(This chapter has been revised on 10/2/2024)
Cold Introduction
The Next Night…
The door on the end of the wall surrounding Arendelle opened, and Anna emerged from the secret passage. A lantern was in one hand, and she used the other to close the passage door. She then made her way up to the edge of the mountain range, just like she had been doing for the past two months.
Unaware to her, two large forms are following her.
A while later, Anna had reached the mountain range edge. Usually, Marshmallow would be here to carry her the rest of the way so she didn't tire out from walking to The North Mountain and to save time. There wasn't any sign of Marshmallow. Taking out the pocket watch, she noticed she arrived much earlier than intended.
"Looks like I'm a little early."
Taking a quick look around for any sign of the giant snow creature, Anna sat on a nearby log. Lately, she felt more tired and didn't mind resting on the log. The lantern she had with her was growing dim. Fortunately, Anna had carried a small box of matches that her father used for his cigars.
After setting the lantern on her lap, Anna pulled a matchstick and flicked it against the box. After several attempts, the top lit a small fire. Anna lit the lantern and blew out the small flame on the stick before tossing it on the ground.
"Does your dad know you have his matches?"
The sudden voice caused Anna to jump to her feet with a startled yelp and take a defensive stance. Once she saw the voice's origin, she was relieved but shocked to see a familiar blonde man casually leaning against a tree, arms crossed with his reindeer next to him.
"Kristoff?!... What are you doing here?" Despite freaking out on the inside, Anna tried her best to play it cool.
Since his discovery yesterday, Kristoff had contemplated a plan to figure out what Anna was doing. The best solution he & Sven could think of was to camp near the wall since they figured that's where Anna was sneaking out and doing it at night. They had no such luck the previous night, but Kristoff was one that doesn't like to give up so easily.
Tonight, they once again camped out not far from the wall. This time, it was successful, as they saw Anna opening a secret door on the wall and going into the woods. They had followed her all the way to their current spot.
"I could ask you the same thing." Kristoff moved away from the tree and walked over to her. "People who sneak up here only do it because they're hiding something."
"It's not what you think...I have an excellent explanation." As much as Anna tried to hide it, the nervousness in her voice could be clearly heard. It had grown higher once Kristoff had walked until he was several inches from her.
"Look, Anna. Whatever you're doing, I just want the truth." Kristoff crossed his arms.
"The...truth?" Honestly, Anna didn't know what to do or say to him. She always knew that someone might start to catch on what she was doing sooner or later. Kristoff would be the first person Anna intended to tell about Elsa, but she didn't imagine it this way. "Uhh..."
"GET AWAY FROM HER!"
Little shards landed on the log near them, causing the pair to stumble backward. They both looked in the direction of where the shards came from. There, Anna saw Elsa herself.
Marshmallow often went alone to pick up Anna and take her to the ice palace. There were occasions when Elsa would accompany him, and she had done so tonight. When they got closer to the meetup, she heard Anna talking to someone and an unfamiliar voice following up. Splitting ways from Marshmallow, Elsa investigated to see Anna beside a big-built man. Seeing the girl's anxious stance, Elsa feared that the man had come to bring harm.
"Anna, run!"
Kristoff pulled out the pickaxe strapped on him and dashed towards Elsa. Right now, the only thing on Kristoff's mind was to protect Anna from this woman. Unaware that Elsa also has the same intentions. Neither of each knew of their opponent's relationship with the princess.
"No, wait!"
Kristoff ignored Anna's shouts as he ran over to Elsa. An ice spike as big as a small sword grew in Elsa's hand. Their own weapons clash against one another several times. Anna watched everything play out and tried to figure out what to do.
"Oh, this is going so well." Anna thought sarcastically.
Elsa manages to knock Kristoff down on the ground. He barely had time to get up and re-positioned himself as Elsa charged at him again.
"Nononono!"
Anna quickly ran and jumped between the pair, her arms sticking out as they were about to clash again. Her back faced Kristoff, and her full attention was on Elsa. From behind, Kristoff watched as Anna talked to the woman.
