“Someday, Hulda,” Soren replied.
Kristoff took hold of Sven’s reins. “Come on, Olaf!” he called.
“I’m coming!” Olaf shouted, grabbing Sven’s tail. “Let’s go kiss Hans!”
Sven turned and headed back toward Arendelle, breaking into a gallop as he left the trolls’ valley. The sun began to rise. And one by one, the trolls turned back into stone.
Hans carried a torch as he walked down the steps into the dungeon of Arendelle castle. He appeared in the doorway of Elsa’s cell.
Elsa was gazing out the small window at Arendelle, now buried in snow and ice. She turned when she heard Hans enter. “Why did you bring me here?” Elsa asked.
“I couldn’t just let them kill you,” Hans told her.
Elsa glanced at her shackled hands. “But I’m a danger to Arendelle. Get Anna,” she suggested.
“Anna has not returned,” Hans said. “If you would just stop the winter and bring back summer…please.”
Elsa stared at Hans with sad eyes. “Don’t you see?” she said. “I can’t. You have to tell them to let me go.”
Hans walked back to the door. “I will do what I can,” he said. Exiting the cell, he locked the door behind him.
Elsa looked down at her shackles. Ice was beginning to spread over them. And ice was forming along the edges of the floor. Elsa’s emotions—and her powers—were again slipping out of her control.
Sven charged down the mountain at full speed with Kristoff and Anna on his back. Olaf slid down the trail next to them like a playful penguin.
Kristoff looked over at Anna. She was shivering and very pale. “Just hang in there,” he said. “Come on, buddy. Faster!” he urged Sven.
When they arrived at Arendelle, Olaf shot ahead. “Wooo! I’ll meet you guys at the castle,” he said.
“Stay out of sight!” Kristoff called after him.
“I will!” Olaf yelled back as he disappeared down into the town. Kristoff watched him disappear from view. Then he heard a scream from someone who was obviously not expecting to see a talking snowman.
“Ah! It’s alive!” the villager shrieked. So much for Olaf staying out of sight!
At the castle gates, a soldier soon spotted the reindeer and the two riders.
“It’s Princess Anna!” he shouted.
Anna struggled to get off Sven.
“I’ve got you,” Kristoff said, helping her off the reindeer.
Anna was very weak. Her eyes lifted to meet Kristoff’s. “Are you going to be okay?” she asked.
“Don’t worry about me,” Kristoff said. Quickly, two servants rushed over to help Anna. “You need to get her to Prince Hans,” Kristoff told them.
“You poor girl, you’re freezing,” the older servant said. “Let’s get you inside. Let’s get you warm.”
As the servants whisked Anna away, Kristoff stood watching. Sven looked at his friend, unsure what he would do next. Then the castle door closed, shutting Kristoff out.
In the castle library, Hans was meeting with dignitaries and soldiers, discussing the fate of Arendelle’s queen.
“I’m going back out to look for Anna,” Hans told them. “No one is to go near the queen until I get back.”
“Prince Hans,” a man said. “You cannot risk going out there again. Arendelle needs you.”
Hans sank into a chair. “But if anything happens to Princess Anna…”
“If anything happens to Princess Anna,” another dignitary said, “you are all Arendelle has left. Please.”
The door flew open, and the two servants brought Anna into the room.
“Anna!” Hans exclaimed as she fell into his arms. “You’re so cold.”
“Hans, you have to kiss me,” she managed to say.
“What?” he asked.
“Now!” Anna said desperately.
Hans was a bit taken aback. “Slow down,” he said.
The servants smiled, realizing that Anna and Hans needed to be alone. “We’ll give you two some privacy,” said one, backing away. Everyone in the room followed him out.
Once they were alone, Hans turned to Anna. “What happened out there?” he asked.
“Elsa struck me with her powers,” she said softly.
“You said she’d never hurt you.”
Anna lowered her eyes. “I was wrong,” she said. “She froze my heart, and only an act of true love can save me.”
Anna’s body felt even colder than when she was out in the storm. But it was a relief to tell Hans everything, to know that he could help her.
