Chapter Text
It was June in Arendelle, which meant strawberries. Lingonberries. Cherries. Carrots--much to Sven's satisfaction. And as he walked along the stone walls lining the orchards, Kristoff realized that it had been two years since he was first acquainted with Anna, back at Oaken's mountain trading post.
Such weird circumstances.
She was engaged to some other guy, who let her go roaming the mountains by herself in the worst snow storm of Arendelle's history.
In the middle of summer.
In a ballgown.
She was still wearing satin slippers. He chuckled. That's Anna. Deeply loyal. And impulsive. And...carrying little to no sense of self preservation.
So many things had happened since then. They'd seen the northern lights. They'd spent extensive visits with his family. They'd visited markets, traveled the kingdom, held parties, held each other...He'd--boldly--moved into the castle with Anna and Olaf and Elsa.
"You can't keep sleeping at the inn and in meadows," Anna had scolded. "Its getting colder out there."
"Sven keeps me warm," he'd shrugged.
"And that's another thing," Anna said.
"I thought you liked my musk!"
"YOUR musk, not the reindeer's. Plus, we have rooms and rooms and rooms in the castle that just sit empty."
"You want me to move into the castle?" He'd asked, dumbfounded.
"Where else?" Anna replied offhandedly.
"Wait," he reached his arm over her head, leaning it against the wall. He cocked one eyebrow. "Are you asking me to move in with you?"
Anna blushed and stammered in her way. "Not in my room!" she stuttered.
"We'll see," he'd smirked.
And they'd been together ever since.
His mind wandered down other roads before they arrived back in the original destination. Oh yeah. Elsa's birthday. Summer time. Yep. When was that again? June 21st. Summer equinox. He remembered because when she told him that the first time after the whole ice-power-thing and he'd thought it was funnily ironic.
He knew Anna was planning something, but she'd probably need some help putting it together. Wonderful. A purpose for the day. He skimmed his hands on the stones, then half-skipped back down the main road. His heart jumped, thinking about meeting her.
But wait. He pivoted back the way he came. Stupid. He forgot to pick up the berries.
"Elsa likes being with her family, but she also likes being alone. And she definitely doesn't like parties...does she?" Anna asked.
"I don't know, she seems like she's been enjoying it more recently," Kristoff idly twirled a piece of Anna's braid in his hands.
"What would Elsa's perfect birthday look like? We'd skate, probably, and import chocolate, and we definitely wouldn't dance..." She turned from where she sat, nestled in his lap, to look him in the eyes. "What else does Elsa like?"
"Um. Ice?"
"Really."
Kristoff cracked a smile. They were sitting in the study, Elsa had turned in early, Sven was eating a midnight snack, and Olaf was passed out on the couch, sweet berry juice spread across his face. Anna looked accusatory. "Let's be honest here, she wouldn't want any fuss at all. She probably would rather read a book, go riding, and eat a single bowl of peaches and cream for dessert."
"You're not wrong."
"But she's the Queen of Arendelle and they're going to want a party anyway."
"Yup."
"SooOo, we host a formal celebration but on her actual birthday we saddle up Cupcake with a picnic basket and let her do her own thing. Honey, you're a genius!" She kissed his cheek.
"I know," he responded. "All in a day's work. And...since we've figured all that out..." He reached for her waist. "How about a romantic evening just the two of us?"
"Mmm," Anna leaned in for a kiss.
Just as Kristoff started to get comfortable, she pulled away. "But honestly, I'll have to get the date cleared with the cooks, with Kai, Gerda, and every nearby kingdom, plus whoever is sailing in--"
"It's 11 o'clock."
"That late?"
Kristoff nodded. "You're out of time for anything except sleep and me."
Anna bit her lip, concern written on her face.
His gaze softened. She worried so much. And she worried because she was sincere. He felt his guard fall, and he put his hand, tenderly, on her shoulder. "Hey," he looked at her, "I'll help you with everything tomorrow. First thing."
"You will?"
"Yeah. I will." Her shoulders dropped, relaxed with his reassurance. He wanted nothing more than to hold her to his chest, but he tried to keep that to himself.
Kristoff never got used to the constant hustle of castle life. Of royal life. And he was just an accessory to it all.
Every day they were suffocated with news and responsibilities and royal tradition. Inquiries, business deals, public events. Kristoff and Sven helped where they could. Hauled ice, grain, barrels of who knows what. But his presence wasn't expected in formal meetings, and he found it difficult to know his place--and Arendelle was a SMALL kingdom.
