Repercussions
Kristoff arrived at Anna's house later that day. After he had talked with Elsa and he had made sure she was more or less okay, he had gone to his apartment to feed Sven and change. He tried to look more presentable, even if it didn't really helped with the conversation he was about to have with Anna and her family.
He stood in their front door for a minute thinking the best way to address the topic, but he thought it was best to just let conversation flow. He knocked three times and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He was not only going to face his in-laws, he was also about to face Anna and say he had lied to her from the beginning. It was not really his truth to tell to begin with, but he felt guilty for keeping her in the dark nonetheless.
It felt like hours until the door finally opened. Idunn greeted him with something he recognised as surprise, "Kristoff… hello."
kristoff couldn't blame them for not expecting him to visit so soon after the incident, but he felt it was necessary to clear things up as soon as possible. Not to mention convince them to keep quiet about his sister's secret. "Hi," said Kristoff timidly. "I'm sorry I came unannounced, but I felt it was necessary to come and-" he tried to explain his reasons for showing up so suddenly, but she interrupted him.
"No need to apologise. Please, come in," said Idunn reassuringly.
"Hello, Kristoff," said Agdar as he watched Kristoff enter the living room. "Have a seat."
"Would you like something to drink?" asked Idunn, not really knowing what to say or do. Both parties were nervous to talk with the other but for different reasons. Kristoff was still debating what to say while Idunn and Agdar felt Kristoff could guess something was wrong with them. Idunn felt somewhat relieved Anna was still sleeping, she was not sure how Anna was going to react to the new reality she was living in, and she wanted to talk with her daughter once before anything left the family.
"No," said Kristoff, clearing his throat afterwards. He was more nervous than he had anticipated. "No, that's okay. Where is Anna?"
"She is sleeping."
"We had a long night," clarified Agdar.
He had meant to make the comment as part of the conversation, but Kristoff misunderstood the meaning. "Oh, dear. Okay… I can imagine," he said knowing it was time he began talking about Elsa and the accident the previous night. "That's why I'm here actually."
Idunn looked at him, and suddenly realised it was illogical Kristoff knew anything about their past. It was clear the young man was there to talk about the other 'big' thing that had happened the night before. It was not Kristoff's fault Elsa's powers were old news to the Arendelle family after all. He was there ready to explain Elsa's misfortune and he was more nervous than they had ever seen him. She thought it was best to let him know they were not mad or anything, "Kristoff, we can't say we are not surprised." That part was true. "But-"
"No, wait," interrupted Kristoff. Something told him he needed to explain his sister's story and condition before he let them talk. He needed them to hear him out before they made up their mind about anything regarding Elsa. "Before you say anything, I want to apologise," he began. "What happened last night was terrible. I know things shouldn't have ended the way they did, and that's why I'm here. To apologise in the name of Elsa and explain what you saw. Elsa… She has a condition." He made a pause and tried to think the best way to explain his sister's powers. One thing was to talk about them with his family, where everyone knew about them. Another completely different was mentioning 'ice powers' to other people and not sound like a lunatic. "Okay, it's really hard to explain this. Elsa can control ice and snow. She can create ice and snow at will… Well, not completely at will, if her emotions are too strong she loses control, like she did last night," he hurried the last part trying to explain it had been an accident and not Elsa's choice. "What you saw yesterday was an example of what she can do."
"Actually, Kristoff we don't-" tried to say Agdar but once again Kristoff interrupted.
"No, please, let me finish," he would have never interrupted his parents-in-law so much in the past. But this time he felt Elsa's well being depended on his apology and how much Idunn and Agdar understood his worries. "This is really important. I know what happened yesterday doesn't look good." He looked at Idunn directly and explained, "my sister almost struck you with an ice blast and it's understandable if you are afraid of her because of that. But please, believe me when I say she is not dangerous." He turned his attention towards Agdar to make sure both of them listened clearly, "her powers may be scary sometimes, but they can also be incredibly beautiful. She always control her powers and she never uses them in front of other people, never. However, they are connected to her emotions." Truth be told, no one in his family knew if that was the case, but it was the only explanation they had found to Elsa's struggle. "She can't hold her powers back when she is under too much stress."