After hearing the whole tale, Hans looked at her with a tender smile. “A true love’s kiss,” he said pensively. He leaned in close, ready to kiss her. Anna lifted her chin and closed her eyes in anticipation. Then he stopped.
“Oh, Anna,” he said. “If only somebody loved you.”
“What?” Anna said in shock.
Hans rose to his feet and walked away. He stood in front of the window, looking out over the kingdom. “As thirteenth in line in my own kingdom, I didn’t stand a chance,” he told her. “I knew I’d have to marry into the throne somewhere.”
Anna could barely lift her head. “What? What are you talking about?” she asked.
“As heir, Elsa was preferable, of course,” Hans continued. “But no one was getting anywhere with her. But you…” He trailed off with a small smile.
“Hans?” Anna said, growing concerned.
“Like your sister said,” he told her. “You were so desperate for love, you were willing to marry me just like that.” He walked over to a table and grabbed a pitcher of water. Then he moved closer to the fire. “I figured after we married, I’d have to stage a little accident for Elsa.” He poured the water on the fire, putting it out.
Anna reached out to stop him, but she was too weak and once again fell to the floor. “Hans, no, stop!” she cried.
Ignoring her plea, Hans took the fire poker and smothered the remaining embers. A cold draft filled the room. “But then she doomed herself, and you were dumb enough to go after her,” he snickered.
“Please,” Anna begged.
Hans laughed. “All that’s left now is to kill Elsa and bring back summer.”
A sense of despair engulfed Anna as she realized the depth of Hans’s cruelty. “You’re no match for Elsa,” she said bravely.
Hans looked down at Anna. “No, you’re no match for Elsa,” he told her. “I, on the other hand, am the hero who is going to save Arendelle from destruction.” He strode to the door.
“You won’t get away with this,” Anna said fiercely.
“Oh, I already have,” Hans said with a nasty grin. He walked out, locking the door tight.
Anna tried to get up from the floor, but she was too weak. She could feel the cold taking the last of her strength.
“Please, somebody,” she called out hoarsely. “Help!” She looked around the dark room and knew she was totally alone. “Please, please,” she whispered.
And then she collapsed.
Hans left Anna and went to the council chamber where the Duke and other dignitaries were gathered.
“It’s getting colder by the minute,” the Duke said. “Forget starving; we’ll soon freeze to death.”
Hans fell into a chair, looking weak and grief-stricken.
“Prince Hans!” a dignitary said, reaching out to him gently.
Hans lowered his head and chuckled to himself. He had sat down on the throne. His plan was moving along perfectly. Pretending to be full of remorse, Hans said, “Princess Anna is…dead.”
“What?” the other men exclaimed.
“How could this happen?” one of the dignitaries asked.
Hans shook his head slowly. “She was killed by Queen Elsa.”
“No!” the Duke shouted.
With his head in his hands, Hans played the part of a grieving man. “We said our wedding vows…before she died in my arms.”
“There can be no doubt now,” the Duke declared. “Queen Els
a is a monster!”
“Prince Hans,” stated one of the dignitaries. “Arendelle looks to you.”
Hans nodded grimly, but he was secretly elated. Never in his wildest dreams could he have plotted his ascent to the throne so gloriously. “With a heavy heart, I charge Queen Elsa with treason and sentence her to death,” he declared.
In her dungeon cell, Elsa stood by the window. The snow was cascading down heavily. She wondered where Anna was at that moment. Anna would never be able to survive this storm.
Maybe I am a monster, she thought. Hans’s words haunted her. Her powers had done nothing but cause great trouble for the kingdom.
Elsa knew that she had to leave Arendelle so she wouldn’t do any more harm. As her eyes welled up with tears, she looked down at her shackles. They were completely frozen, and suddenly, they broke open. Then, with a thunderous crash, ice broke through the dungeon walls, splitting them apart as Elsa’s emotions overwhelmed her mind and heart. Realizing she could escape, Elsa hurried through the gaping hole in the wall.
Hans heard the noise and ran down to the dungeon. The Duke and his guards were already there.
