(This chapter has been revised on 6/13/2024)

The Boy and his Reindeer

The Next Morning…

The sun hadn't even peeked through the horizon when Anna woke up. Still in her pajamas, she ran out of her room and straight to her parent's chambers. Anna gently opened the door and walked into their room. Both of her parents were still sleeping to her dismay. However, she can't help but notice her father giving a quiet snore as drool came from the corner of his mouth. Her mother's hair looked very messy, with one strand in the corner of her mouth. The sight made Anna giggle a bit before remembering her purpose.

"Mama! Papa! Wake up! We're going into town today, remember? Come on, wake up!"

Hearing Anna's voice, the couple were now in a half-awake, half-sleeping state.

"Your daughter is awake…" Idun mumbled.

"Before sunrise, she's your daughter…" Agdar retorted sleepily.

Anna was frustrated that her attempts weren't working. As a last resort, she belly flopped onto her parents, which definitely made them bolt upward.

"You two promised!" Anna gave a pouty face as her parents tiredly stared at her.

"Anna, don't you think it's a little early? Some of us don't have to get up for..." Idun gave a yawn. "...a few hours."

"But…"

"Your mother is right, sweetheart. Besides, you don't want us to fall asleep while in town, do you?" Agdar said.

"I guess…" Anna then gave a small yawn.

"And you should go back to sleep, too. Don't worry. We'll be in town before you know it."

"Okay." Anna got off the bed and went to the door. "By the way mama, your hair looks funny."

Before Idun could respond to that, Anna quickly left the room. The queen then heard a small chuckle from her husband.

"I heard that," Idun said.

"Well, she is right about your hair," Agdar remarked.

"And I can see your drool puddle from here."

Everyone in the castle was awake after a few more hours of sleeping. Both monarchs wanted to go to town as soon as possible to put Anna at ease, so they quickly got themselves and Anna ready. Anna gobbled her food quickly during breakfast to the point her mother had to remind her of her manners several times.

The time came when they could finally go. Anna's grin grew wide as the gates slowly opened. Once she did, she quickly ran ahead, ignoring her parent's call for her. Between her and the town was the bridge. The princess got on top of a stone railing and clung onto a lamppost for a better view. The city looked more extensive than she remembered.

"Anna! I thought we agreed that you stay with us." Agdar picked up his daughter from the lamppost and placed her back on the ground.

"Sorry, papa. I got a little too excited," Anna gave an apologetic look.

Agdar gave a reassuring smile. "It's a fine, sweetheart. Just try to stay close."

"Yes, papa."

"Good. Now let's be off."

All three members made their way into the town. They had made it to what Anna assumes to be the town square. Citizens nearby gave a greeting and bowed as they walked by. Anna looked at the sights around her. Everything just seemed to make the young princess excited.

"What are we going to do first?" Anna asked eagerly.

"Before we do anything, your mother and I have some business to deal with first," Agdar explained.

"Aw! But you promised we'll go explore the town."

"And we will as soon as we're done. For now, just be patient."

"Alright…" Anna agreed though disappointment in her voice was evident.

The family started walking. Anna was behind her parents, but still close enough for them to see her. Agdar still had a nervous look on his face. He looked back at her several times as they walked.

"Agdar, dear, just relax. Anna's not going anywhere," Idun tried to put her husband at ease.

"I know, love. I just can't help it sometimes," Agdar admitted.

"We're just going to enjoy a day in town. What's the worst that can happen?"

One Hour later…

The royals were in Arendelle's nobility district. Agdar needed to check on things since he had been away for quite some time. Both he and his wife were talking to some of the nobles. Anna, meanwhile, was laying on a bench nearby, waiting for her parents to finish. She was clearly bored out of her mind. So far, the day hasn't gone as well as she hoped.

However, her waiting had been interrupted by a unique scent Anna had caught. Sitting upright, Anna sniffs the newfound scent. It was a sweet smell, one that she recognized as…

"Chocolate…" she breathes with a satisfied sniff. "Maybe I'll get some while I wait for Mama & papa to finish."

Getting off the bench, Anna followed the scent of chocolate. She continued to walk as she sniffed the chocolate air. But a few minutes later, the chocolate scent was gone. Disappointed, Anna turned in the opposite direction.

But she then realized she was in an unfamiliar area. Anna hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings while in her chocolate trance. She found herself in a sea of people as she looked around for her parents. She couldn't see them, and none of the people seemed to offer to help her. The fact that Anna was dressed more like a commoner than a princess and she didn't go into town much was probably the reason no one recognized her.