Agdar and Idunn remained quiet. All their life they had wondered what Elsa's powers were and how they worked, to hear Kristoff reasoning about they being connected to her emotions suddenly made a lot of sense to the couple. Even if the explanation lacked substantial proof, it made more sense than anything they had ever thought.
Kristoff understood their silence as a sign to complete the idea, and so he did, "when that happens, one of us, - my family, I mean - is there to help her calm down. Last night, I should have let Elsa leave the table on time. I should have helped her, but I didn't. So, what happened is not her fault. She tried to do the right thing. She is aware of her power and always tries to protect people. The ice blast was not intentional. She would never hurt other people."
Agdar looked at Kristoff and analysed his body language. The young man still looked nervous, no doubt he was waiting for an answer - a reaction of some kind -. But he seemed sincere and sure of what he was saying. He was ready to take the blame for the accident, even if he was not the one with the powers. Even if the only one to blame was Agdar himself. Agdar knew he was the reason Elsa had reacted the way she did. So, he tried to calm Kristoff's worry, "Her powers were a shocking surprise. We cannot lie." Even if a person possessing ice powers wasn't something new for them, to see them in a young woman who fitted the description of their daughter had indeed been a great surprise. "We are still trying to process what happened here last night. But we can't blame your sister..."
Afraid of what her husband was about to say, Idunn stepped in, "what Agdar is trying to say is… we understand. Well, we don't really understand much about her powers but we don't think she tried to hurt us on purpose."
"She didn't," confirmed Kristoff relieved it was them who were saying it. "And the snowstorm, after she left the house, was an accident too. She was scared. She didn't mean any of this."
"How is your sister?" asked Idunn, worried about the girl. She hadn't stopped thinking about her long lost daughter the whole night, and she couldn't help herself from asking.
"Truth is, she feels terrible for what she did. She is afraid of the repercussions this may have." Kristoff took the opportunity to ask for the only favour he needed from Anna's family. "I beg you not to tell anyone about Elsa's powers. If word is spread about them, we don't know what people may want to do to her. We can talk about her powers if you want. I can explain as much as my family knows about them if that will ease your mind; but, promise me you'll keep the secret. Trust my word when I say, 'my sister is not dangerous'."
Their heart broke at Kristoff's concern. He not only wanted to make sure his sister was going to be safe, but he also wanted other people know - to believe - she was safe to be around.
Before they got a chance to answer, Anna thought it was a good moment to let them know she had been hearing the conversation too. She had heard Kristoff talking downstairs when she woke up, and rushed to the living room to talk and listen to what he had to say. Luckily, she had arrived just as he began his explanation. Not wanting to interrupt him, she sat in the staircase and listened. She was also curious about her parents reactions. She doubted they were going to say anything to Kristoff just like that, but she needed to hear what they thought.
After Idunn's question and Kristoff's plea, she felt it was necessary for her to speak in the name of her parents. She suspected they weren't going to talk, but it wasn't a bad idea to make it clear she didn't want them saying a word about Elsa either. "They won't say a word," she said, surprising everyone in the room. She stood up and walk towards the sofa, where her parents were sitting.
"Anna, I didn't know you were up," said Kristoff, not knowing if she had heard enough to understand Elsa's condition. He made a mental note to ask her about it.
Anna didn't answer and continued, "They can keep the secret. I'm sure they won't say a word."
Idunn and Agdar got Anna's message clearly. She was asking them to comply with Kristoff's wishes, as well as showing she was still hurt by their secrets. Idunn was the first one to assure Kristoff he had their word, "We won't, Kristoff. Your sister's secret is safe."
The young man sighed in relief, "This means a lot to Elsa and my family." He turned to Anna, he still felt guilty for keeping her in the dark about Elsa, "I'm sorry I didn't say anything about this sooner. But you may understand it wasn't easy."
Anna looked at him in the eyes and knew he was being sincere, even more than her parents the night before. Kristoff was truly sorry for not sharing this truth before, even when the secret didn't belong to him. She understood then all the times he had apologised for not explaining Elsa's behaviour. Every time he had said to her 'you'll understand one day', came to her mind and she felt her heart warm at the idea that he had intended to tell her from the beginning, he just didn't know how to do it. And she understood now why; her sister-in-law's powers were something unbelievable; unless you had the chance to see them in person.
