Work Text:
He remembers when he opened Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post (and Sauna)’s door covered with snow and laid his eyes on the redhead and her blue eyes, a young woman unprepared for someone who was traveling to the mountains. At first, she analyzed him from head to toe. Then she avoided eye contact and kept a distance from him. Minutes later, she was throwing a bag of carrots on his face. That was how their story started to be written.
She said the words “I was raised in a castle”. He perceived she wasn’t a simple peasant girl. She was dressed in expensive clothing and bought what he didn’t have money for. Kristoff inquired about what happened in the kingdom, and the ginger answered that the sudden winter was because of her sister. Thoughtful, he tried his luck and suggested, “So, tell me, what made the Queen go all ice crazy?”. He did not imagine that the young woman was indeed the Princess of Arendelle. She was, they were traveling together, and it was the adventure of his life.
Kristoff fell in love so easily for the Princess of Arendelle and she was engaged with another man, a prince. How could he give her what she wanted? How could he be the man she wanted? How can Kristoff Bjorgman compare himself with a prince? He had no changes with a girl like her.
Destiny has an odd sense of humor.
Three months later, he was standing in the middle of her room. It was more detailed than he imagined. The prettiest pink and white pattern fulfilled the walls. “Not prettier than her,” he thought. It had bronze wall sconces, doors with colorful flowers hand-painted, and fancy fabrics hung up in bed, which he doesn’t know the name or for what people needed that.
Everything smelled like her. Everything was so… Anna.
Because of her, he got used to hug a pillow and fell asleep imagining it was his Anna. The Ice Master dreamed about waking up with her in his arms.
Two weeks. It’s been two weeks since the last time they saw each other. He wanted so badly to hug and kiss her. The feeling of her lips touching his was warm and caring. It felt like home.
The waiting was torturing Kristoff. He walked from one side to the other, fixed his hair a thousand times, and looked at the mirror another thousand. Gerda was kind in letting him wait for the princess in her room. Of course, they would not allow anyone to get in the princess’ room. Gerda knew he would not hurt Anna, he would take care of her, would never take advantage of her and, after all, the young man had Queen’s approval. Besides, no one from any other kingdom would have a single drop of courage to harm the Princess of Arendelle, knowing her sister could easily freeze them in a flash.
On the way to look at his own reflection one more time, Kristoff bumped into something and held himself in the nightstand. He checked what it was and saw a part of high heels beside the bed. He bent down and lifted the bedcovers. Two pairs of shoes hidden below her bed. Anna had a love-hate relationship with those things. He laughed and let the shoes there. Then, he noticed that, when held himself, he dropped a portrait on a piece of thick fabric. The blond picked the portrait, put it back where it belongs and his eyes crossed the fabric it fell on.
His hat. His deep dark gray old hat. She did not lose it in the storm; she kept it with her. Who would imagine she would surprise him in so many ways?
He remembers when he left her in the castle, freezing and dying. He remembers the suffocating feeling, the sound of his heart breaking in a million pieces. At that moment, he knew. Kristoff was in love. As a child, he heard trolls speaking about love so many times, but never like this. He could die for her. That’s why he ran in the middle of a freezing storm to find Anna of Arendelle.
Kristoff was not prince charming, but he would do his best to be a prince if she needed to.
He keeps the hat in hands, imagining her looking at it every night and wishing him sweet dreams.
His guess was close. She stared at the hat all night when she had insomnia. She kept it close to her face when she missed him so much she could scream and cry. Sometimes she carried it in her pocket so she could feel the fabric between her fingers. Anna wished him good night looking at the mountains through the window.
She missed him as much as he missed her.
Kristoff got a new hat since he thought the last one was lost. It wasn’t expensive. He never even dared to think she had it.
“Kristoff?” She entered the room. The light of his life entered the room in a yellow dress.
“Anna!” He said her name joyfully. “I was planning to make a surprise. Surprise!” he jested gawky with the hands above his head.
Anna ran to hug her boyfriend, laughing.
“I saw Sven at the stables. I mean… It’s not like I’ve been checking the stables every day. No, of course not. That would be exaggerating. Wait, am I exaggerating?”
Her hair was down with some strands out of the single braid that held the hair back. She must have run to see him and hairstyle undone by itself. Anna never used her hair down, and she was gorgeous, prettier than ever. Maybe he missed her so much he was imagining things again, or he was falling in love with her even more. Kristoff admired his girlfriend for minutes, he was so happy to see her and he forgot to answer her. He watched a blush appear between her adorable nose and cheeks freckles.
“I missed you too.” He answered, placing a hand on her cheek and received a huge smile.
Anna blinked and looked down to see what her boyfriend was holding in his left hand. It surprised her.
“You found it. Sorry, I forgot to give it back to you”
He put the hat on her exactly how he did months before.
“Keep it. This style suits you.”
She laughed out loud. God, he loves her laugh.
“I don’t think so.”
“Then keep it to remember me.” He persisted.
“How dare you think I would ever forget about you, Kristoff?” Anna placed her arms behind his neck. Their noses almost touching. “That’s impossible. I will never forget you, Kristoff Bjorgman.”
They kiss slow. He pressed the hands on her back, pulling her closer. They stayed there like that for a while. The hat fell on the carpet, and they did not care. It was their moment. Their moment to feel everything they wanted. To feel all the love.
Kristoff broke the kiss, caught the hat and set it on her hand.
“I will keep it…” The ginger began, “only if you promise me to come back every day.”
“I wish I could promise that. But I’m afraid that sometimes the Ice Master needs to work”
“Okay, okay. Every week.” He pulled the ginger in a long and strong hug.
The blond did not want to be away anymore. He wanted to stay close to her.
“Hey, come and have dinner with us!” Anna started talking and talking cheerfully as always. Kristoff already knew he loved everything about her.
While closing the bedroom doors and walking through the halls, he thought about a future with her, knowing she was the love of his life.
And he proposed three years later.