"This is bad. This is really really bad…"

From the corner of her eye, Anna saw an empty alleyway. She made a dash for it. The young girl sat against the wall to gather her bearings.

"Get it together, Anna...Just calm down and think."

After a few minutes, Anna manages to calm herself down. The princess places her hands on her head, trying to think of a plan. Every option she could think of came to her until one struck her.

"The square…"

Yes! Of course! The town square was near the castle. All she had to do was go to the square and wait for her parents to find her there. The problem? She had no idea how to get there.

"Maybe if I just walk around, I'll get lucky and find myself there…hopefully."

Anna got back to her feet and stepped out of the alley. She decided to go in the direction she had gone earlier in her chocolate trance. She took this opportunity to look around. Life was bustling around the streets more than she had seen in the castle. At one point, she tried to ask for directions but couldn't get anyone's attention. So far, her luck hadn't turned up, so Anna resumed walking.

"Well, this is just great…" Anna muttered sarcastically as she kept walking. "My first trip in town in a long time, and I got lost. Papa definitely won't let me out of his sight after this."

As Anna continued to walk, she looked around her surroundings. As she approached a turn, a sudden colossal force struck her hard and knocked her to the ground on her bottom.

"Hey!" Anna shouted.

"Are you alright?!"

Anna looked up to see the person who knocked her over. A boy, a few years older than her with blonde hair and brown eyes, was in front of her. Besides him was a juvenile reindeer.

"I, uh...I'm fine," Anna got on her feet.

"I'm so sorry about that." The boy apologized. "I'm sure Sven didn't mean to hit you."

"Sven?"

"My friend here," the boy patted the reindeer.

"It's okay. It was my fault. I wasn't watching where I was going...I got myself lost from my parents.

"Oh...do you need any help?"

"Do you know your way to the town square? It's near the castle."

"Well the thing is...I'm not that familiar with the town."

"Oh," Anna looked down disappointingly. "Well, in that case, I should be going. Thanks anyway."

Anna was about to walk away before the boy spoke up.

"But I think I know how to find it!"

"You do?"

"Not far from here is the clock tower. Climb up the stairs and you'll see your destination. I can take you there if you want."

"Really? That would be great!" Anna quickly went by the boy's side. "Since we'll be around each other briefly, can I know your name?"

"It's Kristoff? Yours?"

"My name's Anna. You probably heard of me. I'm the princess."

"You are?"

"Yeah. But no need to be fancy. You can just call me Anna."

"Alright then, Anna. Shall we be off?"

Anna nodded and started to walk along her new companions.

"So tell me. How you'd get yourself lost?" Kristoff asked sometime later.

"Oh well...It's kinda funny. I was waiting for my parents to stop talking to some rich people. We planned to enjoy a day in town, and it was my first time out. But my papa wanted to get some business done. There's always a catch with him. Anyway, I suddenly smelled the sweet scent of chocolate and figured, 'Maybe I'll buy some while I wait' since I didn't think it was far. I followed the scent but it soon went away. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and that's how...I...ended up lost…"

"Okay so let me get this straight. You got yourself lost just because you wanted some chocolate?"

"Pretty much. I know not to do that again." Anna gave a slight blush and a nervous laugh. "What about you? Is your family with you?"

"My family lives up in the valleys. I recently started to come down here for business."

"What kind of business?"

"I'm an ice harvester. I collect ice and sell it."

"You're an ice harvester? Isn't that...dangerous? And you're like, what? 11?" Anna had heard stories about ice harvesters, including their dangers. Seeing someone close to her age in such a hazardous profession was astounding for her.

"12 actually, but yes, it can be dangerous."

"And your family is okay with it? They don't get worried or anything?"

"They do. But it's only dangerous if you're not careful. And my family trusts that I'm careful. And Sven of course."

"Wow...Your family sounds different from mine," Anna remarked. "My parents, mostly my papa, are what you might call…overprotective. Knowing him, he's most likely realized I'm gone and probably freaking out."

"Well, he'll stop freaking out soon. We're just about here."

Just straight ahead was the clock tower. It was the tallest building in the town. Or at least that's what Anna believed.

"This is it?"

"Yep," Kristoff replied. "Go through that door right there, and there should be a flight of stairs. Climb them, and another door should lead you right before the clock.

"Okay well, thank you for your help, Kristoff. It was nice meeting you." Anna went through the door.

Kristoff was about to walk away when Sven blocked his path and gave him a look.

"What are you doing?"

"You're not going to leave her now, are you?" Sven 'spoke'. In reality, was Kristoff speaking for him.

"I think she can figure it out."