"Anna!" he called, catching a glimpse of her through a gaggle of officials. She looked at him, and he thought her gaze told him to wait. So he steered himself to lean against a side wall, crossed his arms across his chest. Finally she was able to break away, and she hauled toward him, carrying half of her skirt in her hand like she so often did.
"Hi honey," she kissed him politely.
"Hi..." In their private hours, he would call her baby. But these were not private hours.
She picked up on his formality, aware of the eyes watching them from all sides. "Did you accomplish what I asked, official Ice Master?"
Kristoff counted on his fingers. "Menu secured. Guest invitations delivered. Pest issue addressed. Flowers harvested, sitting in water next to the ice box."
"Where would I be without you?" she smiled. A streak of pride shot through him. Did she realize how much control she had over him with that smile?
"We're all on schedule then," she said. "Can you make sure the patio gets swept out, and help put up tables?"
Kristoff couldn't hold back the eagerness in his tone, much as he tried. "Can't you pause for lunch?"
"Sorry honey, not today. After tomorrow everything's going to lighten up. I promise." The bell chimed, signaling her next appointment. "Gotta go. See you tonight."
"See you." Kristoff said. He held her fingers in his hand until she broke away, carrying her skirts in her hand the other direction. When he could see her no longer, he swiveled on his heel toward the patio.
As he walked, he could see the first fleets had arrived for the royal party. Some from Corona, some from Greenguard, some from Atlantica. The ships were varied, each bearing vibrant colors. What would it be like to be on a ship like that?
As he watched outside, he didn't notice someone coming right toward him. They collided shoulders. "I'm so sorry," he mumbled.
When he looked up, he offered a friendly smile. Kai, an older gentleman with a ring of red hair around his round face, smiled sheepishly back at him. "My apologies, Kristoff. Have you met Prince Jesper of Trandole?"
Kristoff's eyes trailed to the man next to him.
Black hair, bright blue eyes, and a somewhat overdone jacket. Kristoff pressed his lips together in a smile. "Pleasure."
"It's nice to meet you..." Prince Jesper paused, waiting for Kai to fill in his title.
Kai supplied, "Lord," just as Kristoff mumbled, "It's just Kristoff." Prince Jesper made a little hum in his throat before smiling, "Lord Kristoff."
There was a pause.
"Well, I am just arranging the Prince's room for his stay. Though it will be brief, he will be comfortable." Kai had served the royal family since before King Agnarr, but somehow managed to preserve the kindly traditions from the rural lands he grew up in. Perhaps unnecessarily, Kai asked, "Where does the little princess have you running off to?"
Kristoff gestured with his thumb toward the patio. "Party arrangements." The old man hmmed in understanding.
"Never a dull moment in the royal charge," Kai chuckled.
"Princess Anna," he clarified to the Prince, "always has us running this way and that."
"She will make a good queen someday," Prince Jesper said politely.
Kristoff's heart caught in his chest. He thought of Anna in the castle, her stumbling from meeting to meeting, her hair going grey, stifled in tight buns. His heart pounded as he blurted, "Anna doesn't want to rule."
At that, Kai looked at Kristoff, his eyes suddenly wise and piercing. "Doesn't she?" Kai patted Kristoff's shoulder twice and nodded, excusing himself and his guest.
"Pleasure to meet you," Prince Jesper offered.
Kristoff's head nodded, but his feet led him forward to the patio. His hands found a broom, but his mind was elsewhere. Sure they lived in the castle. Sure she was royalty. But queen? Kristoff liked Elsa, don't get him wrong. She was kind and kept to herself. She could be sweet, especially with Olaf, with children. She knew how to appreciate good ice. And the thing that Kristoff and Elsa had most in common: a fierce need to protect Anna.
But Elsa was never around. Literally! As queen, Elsa was locked in meetings almost 24/7. She made it to dinner maybe once or twice a week, family game night on Fridays...and other than that? He knew she was "around" but, practically, she was nowhere to be found. Not to mention the constant stress Elsa had on her shoulders. Elsa was responsible for everything that went on in the kingdom, good or bad...and Kristoff had heard the biting criticism from both nobility and the poor.
Kristoff couldn't imagine Anna trapped in the same life. Forever. But Elsa wouldn't give up the throne, right? Kristoff imagined hundreds of different scenarios, but couldn't think of one that led to Anna being queen except severe illness or death. It was precisely because Elsa wanted to protect Anna that she would remain queen. So what was Kai on about?