Before she could answer or reassure Kristoff she was okay with his decision, her father said, "We understand. There are some things that are difficult to talk about." He turned his head to his daughter for the second part.
The action got on Anna's nerves in an instant. She was trying to be understanding of her parents past, but the way they were acting was not helping her. Before she could analyse what she was doing she said, "That's right. And there's something my parents need to talk about too." She looked at her parents and said, "and it'd be better to talk about it now."
Even if her tone leave no room for contradictions, Agdar tried to dissuade his daughter, "Anna, I don't think it's the right time…"
Kristoff thought it was related to the accident the previous night, and immediately accepted, "I came here to talk. If there's something you need to say, I'll be glad to listen."
Anna's parents felt trapped and soon realised their daughter was not going to let them get away from it. Reluctantly, Idunn took the initiative like she did the previous night, and began talking.
On the other side of town, Gerda entered her daughter's bedroom ready to offer her some food when she noticed she wasn't there. "Elsa, would you like to-" she was surprised to find the bed empty and no sign of her in the room nor the bathroom. "Elsa?"
She walked around the house looking for the girl until she found her standing in the middle of their yard under the falling snow. Gerda had to accept she still found it a bit disturbing how Elsa could stay in the snow with just light clothes on, but she had given up trying to make her wear warm clothes years ago.
"There you are," she said as she walked the distance from the house to the place she was standing. Unlike her daughter, she had taken the time to put on a warm jacket before joining her. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?"
Elsa kept looking at the falling snow, making Gerda think she hadn't heard her, but after a deep breath she answered, "I'm better."
"Would you like to eat something?"
"I'm not hungry… Where is Kristoff?"
"He left an hour or two ago. He wanted to go to his apartment before heading to Anna's house. Did you need anything?"
"I just wanted to talk to him."
"Well, he said he was going to come back later." Gerda noticed Elsa was more distracted than usual. She couldn't expect her to feel perfectly fine after everything that had happened, but she wished the girl could forgive herself for her mistakes more easily. She looked up and noticed the snowfall was steadily becoming stronger, "are you sure you are okay?"
"It's not me. It's the weather," replied Elsa, offended by the question when she noticed her mother had paid attention to the snow before asking.
"I didn't- I was not-" Gerda tried to come up with an excuse, but there was nothing she could say. It was true she had just tried to read her daughter through the snow instead of paying attention to her directly. Something she also knew Elsa despised. "I'm sorry. I just worry about you."
Elsa remained quiet paying attention to everything around her except her mother. She didn't feel like talking, but she knew it was best if she did, "I feel so guilty."
The old woman cut the distance between them, standing by her side and holding her left hand tenderly. "What happened last night was an accident, Elsa. It's not your fault your powers are attached to your emotions."
"I can only hope Anna is not too afraid of me now. I can't blame her if she won't talk to me again after this."
"Don't say that. Kristoff will talk to her." She hold her hand tighter, trying not to shudder at the cold temperature. "Anna will understand. She cares about you."
"Gerda," said Elsa surprising her mother. She only used her name when she needed her to listen. "I almost hurt her mother last night. You should stop pretending I'm not dangerous. It'll be normal for Anna to be scared."
"You are not. And she won't be." When Elsa finally turned her eyes to her mother's, Gerda noticed all the pain and shame she felt.
"I should just return to the North mountain and make things easier for everyone." The idea had been in her mind for the last few hours, and she felt it was time she voiced it.
"Elsa, you can't isolate yourself for the rest of your life. It's not healthy."
"Then what do you want me to do?!" her voice cracked.
Gerda noticed she was exasperated. Her powers and the problems they were causing were taking a toll on her daughter and her patience was wearing thin. "I want you to show Anna your powers are part of you. Show her you try harder than anyone to be the best version of yourself, and she will be your friend... There are people out there who we'll love you the way you are. Just like we did." Gerda raised her hand and kissed it like she used to do when Elsa was younger. The old woman had picked the habit after the first night Elsa had stayed in their house. Elsa, at the time, had been afraid of not earning the Bjorgmans' trust; and kissing her hand had been the only way Gerda had found to prove the young girl she believed in her.