"Easy now. It's okay. He won't hurt us." The words Anna spoke to her seemed to work as the ice spike dissipated from Elsa's hand. She seemed to relax, but her full attention was still on Kristoff. Anna turned to face Kristoff. "You just scared her."
"I scared her?!" Kristoff exclaimed as he got to his feet. His eyes quickly widen with realization. "Wait, you know her?"
"I do…"
"Wha-How? Kristoff stumbled back, still clutching his pickaxe, until he felt his back against something stiff & cold. Turning around, a huge white creature towering over him with a scowl on its face was what had greeted him. "What the fu-" was the last thing Kristoff muttered before the creature grabbed him and lifted Kristoff to his eye level. Looking closer, Kristoff can see that this creature was made of ice & snow.
"Anna! What is going on here?!" Kristoff shouted as he struggled to get free.
"It's a very long story," Anna told him.
"You're telling me! What is this thing?"
"That 'thing' is Marshmallow," Elsa remarked coldly as she walked closer to him. "Who are you?"
"My name's Kristoff. I'm a friend of Anna's."
Elsa seemed to soften up after he mentioned his relationship with Anna. However, she kept her guard up and continue to interrogate him.
"Why are you here? Are you alone?"
"I came here to see what Anna was doing. It's just me & Sven." Kristoff gestured to the reindeer, who was hiding behind some bushes. "I haven't told anyone about this."
"You haven't?"
"I swear!"
"I think that's enough questions, Elsa," Anna stepped in.
"I'm making sure he won't hurt us."
"Me hurting you?! You're the one who threw shards at us! That could've killed us!" Kristoff barked back.
"That was a warning shot. If I really wanted to kill you, I would've thrown them at your head. You're the one who made things worse."
"I made it worse?!"
"Okay, enough!" Anna shouted loud enough for the two to stop their bickering. "Could you give us a few minutes, Kristoff?"
"Not like I'm going anywhere..." Kristoff sarcastically expressed.
"Okay. Just stay put, and don't make Marshmallow angry."
"Yeah, sure."
Anna gently grabbed Elsa's arm, and they walked several feet away until they were out of earshot.
"Is that man really your friend?" Elsa asked.
"Yes. Kristoff is my friend. I told you about him several times," Anna confirmed to her. "I promise you he's not a threat."
"He charged towards me with a pickax in his hand!"
"To be fair, you did kinda start it. Throwing ice shards is not exactly what I call making a good first impression." Elsa looked down at the ground, not saying a word to Anna. "But I know you were just trying to protect me. Kristoff was only doing the same. All of this is just one big misunderstanding. He's a real sweet guy and will be the same to you once he sees you're not a threat."
Elsa only gave a huff in response as she crossed her arms. She glanced over to Kristoff, still in Marshmallow's grasp. As Anna glanced at both of them, she got an idea.
"Why don't we take him to the palace?"
"To my home?!"
"You trust me, don't you?"
Silence was around for a short period before Elsa answered. "Yes."
"I've known him for years. I swear he won't react badly or try anything."
"...Fine. But Marshmallow keeps a hold on him until we get there."
"I promise that you won't regret this." Anna smiled before she ran back towards Kristoff. "How are you doing, Kristoff?"
"Aside from finding out that you're friends with a woman I've never seen before who can control this monster made of snow that has me in his grip, I'm doing well," Kristoff spoke in a way that was trying to hide his uneasiness. "You ever gonna tell me what's your deal with them?"
"First of all, her name is Elsa, and the snow monster is Marshmallow. Second of all, I promise you that I will. But Elsa and I want to show you something before I can."
"What do you want to show me?"
"We...have to go there."
"Go there?" Anna nodded. "Great, so you're kidnapping me now."
"I'm not kidnapping you! Don't be so dramatic!"
"Can you please tell your friend here to let go of me?"
"I can't do that. Only Elsa can."
"Then can you please tell her that then?"
"I can't do that either."
"Why?"
"She...doesn't fully trust you so she's making Marshmallow hold you the whole way there."
"Wonderful...Can I at least have my arms free? I can feel my circulation being cut off."
"Can he?" Anna looked over at Elsa.
