be playing with fire like that!"

The carers would have a fit if they discovered what was going on, they strictly prohibited the kids from going anywhere near fire, emphasising its dangers if misused or not treated carefully. However, Kristoff himself was far more worried about the fact this fire was dangerously close to the bushes, he had images of it getting out of control and spreading through the orphanage grounds.

The boys seemed unconcerned and one answered dismissively, "It's just fire. It's not that dangerous."

Another smirked, "Though a little fraidy-cat like you might think so."

Kristoff glanced back towards the orphanage, seeing if he could spot one of the carers and get them to stop what was going on. As he did so, one of the boys grabbed a lit stick and grinned at his mates.

"Catch Krissy!"

He tossed it towards Kristoff and the boy jumped away with a yelp. As it landed on the ground, he immediately stamped on it, trying to put it out as the boys all laughed.

"Looks like little Krissy is scared of fire!"

"Little fraidy-cat!"

Grinning maliciously, another boy tossed another burning stick at him. This one struck his hand and he yelped louder as it burned him. The heat made him panic and without thinking, he bolted away and towards his escape route from the orphanage grounds, leaving the boys rolling around with laughter at his reaction.

He was in the forest before he finally stopped running and he glanced down at his burnt hand.

It was actually only a very mild burn and would heal on its own no problem but it still hurt. Rubbing it tenderly he started walking.

As far as he was concerned, the further away from the boys' fire the better, he didn't want to be anywhere near flames that hadn't been made by a sensible adult. He knew that he'd have to go back to the orphanage eventually but for now, he was glad to be out in the forest by himself.

He didn't pay much attention to where he was going, he'd been out here so often he knew his way about pretty well and could find his way back with ease. As he walked, he continued to nurse his hand, though it didn't hurt much at all anymore, and he soon reached the place he'd seen the reindeer several months ago.

This time it was reindeer free but he didn't mind and he picked up some sticks to play with, this one made a good sword, that one was a dagger and this long one could be a spear. With this armoury, he could be a dashing warrior or a noble prince on some heroic quest, maybe even an intrepid explorer on his way to discover some great treasure.

He started to hop around the forest, his imagination lending itself to his lone game of make-believe as he battled pretend foes with his 'weapons'. As he played, the events with the boys faded away and were soon pushed to the back of his mind as he continued his adventure. He became so absorbed in his game, he failed to notice two people approaching him until one of them clamped their hand on his shoulder.

He instantly screamed and lashed out with his stick, striking the man in the stomach.

The grip on his shoulder immediately released as the man doubled over in surprise and the second one laughed.

"Feisty kid this one."

He grabbed Kristoff and easily lifted the boy, unbothered by his struggles. As his crony recovered, he nodded down at the boy, "What do ye think, shall we take 'im?"

The first one snorted, "Why? He doesn't have anything on him and I think he's one of those orphans from the village. I thought he might've been worth something to someone but nobody would pay for some parentless village squirt."

The second one rolled his eyes, "I wasn't thinking we try and ransom 'im, I thought that with some tender, loving care, 'e could serve us."

The first man grinned, "Oh, I see. A little slave would make things easier."

"LET ME GO!"

Kristoff bit the man holding him viciously, causing him to drop the boy in pain. However, the first grabbed him and tossed him over his shoulder before he could escape. Kristoff continued to punch and kick his captor and shout his lungs out but it did nothing but make the man snap in annoyance, "Stop struggling kid! You're coming with us and you'll do everything we tell you to or be punished."

The second man nursed his bite, "And yer first punishment will be fer biting me! Now SHUT IT!"

Scared, Kristoff fell silent and he stared helplessly back at the woods he'd come to know so well as he was taken away from them.

PS-So a bit of a dramatic turn there. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.