"So…which way back to the ballroom?" Kristoff asked when he and Anna entered another hallway.
"Oh, we're not going back to the ballroom just yet," Anna said, walking a bit ahead of him.
"Wait, what?" Kristoff asked after quickly catching up to her with a puzzled look on his face.
"I thought we could do something a bit more fun before we go back," she said with a cryptic smile.
"Fun how?"
It felt a bit strange, walking around the empty halls of such a grand castle with a weird but very interesting young lady he just met that day—then again, it was strange when he walked into the castle and then the ballroom first with her. It was all strange, but in a good way.
And what was even more strange in a surprisingly good way was sliding down the floors of those empty hallways in his socks.
Per Anna's instruction—but mostly her insistence—Kristoff removed his shoes, and then so did she. Then she challenged him to a race to the other end of a fancy hallway. But they weren't allowed to run, no, they had to slide.
And before Kristoff could question this crazy princess, Anna yelled 'Ready? Go!' and off she went. Then, without thinking, Kristoff followed, sliding after her.
Because of his profession, Kristoff had experience keeping his balance on slippery surfaces. Ice, polished wooden floors; close enough. So it took very little effort for him to catch up to Anna who was still up but only by flailing her arms around like a windmill. Kristoff guessed to himself with an amused grin that she'd be even worse on ice.
However, about halfway down the hall, Kristoff became worried that she was actually going to fall over and perhaps hurt herself. So, again, without thinking, Kristoff reached out and grabbed Anna's hand to keep her a bit more steady.
Anna instinctively gripping his hand for dear life. When she was flailing less, the princess looked at their joined hands and then at Kristoff's face smiling at her. And she smiled back.
Anna did this all the time. Slid down the wood floors in just her socked and/or stockinged feet, but she was always by herself. She had fond memories of Elsa doing it with her when they were little; in their socks on the wood floors or ice skating in the winter time, but these days, she only did it alone. But now that she had someone like Kristoff, she finally got her wish to have someone to race to the end of one hall without falling.
Kristoff could clearly beat her, but he wasn't going to let her fall.
The rest of the distance down the hall, Anna and Kristoff stared at each other more than at their feet—just like when they were dancing. But just as they were about to reach the other end of the hall, they heard some footsteps.
As they reached the half-open double doors, Anna quickly scrambled behind the one that was closed, pulling Kristoff with her. The two stood with their backs flat against the large door just as they heard the door from the opposite end of the hall creek open. Anna figured it was a guard but she was not about to poke her head out to check.
True, this was her home so her wondering around even while there was a party going on downstairs wasn't exactly forbidden, but this wasn't like when she usually did it. She was with Kristoff. A man. Her date? Basically. Alone within the vast walls of the castle. It wasn't exactly proper etiquette but she didn't care. The only thing she cared about was their fun not being interrupted or any guard questioning why the princess was running amok with a mountain man commoner. She was not embarrassed to be caught with him, but Kristoff might. He was already insecure about being there with her, he didn't need anyone saying it to his face. So, to spare them both that buzzkill, she insisted they hid.
Plus, the added danger made it a bit more exciting.
A few moments later, the door on the other end of the hall slowly closed and the footstep sounds retreated. Anna sighed in relief and then giggled. And for some reason, Kristoff started giggling with her.
When they came out from behind the door, sure enough, the other set of doors was closed and they were alone. The two slid along the floor, holding hands again, back to the other side, then stopped to retrieve their shoes they hid behind some suits of armor.
With their shoes back on, Anna lead Kristoff to a few more rooms; parlor, sitting room, library, study, gallery, the highest tower, and some more. With every room, she had a short story about what she'd do to occupy herself alone and/or what she and Elsa would do together back when they were close. And Kristoff hung on her every word with genuine interest.
Finally, they made their way back closer to the ballroom and found a balcony. They could hear sounds of the commotion from the party but it was still peaceful where they were. So they decided to stay there for a bit to just talk and sit on the railing together.
After talking about herself for most of her tour of the castle, Anna, tired of her own voice, asked Kristoff to share a bit about himself.
"So yeah, we cut the ice into these big cubes and we load them onto our wagons and sell them to people in the kingdom for their ice boxes," he explained. Not much for small talk, Kristoff thought talking about his job would be at least something. He wasn't anticipating Anna to be all that fascinated in the process of harvesting ice but by the way she was staring at him, she was hanging on his every word with much interest.
"Are they heavy?" she asked.
