A Frozen Heart

by Elizabeth Rudnick

  “All right, feisty pants,” Kristoff said, grabbing her around the waist. “Just let the snowman be.”

  Anna struggled. She didn’t want to just let the snowman be. She wanted to get him. Throw him down some stairs and see how he felt about it. But the more she struggled, the tighter Kristoff’s grip became. He was never going to let her go if he thought she was still fuming. Relaxing in his arms, she held up her hands as though admitting defeat. “Okay,” she said. “I’m calm.”

  Just as she had expected, Kristoff let her go. The second he did, she bent down and grabbed a handful of snow. Packing it as tight and as fast as she could, she pulled back her arm and launched it—right at the snow creature. With a little thud, it harmlessly hit the giant on his back and fell to the ground, barely leaving a mark on the big snowman.

  So there, ya big meanie! Anna cheered silently. How does it feel to be the one getting bullied? What are ya going to do about it now? Huh? Huh? Hu—ohhhh…

  Apparently, the snow creature was more than happy to do something about it. As Anna watched, long spikes of ice began to form around the creature’s joints. Turning back toward them, he let out a roar.

  “Now you made him mad!” Kristoff shouted.

  “I’ll distract him!” Olaf cried out heroically as the creature leaped over the gorge that surrounded the palace. “You guys go!”

  Before Anna could protest, Kristoff shoved her away from the snow giant. Looking behind her, she watched as Sven galloped off in the opposite direction, followed closely by Olaf’s belly and butt. Only Olaf’s head remained in the snowbank. But as Anna watched in horror, the creature blew past Olaf, causing the little guy’s head to land facedown in the snow. There wasn’t much he could do for them now.

  Anna was hesitant to leave Olaf behind, but she and Kristoff needed to get away, and Anna was sure Olaf would be okay. The two raced across the snow, trying desperately to outrun the creature. They slid down a steep slope and ran through a maze of conifers, the branches heavy with snow.

  Suddenly, Anna slid to a stop. Her gaze fell on the biggest tree with the heaviest branches, and she smiled. When she had fallen off Kjekk, she had tried to pull herself up using a branch. As soon as she had let go of the branch, it had swung up, sending all the snow flying. It had knocked snow off the surrounding trees. And that had just been a little branch. If she were to use a bigger branch…

  Running over to the nearest tree, she jumped up, trying to grab the lowest hanging branch. She missed. She jumped again, her fingers grazing the wood but still not getting it. Finally, letting out a yell, she jumped with all her might. Her fingers closed around the branch and she pulled it back toward her.

  She didn’t have to wait long. Almost immediately, the ground beneath her feet began to shake. Anna saw the creature’s big hand swipe through a section of trees, ripping them out of the ground as though they were toothpicks.

  Anna’s hands were trembling, her body shaking from the effort of keeping the branch steady. From somewhere behind her, she heard Kristoff call her name, but she ignored him. Her attention was focused completely on the approaching snow monster. Three, she began to count as he got closer. Two…He was almost where she wanted him. And one!

  With a shout, Anna let the tree branch go. Free of her weight, it snapped into the air. The snow that had sat heavy on the branch went flying—right at the creature! There was a thud as the pounds of thick snow slammed into the snow giant.

  Bull’s-eye! But Anna didn’t have time to gloat. She and Kristoff raced through trees and past huge piles of snow, putting as much distance between them and the creature as possible. They ran down a small hill and then clambered their way up another. And then they ran out of places to run.

  Bursting through the trees, Anna and Kristoff barely stopped themselves before hurtling over the edge of a cliff! Windmilling their arms, they managed to stop their forward momentum just in time. Behind them, the creature let out another angry roar.

  “It’s a hundred-foot drop!” Anna shouted, peering down into the snowy abyss below.

  “It’s two hundred,” Kristoff corrected.

  Anna looked over at him and cocked her head. Now didn’t seem like the time for technicalities. And seriously, why on earth was he going through his bag? Couldn’t he wait to find what he was looking for—

  “OW!” she cried out as Kristoff took a rope from the satchel and tied it—tightly—around her waist. Then he dropped down to his knees and began digging what appeared to be a U-shaped hole. “What’s that for?” she asked.

