Anna and Kristoff are going to the ball together! What a first date!
The rest of the chapters are all a bit longer than the first 2.
I used a few bits and pieces from the actual party scene with Anna hanging out with Hans XP. Not to brag, but I think it's a vast improvement. Real flirty, friendly chemistry instead of LIES!
Why? Why had Kristoff let this girl he just met drag him into this place?
Him…Kristoff Bjorgmen…a poor ice harvester, whose only companions were a bunch of rock trolls and a reindeer, was going into the palace ballroom during a party. The first in many years.
They entered through a servant's door where they only got a few looks from some kitchen staff, but all were pleasant smiles. With every step he took closer to the ballroom, he grew more nervous. Everything he knew he didn't like was going to be at this party; a crowded room, rich snobs, and manners.
His manners were fair but definitely not at the same level as these people. He could offend someone simply by saying 'hello' incorrectly. Was he even dressed well enough? Sure, he dressed up a bit and got cleaned up for the occasion of the coronation, but that was just for the festivities for the commoners. This was a formal ball in a castle!
"Anna-" Kristoff said as they walked down an empty hallway that lead straight to the ballroom. "I mean…Your Highness," he quickly corrected himself. Anna finally stopped and looked back at him just as they got to the closed ballroom doors. "I don't think I should go in there."
"Why not? And just Anna is fine," she said. She'd only just met this guy but she'd like to think of him as a friend. She'd always wanted a friend. Someone who didn't need to address her so formally.
"Well…for one thing, I'm not really dressed for a royal ball," he said, gesturing down at his so-called 'special occasion attire.'
"Oh please, you look very handsome," she said honestly, but as soon as the words left her mouth, Kristoff looked at her with slightly wider eyes and a light blush on his cheeks. And then Anna matched him. "I mean…you look fine. I doubt anyone will notice," she added, smiling timidly and glancing away, avoiding eye contact for a second, as she nervously brushed her hair over her ear. Kristoff grinned a bit. This girl—princess—was more adorable than he first thought. And she thought he was handsome. After that somewhat awkward moment had passed, Anna looked back up at the tall blonde man. "Besides, I'll be there with you," she reassured him with a more genuine smile.
Kristoff appreciated it but he was still hesitant. "I've…never really been to a lot of parties before," he admitted. Parties meant people, and he was definitely not a people person.
"Neither have I," Anna admitted back. "Maybe that's why I'd feel a bit less nervous going back in there with a companion," she said, somewhat bashfully before shooting him a pleading, big eyed stare.
As he stared at her face looking up at him, everything seemed to slow down, mainly as he watched Anna bat her eyes at him with that charming but not overly-exaggerated smile.
What was happening to him?! He never saw much appeal even to other women who were also obviously beautiful but…this girl…she was something else.
He didn't have the heart to say no to her. And surprisingly, he actually didn't want to.
Kristoff sighed. "I guess an hour or two wouldn't kill me."
"Wonderful!" Anna exclaimed not too loudly. "We'll have fun, I promise," she swore before taking his hand in hers and then pushed the door open with the other.
Anna walked into the ballroom, Kristoff right behind her, and the door closed behind them.
Kristoff's first observation of the room was the noise. Lots of voices talking over each other. It was already starting to give him a headache. There was also some light music playing in the background. The lighting was bright, and the décor was—he didn't know how else to describe it—fancy. Every person was either in a fancy suit or a fancy gown; talking, dancing, eating, and/or drinking. Everything was just so…fancy.
He was going to stick out like a sore thumb. But, he would at least try…for Anna's sake. For some reason, he cared more about her having a good time than his level of comfort. And who knows, maybe this won't be so bad. He can't exactly claim to hate parties if he's never even been to one.
"Wow. So this is what a ball looks like?" he thought out loud, looking around.
"Yeah. Isn't it beautiful?" Anna said, looking around a bit herself before looking back at him for his reaction.
One of the male servers suddenly came over with a tray of wine glasses.
"Drink, sir?" he said to a very caught off guard Kristoff.
He had never been waited on before so it was a bit weird to him. But, he was being offered a free drink, so how could he refuse?