And then it hit him like a ton of bricks: Prince Jesper. He hardly realized that he'd finished when he placed the last chair. Sun was setting. He knocked himself on the side of the head to clear his thoughts.
The day of Elsa's political birthday party, Kristoff was expected to spend the morning getting ready, like the other royal guests. It was still an unfamiliar process, but one that was insisted upon, especially when he was acting as Princess Anna's escort.
The morning began with a bath and continued with dressing. Ceremonial clothing included way too many undergarments (Kristoff preferred one at most), and the fabric, though beautiful, was not built for reindeer riding, heavy lifting, or really moving at all. An assigned servant came in to powder his nose and slick his hair.
As soon as the door shut and he was alone again, Kristoff mussed it with one hand. With his free time, he tried to mentally rehearse his nobility lessons with Anna.
Don't call people by their first name without a title. Don't dodge people, stand and greet them. Back straight...
"And when the meal starts, stand for the person of highest rank. Then, your manners will depend on the meal. Like, for example, soup you can slurp, but nothing else."
"Royals slurp soup?"
"Yes, it's appropriate manners for soup."
"I would argue slurping is appropriate for a lot of things."
"At a royal dinner? No. Just soup."
"Wait, isn't soup one of YOUR favorite dinners?"
"Soup, chocolate, and ice cream," she'd said.
"So you like slurping. Princess Anna is a slurper."
She laughed. "Wait, what? I mean, I like it as much as the next person!" Her laugh was intoxicating.
"You know what? I'm much more of a hands on learner," he'd said.
And still he burns with the embarrassment of what he did afterward: leaning around her, he started noisily kissing her neck, slurping his spit as he went. Nose to her shoulder, he asked, "How's my slurping?"
"Definitely not royal."
"So you don't like it?"
"I didn't say that," she said.
He fidgeted uncomfortably for a minute, until he saw something that made the choking feeling of his necktie wane away. Anna stunned in a purple off-the-shoulder gown.
It wasn't too full, and showed off her slender figure. Her ginger hair curled lightly on her collarbone, and did he spy a bit of cleavage?
She approached him for the royal entrance. As she placed her hand on his arm in the way she taught him, she leaned over to whisper to him. "Do you like it?" she asked shyly.
"Like it? I love it!" he whispered back.
"Elsa picked it for me."
He made a mental note to thank Elsa later. As the party warmed up, Anna made the rounds as Princess of Arendelle, greeting each guest with grace. Kristoff provided an arm, held up her skirts on the stairs, nodded at each greeting. It was tedious, but there were some friendly faces.
"Nice to see you again." Kristoff turned and found himself face to face with Prince Jesper. He noticed him a little differently now. His jacket and trousers fit him exquisitely, showing off his defined pectorals, although he was slimmer. His event jacket was just as overdone as his casual one, covered with little embroideries of flowers and clovers. Prince Jesper's hair was perfectly coiffed in what Kristoff believed was a very princely hairdo.
Absentmindedly, he shook hands with Prince Jesper (and immediately regretted it). But he tried to push his personal feelings to the side. This was the girls' night, after all.
"May I...?" The Prince said.
"Yes. Yes! Princess Anna," Kristoff gently pulled Anna from her prior conversation toward the new guest.
"Prince Jesper of, uh..."
"Well, well, well. Prince Jesper of Trandole," Anna began sternly.
Kristoff's heart sang. The Prince was an unwelcome guest!! Until--
"It's great to see you again! How many years has it been?" Anna's voice couldn't hide her excitement.
Kristoff's heart fell.
"Anna! I mean, Princess Anna, ehm. It's been nine years? Ten?" Kristoff watched Anna embrace him. And as she did, he watched this Prince's face. And as he did, he knew, just like he knew Sven was a reindeer, that this bloke was in love with his girlfriend.
He couldn't help it. He felt some kind of heat, and he was ready to punch the guy. Except...
"So, was it a long trip? Hey, do you remember the first time you came to Arendelle? You got sooo seasick! I think you were throwing up at least two days!"
"Oh, yes. How could I forget? You came to my room with a little pink pot for me to throw up in."
"Did I? That's so embarrassing!"
"Not as embarrassing as throwing up for two full days while doing a diplomacy visit!"
Anna laughed. Prince Jo-jo laughed. Kristoff fumed.
"Well, you know what the old princes say, anyway: 'You must then know the sea, and know that you know it, and not forget that it was made to be sailed over.'"
"Yes, but they also say, "You are wise to know the limits of your own reason," Anna quipped.
They both laughed, and to Kristoff's ears, it seemed taunting. But soon, Kristoff was saved.
