Always You

iv. Trouble Ahead

Anna

Rapunzel. I remembered her... Well, stories of her. I remembered my mother hugging me tightly, telling me of the horrible thing that had happened to her closest friend- that her baby daughter had been stolen from her crib in the dead of night all because of her hair. I never understood it. Even looking at Rapunzel in the flesh, there wasn't really anything spectacular about her hair. Honestly, it looked like someone cut it with a shard of glass. Regardless, Rapunzel was the nicest person I had ever met. She was just as bubbly and fun as I was. As selfish as it was of me to say, she was the Elsa I had always craved; the girl who acted just like me and wasn't reserved around me, even now. Rapunzel and I had known each other a few hours but it felt like a lifetime; with Elsa, it was just the opposite. 

I realized how awful those things sounded, even to myself. They were true, but they weren't things you would want to think about your own sister. Of course I loved Elsa, she was the only family I had, and I loved her with every bit of myself, but I resented her, too. I resented the way she had shut me out for my entire life, left me questioning and alone and then tried to move on like it hadn't happened. I knew why she did it and I knew I should move on, too, but it was hard. So hard. And the fact that the first person I'd trusted enough to talk about it with had wound up stabbing me in the back- and the heart- didn't make it any easier. 

Hans... Even thinking about him made me want to jump out of my skin. I had really loved him, even though I realized now what true love actually meant. Still, he had said it himself; I was desperate for love. He was the first person I'd ever met who treated me like a person and who didn't just shut me out or look me over like some kind of little kid. He made me feel wanted... Ugh, it was sick to even think about. What if Elsa had blessed the marriage? Would Hans have killed me off, too, like he planned to with Elsa? And what of the promise he made, the vow to return and finish what he started? No one else seemed to think much of it, but the thought of it terrified me to the very core. I was so afraid that he would come back, so afraid that he would do something to harm me or my sister. Elsa assured me that the guards and her protection would keep me safe from her, but what about her? Who would protect her? It was all so scary to think about.

I pushed my thoughts aside as I plopped down on my bed. It was nearly one in the morning and I was sitting awake, staring out over my balcony and wondering if Kristoff was still awake out there, too. I wondered what he would think of me if he knew what I was thinking about. I wondered what he would think of me if I ever told him... I wouldn't do that, though. Some things are meant to be private. 

I looked at the ring on my finger, the diamond sparkling in the moonlight. It was small, yet elegant, the most beautiful and least expensive piece of jewelry I owned. I knew Kristoff didn't have a lot of money, and I would bet anything that he had spent most, if not all, of it on this ring. My heart swelled at the thought. He was such a good guy, and he deserved the best wife ever. Why did he choose me? I hoped it was because he thought I was the best wife ever. I had never had a lot of confidence, mostly because I had never been around people or had enough interaction to gain any. Then, when Hans called me out on my desperation for love, it cut me deep. I had questioned everything after that, from my relationship with Elsa to my relationship with Kristoff. Was there something the matter with me? 

Sighing, I walked back over to my bed. I knew thinking that way wouldn't help anything, and yet I did it more and more everyday. My stomach got that weird feeling again, a mixture of dread and nausea. Maybe it was nothing, but maybe it wasn't. I couldn't decide which, and I fell asleep still debating.

Kristoff

I fell asleep minutes after laying down, my dreams filled with Anna and the wedding and what would come after. The thought of a future, our future, both terrified and excited me. Part of me was thrilled to have the picture perfect life; the kids, the big house, the close family. The other part, however, was afraid of the things that could go wrong and those possibilities were even bigger than the possibilities of the former. Maybe I was just a natural pessimist, born solely to even out Anna's often excessive optimism. That was a joke. A bad one, but a joke nonetheless. I'm full of 'em.

Next to me, Sven stirred slightly in his sleep and Olaf murmured something about Marshmallow who had actually become one of the little guy's best friends. Funny how things work out sometimes. I stood up, noticing the precariously perched snow on the mountains. One wrong move and it would all be over... Again, Kristoff with the pessimism. And now I was talking to myself. Today was off to a great start, I thought to myself.

I took down the tent, packing up the fireplace while Sven and Olaf slept. I loaded my new sleigh, giddy with the excitement of seeing Anna in less than 24 hours. Not to mention the ice harvest was particularly great this time, something I always took great pride in.

I looked up at the mountains, able to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights in the morning sunlight. They were a perfect metaphor for my life... Beautiful, but rarely seen for what they were. The lights were nothing more than a lucky stroke of the light, and my life was nothing more than luck for running into Anna. You know, I really ought to send a thank you card to that crook over at Wandering Oaken's... If he'd have sold me what I needed then and there, Anna probably wouldn't have felt the need to hit me in the face with a burlap sack of carrots. 

I think that was the moment I started falling for her. Even walking up to a complete stranger with an absolutely ludicrous request, she was fearless and determined. Her attitude and energy really got me. Plus, she's definitely not hard to look at... She's downright beautiful. Stunning. Hopefully our kids will look more like her than their dear old dad. Not that I'm not a babe, because I totally am.

Noises behind me alert me to the waking of Olaf and Sven. I really should warn them about the potential of an avalanche, knowing them they'd be the cause of one over anything else. I chuckled to myself before turning around and seeing that neither of them were there. I sighed. They could be anywhere... Sven was always after Olaf's nose, even when he had plenty of carrots right in front of him. It was just a game to him, Sven was just a big kid with a knack for making you smile. I ran my hand over the back of my neck, praying to whoever would listen that they didn't cause any trouble. Just then, I felt a cold pit drop into my stomach.

"Sven!" Olaf cried out, his voice echoing and ricocheting off of any and every nearby reflector. The snow above my head grumbled, low like thunder and I tried to get out of the way in time.

"No, no, no, no, no!" I cried out in fear as my hysteria grew. It was no use; the entire side of the mountain dumped down on me in seconds, crushing me beneath it before I could even think.

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A/N: This update is a little short, as well. ): I promise they get longer, though! I've got a bunch of updates already typed up, so my updates are basically just whenever my dad decides I'm allowed to take my laptop to my mom's since my dad doesn't have internet (which, I know, seems totally impossible and stupid, right?) Anyway, KRISTOFF. Let me know what you guys think & please vote because votes & comments are kind of what inspires me to keep updating. (; oh, and if you guys wanted to share my story with anyone else you know who ships Jelsa/Kristanna or just reads Frozen stuff, it would mean a lot ! Thanks so so so so so so much for read, voting, commenting & maybe even sharing! (: