Frozen 3

Chapter 27

Kristoff

Six months already. Six months since I asked Anna to marry me. Six months since she became Queen of Arendelle. She was evolving in a world she knew perfectly well, a world she'd been used to since birth - which was not the case for me. I had never felt so out of place. All these jewels, these sumptuous meals, these good manners to be adopted, these richly ornamented clothes... All this had been unknown to me until then, who had been brought up to content myself with the bare minimum and what nature offered me among the trolls.

Our wedding was scheduled for May. So I had just one month left before I became King of Arendelle, before I was forever united with the woman I loved. This gave me both excitement and anxiety. Me, Kristoff Bjorgman, a simple ice-block salesman, king? It was surreal! I'd never been prepared for this; I didn't know how to handle it. The very fact that the people of Arendelle were already starting to curtsy as I passed made me uncomfortable. I wasn't their ruler yet, after all.

For her part, Anna was glowing. I'd never seen her so beautiful. Her new position as queen suited her perfectly. Despite some initial difficulties, she had succeeded in carving out a place for herself and her reign in Arendelle's history. She was fair and straightforward, but at the same time knew how to lighten the mood and keep her mischievous, naive side, which I had liked so much about her at the start of our relationship. Everyone seemed perfectly happy with this new way of governing, quite different from Elsa's, who was stricter, more serious and more respectful of convention than her younger sister. The young woman had gradually come to terms with her new life and status, which had seemed horribly complicated to manage during the first few months. She had finally succeeded in breaking away from her parents' and sister's model to follow her own path and rule as she saw fit. Still, I understood that Anna could no longer be completely herself. Her position as queen imposed a rigor to which she, who was very spontaneous by nature, had certainly never been accustomed. I could see that she was constantly taking it upon herself not to lapse into what was considered a flaw in the aristocratic world. I admired her for her determination and her ability to keep her cool when in the company of ministers or high-ranking people. I didn't know myself if I'd ever be able to do that. My character was so natural that I was often seen as out of place and on the bangs of the monarchical world in which I was currently immersed.

***

On this early April evening, finding myself alone after a long day of preparations for my future wedding, I thoughtfully observed the interior of my bedroom. A large four-poster bed sat against the center wall. Its legs were made of carved oak. The walls were lined with a magnificent pale mauve wallpaper that highlighted the huge fireplace opposite the bed, whose darker hues stood out more. The sound of the fire crackling inside brought a little warmth to this immense room, which soothed me. I'd never experienced such a spacious room before. But what I liked most was the huge window on the back wall, from which I could admire the outside world at my leisure.

Taking a few steps forward, I dropped exhausted onto the bed. Staring at the ceiling, lost in thought, I didn't hear the door open. A familiar voice roused me from my torpor:

"Kristoff? Can I... talk to you?"

I raised my head. Anna was standing in front of me, looking worried. It was rare for the young woman to come and find me in my room at this hour. We weren't really allowed to meet up this late. I knew she could be blamed for not respecting the protocol forbidding us to sleep together before our wedding. This included our nocturnal reunion...

The young woman approached the bed, holding a candle in her hand. We hadn't seen each other all day, each of us busy with different tasks that didn't allow us any time to rest. We'd got used to this kind of situation and weren't surprised that we didn't see each other as much as we used to. But this time I realized that she wasn't coming simply because she missed me. She looked exhausted and could barely stand.