Elsa gave her mother a shy smile. The gesture had meant more to Elsa than she had ever admitted out loud, and ti still had the same soothing effect. The memories brought back a question she hadn't dared ask when she was younger though, "weren't you afraid of me when you first saw my powers? When I almost froze your hand in the hospital?"
Taken aback by the question, since Elsa rarely mentioned that time of their life, she answered, "I was surprised, but not afraid no."
"Why?"
"Because the first thing I saw in your face after it was regret, dear. Dangerous people don't show regret for their actions."
Elsa looked at her with amazement. The answer was so sincere it took down Elsa's belief that Gerda had been afraid of her at the beginning. She had always thought the old woman had fought that fear and conquered it over time, after they got to know each other.
Without thinking it twice, Elsa hugged her mother and hold her tight. Gerda's love and acceptance had always made her feel better, and she couldn't put into words how much she loved her and needed her in her life. Gerda's trust made her feel better, giving her the idea that maybe there was a chance Anna could see past her powers, like the old woman had all those years ago.
Gerda hugged her back, enjoying the rare moment where Elsa let her guard down, forgot about her fears and let herself enjoy human contact. "Don't let your fears and insecurities control your life, Elsa."
The main door of Anna's house flung open and an angry Kristoff stormed off. He had tried to be patient enough with his parents-in-law for some minutes. But as the information and the realisation that they had been the ones responsible for Elsa's miserable childhood sank in, he knew he had had enough. He'd had been patient enough, and he left them talking to themselves as he left the house. He couldn't care less for their reasons - for their excuses - all he knew was they had had the chance to give his sister a good life, but they had chosen the easy way out. He was only half way to his truck when he heard Anna's pleas right behind him.
"Kristoff, wait, come back!"
Of course she was going to follow him. Of course Anna was going to see the good in everything and she was going to try to mediate things between them. Kristoff loved her for that, but at that moment he didn't want to listen. He kept walking in the snow, not bothering to look back.
"Kristoff!"
He heard her closer to him and he knew it was a matter of seconds before she grabbed his arm and tried to stop him. Before she got the chance, he turned around and said, "No!" harshly than intended. "No," he tried again, calming himself down. "I'm not going back there. You know what Elsa means to me. I don't care what they have to say."
Anna stopped in her tracks a few metres from him. She knew the truth was going to difficult for Kristoff to accept, but she hadn't thought he was going to react like that. "Kristoff, this is important. My parents need to talk about this with you, and more importantly with Elsa. They need to-"
"No," interrupted Kristoff. "Whatever they need is not my concern."
"If you could just please listen!" pleaded Anna.
"I don't care for their reasons. I came here to apologise. I came here in name of Elsa, who by the way feels like shit for what she did," he clarified, trying to let Anna understand why he was so angry. The accident the previous night had happened because he wanted Elsa to earn the respect and approval of Anna's parents, and now he found out that they were the ones who should be begging for respect. He felt betrayed by her parents and he didn't like the feeling. "I came here to ask for forgiveness on her part, only to find out your parents knew about her powers all along. I forced Elsa to stay here yesterday because I thought your father deserved respect. And now I find out about this?" he took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves. "I'm not going back there to talk with them."
"What about Elsa?" asked Anna, hoping he was going to change his mind if he thought this was something that could be life changing for Elsa.
He looked down, brows knitted together. He knew deep down this was about his sister's life, but his instinct told him to protect Elsa. His sister usually said she didn't give her biological parents much thought, but Kristoff remembered the conversations they'd had when they were kids. He remembered Elsa confessing her fear was to find out she had been left behind because she was different. And that was pretty much what they had done. Making up his mind, he said, "Elsa's got enough shit in her life to deal with something like this right now." With that, he turned and left in the direction of his vehicle.
"Doesn't she deserve to know the truth?" she tried again as she saw him climb into the truck. She felt her hope raise when she saw him roll down the window, she hurried to listen to his answer.
In a low voice, he answered, "she deserves to live a normal life... A life she could have lived if it wasn't for your parents." He knew his words were hurting Anna, but he couldn't pretend. Not in front of her. "I'm sorry. I am. But I don't care for their excuses."