True to her pattern, the Queen arrived precisely on schedule, opening the event with a welcome. As her subjects bowed, she quickly rose them with a burst of frozen confetti. The snowflakes shimmered cold on the skin of each guest, a pleasant respite from summer heat.
Anna tugged on his arm. Right. "Lord Kristoff" was supposed to escort her to the front. He felt the eyes of the crowd burn hot, watching him. Following Anna's prompting, he extended his arm to walk with her to meet Elsa at the stage.
"Welcome esteemed guests! Today we celebrate Queen Elsa's twenty-third birthday, and the second year of her rule as queen of Arendelle!" Anna's voice rang out among the crowd, but it wasn't overbearing. You could hear her smile through her voice, like listening to fresh honey and church bells. "Please, enjoy yourselves and the bounty provided by Arendelle's own farms and merchants. On Elsa's birthday, let us toast to the things that never change: our land, our prosperity, and the proud flag of Arendelle. Let's toast to many more years of ruling for my sister, our dear Queen!"
Kristoff was in awe yet again. How did she manage to be such a powerful speaker? The crowd roared in applause, and drinks were clinked, and drinks were poured, and the band started playing raucously. Kristoff looked out over the party, and spied Sven sneaking treats from the banquet table through an open window, and Olaf giggling with some noble's children in the courtyard behind him.
Anna tugged his sleeve again. "Mind escorting me down?" she whispered.
Oh yeah. He was supposed to help her off the stage too. He hurriedly extended his arm again.
On the way down, a pinched-looking older woman approached with who Kristoff assumed was her son, a man about his age with a strong beard and attractive blue eyes.
"Your highness," began the woman, "you seem to be so burdened with the weight of this event, I wondered if I might offer you my son as your escort this evening."
Before Kristoff even understood the implications of her comment, Anna responded: "Thank you for your concern, but I have everyone I need with me already."
The old woman, obviously taken aback, responded, "Oh. Wonderful. My apologies, your highness."
Anna nodded once and led Kristoff forward through the crowd, but not before they both heard the woman say to her son: "I thought he was her servant."
Kristoff's face flooded with a blush.
After looking at him, Anna steered Kristoff straight toward a less-populated spot behind the fountain. She turned to face him. "She didn't mean it."
"I'm pretty sure she did," he replied. "
Everyone knows you're not my servant. Maybe she's not from around here."
"Skalvada Egreor. Street 12, house 4. She takes two blocks of ice each week on Thursdays. And he must be her second son, Brom."
Anna looked at him, now out of excuses. Kristoff cocked an eyebrow, but said nothing, simply offering his arm to lead her back to the center of the event, where Anna greeted her sister more intimately. Kristoff watched the crowd.
"Care to dance?"
Oh brother.
Prince Jinglenuts was back again, interrupting the queen and her sister.
"Well, I don't know."
"Come on Anna, I asked them to play your favorite waltz."
"That's Princess Anna," Kristoff cut in. "And how would you know her favorite waltz?"
The queen, the princess, and the so-called prince all stared back at him, their expressions blank.
"Right, of course," the Prince said. "Princess Anna of Arendelle, is your favorite still Autumn Serenade by Agmundr Alvarsson?"
Anna, almost against her will, nodded yes. Kristoff's mouth dropped open.
"Don't worry, Lord Kristoff, Queen Elsa. We've known each other for a long time. Some things are bound to stick," the Prince smiled.
The music started. Anna took the Prince's outstretched hand and looked back at Elsa and Kristoff sheepishly.
As the evening passed, Kristoff watched Anna taken from his arm over and over again, mostly to giggle and gossip with Elsa, but also to dance traditional dances with high-ranking people. Dances he never learned in troll company. He watched man after man, old and young, approach her with their hands outstretched.
And time and time again, she accepted.
She whirled and laughed in the ballroom. She was enchanting, a true princess. She was happy. And she didn't need him to enjoy it. He passed on the plates of hor d'oeuvres--most of them included duck eggs or fish eggs or other eggs Kristoff wasn't accustomed to. He passed on most of the dancing--and Prince Jesper would be happy to know that Kristoff did know how to dance. One dance. A common one, that they would play in the streets after the maypole.
There was no maypole here.
He tugged at his neckerchief again. His legs were sweating through the seat of his pants. When Anna accepted her third dance with Jesper, he slunk back behind the crowd, looking for Sven, and maybe a snack. He couldn't stand watching that guy's hand on Anna's waist. How he looked at her, all doe eyes and cummerbunds.