"Sure," Elsa replied after a moment.
Kristoff felt Marshmallow's grip loosen and pulled both arms out, but it remained tight enough for him to not escape.
"Better now?" Anna asked.
"A little. What about Sven?"
"Elsa and I will ride him."
Kristoff suddenly became concerned. "I'm not sure if I should be relieved or afraid. Remember the last time you rode Sven without me?"
"That was one time. Sven was still fine and I only got several bruises. I've gotten better since. Have some faith in me, would ya." Anna turned her attention to the reindeer hiding behind a small bush. "Come over here, Sven." The reindeer was hesitant to move from his spot. Anna looked over to Kristoff, indicating she needed some help.
"It's fine, Sven," Kristoff called out to his companion, muttering to himself. "At least I hope it'll be fine…"
Sven moved from his spot and headed towards Anna. She immediately greeted him with several pats on his neck.
"Sven, meet Elsa. Elsa, meet Sven."
"...Hello." Elsa gave a small wave as Sven smiled at her. Despite that, Elsa was keeping her distance.
"What? You've never seen a reindeer before?" Anna prodded, noticing her wariness.
"I've hunted some before." Sven gave a small grunt of shock at Elsa's response.
"She doesn't mean it, Sven! Elsa was only joking." Anna petted his neck until he was calm. "Right, Elsa?"
"I wasn't joking-"
"-Let's get on Sven's back!"
The reindeer lowered himself to make climbing on him easier for both girls. Anna was the first to get on his back with ease. On the other hand, Elsa had a bit of trouble, but Anna managed to help her on.
"Comfy?" Anna asked.
"Uh, yeah," Elsa confirmed.
"I'm still unsure about this," Kristoff admitted with uncertainty.
"You'll be fine," Anna reassured.
Unknown to Anna, Marshmallow has his own ideas forming in his head. Nothing malicious but rather mischievous (his idea of mischievous at least) payback towards Kristoff for almost hurting Elsa. He then gave 'a look' towards Elsa, to which she simply nodded. That's was all he needed.
"I promise you, Marshmallow is a gentle giant," Anna gently insisted to Kristoff.
At that very moment, Marshmallow had quickly dashed off, with Kristoff shouting like crazy. It took Anna a second before she realized what just occurred. Sven immediately darted after the giant snowman with Anna barely hanging on.
"Marshmallow! What is wrong with him?" Anna turns to Elsa, to which the ice wielder only shrugs. The kind of shrug one would indicate they didn't know, but in reality they did. An annoyed groan came out of Anna as she rolled her eyes. Sven managed to catch up to Marshmallow, who slowed down briefly. Still in his grip was a now unsettled-looking Kristoff clutching onto Marshmallow's hand with dear life. Anna had tried her best to keep him calm. "He's normally not like this. I don't know what's gotten into him."
As Anna tried to assure Kristoff, the group ended up near a slope with trees below. Marshmallow's face grew mischievous as he gradually started sliding down the hill.
"Oh no..." Anna muttered as she watched Marshmallow slide down and heard Kristoff screaming in the distance. "Elsa, what is he doing?"
"Marshmallow just having some fun. He's not going to hurt him." Elsa responded calmly.
"The whole idea of this was to get Kristoff to like you! This is not the way to do it!"
The girls continued to watch Marshmallow as they still attempted to stay close. While Anna knew Marshmallow wouldn't hurt him, it still didn't stop her from worrying about Kristoff's well-being. Especially when Marshmallow made some daring moves.
"And now he's spinning…" Anna had muttered at some point as placed her hand on her face. "This just keeps getting better and better…"
Soon, Marshmallow quit his slide and resumed his rough running. The girls & reindeer could barely keep up with the behemoth snowman. Sometimes Anna forgets that Marshmallow is a pretty fast runner despite his bulky size.
"Okay! I am sorry! I'm sorry! I'll cooperate!" Kristoff had said loud and clear. Loud enough for the girls to hear as well.
