Anna sucked on a potato chunk from her soup and glowered across the dining table at the guest of honor: Kristoff. Elsa naturally held the position at the head of the table with Anna on her left and Kristoff on the right. Neither one of the two had even touched their first course because there'd been no pause in the conversation since Elsa asked Kristoff if he would consider becoming Arendelle's official Ice Master and Deliverer. This was after Anna's delayed and awkward introductions. While Anna was glad Elsa was finally getting acquainted with someone who had ice in common with her, it was the one thing she didn't have in common with either of them. Not really, anyway. Sure, she'd had a piece of ice in her heart, but that wasn't the same thing as working with ice or creating it.

"…your reindeer would help you?" Elsa asked, incredulous.

"Oh, he's not MY reindeer. But he is my friend," Kristoff answered. "I guess he just cheered me on, now that you mention it." This had Elsa chuckling.

How could they sit there and act like there weren't guards patrolling the streets and town limits for any sign of Hans?

"He sounds like an interesting character!" Elsa said.

"We should all go down to see him later. He'll like you."

"You said he likes carrots, right? We can bring him some!" Elsa suggested. Then with a wink, she added, "We have only the best here in the castle."

Finally, Anna interrupted. "Are we just going to pretend everything is fine?" It was just like Elsa to hide from a problem. But she had at least expected Kristoff to stay focused. Instead he just sat there, looking startled by her change of subject.

Cool as ice, Elsa said, "Would you prefer for us to talk about how you recklessly pushed a criminal into the fjord? Or how your actions quite possibly helped him get away?"

Anna's mouth dropped open but she hardly knew how to respond. She looked to Kristoff for support but he was busy shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

Elsa sighed. "I went too far. I'm sorry… I'm –"

Anna cut her off. "You're right." She tried to smile but she was sure she looked upset. She slid back in her chair and stood. "Please excuse me. I'm feeling tired." She knew that the situation was her fault. Elsa and Kristoff didn't need to agonize over the search just because that's what she was doing.

"Anna, wait! The guards will find him. I'm just a little… emotional about the whole thing. You know, with a sociopathic murderer on the loose."

"I know," Anna said. "Still, it's my fault. Sorry, I'm… really not very hungry. Let me know if you hear any—" She squealed as suddenly one of the guards burst through the door behind her.

"Your Highness!" he shouted, pausing to catch his breath. He had obviously run all the way to deliver his report. "We've searched every street, every cellar, all the shops, turned up every stone and scanned every shore of the fjord. Prince Hans is nowhere to be found."

At first, Elsa was silent. She eventually said, "I see." Anna could see from the other end of the table that Elsa was slowly retreating within herself. She would shut down and shut everyone out again, and it was Anna's fault.

"Did you try the roads? The forests?" Kristoff asked.

"We have men searching them now. But he couldn't have gotten that far without someone seeing him. No one's seen hide or hair of him."

Anna exchanged a final panicked look with Elsa and Kristoff before storming past the guard. She ignored the calls behind her, wanting nothing more than to be ashamed alone. Either she had murdered Hans or he was out there somewhere… up to something.

Anna locked her door and collapsed into bed. So much had happened in just a couple of days. Her body was still sore from her first journey out of Arendelle. Her head still hurt from trying to process everything; being frozen hadn't helped. Her heart still hurt from…that backstabbing idiot. Didn't poetic justice demand that she get a LITTLE satisfaction? All she wanted was to hurt him for everything he'd done. "Not KILL him!" she cried, exasperated.

But somehow that paled in comparison to Elsa's words. Anna tossed over on her side. It stung to be called reckless. True, she knew herself to be guilty of not always thinking things through… but Elsa had been the one to summon a blizzard to their home. Elsa had been the one to run away from it!

"How am I the reckless one?" she asked her pillow. Then she laughed at herself. As children, she and Elsa had never really argued. Even during the time Elsa ignored her, Anna could never really blame her sister. Their first real fight had been at the coronation celebration. Now that there was no blizzard or faux fiancé standing between them, things could have been normal.

"Nothing else to do but wait for more news," she whispered. But another part of her wondered what would happen if Hans was really gone.

A soft knock at the door pulled her away from her thoughts. Hopeful that it was Elsa, Anna hopped out of bed and unlocked her door. But the visitor was not her sister.

"Kristoff!"

"Anna…" he started, seeming to search her face. He hesitated, trying to decide on the words. Then he asked, "Are you all right?"

Anna felt her cheeks glow as she took in his concern. "Who, me? I'm fine!" She smiled and wished she could tell him everything. It meant so much that he was here for her. But she couldn't drag him into her doubts and her fears.

Kristoff raised an eyebrow. Obviously he hadn't expected her to be cheerful. "No, really!" Anna insisted. "Yes, I'm concerned that Hans is creeping around the castle grounds somewhere – or WORSE, that I accidentally murdered my would-be murderer—"

"Worse?!" Kristoff exclaimed. "He tried to kill you AND your sister."

Anna looked up at him. Her smile faded as she allowed herself to become serious. "I know that. Believe me, I'm angry. But…it's up to his family to punish him. I'm not a killer, Kristoff."

But he was shaking his head, looking past her. Whatever he was originally going to say, he let it go. But he did say, "They may be no better than him."

"We don't know that."

Kristoff frowned in defeat. But he quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded napkin to hand to her.

"What's…?" Anna started to ask, unfolding the napkin.

"I nabbed those for you from the dessert tray. Sorry, looks like they're a little melted."

Anna gawked down at blobby remains of the four chocolate truffles in the napkin. Then she giggled and slapped Kristoff on the arm.

"Hey! I said I was sorry!" he said with a grin. Anna stuck one of the melted truffles into her mouth and started laughing harder, offering up the other three to share. But Kristoff just shook his head.

When Anna calmed down, the two just stood there for a moment. When one thought the other wasn't looking, they would steal a quick glance. But their eyes were otherwise glued to the floor.

Finally, Kristoff started to speak. But so did Anna. "After you," Kristoff said.

"Thank you for the chocolate," she said. When it looked like he was waiting for more, she added, "… and for checking on me. I'm all right. But… I'm exhausted too. I should probably turn in for the night…"

Kristoff hesitated, then nodded glumly. "Of course." He gazed softly into Anna's eyes and asked, so quietly that she almost didn't hear, if he could give her a kiss goodnight.

Anna nodded and closed her eyes with her face tilted up toward him. Her cheeks were hot again. She'd never been kissed before! She'd wanted Hans to kiss her back when her life depended on true love's kiss… and admittedly, because she thought she loved him.

Love. Kissing. Did she love Kristoff? Was love a requirement for a first kiss? Did he love her? But before Anna could panic any further, she felt Kristoff's lips briefly touch her cheek. When she opened her eyes, he smiled. Had she done something wrong or is that what he had meant?

"That was… nice," she murmured, unable to gauge her disappointment. A silence lingered over them before she said, "Goodnight, Kristoff."

"Goodnight," he answered.

When each had given the other an awkward wave, Anna closed her door and turned back into her room.

"I have to fix this," she thought aloud.