  “I’m digging a snow anchor,” he replied as though that were obvious.

  Anna looked over at him skeptically. Did he mean he was going to anchor them? And if he did mean that, did he mean they were going to…jump? Anna gulped. “What if we fall?” she asked nervously.

  “There’s twenty feet of fresh powder down there,” he explained. “It’ll be like landing on a pillow…hopefully.”

  Hopefully? This was the most insane thing she had ever done. But oddly enough, hearing Kristoff’s voice calmed her and she realized, with a jolt, that she trusted him. “Okay, you tell me when,” she said as, behind her, she heard the heavy footsteps of the creature coming closer.

  “One…”

  “I’m ready to go…”

  “Two…”

  Anna bounced up and down, psyching herself up.

  And then a giant tree flew through the air, right toward them. “TREE!” she shouted. Before she could even think about it, she jumped over the edge, taking Kristoff with her.

  “AHHHH!” Kristoff shouted.

  “AHHHH!” Anna shouted.

  “UMPH!” they groaned together as the rope hooked on the snow anchor above and went taut.

  For a moment, they both just hung there, swaying gently about fifty feet above the snowy ground. “Well, that happened,” Kristoff finally said. He looked down at Anna.

  She shrugged. So, that might not have been the best move on her part. At least they were alive and away from the snow giant. Opening her mouth to point out that fact, Anna stopped as she saw Olaf’s head come falling toward her. As he passed them, the little snowman gave them a big smile. “Hang in there, guys!” he called out.

  As the little guy’s head disappeared into the snowy mist below, Anna felt a jerk on the rope. Then another one. And another. Looking up, Anna saw that the creature had grabbed their rope from the anchor and was pulling them up. In another few tugs, they would be back where they started.

  “Kristoff!” Anna shouted, looking up to him for help. But at that precise moment, the creature gave a particularly rough tug. Kristoff was flung up and over, his head slamming into the cliff. Instantly, he lost consciousness.

  Well, that’s great, Anna thought, trying not to panic. Looks like I’m going to have to get us out of this all by myself. She scanned the area, hoping to spot something useful. And then her eyes landed on a knife hanging from Kristoff’s belt. She reached for it just as the creature pulled them the rest of the way up so they were hanging right in front of his face.

  “Don’t come back!” the snow giant shouted.

  Anna pulled back as the snowman spewed snowy phlegm all over them. “We won’t!” she shouted. Then, with one swift move, her fingers closed around the knife handle and she sliced through the rope.

  They hung suspended in the air just long enough for Kristoff to come to, and then they started to fall—fast! Anna barely had time to register that she might have just killed them both before she landed with a thud in the snow. The surprisingly soft snow.

  “Hey!” she said, laughing in relief. “You were right. Just like a pillow.” She turned, expecting to see Kristoff beside her. To her surprise, she saw Olaf instead. He was clinging to Kristoff’s boots, which were sticking out of the snow.

  “I can’t feel my legs!” the little snowman shouted. “I can’t feel my legs!”

  Trying not to laugh at Olaf’s genuine fear, Anna watched as, behind the snowman, Kristoff sat
up. Shaking his head and spitting out snow, he said, “Those are my legs.”

  Instantly, relief flooded Olaf’s face. As the snowman began to put himself back together, Sven appeared, none the worse for wear. In fact, the reindeer seemed unbothered by the run-in with the snow giant. Instead, he just seemed hungry. Anna laughed as he tried to make a snack out of Olaf’s nose.

  I’m glad that everyone is okay, Anna thought, struggling to pull herself out of the snow. After all that running, Anna felt drained. “Whoa!” she said as Kristoff lifted her out of the snow as though she weighed no more than a feather. Anna felt his hand linger on the small of her back as he placed her gently on the ground. His hand was so warm and reassuring. It felt almost as though it belonged there.

  “You okay?” Kristoff asked.

  “Thank you,” Anna replied. She looked back up at him, and their eyes met. “Um…how’s your head?” she asked, reaching up to touch the spot where he’d had the unfortunate run-in with the cliff.