Marshmallow and Elsa exchanged a quick glance. The words from Kristoff sounded sincere enough for Elsa. Giving the giant snowman a nod, Marshmallow seized his running and started to walk much more calmly. The girls & Sven finally caught up to the pair. Anna and Sven can now relax a bit to see Kristoff unharmed. The same could be said for the ice harvester, along with a slight surprise seeing how gentle the giant snowman is.
"See? Total gentle giant," Anna had said to him.
"Yeah…" Kristoff responded as he looked up at Marshmallow, who had an unreadable expression. "Where exactly are we going, Anna?"
"You'll see soon. Just try to stay comfortable."
Later…
"How much farther are we?" Kristoff questioned.
"Not too far now," Anna replied.
"You said that fifteen minutes ago."
"Yes, and we're almost there."
As the group made their way to their destination, Elsa watched the pair exchange in their conversation, most notably Kristoff. Until this point, Elsa had only known of him through the several times Anna had mentioned him. He seemed friendly and had no ill intention towards them, but Elsa kept her guard up.
Suddenly, Marshmallow stopped in his tracks. A huge rock blocked the group's view.
"What's going on?" Kristoff asked.
"We're here." Anna jumped off Sven, followed by Elsa.
"We are?" Kristoff said unsure as he looked around. "Does that mean I can be free now?
"Can he?" Anna looked at Elsa.
"Marshmallow, drop him," Elsa commanded.
Kristoff felt Marshmallow release his grip on him. He landed face-first on the ground, earning himself a mouthful of snow.
"Are you okay?" Anna ran to his side, along with Sven.
"Yeah, I'm-pff- fine." Kristoff spat out some snow as Anna helped him to his feet. The ice harvester took look around his surroundings. "The North Mountain...What we're doing all the way out here?"
"Just let me show you. Please, Kristoff."
Anna stuck out her hand, indicating Kristoff to take it as well. He then took it and Anna started guiding him.
"Do you really want to do this?" Elsa hesitated.
"Trust me, Elsa. He'll love it." Anna said to her.
"Love what?" Kristoff looked at Anna oddly.
"You're about to find out." Anna grinned as she started guiding him.
The pair walked around the rock. On the other side lied Elsa's ice palace. All Kristoff could do at that moment was only look in complete wonder.
"Oh my God. Now that's ice..." Kristoff softly said in awe. Gaze did not leave the palace once.
"Come on," Anna ushered him to move.
"Wait we're going in there?" Anna gave a nod to him.
The pair walked up to the ice staircase and started walking on it. Kristoff lingered back to admire the stairs alone. "Flawless…" Kristoff muttered as he gently touched the icy railing.
Anna had made it to the doors first, watching Kristoff admiring the ice structure as he walked up the stairs. A smile grew across her face. She knew exactly what she was doing and this was only the beginning.
Kristoff arrived at the top of the stairs minutes later. Anna opened the grand doors and let Kristoff go in first. Kristoff walked inside and looked around the foyer. His eyes were glued practically to every inch of the room—the foyer stairs, the frozen fountain, the ceiling, everywhere. Each time he looked in a different spot, his expression of pure awe remained the same.
Anna walked in several moments later and went to the foyer stairs. She called for Kristoff and gestured him to come with her. Kristoff followed Anna up the foyer platform and the staircase on the palace's left to the balcony room. Like in the foyer, Kristoff looked around the room with the same look. His eyes especially lit up once he saw the chandelier.
His gaze stopped once he heard more doors opening. Looking at the source, Anna was near the door leading to the balcony. They both walked onto it, and Kristoff was astonished by the view of the mountain range. As they stood, The Northern Lights emerged in the sky. In the past, Kristoff had climbed many cliffs with glorious views, none of which were nothing compared to this.
Anna watched Kristoff as he stared at the night sky. A sudden thought had told her that this would be pretty romantic if circumstances were different. She quickly pushed that thought out of her head.
"Awesome isn't it?" Anna spoke up.
"Yeah. It's pretty cool." Kristoff still had his gaze on the sky covered with the dancing lights. "All of this, its...amazing."
"You like my home?"
The pair both turned around to see Elsa at the doorway. She had lingered back as Anna showed Kristoff around the palace and watched his reactions. The look on his face was the same one Anna had when she first revealed her magic to her. It was somewhat relieving to see that Kristoff was interested in her magic.
