Disclaimer: I don't own any works of fiction referenced in this story.

Chapter 3

The Strange Crash

A Somewhat Long Time Ago…

Kristoff was riding in the woods with Sven. It was the perfect time to go on a sleigh ride in the woods. Most of the creatures were in hibernation and the moonlight touched the landscape, making the white snow dazzling, and the tree icicles crystal clear. There was no doubt that tonight was the perfect night to set out on an errand.

And on an errand Kristoff and Sven were. As the official Ice Master and Deliverer of Arendelle, Kristoff was in charge of ice harvesting and import-export of all ice related goods. That usually meant he coordinated the other ice harvesters, set taxes and tariffs, and other bureaucratic nonsense. Tonight was different though. Kristoff and Sven were out harvesting some ice themselves. They sometimes did this when they wanted some moments away from the palace.

In the year since Kristoff had helped a girl look for the queen at the North Mountain, much had changed for Kristoff. Not only was he the IMDA, as Olaf liked to call his new job, but he also was dating the girl he had helped, who just so happened to be the princess of Arendelle. Imagine that. Also, Kristoff had made some new friends that were human themselves. He also needed to learn some new rules for palace life. It was stuffy sometimes, but rewarding. Anything to be with the girl he liked. The food was excellent, the people were like a family to him, and the accommodations were top-notch. No doubt about it, life was good.

Sven broke Kristoff out of his thoughts by braying. "What is it, Sven?" Kristoff asked.

Sven looked up at the sky. Kristoff looked up and saw the Northern Lights. He smiled. He had a feeling what Sven was trying to tell him.

"The Northern Lights are beautiful, Kristoff." Sven 'said.' Sven couldn't really talk, of course, but Kristoff usually knew what Sven was trying to say. So, Kristoff gave Sven a voice, saying what he thought Sven was saying. Most of the time, he was right. If there were times he wasn't, nobody would tell the difference.

"The Lights are nice, Sven." Kristoff replied. The Northern Lights were excessively beautiful. They seemed to be jumping from color to color. Anna and Olaf would say that the sky was awake. And at the moment, the sky did seem to be so.

Sven shook his head and brayed more vigorously. Kristoff looked over. Had he misinterpreted Sven? Sven still seemed to be looking up, but was getting more antsy and concerned.

Kristoff looked back up. What could be concerning the reindeer on a night like…

Then Kristoff saw it. There was something falling from the sky. The thing looked rather human, and didn't seem to be moving. It was falling fast and getting closer to the ground.

"Come on, Sven. We need to go see what that is." Kristoff said. Sven gave a quick exasperated look, like "Now you get it," and charged straightaway.

In a few minutes, they came to a large clearing. The thing had landed in a large pile of snow. As Kristoff approached, he saw that the thing was indeed a human. It looked like a boy in his late teens, seventeen maybe. He was wearing some blue pants, and a blue shirt with a hood on the back. The boy wasn't wearing any shoes, but that wasn't what concerned Kristoff. What concerned him was that the boy's hair was white. It was so white, it could give Elsa's hair a run for her money. Though, now that Kristoff was looking, he saw that the hair was changing color, from white to brown. Kristoff shook his head. Today had turned from a nice calm night to one of the weirdest ones he'd seen. Seemed kind-of like Wednesday nights when Elsa got a little controlling.

Kristoff turned to Sven. "Is the boy alive?" Sven asked.

"Not sure," Kristoff replied. "I'll go check."

Kristoff went over to the small crater where the boy was lying. He saw that the teen's stomach was heaving up and down. So he was breathing. Good. Kristoff leaned down to check the boy's pulse. It was faint, but there.

Kristoff turned back to Sven. "He's alright, Sven."

Sven gave Kristoff a relieved look. "Then we should bring him back to the palace for help. Maybe Elsa and Anna will know what to do," he said.

Kristoff nodded. "You're right, buddy."

Kristoff then picked up the boy. He was lighter than he looked. Come to think of it, he was also a little warmer than he should be for a boy lying unconscious in the snow. Something else to ponder on the ride back.

As Kristoff was leaving, he noticed that the boy's hand was held tightly around a long stick. It was a peculiar stick at that, straight up, then curving to form a crescent moon shape at the end. The boy's grip on the stick was like a vice. There was no way the boy was letting it go. Maybe it was important to the teenager.

Kristoff knew there was a lot he didn't know about the boy, but he knew that if he didn't get him warmer and inside soon, then the boy wouldn't have long to live. He lifted the teen into the back of the sleigh, clearing the snow from him and wrapping him in three blankets.

Kristoff then prepared to set out. After ensuring the boy was secure, he went to the front, making sure Sven was hitched to the sleigh. He then went up to the reigns, and after checking that everything was ok with the boy, flicked the reins. "Let's go, Sven."

Sven took off at a quick trot. Fast enough so that they could get to the palace quickly, but slow enough so that the boy would not fall out. They passed over hill and dale to get back to Arendelle.

When Kristoff saw the village, he breathed a sigh of relief. Soon, the boy would get help; and hopefully, he and Sven would get answers to their questions when the boy awakened.

And now Jack has arrived in Arendelle. We will soon see how first interactions go. As always, please rate and review.