"Thanks," he said, taking a glass. The man then offered the tray to Anna but politely declined with a small wave and a smile. The man nodded before walking away.
Kristoff sipped the wine and it was pretty good. He didn't drink often but when he did, it was never anything like this. Beer, mead, and glogg mostly.
"Oh, that's right. I promised you food," Anna suddenly said. Kristoff was hungry and he couldn't be drinking on an empty stomach. She gripping the sleeve of his shirt and started tugging him in another direction of the room. "Come on, the buffet table is over here."
Anna and Kristoff started walking, moving around other guests until they reached a very long table filled with more food than Kristoff had ever seen in one place. Some he recognized, some he didn't.
Before he could pick anything out himself, Anna grabbed something, told him what it was, then handed it to him for him to try. It was good, so he let her do it again. And again, and then again. It was surprisingly endearing, her over eagerness and cheerful attitude of simply feeding him. So, Kristoff ate whatever she handed to him and he drank his wine until his glass was empty. Then Anna took it from him and placed it on another servant's tray as they passed by.
As Kristoff glanced back at the table, he spotted a giant pot of brown liquid at one end.
"What the heck is that?" he asked, pointing to the pot.
"It's chocolate fondue," Anna said excitedly. She tugged Kristoff's shirt sleeve again—making him grin—and he followed her to the end of the table. "See you take these little things, they're called 'fondue forks,' to pick up whatever you like," she explained, picking up one of the tiny two-pronged forks from the table. Kristoff followed her lead. There was a large platter of different foods specifically for the fondue. Kristoff watched as Anna used her fork to stab a strawberry. Kristoff skimmed the platter for a second before stabbing what he assumed was a chuck of waffle. "then you dip it in the chocolate, lit it drip a bit, then eat it."
Anna and Kristoff both dipped into the chocolate at the same time, then pulled them out. Kristoff held his fork just above the pot as he watched Anna let her strawberry stop dripping and then ate it with a smile. Kristoff then took his waffle chuck and brought it to his mouth.
"Mmmm," he moaned as he chewed. The waffle was fluffy and the chocolate was warm and sweet. Unfortunately, some chocolate dribbled over his lip and a bit down his chin. "Uh-oh," he muttered around his mouth full.
Anna quickly noticed and grabbed a napkin. "I don't think you let it drip enough," she said, slightly amused but sympathetic. She made messes all the time, and fondue was just messy.
It didn't even occur to the princess to simply hand the napkin to the mountain man and let him clean his own mouth. Instead, Anna immediately raised the cloth square to his lips herself to dab away the excessive chocolate.
Kristoff just stood there, frozen in place, staring down at Anna again as she wiped at his mouth, transfixed at her close proximity to him. Kristoff liked his personal space. When someone invaded it, he couldn't wait to get them out of it. And yet, he didn't mind her there.
Anna was staring up at him. Her focus bouncing back and forth between her task of cleaning his mouth to his brown eyes looking down at her. They looked warm and inviting. Like two tempting pots of chocolate fondue.
When she was done, Anna lowered the napkin and looked away, nervous again. Then she noticed that she had a bit of chocolate on the side of her index finger. Kristoff watched as she raised her finger and sucked the side of it in her mouth.
She giggled and Kristoff smiled. 'I guess even princesses can't always have perfect manners,' he thought.
"Anna?"
The pair turned their heads to the voice saying the princess's name. And there stood the newly coronated Queen.
"Elsa," Anna said happily but then quickly curtsied to her. "I mean, Queen. Queen Elsa," she added. Kristoff, not sure what to do, quickly followed Anna's lead again and gave a bow.
The other sister just smiled. "Anna, you don't have to bow or curtsey to me," she kindly reassured her. Even if she was the Queen now and technically had more authority than her, they were still both of the same royal family. Then her blue eyes shifted to the tall blonde man standing next to her younger sister. "And who is this?" she asked curiously.
"Oh, right," Anna lightly patted Kristoff's back, nudging him forward a bit, like she was presenting him to her. "Elsa, this is my new friend, Kristoff."