“What happened?” Hans asked.
“The queen has escaped,” the Duke replied, gazing through the opening in the wall.
The howling winds pushed against Kristoff as he headed back up the mountain, away from Arendelle. He adjusted his goggles and wrapped his scarf tightly around his face.
Sven was lagging behind. The reindeer looked longingly back at Arendelle and the castle. He shook his head and whinnied. Kristoff kept walking, ignoring him. Sven charged ahead, passed Kristoff, and then stopped in front of him. He faced him and looked Kristoff directly in the eye.
“What is it, buddy?” Kristoff asked.
The reindeer nudged his antlers into Kristoff’s side.
“Hey, watch it,” Kristoff said, annoyed. “What’s wrong with you?”
Sven shook his head and wiggled his mouth.
“I don’t understand you when you talk that way,” Kristoff told him. In a flash, Sven bucked Kristoff and lifted him up with his antlers. “Hey! Stop it!” Kristoff shouted. “Put me down.”
Sven dropped him straight into the snow, hard.
“No, Sven,” Kristoff said. “We’re not going back.”
Sven snorted his disapproval.
“She’s with her true love.” Kristoff saw Sven’s doubt. He glanced back at the kingdom to make his point. But to his surprise, he saw a strange new storm swirling above the castle. He could see dark clouds forming, and more ice on the castle walls, putting it into an even deeper freeze. “Anna!” he cried.
Instantly, Kristoff changed his course and took off running toward Arendelle. Sven scrambled and raced up behind him. He ducked his head and lifted Kristoff with his antlers, then threw him onto his back. The duo raced down the hillside.
Anna was curled up on the floor of the library. She had made it to the door but was now too weak to stand. No one could hear her whispered cries for help. She was so cold—and her heart ached.
At that moment, the door handle jiggled. Anna was barely able to raise her head to see who it was. The lock clicked. Anna could see a carrot wedged into the keyhole.…
Suddenly, the door flew open. It was Olaf! The snowman pulled his carrot nose out of the lock and put it back into the middle of his face. He was very proud of himself, but his happiness melted the moment he saw Anna.
“Anna, no!” he called. He ran to the fireplace and struck a match. In seconds there was a large, roaring fire.
“Olaf,” Anna said. “Get away from there!”
“Whoa!” Olaf exclaimed, taking in the sight and feel of the fire. He was a little scared, but he couldn’t resist the warmth coming from the fireplace. “So that’s heat,” he said. “I gotta say, I still like it!” He hurried over to Anna and brought her closer to the fire. “So, where’s Hans? What happened to your kiss?”
“I was wrong about him,” Anna said. “It wasn’t true love.”
Olaf didn’t want to believe it. “But we rode all the way here,” he said.
“Please, Olaf,” Anna managed to say. “You can’t stay here. You’ll melt.”
“I’m not leaving until we find some other act of true love to save you,” Olaf said. He sat down next to Anna. “Got any ideas?”
Anna sighed heavily. “I don’t even know what love is anymore.”
“That’s okay,” Olaf said. “I do.” He sat up a little taller. “Love is putting someone else’s needs before yours—like, you know how Kristoff brought you back here to Hans and left you forever?”
“Kristoff loves me?” Anna asked. Her eyes widened.
Olaf nodded. “You really don’t know anything about love, do you?”
Anna looked at Olaf. He was dripping from head to toe! “Olaf, you’re melting!” she cried.
“Some people are worth melting for,” he said. His face was quickly losing its shape. Olaf tried to push up his sagging head. He ran and sat behind Anna, trying to escape the fire’s heat. “Just maybe not right this second.”
A window across the room blew open and a cold gust of wind swept through. Anna shuddered. Olaf ran to the window to shut it. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ve got it. We’re gonna get through…” He stopped talking and stared out the window. He leaned forward and squinted at the horizon. “Hang on, just one second. I’m getting something!”
He reached through the open window and grabbed an icicle off the window ledge. He flipped the icicle around and used it as a telescope. “Hey, Kristoff and Sven!” he shouted when he realized who was running toward the castle. He turned to Anna excitedly. “They’re coming back this way!”