Anna watched him leave in the same spot she had stood the night before. And just like the previous night, she stayed there for a few minutes before returning to her house. She couldn't blame Kristoff, especially when she felt betrayed by her parents too. But she didn't agree with him, accepting or not her parents' reasons was not his or her decision to make; it was Elsa's, and for that to happen Elsa needed to know the truth. She knew it was going to be difficult, but no one deserved to be left in the dark about something so important.
She entered the living room and soon her mother was by her side, "is Kristoff okay? Is he-?"
"He left," said Anna crestfallen. She had hoped for the conversation to end up differently.
"It was not the right time…" said Agdar.
Anna heard the sadness in her father's voice, but she felt her anger raise again anyway. "Then when was going to be the right time, dad? Somewhere between now and the next twenty-four years?"
Agdar knew there was no point in arguing, he looked down and accepted his daughter's outrage in silence.
It crushed her to see her father like that, but she couldn't find it in herself to forgive them just yet. She knew it was going to be easier for her to accept her parent's past when they did the right thing and finally confessed the truth to the person they had hurt the most with their lies. Still, she couldn't stand looking at her father like that and tried to explain her actions, "I couldn't keep the secret from Kristoff. It was necessary to tell him. I thought he was going to understand this better."
"I don't blame him," said Idunn. "It mustn't be easy. Elsa has always been his sister. Her biological family appearing out of thin air must be a scary idea for him."
Anna felt like a fool for not thinking about that sooner. She had been so focused on the truth and doing the next right thing, she hadn't stopped to think what it could mean to Kristoff and his family. "I hadn't thought about that… But I still believe Elsa deserves to know the truth. I'll let Kristoff think about this; but then, you are going to come clean with Elsa and her family."
"Do you really think it's for the best?" asked Agdar.
"I'm not sure," answered Anna, sitting by his side. "All I know is, it's the right thing to do."
The following day, Elsa got up and found her parents having breakfast together; her father had just returned from a night shift at the police station, and it was usual for them to enjoy breakfast together before Kai catch up on his sleep.
She poured a cup of coffee and sat down on the table with them. After their typical conversation, Elsa thought it was time to ask about her brother. She had hoped for Kristoff to visit the previous night, and tell her how everything had gone with his in-laws; but to her surprise, he hadn't showed up. Elsa had been worried but Gerda convinced her to wait for him to call.
"Did Kristoff call?" asked Elsa, hoping for a positive answer. Her hopes were short lived since Gerda shook her head.
"Not yet. I bet he stayed at her place," tried to reason her mother.
"Kristoff doesn't like staying over. What if something happened?"
"I'm sure everything is okay, dear. But you could try and call him later."
Elsa nodded, thinking it was the best course of action. Besides, she knew Kristoff was not going to be able to show up later, he had to work in the afternoon.
"How's your leg, Elsa?" asked Kai. He hadn't had the chance to ask the day before, since the accident had been their main discussion, but he wanted to make sure his daughter was feeling okay. "Kristoff said you hit the floor pretty bad the other day."
Elsa hadn't given her leg much thought if she had to be honest. It had been throbbing, becoming a little annoying. However, she didn't want to worry her parents, or be forced to go to the doctor; so, she dismissed the pain. "It's okay."
Gerda was not convinced. Elsa could hide her pain very well, but she was a bad liar in general. Her eyes wouldn't meet Kai's when she answered and the old woman knew she was probably hiding how she was feeling. She just hoped it was nothing serious. But she made the mental note to keep a close eye to Elsa's movements, just in case.
Kristoff woke up when Sven jumped over him and licked his face. He groaned, annoyed to be awaken after the restless sleep he'd had the previous night. The news about Anna's parents being Elsa's biological ones hadn't set well with him. He had not only been terribly disappointed by them, but also the idea of telling his sister the truth was worrisome. How was he going to look at her and explain her biological parents had had the chance to raise her but had chosen not to? He had no idea. He tried to fall asleep once again when Sven barked startling him.
"What is it, Sven?" he asked, not being in the mood to leave the bed before it was completely necessary. It was after his question, he noticed the line phone was ringing in the living room. He then understood better Sven's insistence, but cursed his luck. He got up and rushed to the phone. He hoped it was not his boss needing him before his shift.