"Uh, Yeah! Ice is my life!" Kristoff exclaimed gladly before he paused for a moment. "Did you say your home?"
"Y-yes. I built it." Elsa answered as she walked closer to the pair, keeping her distance from Kristoff. "I have ice magic."
Kristoff gave an odd look to her. "Show me."
Elsa was caught off guard as she clasped her hands together. She looked over at Anna, mentally asking her if she should. Anna's eyes had looked as if she were telling her, 'Let it go. Show him what you can do.' Lifting her hand in the air, Elsa made a small snow stream. Then she did the same with her other hand. Kristoff watched the snowfall, laying out his hand as some of those snowflakes landed on his palm.
"Amazing…" Kristoff muttered. "All of this its just...wow. I might cry."
"Go ahead. I won't judge," Anna assured.
"What's all the commotion in here?" Olaf waddles onto the balcony. The sight of the snowman startled Kristoff. "Hi, Elsa. Hi Anna! Hi…" Olaf paused as he noticed Kristoff's presence. "Who's the funky looking donkey?"
"Donkey?" Kristoff parroted.
"Hi, Olaf. This is Kristoff. He's a friend of mine," Anna shared.
Kristoff noticed how Anna had talked to the snowman. The way she casually spoke to him indicated that they were familiar with one another. It did make him wonder how long this had been going on. Hopefully, he'll get those answers later.
"Hi, Kristoff! I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs!" The snowman introduced himself.
"Uh, hello." Kristoff waved awkwardly. Just when he thought this night couldn't get any crazier.
"He's one of Elsa's creations. Like Marshmallow." Anna brought up.
"Is there more of...like him and Marshmallow?"
"Yeah, but they're way smaller. We call them Snowgies. Some of them should be around."
A thud was suddenly heard. It sounded like it had come from the foyer. Everyone headed to the large room to see Sven slipping all over the foyer. Marshmallow had just stood and watched as the reindeer made each attempt to stand up, only to slip again. Kristoff was quick to his companion's side.
"Alright, take it easy, boy. Come here. I got ya." Kristoff helped Sven to his feet and got him to stand up properly. "There you go, buddy."
"Who's the reindeer?" Olaf asked.
"That's Sven." Anna had answered.
"Hi, Sven!" Olaf waddled his way towards Sven. "I'm Olaf and it's nice to meet you." When Olaf got closer, Sven tried to take a bite from Olaf's carrot nose. "Aw! Look at him trying to kiss my nose. I like you too!" The snowman had spoken in a baby voice, not knowing the reindeer's true intentions, before hugging Sven's neck.
"They like each other," Anna told her two friends as they watched.
"Yeah..." Kristoff had replied. Elsa, on the other hand, had remained silent.
Before anyone could say more, squeaking noises were heard. Coming down the stairs behind the three people were all of The Snowgies. The little snow creatures all stop to gaze upon Kristoff.
"Anna, what are those?" Kristoff question.
"The Snowgies," Anna revealed.
"Little brothers! We have a visitor!" Olaf exclaimed. "This is Kristoff!"
Without any warning, The Snowgies all started to crowd around Kristoff. They were ganging up on him so much that Kristoff fell on his butt. This meant more opportunity for the tiny snow beings to jump over him.
"Anna...?"
"They like you."
"I think I'll like them more if they're not jumping over me!"
"Uh Elsa, could you-?
Knowing what Anna wanted, Elsa signaled over to Marshmallow. With a roar, The Snowgies knew that meant they had to get off. Once they were cleared, Kristoff managed to get on his feet.
"Sorry about that. The Snowgies get a little too excited sometimes," Anna said.
"I can see that," Kristoff stated before glancing at everyone in the room. "So all these guys are your friends?"
"Yes."
"For how long?"
"We've been friends for a few months now," Olaf suddenly blurted out.
"Months?" Kristoff repeated.
"Uh-huh!" Olaf replied with a bright smile. "Are you and Elsa friends now?"