  “Ow!” he shouted, placing his hand on top of hers. Then, as though embarrassed, he waved it off. “It’s fine. I’m good. I’ve got a thick skull. So…now what?” he asked, changing the subject.

  “Now what…?” Anna repeated. What did Kristoff mean? Now what between them?

  Suddenly, Anna felt the blood rush from her face as the real meaning of Kristoff’s question hit her like a ton of bricks. “Now what! Oh! What am I going to do? She threw me out. I can’t go back to Arendelle with the weather like this. And then there’s your ice business—”

  “Hey, hey, don’t worry about my ice business,” Kristoff said, cutting her off. Then he cocked his head and peered closer, as if noticing something for the first time. “Worry about your hair!”

  “What?” Anna said, shocked. Reaching up, she smoothed her hair down. “I just fell off a cliff. You should see your hair.”

  “No,” Kristoff said. “Yours is turning white.”

  Anna grabbed her braid, pulling it in front of her face. Kristoff was right. The small piece of hair that had always been white had now disappeared in a much larger piece of white. As she watched, even more of her red hair changed color.

  “It’s because she struck you,” Kristoff said softly. “Isn’t it?”

  Anna wanted to deny it, but she couldn’t. Would Elsa ever stop hurting her? She looked up at him, her eyes filled with sadness.

  “You need help,” he said, his tone gentle. “Now come on.”

  Taking her hand, he began to lead her away from the cliff. Behind them, Olaf and Sven followed at a slower pace. “Where are we going?” the snowman called out.

  “To see my friends,” Kristoff answered.

  Looking up at him, Anna smiled, despite the fear that was flooding through her. “The love experts?” she teased.

  But Kristoff’s response was anything but teasing. “Yes,” he said seriously. “And don’t worry; they’ll be able to fix this.”

  “How do you know?” Anna asked, surprised by how upset Kristoff seemed to be.

  “Because,” he said, looking down at her, “I’ve seen them do it before.”

  I’ve seen them do it before.

  Kristoff’s words echoed through Anna’s mind. What did he mean “before”? And who was “them”? What would love experts know about fixing weird white hair?

  Anna didn’t know what to think anymore. In the last twenty-four hours, her life had been turned upside down. Now here she was walking with a guy, a snowman, and a reindeer toward “love experts” while her hair turned whiter and whiter. And the oddest part about it all? Despite the frightful events that had just transpired, she felt completely at ease with this odd trio.

  “Look, Sven,” Anna heard Olaf’s cheery voice say. “The sky’s awake.”

  Turning her head, Anna smiled. The snowman was lying down on Sven’s back, his eyes turned up to the stars above. The Northern Lights were bright, their bluish-green color almost blocking out the stars. Olaf was right. The sky really did look awake. Awake and very much alive, Anna thought. Suddenly, she felt a chill rush over her, and she shivered.

  “Are you cold?” Kristoff asked, concerned.

  “A little,” Anna said.

  Kristoff reached out his arm and, for a moment, Anna thought he might put it around her. The thought made some of the cold ease from her bones. But he didn’t. Instead, he took her hand and pulled her off the path. Then he pointed at the ground. Anna’s eyes grew wide. All around her were pockets of snow-free ground. It looked like the area was one big white and brown polka-dotted blanket. From one snow-free patch, a gust of steam vented upward, blowing out warm air.

  “Oooh…that’s nice,” Anna said, walking over and placing her hands in the steam. Instantly, she felt less cold. Looking up, she smiled at Kristoff in thanks.

  Together, Anna and Kristoff began to walk along the steamy path. “So,” Anna asked, breaking the silence. “What’s the deal with these friends of yours? Are they really going to know what to do? And what exactly makes them ‘experts’?”

  Kristoff’s face turned bright red. “They…ummm. Yes, they know what to do.” He stammered a bit more and then fell silent again.

  “Well, do these ‘experts’ of yours have names?” she asked, still curious. “Are they doctors? Should I call them Dr. Love Expert? Or just plain old Mr. and Mrs.?”

  “Hardy har har.” Kristoff’s fake laugh faded into a frown as he shot her a look. For a brief moment, she wondered if she had pushed him too far. Clearly, the guy was sensitive about these people they were going to see. But why? Anna wondered. Does he think I’m going to embarrass him or something?