He answered and Elsa's relieved voiced greeted him back. He cursed his luck again, he was not ready to talk with Elsa just yet. His sister could easily pick up when something was not right - even over the phone - and he was not ready to pretend everything was okay.
"Kristoff. I was worried. You didn't come back yesterday."
"I stayed with Anna for a while and then came home," he lied. "I didn't want Sven to be alone."
"Is everything okay?"
"Yes." Of course she was going to realise in a instant things were not okay.
"Are you sure?" he noticed the apprehension in her voice. "Could you explain things to Anna and her family?"
It was then, he remembered he had left Elsa the day before with the promise of explaining things to Anna and apologising in her name. He mentally beat himself up for not remembering the night before. For sure his sister had thought things had gone wrong with his in-laws. If he had to be honest, things had gone wrong. But not for the reasons Elsa believed. If there was anything good about the truth, it was that they were not going to mention Elsa powers to anyone. They hadn't done so in over twenty years, they were not going to start then.
"They understand," he said. At least that much was true. "They let me talk and explain what happened. They understand it was an accident"
"What about my powers? Will they-?"
Kristoff smiled when he noticed she let a sigh of relief. "They won't say anything. Don't worry."
"What about Anna? Is she disappointed? Scared?"
'Oh, she must be disappointed,' thought Kristoff. He couldn't even imagine what Anna must have felt when her parents told her the truth. He felt guilty for leaving her the way he did the previous day, but his anger had clouded his good judgement.
Before he got the chance to answer, he heard his sister over the phone say, "I would like to apologise to her. I feel better today and I think I should talk to her personally."
"Anna could never be scared. She is… surprised. Things turned out differently than she expected them to be." He didn't know if he was talking about Elsa's truth or her parents' anymore, but he continued, "But she's Anna. She'll see the good in everything."
"Are you coming to mum and dad's place today?" asked Elsa. She was hoping to see her brother in person to talk some more.
"Maybe later, after work," he lied again. He didn't know if he was ready to face his sister just yet. If Elsa saw his worry, she was not going to stop asking questions until he told her the truth. And he didn't know if he wanted her to know the truth.
Brother and sister talked for a couple more minutes and then they said their goodbyes. When Kristoff hung the phone, he sat on the closest chair and rested his head on his hands.
Sven sensed something was off with his owner and rested his head on his thigh. Kristoff scratch his head and said, "what am I going to tell her, buddy?"
"You know Anna's right. You can't keep this from Elsa." It had been a long time since he had 'talked' for Sven. It was a habit he had picked just to annoy his sister when they had adopted the dog; but from time to time, he still did it to clear his mind or put his ideas into perspective.
"But the truth is not always good..."
Kristoff could have swore Sven gave him an skeptical look, as if he knew what he was talking about.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm trying to protect her. If she finds out she's Anna's sister she will know for a fact her childhood could have been amazing, but she was forced to live through hell because Agdar and Idunn didn't try." He let out a tired sigh, before he continued, "she was finally opening up. She had finally found a friend in Anna, and now this comes to light…"
Sven tilted his head and Kristoff interpreted it as a question, 'What are you going to do?'
"I won't tell her. Not yet at least."
Days went by, Kristoff kept avoiding visiting his parents' house. He had only stopped by one day to leave some clothes for Elsa on his way to work, but he hadn't stayed long. Truth was, he didn't want to face Elsa or his parents for real until he made up his mind.
He had talked to Anna over the phone one night, but their conversation hadn't been useful either. He had called her to make sure she was okay with everything that was going on in her life, but the girl just insisted in talking about what was best for Elsa and their families. Making it harder for him to concentrate on Anna's feelings and not starting an argument with her. He wanted things to go back to normal. He wanted his sister return to his apartment and for Anna to visit every night without a worry in the world. He kept beating himself up over the things he had done wrong. For forcing Elsa to attend dinner and forcing her to stay at the table that night. But he knew the past couldn't be changed, he could only accept it and try to move forward.
It was for that reason that, five days after finding out the truth about Elsa's parents, Kristoff thought it was time he faced Elsa. He still had no idea what to tell the girl, or if telling her the truth at all was worth it. But he knew he couldn't avoid his sister forever. It was not his sister's fault Agdar and Idunn had confessed being her biological parents, and it certainly wasn't her fault he had had an argument with them. It was not her fault he couldn't stand the fact that a family like Anna's had abandoned Elsa when she was just a baby. He couldn't stand the fact that they had deliberately chosen the leave her behind just because she was different.
