Frozen Heart (Kristanna & Elsamaren)

Chapter 1 • Anna

Oh Anna, if only there was someone out there who loved you.

Those words play again and again in my head like a record. All I can think about is what Hans said and did. It has me messed up, more than I ever imagined possible.

I walk up the stairs and deliver a glass of water to Elsa, who has been feeling a little overwhelmed lately with her duties as queen. She takes the water with a smile and thanks me.

"Let me know if you need anything else," I say quietly and head back towards the door.

"Anna, we should talk," Elsa says, setting her water down and sitting up in her bed. I turn around and walk back towards her, sitting gingerly on the edge of her bed.

"About?" I ask, trying to remain calm. There's a lot of things running through my head; a lot of ideas of things she could want to talk about. It's making me nervous.

"Hans," she said quickly. I look down at the floor and tap my fingers anxiously on my leg.

"Why?" I ask in a barely audible whisper.

"Because it's destroying you," Elsa says and reaches over, putting her hand on mine.

"I'm fine," I say, still not looking at her.

"You are not fine. I know you're with Kristoff, but what happened with Hans is still in your head. And it's going to ruin your future relationships if you don't deal with it, Anna. Just let me help," Elsa begs.

"There's nothing to deal with. I'm fine Elsa. Now Kristoff and I are going to take a walk into town. Might be the last nice day we get before the autumn weather starts," I say and stand up, smoothing out the skirt of my dress.

"Anna wait please-" Elsa starts, but I cut her off.

"Elsa just let it go! Please!" I shout. I don't mean to yell at her, but she needs to respect my boundaries.

Elsa draws back a little bit, clearly shocked by my outburst.

"Alright Anna," she says quietly. She picks up her book and gets back to reading, sipping her water quietly.

"I didn't mean to upset you," I say.

"It's fine Anna. Go on, I'm sure Kristoff will be ready to go soon," she says and gives me a weak smile. I sigh and nod my head, though she doesn't see it, and I leave her room, shutting the door softly behind me.

I walk down the stairs and outside to the stables where Kristoff is talking to Sven while he waits for me to be ready.

"Kristoff," I say, making him jump.

"Anna you scared me!" He says and laughs, putting his hand on his chest. Sven hops excitedly over to me and I pet him for a second before Kristoff comes over too.

If only there was someone out there who loved you.

I give Kristoff a weak smile to avoid giving away the thoughts that just crossed my mind. I can't let him know how afraid I am. He knows what Hans did, and he's angry about it, but he has no idea how much it's affecting me.

"Ready to go?" I ask with a smile, giving Sven a pat on the head.

"Yes ma'am," he says. "I'll see you later Sven. Behave." Sven lays down on a small pile of hay and closes his eyes to sleep. We leave the stables and walk out of the gates and Kristoff takes my hand carefully.

Kristoff and I walk slowly, walking along the docks. I watch as the small waves crash against the stone of the harbor. Ships come and go, of course, for trade. I stop walking and close my eyes, listening to the water.

"Are you okay?" Kristoff asks.

"Yes, I'm okay. I'm just...just enjoying this beautiful day," I say and turn my head to him with a smile.

"Beautiful just like you," Kristoff says. I look at him with wide eyes and blush tomato red.

"You...you really think I'm beautiful?" I say and tuck some hair behind my ear.

If only there was someone out there who loved you.

"Yes, I do Anna," he says and smiles back at me awkwardly. He is just as socially awkward as me, if not more.

"I...um...thank you," I stutter and smile at him again. I refuse to believe that voice in my head. It's possible for someone to love me. It has to be. I skip over to him and throw my arms around his neck and kiss him. After the initial shock, he puts his hands on my back and kisses me back. I open my eyes and see a couple people by us staring and pull away from him, a little embarrassed by our little display.

"We should...we should get back...Elsa has some special plans tonight for dinner...and it is charades night," I say.

"Yea...that's a good idea," Kristoff says. He takes my hand again and we walk slowly back to the castle.

"Look at that sunset," I say with a gasp, stopping to take in the view. Kristoff stands behind me with his hand on my back. The sunset is absolutely beautiful.

"Kristoff," I say and turn my head back to look at him.

"Yea?" He asks, looking down at me.

"I could stay here like this forever," I admit and turn back to the sunset. I lean my head back against his chest and take a deep breath. I've never felt so content.