"Kinda. We don't cut them too big. We gotta be able to lift them after all," he replied.
"Well, your physique helps I'm sure," Anna said, glancing down at his arm closest to her. Kristoff suddenly blushed a bit. Then Anna glanced away and blushed too. "I mean…you have a very impressive build. I-I'm sure you can lift a lot," she added with a nervous giggle.
Flattered, Kristoff grinned while rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah. I-I guess."
A few moments of not-exactly-awkward silence later, Anna picked a different subject.
"What about your family?" she asked. She wondered about his parents, any siblings, or—she really hoped he didn't—a girlfriend. "Or maybe…a special someone?" she asked nonchalantly.
Kristoff, once again flattered, glanced at Anna and grinned. "No. The only special someone I have is Sven," he told her. Or more like reassured her. Anna sighed in relief and joy in her head. He was single. "I grew up an orphan and then learned the trade of harvesting ice when I was just a little kid. It was just me and Sven."
Hearing that, Anna's smile fell. "I'm so sorry. I mean, Sven's great but you never knew your family?" She felt lucky to have had her parents growing up. Even though they were busy ruling a whole kingdom, she never doubted that they loved her. And she had Elsa—or at least the fond memories of when they were best friends, but she still loved her.
"Nope," Kristoff replied, not as sad as her. He was too young to remember where he came from. Sure, he was curious about it sometimes but it didn't really bother him much. "I mean, me and Sven weren't totally alone," he added. "See, when I was a kid, still learning the ropes with the older ice harvesters, I met some nice folks and they kinda took us in."
"Wow, they did? That's nice," Anna said with a smile. How sweet that some strangers were willing to take an orphan and his reindeer into their family. "Do they live close by?" she asked, curious and intrigued to meet these people.
Kristoff hesitated for a second. "Not really. They live a ways outside the village. Up closer to the mountains," he explained, gesturing up to the huge mountain just across the fjord. He didn't need to tell her that they were a clan of magical rock trolls.
Anna looked in that direction. "Huh. I didn't think anyone lived all the way up there." So trying to see these kind people wouldn't be as simple as she thought.
"I go up there to visit them from time to time," Kristoff added. He made regular trips up the mountain for ice harvesting and deliveries but he always made time to see them when he could.
After that, their conversation suddenly went quiet. The two just stared off at the view of the fjord from the balcony.
Anna wasn't sure what to say next and neither did Kristoff. Separately, the two felt a bit of panic that they weren't talking anymore. Was this a sign that the other was losing interest in them?
Trying to be inconspicuous, Anna slighting turned her head back to Kristoff, only to catch a glimpse of him already staring at her.
Seeing that he had been caught, Kristoff turned his head forward, back to the fjord. As did Anna at the same time. Both with bashful grins and a deep blush on their cheeks.
And with that, neither felt too bad about the silence. They were just enjoying the night and each other's company. They already did a lot of talking and they'll do some more later.
Turns out, hanging out with someone—date or otherwise—was less pressure than either thought.
After a few pleasantly quiet minutes, Anna finally decided to say something. She'd been thinking about it pretty much since they had danced back in the ballroom. She was feeling a lot ever since and also felt the need to express it to the person that had caused them.
"Um…Kristoff?" Anna finally said. "I…Can I say something crazy?"
"I don't know. Today's already been really crazy for me. I might be at my limit for the day," Kristoff teased before chuckling.
Anna chuckled with him. "Shut up," she said playfully as she nudged him with her elbow. When they were both done laughed, Anna's tone became serious and a bit nervous again. "What I wanted to say was…" She stopped for a moment, collecting her thoughts. Kristoff turned his body fully to her, ready to hear whatever she had to say. Anna faced him fully too but her eyes were turned downwards, glancing at anything behind him or his shirt. "I was really looking forward to today. Not just because the gates would be open, and the castle would be filled with people and we were hosting a real party. I was excited for all of that. But what I was also hoping for, more than anything…was finding…" Anna paused again before finally tilting her head up to actually look at the man in his warm brown eyes. "…love," she said a bit softer.
Kristoff, taken a bit off guard by her word choice, took a small step back while holding his hands up to her.
"Woah, Anna. Hold on a second," he quickly said, trying not to panic. She couldn't really mean what he thought she meant. Then again, he was feeling something similar but it was far too soon to call… "Love? I mean…we just met today," he said as gently as possible while at the same time trying to explain something to her. "Granted, it's probably been like the best day I've had in forever but," he added as a sincere afterthought which made Anna grin. After quickly clearing his throat, Kristoff stepped closer to her. "Anna," he said, taking her hands into his. "I'm no good with people. Which means I'm also no good when it comes to…"
"Love?"