Kristoff parked his truck in front of his parents house and then noticed there was a familiar car parked a few metres from where he was. At the beginning he thought it was just a coincidence, but as he got closer, he noticed the car was not only similar to Anna's family car, it was indeed their car. His stomach dropped and he rushed to the back door. He wasn't sure what his in-laws were doing there, and he didn't want them to see him before he got the chance to talk with his parents. He opened the back door that led to the kitchen, startling his mother in the process.
Gerda, who was making coffee for the guests when he rushed in, yelped, "Kristoff, you nearly kill me!"
"What are they doing here?" he asked in a low voice, as he got closer to his mother.
"What?"
"What are Anna's parents doing here?" he repeated. "They shouldn't be here."
"Kristoff, what are you talking about? They called yesterday. They said they would feel better if they got the chance to talk with Elsa about what happened. And Elsa agreed," she explained. "I thought you knew."
"No, I didn't." He walked to the door that led to the living room and tried to see if Elsa was with them. She was, and he could see they were exchanging pleasantries. "They have to go," he said, turning to his mother once again.
"What?" to say she was surprised was an understatement. "Dear, what are you saying?"
"It's not the best time for them to be here…" He didn't know how to explain himself without saying they were Elsa's parents, and he wanted to avoid that until Elsa was present. "I need to talk to Elsa."
"Kristoff, Anna called and explained they wanted to talk with your sister. Your sister said she wanted to apologise in person and they agreed to meet. You'd have known that if you hadn't disappeared this week." Gerda took the opportunity to reprimand Kristoff for his disappearance. She, like Elsa, had been worried for him.
Kristoff watched his mother arrange everything in the plate and he stopped her before she could enter the living room. "Mum, listen to me," he whispered. "They are not here to talk about the accident. We need to ask them to leave."
"Kristoff," answered in a low voice Gerda. "what's gotten into you?"
Not knowing what else to say, he grabbed her arm and said, "They are Elsa's-"
He was interrupted by a question Elsa asked Agdar in the living room before he could complete the idea. "What do you mean 'parents'? What is this?"
"-parents…" finished Kristoff, bowing his head and letting out a sigh.
"What?!" asked Gerda as she handed him the plate and rushed into the living room to see what was going on.
Kristoff left the plate on the counter, and followed his mother. When he entered the room, he saw Agdar, Idunn and Anna sitting on the sofa facing Elsa, who was sitting in one of the armchairs.
"We-" Idunn cleared her throat as she tried to say out loud the truth. "We are your biological parents, Elsa."
"The other day," cut in Agdar. "When we got the chance to meet you, we realised you were - are - our daughter." He had corrected himself mid sentence. It was strange to say those words out loud to the girl.
"We know it sounds crazy. We couldn't believe it ourselves, but then… With the things you mentioned and your powers, we- we kind of knew," explained Idunn. She knew the questions how and why were coming and she tried to make things easier for her to understand.
Gerda, who still couldn't believe her ears, soon took the initiative, "you cannot simply come in here and say you are her parents without some kind of proof."
Agdar, diverted his eyes from Elsa, who was frozen looking at the papers he had given her before, and looked at Gerda. "What Elsa is holding right now are her papers. All the information about her birth and her identity." He felt bad for the woman, he knew Elsa's identity affected her life too.
"They came here to come clean and apologise." Anna tried in vain to make eye contact with Elsa who wouldn't stop looking at the papers in her hands. "You deserve to know who you are," she said, hoping she would react in some way.
Kristoff stood frozen in place. He'd had never imagined Idunn and Agdar were going to show up in his parents' house like that, claiming to be Elsa's biological family, just a few days after they had found out themselves. Sure, there was no easy way to tell the truth, but it felt wrong to simply appear into the girl's life that way. His anger was building up and he wanted to yell at them, to kick them out, but he needed to control himself. He was not sure how Elsa was going to take the news since she had remained incredibly still, reading the same papers over and over again. From his place near the kitchen door, he couldn't see what she was holding, but he guessed it was a birth certificate or something of the sort. The only other person who had remained quiet beside Elsa and himself, was his father. Kai remained on his chair, eyes fixed on his daughter.