The ice harvester took a hesitant step forward. "Uh…Your Majesty," he uttered nervously before bowing again. "It's an honor to meet you in person. I'm Kristoff Bjorgmen. An Arendelle ice harvester," he said. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to present and/or introduce himself to a royal—Anna didn't count because he hadn't known she was royalty when they met earlier—so he tried what he thought would be acceptable.
Even if he messed up horribly, he at least trusted that Anna had his back, like she promised.
"An ice harvester?" Elsa replied in wonder. Her eyes shifted to her sister curiously as Kristoff stood up straight again.
Under her sister's icy cold skeptical gaze, Anna protectively grasped Kristoff's arm. Kristoff nearly jumped at her touch. His eyes glanced down at her, basically clinging to his arm, blush returning to his cheeks. "I know he wasn't invited, but I met him earlier today and then I ran into him again outside and-" Anna quickly rambled, worried that Elsa was going to order him to leave or have him thrown out for coming in when he wasn't supposed to. "It is okay if he stays…right?" she asked, hopefully.
Elsa had refused to have a conversation with her that was more than just friendly banter so Anna really wanted Kristoff to stay and keep her company for the night. She had been upset when she shut her out when they were talking—which lead to her going out to the stables and seeing Kristoff again—but if she dismissed her new friend away for simply not being allowed in the party, that would be too much.
Fortunately, based on how she clung to his arm, Elsa could see her sister's desire for the man's company. Anna craved companionship, and since she still believed that keeping her distance was for the best for them both, this man could be just that.
Elsa smiled. "Of course he can stay," she said, making Anna smile bigger. Kristoff even grinned, relieved. Even though he'd already eaten—which was pretty much the main reason Anna had for dragging him in there—he didn't want to leave yet. Or if he was being honest, he didn't want to leave Anna yet. He just knew she'd be upset all over again if he left so soon. Elsa then glanced over her shoulder for a second before leaning forward, closer to her sister. "Maybe if the Duke of Weaseltown sees you already dancing with him, he won't ask you for another," she whispered to Anna, making them both chortle a bit. Elsa then cleared her throat. "Excuse me, but I have more dignitaries to meet with," she said in a calmer tone. Then she stepped a bit closer to Kristoff and spoke again. "Please, take good care of my sister, Kristoff Bjorgmen, and enjoy the party," she said before walking away from them.
Anna and Kristoff watched her walk away with surprised expressions.
"Huh. I think she likes me," Kristoff said, grinning back at Anna.
"Yeah. That went way better than I expected," she agreed. Over the years after shutting her out, while Anna still loved her sister dearly, she always had this assumption that Elsa had become cold and stern. But maybe that wasn't completely true.
As they shared their relieved expressions, a thought suddenly occurred to Kristoff. "But wait, was she being serious about that dancing thing?"
"I guess," Anna shrugged. It certainly wasn't a bad idea. Then she heard the music get a bit louder and saw people dancing in the center of the room. "Oh, one's starting right now," she said excitedly, taking Kristoff's hand again. Another thing she'd wanted to do was dance with someone—other than the Duke who danced like a lunatic.
"Wait, Anna!" Kristoff exclaimed, a lot more reluctant than before as she pulled him onto the dance floor. Being at this party was one thing. He could just stand on the sidelines with Anna as they ate and chatted, but dancing? In the middle of the room where anyone and everyone could see them? "Anna, I don't know how to dance," he said as they stopped and she faced him.
Kristoff looked around the crowd nervously at all the eyes on him. Anna felt bad for a moment, sensing his discomfort. But, at the same time, she didn't want him to feel like he didn't belong. Plus, she promised him a fun time and to have his back. So she was driven to make sure he had fun and he didn't feel embarrassed or out of place.
"It's easy," she said reassuringly. If she had to give him a brief dance lesson, she certainly didn't mind. "Look, hold my hand like this," she said, taking his left hand with her right and held them up to the side. "Now hold my waist like this." She then guided his right hand down to the left side of her waist. Kristoff swallowed nervously, but allowed her to move his limbs. Anna then placed her left hand on this right shoulder. "And then you just make a box with your feet. Like this," she said as she started to move her feet. 1, 2, 3. 1, 2, 3. Kristoff looked down to see what she was doing and then tried to mimic her movements. "Hey, don't look at your feet. Look at me," she said, stopping her stepping and let go of his shoulder for a second to tilt his chin up.