"Sure. I just know that you are the first human being I've actually wanted to spend time with for more than five minutes without trying to flee."
"Really?" Anna said excited. She could feel her heart starting to beat faster. "I feel the same. I mean, I've never tried to flee other people, I love being around people, but-" she stopped ranting and cleared her throat too. "I enjoy spending time with you too," she said to him while squeezing his hands back. "Isn't that how love is supposed to feel?"
"Well, not exactly," he replied. It wasn't easy for him to explain this but he did his best, having picked up a thing or two from his family. He just didn't want her to get the wrong idea about what she thought love was or how they were actually feeling about each other. "Anna, I do like you. A lot. Even after just one day and it's kinda scary for me," he said. Kristoff had never imaged himself saying that and meaning it whole-heartedly. And there he was, admitting it to a princess of all people. "But I liked being with you today and I hope I can see you more after tonight. And, maybe someday, after more days like this one, maybe I could…like you more."
What Kristoff just said didn't sound anything like what she had read about in the dozens of romance novels that she'd read over the years. And yet, it made perfect sense to Anna.
She didn't exactly feel 'love' for Kristoff when she first laid eyes on him, nor did she feel it that moment. But it felt…close. After just one day, she felt something close to love for this man and he seemed to feel the same. He wanted to see her more days and she honestly did too. And if they had more days together, that 'close-to-love' feeling could become even closer.
They could become closer. It made perfect sense.
"Wow. Are you some sort of love expert?" she asked.
"No," Kristoff chuckled. "But…my family sort of is," he admitted with a shrug.
"Is that so?" Anna asked with a curiously lifted eyebrow. "Well, what do you think they'd say about-" she didn't finish. She simply gestured between the two of them.
"I don't know," he shrugged again. He thought he'd channeled what they'd say about their situation already but maybe there would be more. He wasn't totally sure. Then he started to chuckle, rubbing a hand over his face. "Oh god, they'd have a field day if they knew about you," he mused to himself.
Whenever they talked about love, it always lead to them asking him if he'd met anyone special/nice/attractive while he was out and about in the kingdom and honestly, it got on his nerves because his answer had always been no. He was a busy guy and didn't have the patience or social skills for dating. But now…
Hearing this peaked Anna's interest—even more than it did when he first mentioned them.
"Well, let's go ask them then," she said.
Kristoff snapped his head back to her. "Say what?"
"The next time you can go visit them, bring me along, and we'll ask them together," she said simply.
Kristoff couldn't help but grin. "Really? You want to meet my family?" This girl was even more crazy than he thought. But still in a good way.
"Absolutely. I've always wanted to meet a love expert," she replied, excited and very serious.
Now Kristoff didn't usually bring people to where his family lived, let alone mention that they were a clan of magical rock trolls—mainly because he never had anyone close to introduce them to—but he was intrigued by Anna too much to not at least consider it. "Well, okay," he said, a bit skeptical. She said to take her the next time he was free to visit them again. Who knew when that would be? Still, a part of him wanted to bring her while another part was weary—and not just because they weren't human. "Fair warning though, they can be a little inappropriate. And…loud, very loud," he chuckled. If Anna was serious about meeting them, he wanted her to understand what she was getting herself into. From there, he ranted more while looking off at the view, not noticing at all the delighted look on Anna's face the more he spoke. "They're also stubborn at times, and a little overbearing, and heavy. Like really…really heavy. Which, you know, but, you know you-you'll get it, they're fine, they mean well-"
"Kristoff," Anna finally cut him off, placing a hand on his arm. Kristoff shut his mouth and looked at her. "They sound wonderful. And I would absolutely love to meet them someday," she said, still as sincere as before.
Anna's gentle smile was all the reassurance that Kristoff needed. And just like that, he wasn't so nervous of introducing her to his family. Someday.
He smiled back at her. "Deal."
Anna joined him in looking at the fjord again in comfortable silence. Kristoff's mind was mostly at peace, Anna, however, was thinking hard.
About what Kristoff said about love and that it doesn't just happen in one day. She was always under the impression that love could be sudden if it was true love. Then again, what she felt for Kristoff happened in just one day. She didn't exactly love him yet but…she wanted to. And like he said, if they spent more time together, maybe they could.