"You could make sure she gets there alright. What if something happens to her, and she gets even more lost?"

"You're not going to let me live this down, are you?"

Sven responded with a snort.

"Alright. If it'll make you happy, I'll make sure she at least makes it. After that, we split from her."

Anna continued to walk up the stairs. There were about three flights, and she just left the second flight. Living in a big castle, Anna used to climb many stairs. She soon reached the top of the tower. They were two large bells that rang every hour or so. Anna managed to find the door Kristoff mentioned and opened it, and her eyes widened.

It was a glorious view. All below and around was practically the whole town. Anna saw the castle on the left. It looked like a long walk, but she at least had an idea of where to go. However, she didn't want to leave just yet. Sitting on the edge in front of the clock, she admired the view.

Kristoff managed to get caught up and saw Anna staring at the view. He could see how entranced she looked.

"Hey," he quietly called out.

Anna quickly turned her head. "Oh, Kristoff! I thought you would've left now."

"I was...But I want to be sure you get back safely."

"That's nice of you. I'll be down in a bit. I don't want to leave yet."

"I can wait."

Anna turned her attention back to the view in front of her. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Kristoff sitting next to her.

"This is...so different from looking from the top of the castle. It's nice to see it for once."

"It is a nice view."

There was a brief silence.

"The castle's farther than I thought..." Anna commented.

Kristoff looked at her. "You really don't go out much, do you?"

"...It's like what I said before. My parents are very protective of me. Especially my papa. This is my first trip into town since I was 4 I think."

"Really?" Kristoff inquired.

"Yeah, and it doesn't end there. Whenever I have some sort of fun, Papa always gets freaked out that I might hurt myself. If he saw me right now, he probably would have a heart attack. It's been like that as long as I can remember!" Anna grunted in irritation as she flopped on her back. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be blurting out my problems like that to someone I just met."

"Hey, it's fine. Sounds like you've been meaning to bring it out for a while."

Anna quickly sat back up. "How do you do it? How does your family not have the need to constantly watch your back? If anything, you sound lucky."

"I'm not sure if I would use that word."

"What do you mean?"

"My family...isn't, well, my real family. When I was younger it was just me & Sven."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Anyway, when I was 8, we both stumbled upon the grounds where my family lives. They took us when they saw us, and they've been family since.

"That sounds pretty lucky to me. Being able to find people who'll take you in willingly. And trust you," Anna went on. "How do they feel about you being an ice harvester?"

"I assure them I'm cautious and careful of my surroundings. It's basically a matter of trust."

"Sounds like something my papa lacks."

"Well, you just got to prove it to him somehow. You should enjoy your life the way you want. It's like what my family once told me. 'Life's not some spectating sport. If watching is all you're going to do, then you're going watch your life go by without you.' "

Anna was amazed by the boy's words of wisdom. It then gave her an idea. "Y'know Kristoff, you're right. I'm away from my papa for the time being. But for once, I'm going to enjoy myself!... Until he finds me of course. You don't mind sticking around me a little longer, do you?"

"I guess I wouldn't mind spending more time. Besides, it'll help me get around the town better."

Anna smiled. "Thank you!"

"I guess we should get going then."

The two children made their way back down. Sven had been waiting near the door and immediately greeted Kristoff. Anna had gotten a small head start.

"C'mon Kristoff!"

Kristoff gestures to Sven to start moving, and they both follow Anna. From the corner of his eye, he notices Sven giving him a sly look.

"What?"

"Whatever happened to ditching her as soon as possible?"

"Okay, so maybe she's growing on me a bit."

Sven couldn't help but give a snort.

"Oh don't be like that."

The pair continued to follow the princess.

Next chapter will show Anna & Kristoff's adventure in town.

Just for future reference, whenever Sven speaks, his dialogue are gonna be in bold. I'm not an expert on Reindeer age, though I assume Sven a few months old when Kristoff was 8 in the movie. Here, he should be a juvenile now. Basically hes big enough. If I got something wrong, then I apologize.

I assume that area near the castle (the one with that huge overhead) is the town square. Correct me if I'm wrong please.

So Anna goes into the town but gets separated from her parents (to be fair her parents brought upon themselves when Idun said those words). But don't worry, she has new friends to help her.

Kristoff is gonna be in this story. I'm a KrisAnna shipper, but their romance isn't going to be the main focus of the story. I'll just show their friendship, with maybe hints. Hope you guys won't mind.

In case you were wondering, Kristoff's line about life not being a sport was somewhat the same one from Disney's version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Love that movie).

And I could not resist mention Agdar & Idun's sleeping habits. Anna had to get them from somewhere:P