Kristoff stared again, lost in her big blue eyes for a moment and at how close they were, but quickly snapped out of it to respond. "But…what if I step on your foot?"
"You won't if you just relax. I speak from personal experience. When my tutor was teaching me to dance, I kept stepping on his feet too. But as soon as I stopped overthinking, listened to the music, and just enjoyed the moment, I stopped making mistakes," she explained. She returned her hand to his shoulder and started moving her feet again. This time, Kristoff let himself relax, got a feel for the music and the way Anna was moving, and he moved his feet too. Anna stepped back, he stepped forward. She moved, he moved. The urge to look down was strong, just to make sure he was doing it right. "That's it. Keep your eyes on me," Anna said gently.
How could Kristoff resist that also powerful urge?
"I-I think I got it," he said, somewhat proud of himself.
"I told you," she replied happily.
The two continued to dance. Stepping, turning, and then Kristoff even attempted to twirl Anna. To which, they both giggled and resumed their dance. Kristoff didn't feel his foot on top of Anna's once. He wasn't even concerned with the other posh party guests they were surrounded by anymore.
It was just him and Anna.
This was the sort of dance she had anticipated for this night. True, it wasn't exactly like how she fantasized herself meeting a beautiful, tall, and fair stranger, but she wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Or with anyone else.
All too soon, the song ended and all the other dancers, plus Anna and Kristoff, stopped and applauded the musicians.
"Thank you for the lovely dance, Mr. Bjorgmen," Anna said in an overly sophisticated voice as she curtsied to her partner.
Kristoff grinned, holding in a laugh as he schooled his face and bowed to her, nice and low. "The pleasure was all mine, Princess Anna," he replied in a just as sophisticated voice.
When the two looked up at each other, still in the low bow and/or curtsy, they both started to laugh. When their mirth calmed to light giggling, they made their ways back to the buffet table.
After grabbing small plates and loading them with a few more appetizers, they walked over to a window on the side lines of the ballroom where it was a bit quieter. From there, they both chatted as they ate.
"You talk to reindeer? I talk to paintings."
Kristoff nearly spat out the cheese in his mouth. After taking a moment to finish chewing and then swallow, he said, "Sorry…what?" he chuckled.
"I often had a whole parlor to myself where there were so many paintings on the walls. I didn't socialize much and they had human faces so that was good enough for me," Anna explained without shame.
"Wow," Kristoff chuckled but quickly realized that she might think he was making fun of her. "Not judging. A guy who not only talks to reindeer but for a reindeer is defiantly in no position to judge," he said fast. But she giggled, making him giggle with her.
"I guess we both dealt with our loneliness in similar ways," Anna said with a shrug.
Kristoff found himself staring at her again. 'Maybe we have more in common than I thought,' he thought.
With their plates empty, Anna took them over to another servant close by with a tray collecting used glasses and plates.
With her back to him a few feet away, Kristoff realized that he was staring again. He didn't want to seem creepy. There were other things to stare at.
Nothing quite as beautiful as Anna though, a little voice in his head uttered. Kristoff told the voice to shut up before quickly looking for something else to stare at. They had been standing by a window so he turned and looked out it. It was dark so he couldn't see much but it was something. Maybe if he kept staring long enough, his eyes would adjust and he could make out what was out there.
When Anna came back over, Kristoff was staring out the window. Anna looked out too at the dark gardens below. It was kinda hard to see from where they were with the light coming from behind them.
They could go down there. She could use some fresh air and Kristoff might too, as well as a little break from all the noise and crowds. While Anna wanted to immerse herself into the party and savor it while it lasted, she didn't mind going elsewhere…as long as she was at least with Kristoff.
Anna turned her head to him. "Do you wanna get out of here?" she asked, nudging the man with her shoulder.