And he couldn't stand that she didn't care that some other man's hands were on her waist, or brushing her hair off her shoulder. Or did she even notice the messages he was sending?
After everything they had shared privately-- and she didn't look back. Not even once.
Nope. The royal life was not for him.
Grabbing some kind of vegetable skewer from off the table, he easily slid through the window and into the courtyard. "Sven? Sven! Come here, buddy!" He wandered through topiary, around little kids playing outside, under the grand trees. "Sven!" His reindeer would comfort him. His closest friend. And maybe they could even talk about it, and Sven might know what to do from here. But as he rounded the corner, he didn't bump into Sven, or even Olaf.
He came face to face with the birthday queen herself. Funny, he hadn't even realized she'd left.
Elsa stood there, leaned against the fountain. He really did not want to talk to her right now. But she had heard him, and he had no choice.
"Hi," she said quietly. She attempted a smile in his direction. He knew there was no malice behind it. Just shyness.
"Hi. Um. Your majesty." He bowed, trying not to commit yet another formal faux pax this evening.
If she didn't appreciate it, she didn't say anything, and he was grateful to have some respite from the uppity party-goers.
"Did you need some air?" Elsa asked.
"Uh. Yeah, I guess," Kristoff said. "Something like that."
But by nature, Elsa was perceptive. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Kristoff rubbed his neck. "Well, I did, but...it's probably better left alone."
"Parties like this are hard. They're hard for me, and I was raised here."
Was he crazy or was there some sadness to her, too? And dare he ask? She's the queen. He elected not to say anything. They both stared into the fountain.
"It will get easier," Elsa said finally. "You learn. Who to talk to, who to avoid. Where to stand. When to eat."
Kristoff nodded, hoping his face didn't betray that he was moments away from walking back into the forest with his reindeer forever.
He stayed for a moment longer, and then, thinking he might have been dismissed, he took a step back. "Well, happy birthday, Queen Elsa. And um, I meant to say thank you for helping Anna pick out her dress. She--it--was lovely." Great, he thought. Now I've said my piece and I can be on my way.
"Thank you," she said. "Thanks for all you do for my sister."
Kristoff didn't know what to say. And honestly, his heart ached. He wanted Anna, but tonight proved that they just weren't right for each other. He shouldn't be here, a scummy nomad like him. Not in this palace, and not with a princess. And before he knew it, the words tumbled out of his mouth. "She doesn't need me."
Elsa looked at him. "Yes she does."
"No she doesn't," he said. He could hear that he was being petulant, he could hear it in his voice. "She has me run all her errands, she's always busy. When we're together, no offense, but she only wants to talk about you. And, and I think I love her, but I can't be this for her. I'm not...all this." He rubbed his hand over the image of the castle behind him.
Elsa's face was impossible to read. "She loves you."
"Does she?" he asked. His frustration was showing now. "Because when I left she had her hands all over another guy."
Elsa looked back toward the party. "She's doing her best. She made me this whole party, just for me. Everything I've loved all these years, it's here. It might not be what I was expecting, but that's the kind of love she puts into people. It's the kind of love she'll put in to you."
And then he noticed something. "Wait," Kristoff said suddenly. "Do you think this is your birthday party?"
Elsa looked confused. "What else would it be?"
"Anna planned this party so you could be free tomorrow, on your actual birthday. She planned all this royal mumbo-jumbo, but she's got a picnic set up for you after your ride tomorrow."
Elsa looked at him. Kristoff clapped a hand over his mouth. "I'm such an idiot," he said through his fingers.
And to his surprise, Elsa's bewildered expression turned into a smile, and then to a soft laugh. His heart pounded for a moment; her laugh sounded just like Anna's. "Really?" she asked.
"Yup. Set it up myself this morning. Please don't tell Anna I ruined her surprise." Oh, he was such an idiot.
"My lips are sealed," she said. "And to be honest, that makes me feel so much better."
Kristoff allowed himself a chuckle. "Anna knows you hate parties. She just knew you'd need one to save face."
Elsa exhaled, and the fountain turned into a flowing ice sculpture. She shrugged apologetically. "Then I guess I can bear it a little longer," she said, squaring her shoulders toward the double doors.
"Are you coming?" she asked.
"I, uh, think I'll turn in early for the night."
"I'll tell her."
"Thank you." He wasn't saying it for nothing. The conversation did help him cool off. He wouldn't go into the woods forever. But he was going to spend the night in the stables with his oldest best friend, play some lute. Try to forget that today ever happened.