"I uh…" Kristoff stuttered, not sure what to say. While he knew that Elsa wasn't a threat, he still didn't know what to make of her. Elsa, meanwhile, had the same thoughts about him.
"They haven't decided yet. Right guys?" Anna spoke up, likely wanting to avoid any awkwardness between the pair.
"Uh yeah. I need to think about it," Kristoff played along.
"Yeah, me too," Elsa added.
"Oh...Well, I sure hope you'll decide soon. I would love to have more friends around!" Olaf happily proclaimed.
A small yawn then came out of Anna's mouth.
"Are you okay, Anna?" Elsa was the first to notice. "You've been yawning a lot."
"Yeah. I guess I'm just tired…"
"Maybe you sure go home and rest."
"But I just got here. That would be rude."
"And I don't want you hurting yourself."
Kristoff watches the way the two girls exchange. Just by the way they talked and the events beforehand, it was clear to him that Anna & Elsa were indeed close friends, much like himself & Anna. It did make a lot of sense to Kristoff. This Elsa girl was willing to fight, maybe even kill, to protect Anna. These creatures made of snow didn't seem to faze Anna at all and were really friendly to her, including Marshmallow. However long Anna has been visiting Elsa, it was long enough for the two girls to care about each other's feelings.
"I swear Elsa, I'm not...tired."
Another yawn came out of Anna's mouth before she toppled over. It would've been a painful landing on the floor had Kristoff not quickly run over to her and landed in his arms. "I got her."
"Is she okay?" Elsa quavered with concern.
"She's fine. Once she sleeps properly" Kristoff assured her, holding onto a now snoring Anna in his arms. "I guess lack of sleep must be catching up to her."
"Anna's been feeling more tired a lot recently. She fell asleep for several hours the last time she was here."
"How often does Anna come here?"
"Several times each week during the night."
That had answered some of Kristoff's questions. But he hadn't gotten the whole story and knew he wouldn't get it from Elsa.
"I probably should take her home." Kristoff stood to his feet with the sleeping Anna in his arms and started to walk out, with Sven following him. Before they could leave, Marshmallow had blocked the exit. "I'm just going to take her home. I won't hurt her." The giant snow creature still didn't move, so Kristoff looked at Elsa pleadingly.
"Let him leave, Marshmallow," Elsa ordered.
Marshmallow looked at Elsa and then towards Kristoff. After several moments, he moved away from the exit.
"Take care of her now," Elsa's face twisted to a stern look. "Because if anything happens to her under your watch..."
"I promise I'll get her home safely," Kristoff swore.
Those words helped Elsa relax a bit. With that, she watches Kristoff & Sven head for the doors.
"Wait!" Elsa called out, causing Kristoff to stop. What Elsa said next was something he didn't expect to hear "It was...nice to meet you."
"...It was nice to meet you, too." While Elsa sounded somewhat sincere, Kristoff sounded more awkward.
Once again, Elsa found herself watching him & the reindeer leave the palace with Anna. All three of them were soon gone.
"He seems nice. I like him!" Olaf blurted out. "You think we'll see him again?"
As much as Elsa wanted to agree with Olaf, she wasn't sure. Kristoff seemed very kind, but she wasn't sure if he was willing to befriend her.
"We'll see, Olaf. We'll see."
Anna was stirred away by something nudging her. She was snuggled close to something warm. As Anna slowly opened her eyes, she felt someone gently shaking her head, and a voice was heard.
"Wake up, Anna."
"Ugh...tell my parents five more minutes, Gerda…" She mumbled drowsily.
"Wrong person."
"Huh, what?" Once Anna fully opened her eyes, she realized she was snuggled up against Kristoff's chest. A slight red blush formed on Anna's face as she pulled away in embarrassment, not knowing they were both on Sven. She fell off the reindeer and onto the ground, groaning in pain.
"You alright, sleeping beauty?" Kristoff jumped off Sven and went to Anna.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Anna sat up, rubbing the back of her head. "What happened?"
"Lack of sleep. My guess it finally caught up to you in that ice palace. I took you back."
"Back where?"
Looking up, Anna saw they were near the wall connected to the castle.