After a few seconds, Kristoff noticed Anna looking at him from the other side of the room. The moment their eyes met, she mumbled an apology before turning her eyes to Elsa once again. He knew there was no way Anna wanted to create chaos in Elsa's life; but in his opinion, she didn't know what she had done. Since the accident at the slope, Elsa's life had been anything but what she wished for it to be. He knew they were pushing her over the edge, and he didn't know how she was going to react.
Gerda walked to the armchair Elsa was sitting and put her hand on her shoulder to let her know she was there; but the action startled the girl, making her shudder and come out of her catatonic state. Gerda was about to apologise and ask if she was feeling okay, when Elsa reached for her crutches and stood up.
"You should leave," said Elsa in a low voice before walking towards the door that led to her room. She didn't meet the their eyes as she said so, and she made an effort not to look at Anna. She didn't know how to take the news, but she didn't want to find out in their presence. Looking at those papers had made her feel sick, and she was not sure she could stay in the room any longer.
Everyone in the room, out of respect and dread of what could happen, stayed silent and let Elsa leave the room. The accident in the Arendelles' house was still present in their mind, and they didn't want to push Elsa.
Anna was the first to get up, ready to see if Elsa needed someone to talk to, when Kristoff blocked her path. "Don't," she heard him say. His body language leaving no place for arguments.
Kristoff looked at Anna and then at his parents-in-law. A hard stare was all they needed to know they were not welcomed there anymore. When they stood up, Kristoff voiced his anger in a simple request, "You heard Elsa. Get out."
At any other time, Gerda and Kai would have reprimanded Kristoff for the way he was addressing them. But they didn't find in themselves the will to do so. They understood Kristoff's anger. They were not at all pleased with the way they had delivered the news to Elsa.
"Kristoff, I think we should talk-" tried to reason Anna, when a pair of hands on her shoulders interrupted her.
Kristoff turned her around gently, "I need you and your parents to leave the house, Anna." His voice was gentle but he was clear enough for her to understand he was not asking. He was demanding them to leave.
Idunn and Agdar mumbled an apology and walked out the door, leaving the house before Kristoff or anyone else asked them again. Things hadn't worked out in the best way, and they knew the best thing to do was comply with Elsa's wishes. Seeing Elsa, sitting right in front of them - now that they knew she was their daughter - had made them feel sadness and guilt they hadn't felt in years. Seeing Elsa lost for words had made things worse.
Anna left the house reluctantly after her parents. She watched her parents get into the car, and she felt the need to try and convince Kristoff. She hadn't forgiven her parents just yet, but she believed things were going to clear up a lot faster if they gave her parents the chance to talk. She turned around and faced her boyfriend who was walking right behind her.
"Kristoff, please, I know you are mad at my parents but we need to talk about this. Elsa needs to know the truth."
"She already knows the truth. You showed up without consulting me and throw the truth in her face!" Kristoff raised his voice. He didn't like fighting. He had never argued with Anna before, at least not for something serious. But he was not ready to accept what they did so easily.
"What did you want me to do?! To keep visiting the two of you and just pretend?" she yelled back.
"No!" answered back. "Maybe I just wanted you to be more patient! To be more understanding!"
Anna was about to reply, when Kai appeared behind his son and stepped between them.
"Enough," he said. "There's no point in fighting over this. What's done is done." Both of them looked at floor. They knew Kai was right. They were only making things worse.
Kai looked at Anna and said, "I appreciate your concern Anna. I understand your motive, but Elsa's the one who should make the choice to listen or not to your parents."
With that, Anna apologised to Kai, mumbled an apology to Kristoff, and climbed into her parents' car.
The truth is out there.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well as the previous ones.
I wanted to thank everyone who had taken the time to read, like and review this story. On December 8th this story will be one year old. And I'm kind of proud of that. I would have never imagined it was going to become something I enjoyed writing so much. I think your reviews help a lot in that matter.
Especial thanks to Snowycrocus, I think she was the first reader and first reviewer this story got, and her support had helped me a lot. Thanks for the help and for being my personal dictionary.