Kristoff's smile feel as he turned his head to face her. "You…want me to leave?" he asked in a small, disappointed voice. Had he overstayed his welcome? Was she kicking him out?
Anna quickly saw his crestfallen expression and realized she misspoke. "What? No! No, no, no. I meant, like for a walk in the gardens outside. With me?" she quickly corrected herself while gesturing down to the grounds outside the window and then to herself.
"Oh," Kristoff smiled in relief—more relief than he was expecting. "Uh, sure," he said with a shrug. Stepping away from the crowded ballroom—with Anna—sounded good.
Anna gestured for Kristoff to follow her and he did. Out of the ballroom, down another hallway, then down some stairs, and finally out a different door that lead to the garden. And the whole way there, Kristoff was a bit disappointed that Anna hadn't grabbed his hand or arm to pull and/or guild him where she wanted to take him.
Upon entering the garden, it was still dark. No lanterns were lit but there was a little light coming from the windows of the ballroom. But the full summer moon above them provided plenty of gentle illumination. It didn't take long for their eyes to adjust so they could actually see.
Anna and Kristoff walked side by side along the path in a comfortable silence. Kristoff glanced around, admiring the plants, but every once in a while, his eyes flickered back to the beautiful and feisty princess to his left.
Her head was turned the other way, looking at the other side of the garden so she couldn't see him staring. As nice as the quiet of the garden was, Kristoff felt the need to keep talking. He wasn't much of a talker—with the exception of conversations with Sven—but talking with Anna didn't feel like such a chore. He could actually have a conversation with her without trying so hard to at least pretend to be interested. Because he didn't have to pretend.
Kristoff bit his lip, struggling to think of a topic to bring up and start another conversation. Then his eye caught sight of the single light blonde streak in her strawberry blonde hair. He noticed it earlier in the better lighting of the ballroom but didn't think to ask about it.
"What's that?" he suddenly asked.
Anna snapped her head back to look at him. "What's what?"
"That white streak in your hair," he said, gesturing to the right side of her hair-do.
"Oh, that," Anna chuckled, brushing her fingers over her ear like she was brushing some loose hairs away. "Would you believe that I was kissed by a troll?"
"Ha! Maybe," Kristoff laughed.
Anna giggled too. "No. I was born with it," she said with a shrug.
"Eh, I like your 'kissed by a troll' explanation better," he said with joking disappointment. The two laughed a bit more before continuing their walk across the garden. Kristoff glanced off at the gardens again, then, without thinking, he said, "So…it this where you bring all of your dates?"
Anna stopped walking and looked at him again. "Dates?" she asked curiously—yet intrigued.
Kristoff, however, when he stopped, his eyes widened. Then they squeezed tight and his grit his teeth in frustration with himself. Why did he say that?! He was such an idiot! Then he started to laugh nervously as he turned his attention back to her. "Date?! Ha! Who-who s-said this was a date?" he uttered, nervously moving his hands and his eyes bouncing around from one place to another, not able to look her in the eyes. Then he simply turned his body forward, arms stiff at his sides, head angled away from her.
Instead of being frustrated with himself or pretending to be amused, Kristoff's face showed embarrassment. He wouldn't be surprised if Anna laughed in his face and just left him there. Or even called the guards to escort him out.
Him? A nobody ice harvester on a date with a princess?!
After a few seconds of agonizing waiting for whatever came next for him, Kristoff felt something touch his cheek. A gentle, feather-like peck. He wasn't sure what it was at first but he's sure that Anna's face was in his peripheral vision the moment he felt it.
The moment it was over, Kristoff snapped his head back to Anna who was smiling with her own blush on her cheeks.
"Who said it wasn't?" she asked bashfully before starting to walk on, toward the end of the path.
They had reached the other side of the garden where there was another door that lead back inside the castle.
As Kristoff watched her walk closer to the door, his lips turned upward in a somewhat goofy grin.
She kissed him. On the cheek.
Just as she reached the door, Anna turned around and gestured for him to follow her, then extended her hand out to him to take.
Kristoff finally snapped out of it and happily followed her to the door then through it, back inside.