"Figured you would've preferred to be here rather than at the castle gates," Kristoff added.
"Oh, thanks…"
Instead of heading to the passage, Anna remained sitting on the ground, with Kristoff sitting next to her. She could feel Kristoff looking at her as she went through her thoughts. She had a pretty good guess as to why.
"I guess I owe you that explanation."
"Uh, yeah," Kristoff responded. "It's not every day you find out your best friend knows a woman with ice magic. How long have you two known each other? When did you meet? Who exactly is she?"
There was a period of silence before Anna spoke. "Remember back in February when I got lost for a few days?"
"I much rather not…What does that have to do with this?"
"The day I got lost is when I first met her. After fleeing those wolves, I tried to walk home but got lost. I probably walked for hours and that's when that blizzard struck." Anna paused, for the next part of the story was something she knew would hard for Kristoff to hear. "I tried to find shelter, but the blizzard made it hard to see and walk through. I tripped on something at one point. I tried to fight to keep going, but I was so cold and tired. I just gave up and lay in the snow, ready to accept my fate before passing out."
There were many things Kristoff wanted to say at that moment. Yet none could describe the sense of shock he could feel. Anna had never told him that she almost lost her life. Nonetheless, he stayed quiet and continued to listen.
"What happened next, which I could only think was a miracle from God, Elsa found me and took me back to her home, where she helped me recover. Those three days I was gone, I spent with Elsa. She showed me her ice magic and showed me around her home, and I befriended & played with her creations. In that short time, we all become close. I stayed there until the day I went home."
"But if you were staying with Elsa, what were you doing in the woods where I found you?" Kristoff asked.
"Apparently, a few of the Snowgies were away from the palace and spotted the rescue group you were in. They overheard someone say your name, and that's how I knew it was you. I didn't want you guys to find Elsa and the others so I left to go find you."
"I see."
"After that, Elsa was always on my mind. I couldn't just forget about her and move on, not after everything we've been through. I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for her. That's something I don't know if I can ever repay. With Papa placing my horse riding ban, I had to find another way to see her. Just my luck there was a secret passage in my bedroom. Almost two weeks after being brought back, I used it to go out to see Elsa. Since then, I've been sneaking out of the castle several times a week at night to visit her."
"Is the reason you visit Elsa because you do it out of gratitude?" Kristoff questioned.
"Partially, but it's much more than that. As I got to know Elsa, I realized that she had become more than just someone who saved my life. I...I never told anyone this before. My whole life I felt like a part of me was missing." As she said this, Anna moved her hand on her chest. Specifically where her heart is. "You remember when I told you about my...sister?"
A day after Anna's parents summoned her, she told Kristoff what they had told her, that she had a sister who was stolen from her family months before Anna entered the world. All Kristoff could do was feel pity and offer his sympathies to Anna and her parents, even giving Anna a hug. He knew what losing someone was like, yet he couldn't fully relate. While Kristoff's parents were gone, he at least knew that they were dead. Anna's sister, on the other hand, was taken from her family, never to be seen again. At the same time, her parents spent years afterward not knowing their child's true fate. That is a pain Kristoff cannot imagine himself going through, and he hopes he will never experience it.
"When Mama & Papa told me about my sister, I figured she was why I felt this. That didn't mean it went away. Strange enough, part of me doesn't feel empty when I'm with Elsa. It feels...full. We've become almost like sisters."
"You really care for her that much?"
"Is that a problem?"
"Of course not, it's just...Most people who disappear into the mountains want to be alone."
"Nobody wants to be alone. Of all people, you should know that."
Kristoff didn't even bother to respond back.
"I know you might see Elsa as some scary ice sorceress, but there's more to her than that." Anna continued, and Kristoff perked up to further listen. "Elsa hasn't had an easy life. She's spent ten years living alone on that mountain since she was 8-years-old. I don't know much about her life before that. From what I can gather, she doesn't have any family, and the only people in her life before me abused her. Elsa is one of the nicest people I know and she didn't deserve to go through all that."
Kristoff took several minutes to formulate his next question. "Why didn't you tell me about her? Did you not trust me or something?"
