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The second time she saw the marks on Kristoff's chest, it was because of rain. They were on a hillside far above the castle, and the morning had started with warm sun and cool breezes, the sky full of scudding clouds. Anna had sprawled on her back in the grass to watch them and idly pick out shapes. Kristoff sat beside her, leaning on his elbows. She was aware in a warm, secret way that he was watching her and not the clouds she pointed to, although she pretended not to notice and he pretended to see the sheep and ducks and foreign ambassadors she described in the sky, and Anna pretended the flush in her cheeks was from the sun.
It should have been easier to spend time alone together—ever since they'd been formally engaged, the castle seemed to be full of people eager to turn away with a wink—but that didn't really help because there was just so much to do. Anna had woken up three times the night before, panicking about forgotten invitations or dresses that tore to shreds when she touched them. That morning she'd arrived at the breakfast table to find Kristoff waiting, with stern instructions to take her away from the castle for the entire day.
Anna let her eyes drift shut. The sun was warm on her face, and the breeze tickled the grass against her bare feet. She could fall asleep right there, with Kristoff watching over her, and be perfectly safe—
"I think it might rain."
"Mm?"
"I said, it might rain—those clouds are starting to look dark, and the wind is pushing them down from the mountain."
She vaguely remembered that sudden rain showers were common in the spring, that Kristoff had told her about how quickly a clear day of harvesting could turn into a rush as the men scrambled to get their gear and themselves under cover.
"We might want to get to the cabin."
"Hmm." The scent of the grass and the swish of the tree branches were lulling Anna deeper and deeper into sleep, and she knew Kristoff was saying something, but everything was going soft and blurry and distant…something cold brushed her cheek, and Anna grumbled sleepily before she felt a warm touch wipe the cool spot away. Vaguely she was aware of Kristoff's soft chuckle as another cold drop hit her, making her face scrunch up. But then, although she could hear the rain pattering down around her, Anna was warm and dry except for…
She blinked back into full wakefulness. Raindrops were sprinkling over her bare feet, but the rest of her was sheltered under Kristoff, propped up on his knees and elbows above her and apparently unconcerned about the rain falling across his back.
"Kristoff! It's raining!"
He grinned. "Is it?"
"Why didn't you make me wake up?"
"It's only sprinkling. I'll dry out. Don't worry about me."
Anna swatted at his chest, the movement abbreviated because his body was so close to hers. He ducked his head to brush a kiss against the tip of her nose. She grumbled, but except for her feet she was warm, still limp and relaxed with sleep. She could almost doze off again.
"This is silly—" she mumbled, but then he was kissing her mouth, slow and insistent. Her toes curled in the damp grass as she arched up to meet him only to find the warm, solid weight of his body pressing her back against the earth. He still supported himself so that he didn't crush her, but Anna hummed appreciatively against his lips as he settled against her, close enough that she could feel the movement of his breathing. Her arm curled around his shoulder so that her fingers could comb through the hair at the back of his neck. Cold raindrops made her skin prickle, contrasting with the warm lassitude that seemed to melt her bones, turning every part of her soft and receptive. All around them the air smelled cool and green, intoxicating.
"Kristoff—" She could feel the vibration of his answering hum in his chest, but it was drowned out by a crash of thunder, loud and close, making them both jump. Kristoff leaned up to look at the sky. Squinting through the sprinkling of rain, Anna saw it too—the grey clouds that had been sending down a gentle shower were being pushed along by a great, black stormcloud that flickered with lightening, and trailed a heavy sheet of rain like a veil.
Both of them scrambled up, Kristoff catching Anna's hand to pull her to her feet. Hand in hand they ran, racing the darkening sky, and tumbled into the cabin breathless and laughing just ahead of the storm. The door banged shut behind them to keep out the blowing rain. With the shutters closed the inside of the cabin was a dark. The noise of the storm was muffled by thick, sturdy walls, the drumming on the roof dull and distant. Even the thunder sounded remote. They were left in a hushed bubble of quiet.
Anna felt Kristoff leave her side, moving confidently in this familiar space, and after a moment sparks flared as he lit the fire. The small blaze silhouetted him in orange light, although most of the room was hidden in soft shadow. She followed him to the hearth, knowing that in this tidy place there wouldn't be any detritus to trip her up. The rain had drenched the back of Kristoff's shirt. It was clinging to the heavy muscles of his shoulders, dipping into the hollow of his spine.
Then, with a single economic movement, he stripped the wet fabric off. Anna didn't realize she was reaching out until her hands encountered his skin, cool from the rain. Her arms wrapped around his waist and her cheek pressed against his shoulder blade. He glanced at her over his shoulder, the firelight catching in his wet hair and highlighting the smiling curve of his cheek. His hands folded over hers, then after a moment he drew her fingers up to his lips.
"I was going to light some candles."
"Mm. Do we need them?"
"I suppose not right away. That storm looked like it might last a while, though. I can't really take you home until it's over."
"That's all right," Anna murmured. Kristoff turned in her grasp so that he could drape his shirt over the back of a chair to dry. She had been leaning into him, but Anna sat up and caught his shoulder.
"What?" he asked, letting her push him around so that the firelight fell across his chest.
"This—it's different. It's changed." Her fingers traced the symbols tattooed over his heart. There were the runes of Jaská, his mother's name, that she'd seen once before. But there was a new tracery of lines above it, and a stylized nimbus of zigzagging lines. She ran a fingertip over it. "What's this?"
"It represents the sun."
"And this?" Anna was more familiar with the runes now, familiar enough that she didn't need to wait for his answer to piece the sounds together. Anna. She looked up at him, wide-eyed. "My name?"
He nodded. His hair was curling around his ears as it dried, tousled and windblown across his forehead. The firelight cast a warm golden glow over his skin, the muted light somehow reminiscent of the afternoon sun that had surrounded them when he'd told her the story of his first tattoo.
"When?" she asked.
"Months ago. Nearly a year, really."
"A year? But we weren't even engaged then."
Kristoff lifted a hand, his fingers brushing errant strands of hair back from her face, his palm curving to cradle her flushed cheek. "You think that you weren't already written on my heart? I knew. This—" His other hand curled around hers and guided her fingers to trace his first tattoo. Jaská. "This is the most important name from my past. And this—" He pressed her palm over his heart, his broad hand covering hers, the second tattoo unseen beneath their fingers, but somehow repeating itself in their matched pulses. Anna. "This is the most important name of my future. My sun."
He lifted his hand away, and Anna stared at her name, inked into his skin. Her thumb brushed over the angular shapes.
"Anna?"
She couldn't seem to speak. Slowly, deliberately, she leaned forward to press her lips to his chest. His fingers slid into her hair, cradling the nape of her neck as she kissed each line.
"Anna," he whispered, his voice rough. She leaned up to taste her name from his mouth.
Later, Anna lay curled up beside Kristoff, her head pillowed on his shoulder while her fingers traced the runes by the light of the dying fire. Outside the storm had softened into a cleansing rain that sank into the earth, feeding the deep roots and waking up new life, ready to flourish.