  Just as Anna was about to explain how polite she could be in a not-so-polite way, Kristoff cleared his throat nervously. “Well, I say friends…they’re more like family.”

  Family, Anna thought. I did not see that one coming.

  “When I was a kid, it was just me and Sven.” Kristoff began to ramble. “Until they took us in. I don’t want to scare you, they can be a little inappropriate. And loud. Very loud. They’re also stubborn at times, and a little overbearing. And heavy. Really, really heavy.”

  Anna stifled a smile. He didn’t know it, and he most definitely wasn’t trying to be, but Kristoff was being pretty darn adorable. His family, whoever they were—and they did sound rather odd, but whose family wasn’t—clearly meant the world to him. I wonder if that’s why he hasn’t talked about them until now, Anna thought. If I had something that special, I would want to keep it close, too. I bet he had the most wonderful childhood. I guarantee no one shut doors in his face.

  But before that, he must have been so alone. He had said it was just him and Sven. That must have been hard…

  Realizing that Kristoff was still talking, Anna focused. “But they’re fine,” he was saying. “You’ll get it. They mean well.”

  Anna couldn’t help herself. Overwhelmed with emotion, she reached over and gently laid her hand on Kristoff’s arm. “They sound wonderful,” she said softly. “I can’t wait to meet them.”

  Kristoff smiled, obviously relieved. “Well, then, follow me!” he said happily. Pulling his arm away, he began to stride ahead.

  Behind him, Anna watched him walk, her smile slowly fading. She had meant what she said—she was excited to meet Kristoff’s family. But just thinking about family had made it impossible for her to not think of Elsa. Elsa, who was back on the mountain somewhere, locked away in her ice palace. Elsa, who wanted nothing to do with Anna.

  “I like walking, don’t you?”

  Olaf’s voice cut through Anna’s deepening thoughts and, despite the sadness that was settling in her heart, she smiled. “I do like walking,” she replied. “Very much.”

  “Have you ever walked on a beach? In the sun?” he asked. “I hope I get to do that someday.”

  Anna laughed. “I hope you do, too,” she said, even though she knew it was impossible. She paused, drifting back into her thoughts.

  “What are you thinking about?”
Olaf asked.

  Anna smiled. “Family. How nice it must be for Kristoff to have a family that cares about him so much.”

  “I have a great family,” Olaf said.

  “You do?” Anna asked.

  “Sure. You and Sven and Sven. You’re my family. I like you and you like me and we all helped each other back there. So isn’t that family?” He turned and looked up at Anna hopefully with his big, innocent eyes.

  Anna thought about it for a moment. “You know what, Olaf? I think that is exactly what family is.”

  “I thought so,” he replied, wobbling on. “I mean, I think I’d probably do anything for you. Just like how you climbed a whole entire mountain to see your sister. And she’s family, right?”

  “Yes, Olaf,” Anna said softly. “I care about her very much. I’m just not sure how much she cares about me. She didn’t want me in her palace…”

  Olaf looked thoughtful. Then he smiled. “Maybe she was just having a bad day. Do you know what I like to do when I have a bad day? I like to think about summer. And the beaches and the sun and…”

  As the little snowman continued to talk about his summer dreams, Anna kept thinking about what he had just said. She knew the reason Elsa had kicked them out wasn’t just because she was having a bad day. She had kicked them out because she didn’t want them there. But maybe she did that…because she cared? In her own strange way? For a moment, Anna’s heart was warmed at the thought. But then she remembered how coldly Elsa had looked at her, and the warm feeling faded. It wasn’t going to do her any good to think the impossible. All she could do now was focus on getting to Kristoff’s family and hope they would know how to fix what Elsa had broken!

  THIS BETTER BE WORTH IT, Hans thought as he came around another bend and found himself looking at still more snow.

  For the past hour, Hans and his men had been making slow but steady progress. Yet Hans could tell the exertion was beginning to take its toll, not just on him, but on his men as well. Quiet grumbling had turned into outright complaining with each turn they made and each hill they climbed. If they didn’t find Princess Anna or Queen Elsa soon, Hans worried he would have an out-and-out rebellion on his hands.