"Of course, I trust you! I wanted to tell you, but I wasn't sure how you would react. It's not like I could say, 'Hey, I'm friends with a woman who can make snow magic' without any context."
Kristoff rubbed his arm. "Sorry. I didn't mean come as harsh. Learning all of this...I feel kinda hurt that you didn't tell me. For a moment, I thought you hid this because I told your dad that you go beyond the hills when you get lost."
"I never held that against you, Kristoff. I'm sorry if I made you feel like I did. My life was potentially on the line, and you did what you thought was best to help me. If it makes you feel better, you were always the first person I planned to tell about Elsa. I had and always will trust you."
"That does make me feel better." Kristoff breathed out. "So no one else knows about this?"
"Besides you, I haven't told anyone. Not Kai, not Gerda, and not even Mama & Papa."
"I figure you didn't tell your parents. Otherwise, you wouldn't be sneak out here in the middle of the night."
"You are right about that," Anna replied with a chuckle. "By the way, how did you know I was sneaking out?"
"I uh…" Kristoff started to get a bit nervous as he rubbed his neck.
Anna's eyes suddenly broadened. "Wait...Did you snoop through my bedroom?!"
"No!" Kristoff lifted his hands up in defense. "You didn't close your secret passage door all the way. And your winter gear was sticking out from underneath your bed."
"Oh...shit." Anna slightly face-palmed herself as she muttered those words.
"You probably should be more careful if you want to keep this a secret, feisty pants."
"Right...Wait, you're not going to tell anyone?"
"I may not fully understand your relationship with Elsa..." Kristoff paused. "But I can see how much she means to you. I give you an ice harvester's promise that I won't say a word to anyone."
Before Kristoff could react, he felt being pushed to the ground as he felt arms wrap around him. On top of him was Anna, who repeatedly said. "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou! This means so much to me!"
"That's what friends are for," Kristoff said before remembering their predicament. "Uh, you can get off of me now."
"Huh?" Anna lifted herself and realized she and Kristoff were lying on the ground. Her face flushed red once she realized she was on top of him. "Sorry!" Anna quickly got off of him.
"It's cool. No hard feelings," Kristoff assured her as he sat up and tried to hide his flustered self.
"I guess I should call it a night." Anna stood on her feet and turned her head toward the wall. She then opened the secret passage door. "Kristoff?"
"Yeah?".
"Thank you again. You're really a good friend."
A smile grew across Kristoff's face. "Night, Anna."
"Goodnight, Kristoff."
Walking into the passage, Anna gave another look and waved at him. He gave a wave back as Anna closed the passage. She made her way through the tunnels and was back in her room. After changing into her nightgown, she got on her bed and repeatedly reflected on tonight's events. At one point Anna wondered that now Kristoff knows about Elsa, maybe one day they could all properly hang out together. Though that may never happen. Still, just having at least Kristoff know her secret and not telling anyone about Elsa was enough to comfort Anna and take some pressure off. She closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.
That night, Anna dreamed that she, Elsa, and Kristoff were hanging out together. The three of them were having some sort of picnic while Sven was playing with Olaf, Marshmallow, and The Snowgies. Everyone in the dream looked so happy and had fun. It was the best dream Anna had ever had, one she hoped would come true.
First thing firsts, this story had recently turned a year old. When I first started this I didn't expect to get this many. I just want to say to those who's still sticking around, thank you so much. Your favs, follow, or reviews mean a lot to me and help keep me motivated. I hope you all will still stick around to the end. Once again, thank you!
Now about this chapter, Kristoff and Elsa finally meet! I'm not sure if I like how this chapter ended up. I had made it longer than I thought and I think some of the characters may feel OOC. But like I said before, characters in AU's aren't typically 100% the same as their canon counterparts. Still, I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter and are satisfied with the result.
And I think we can all agree that Kristoff is such an awesome friend. And we'll get more Kristoff & Elsa interactions. And look, more *notsosublte* How To Train Your Dragon references!
I did say romance (Specifically KristAnna) won't be the focus in the story...but I did say I'll leave hints.
Thanks for the favs, follows, and reviews. Happy Reading:)