“They are?” Anna asked. She tried to stand up to see for herself.
“Wow, he’s moving really fast!” Olaf said. “Huh, I guess I was wrong. I guess Kristoff doesn’t love you enough to leave you behind.”
“Help me up,” Anna said, struggling. “Please.”
“No,” Olaf told her. “You need to stay by the fire and keep warm.”
Anna was adamant. “I need to get to Kristoff.”
“Why?” Olaf asked. Then he paused. “Oh, I know why! There’s your act of true love right there, riding across the fjords like a valiant, pungent reindeer king!” He reached for Anna. “Come on!”
Sheets of ice began to break through the library walls. The cracks grew across the walls, and the room began to collapse. Anna and Olaf hurried out of the library just in time. Together, they struggled to make it through the hallway, dodging ice as it appeared in their path.
“Back this way,” Olaf said, pulling Anna. But every path they tried was blocked by ice! “We’re trapped!” he shouted.
Anna spun around and spotted a way out. She took Olaf’s hand and they made their way over to a window, broke the glass, and slid down an icy ramp. Olaf picked up more snow as he went. They landed safely outside the castle and took off toward Kristoff.
The winds were picking up as the storm raged throughout Arendelle. The snow continued to fall, and the air was frigid. The ice blocks in the fjord were beginning to shift, which made walking on the frozen surface dangerous.
The snow hit Anna’s face hard, blinding her, but she and Olaf continued. She held her hand up to shield her eyes when she reached the shore. It broke her heart to see the fjord waters frozen into solid blocks and the ships turned on their sides.
“Kristoff!” she called out weakly. She couldn’t see him, but she knew he was coming over the fjord—and she knew he was her last chance for survival. The ice was still spreading through her heart, making her weaker and weaker. She was determined, but was losing strength with each step.
The snow was swirling wildly now, covering everything. “Whoa!” Olaf cried as the wind lifted him up and took him from Anna.
Not far away, but completely engulfed in the snowstorm, Kristoff was riding on Sven’s back, racing desperately toward Anna. As he passed over the fjord, a ship that was w
edged in the thick ice in front of him began to shift and wobble. “Come on! Come on!” Kristoff urged Sven.
At that moment, the ice in front of Kristoff shifted again and caused the ship to drop, splintering the surface. Sven bravely jumped over the frigid waters and bucked his rider off to safety. Then the reindeer fell into the water.
“Sven!” Kristoff screamed. “Sven!”
With a mighty effort, Sven leaped out of the water and landed safely on a floating piece of ice. He nodded, signaling that he was all right.
“Good boy,” Kristoff called. He turned back to find Anna.
Hans was also out on the frozen fjord, struggling through the storm. He was pursuing Elsa, however—and he nearly had her. “Elsa!” he yelled loudly through the howling winds. “You can’t run from this!”
“Don’t try to stop me,” Elsa called back to him. “Just take care of my sister.”
“Your sister?” Hans laughed. “She returned from the mountain weak and cold. She said you froze her heart.”
Elsa gasped. “No!” She was overwhelmed by what her powers had done. Her worst fears had come true.
“I tried to save her,” Hans lied. “But it was too late. Her skin was ice. Her hair turned white. Your sister is dead because of you.”
Elsa dropped to her knees and put her head in her hands.
The storm stopped abruptly in response to Elsa’s overwhelming despair. The winds and the driving snow ceased, leaving snowflakes suspended in the air.
In the sudden stillness, Kristoff finally spotted Anna. She was clutching her chest and her skin was pale, almost white. Her strength was decreasing with each passing moment.
Barely able to speak, she uttered his name and fell to her knees. “Kristoff.”
“Anna! Anna!” Kristoff called desperately as he ran toward her.
In the quiet air, the people of Arendelle gathered at the shore, staring out at the frozen fjord. The view was finally clear, and they could see their queen kneeling on the ice, her head bowed. Prince Hans stood just behind her.
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