Another thought crossed her mind for a second. If Kristoff wasn't her true love, since they didn't fall in love upon first sight, should she bother trying to see him again? Maybe they would never fall in love, even after more days like this one.
But when she thought of not seeing Kristoff again after that night—no more talking, sock races, chocolate fondue, laughing, dancing, or sharing stories with him—her heart hurt.
Kicking Kristoff out of her life would hurt almost as much as it hurt when Elsa kicked her out of hers.
She never wanted to shut Kristoff out. Never close a door in his face.
Kristoff had opened a door for her. And Anna intended to keep it open.
Still staring at the view, Anna finally decided to speak her mind. "You know, when I pictured tonight, I thought if I met a handsome stranger and we hit it off, laughing and talking all evening, he'd just sweep me off my feet. Our eyes would meet, our hearts would melt. We'd suddenly fall deeply in love, and he'd propose to me right then and there," she said. Kristoff snapped his head back to her, a bit surprised by her honesty. But Anna stared ahead. "But now…I don't want that," she said before turned her head to him. Then she took his hand. "I want this. With you." She took his other hand and the two stared at each other. "I want to see you again after tonight too, Kristoff. And someday…I hope to also like you more than I already do."
Kristoff couldn't keep the smile off his face. Maybe he was better with love-stuff then he first believed.
Then, without thinking, he leaned forward, to the side, and kissed her on her freckled cheek.
When he pulled back, Kristoff panicked for a moment that he'd gone too far. She was still a princess! Commoners like him couldn't just smooch members of the royal family! He just really wanted to, and she did it to him earlier but…
The blush that appeared on Anna's cheeks and the smile on her lips was enough to settle his anxiety. Especially moments later when she leaned into his chest and wrapped her arms around him.
Kristoff breathed a comforted sigh as he wrapped his arms around her. She was small but so soft in his arms. And she smelled like wild flowers and chocolate.
Anna melted into the warmth of Kristoff's body surrounding her. His arms were strong but gentle around her. He smelled like soap and pine, and a bit musky but in a good way. She liked it. A lot.
Yeah. This night was not the end for either of them. It was only the beginning.
After deciding not to go back to the ballroom just yet, Anna suggested another nice place where she and Kristoff could continue to talk;
The library.
The two were laid out on a large chaise, big enough for two. Kristoff was partially sat up, leaning back against one of the ends. Anna was seated the same, but from the opposite side so they could face each other.
Curious about Anna, Kristoff had asked her to tell him more about herself. But after sharing a few more fun personal things, her train of thought took a detour into her relationship with her sister.
She had already told him briefly about their distance back in the stables but there was more.
"Elsa and I were really close when we were little but then one day she just shut me out and I never knew why," Anna said, holding her knees before leaning forward until her cheek rested on them.
"Didn't you ever try to talk to her?" Kristoff asked her.
"Yes. I'd knock on her door at least once or twice a day to ask if she wanted to play or talk but she always just said 'Go away, Anna' and that was all I ever got. Plus, she started taking all of her meals in her room too so I could never catch her outside her door," she explained, a cross between frustrated and sad.
Seeing her distress, Kristoff sat up, leaned toward her, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder blade. "I'm sorry, Anna," he said, giving the spot a small, soothing rub. He could see her grin at him for the gesture but then her eyes shifted away, off into space in thought as her lips became a frown. The ice harvester hated to see her upset like this. And the only way to make it better was if the queen stopped shutting her sister out and actually talked to her. "Anna, you promised to have my back when I came in here with you. Well, now I've got your back," he said with a determined tone.
Anna immediately sat up and looked at him with a bit of surprise. "So…you think I should talk to Elsa?" she asked.
"Yeah. Tonight. Tell her how you feel. I mean, she's out of her room for this party and after it's over, she'll probably shut herself away again," he added.
Anna said so herself that Elsa came out just for the party so it was now or possibly never.
Thinking for a moment, Anna realized that he was right. Elsa did already shut her out when she tried talking to her earlier, but she could try again. "You're right! This party is my best chance of speaking to her," Anna exclaimed, springing to her feet. But as she stood there, another thought occurred to her. "But I also don't think I should make a scene in front of everyone," she added, hesitantly.
If she was going to confront Elsa, maybe a crowded ballroom wasn't the best place to talk about their family issues.
"Don't worry," Kristoff told her with a clever smirk. "I have a plan."
I'm no love expert, but I hope my scene with Anna and Kristoff talking about their feelings for each other felt real enough.
1 more chapter.