Second Winter (Frozen; Kristoff)

[Zwee]

Sometimes I feel like the most embarrassing person alive. For instance, I get crushes on pretty much everyone, ever, and apparently that includes animated Disney characters voiced by actors with gorgeous voices… And then those crushes develop into me spending hours writing ridiculously long sneezefic about them and being half mortified and half proud of how they turn out.

Basically I was babysitting my coworker’s daughter who just discovered Frozen, and I remembered how adorable Kristoff is and how much I love Jonathan Groff's voice, which turned into this long, way too detailed story I’m still in the process of writing. Also, I'm KIND OF excited for the new short that's coming out in a few weeks!

This explanation and this chapter are quite long. I'm working on being less long-winded. So, without further ado, if there’s anyone out there not completely sick-to-death of Frozen by now, this one’s for you.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

         Arendelle’s first naturally-occurring winter since the Great Freeze was a bitterly cold one. It seemed Nature was determined to outdo the queen’s work the previous spring: winter’s arrival was unusually early, and it ushered in flurries of snow accompanied by a drastic drop in temperature as well as powerful, howling winds that seemed to seep through every crack in every home. Fortunately, the townsfolk were well prepared for such drastic weather, given recent events, but with everyone blockaded in their homes to keep warm, the cozy, friendly atmosphere of the town had declined slightly.              

Queen Elsa had noticed this change and took it upon herself to declare the return of Arendelle’s beloved Festival of Winter, complete with ice-carving, skating, sled races, and craft sales. She even went to neighboring kingdoms whose winter was hitting just as hard to invite them to the festivities.              

Anna, whose childhood love of the festival had inspired her sister’s announcement, was overcome with joy, and had taken to frequenting the site of the festival to “oversee the set up process” (which was really just an excuse to get a sneak peek of the events and artisans, as well as to watch Kristoff as he worked to shuttle ice around the fairgrounds.)

Anna’s enthusiasm for the festival had gotten slightly carried away, calling for ice forts and skating rinks and snow cones and an enormous wind barrier made from carved ice. Elsa was away when the festival overseers began to realize that they may somehow have a shortage of ice, meaning Kristoff had to take a harvesting team up to the mountains for some more.

Anna had begged him to stay, not wanting to be alone in the castle ever again since the gates had been opened. Kristoff felt so badly that he almost said yes, contemplating sending Anders and Ingrid, his two best harvesters, to lead the mission. But then, Ingrid was struck down by the terrible cold virus that was spreading around, and then Anders caught it just a day later. Elsa was due back the next day, so, with a heavy heart, Kristoff loaded up Sven and his sled and took off with his team for the mountains.

He was up in the mountains for three days harvesting ice, and the fourth was dedicated to gathering and loading up the blocks for the return trip. It was early afternoon on the fourth day when he and his team finally made it back to the outskirts of the fairgrounds to begin unloading the ice, but all Kristoff wanted to do was collapse next to Anna in the chaise by the fire. He thought longingly of the previous week when, after a long day of ice assembly, she had read to him while he combed his fingers idly through her hair. Instead, he set to work shuttling loads of ice across the frozen wasteland with Sven and his sled.

 

He had been hoping to see Anna somewhere on the grounds “directing traffic” or perhaps sampling some of the goods from local vendors that were beginning to set up shop. Many of the festival crew members were expressing a similar sentiment, he noticed, as the princess was known to bring hot chocolate and fresh baked goods from the castle, as well as stories and gossip from the workers on the other side of the frozen fairgrounds. Her presence always brought warmth, making her absence all the more conspicuous to the cold, exhausted workers.

Without her there, Kristoff was more aware of the indomitable exhaustion that seemed to settle deep into his bones, along with an unrelenting coldness that he couldn’t seem to shake off, no matter how much he worked. A shiver worked its way up his spine with the next harsh gust of wind, his thick furs no match for the flurry of frigid snowflakes that bit at every inch of exposed skin before melting and trickling down his neck. Another shiver rattled through him and he sniffled thickly against the chill, thinking again of Anna and the warm fire.

Her name came up at supper and he immediately tuned in.

“—Princess Anna still sick?” Eirik was asking a woman whose face Kristoff recognized vaguely from the castle. A cook, maybe? Or possibly one of Elsa’s myriad advisors.

“She is, the poor dear!” the woman replied. Kristoff thought her name might be Marte. “She’s been in bed for days on the queen’s orders. She isn’t too happy about it, as you can imagine.”

Eirik said something else which made Marte laugh, but Kristoff had stopped listening. His thoughts swirled as he imagined Anna becoming ill alone in the castle, with Kristoff and Elsa both off on their adventures. So sick, in fact, that she had been ordered to bed! His stomach flipped with guilt and sympathy, and he sprang into action.

He found Sven and set to work getting him attached to his sled. In a daze of concern, he vaguely heard himself put the newly-recovered Ingrid in charge of the rest of the day’s work. “We’re taking the night off to take care of Anna,” he murmured, mostly to Sven, although judging from Ingrid’s understanding nod and soft smile, she had heard it too.

 

          The ride to the castle was chillingly cold, the wind blowing in exactly the opposite direction. He noticed vaguely that his nose was running, and began to sniffle. By the time he got to the gates, his clothes were caked in snow and the small amount of skin left uncovered burned angrily at the exposure, but he paid his discomforts little mind. The guards nodded at him as he dismounted and rushed Sven to the stables before bursting through the front doors.

The hall was usually a hub of activity, but Kristoff found the castle to be eerily quiet as he stomped snow from his boots. Everyone seemed to be favoring the comforts of their fire-heated rooms rather than the draughty hallways. Whispers of the howling wind raging outside found their way through various cracks in the walls to send sniffles and a fresh wave of shivers through Kristoff, but he shrugged them off. It was much warmer in the castle than outside, and besides, he had bigger things to worry about.

Finally, after what felt like hours, he reached her bedroom door. Coughing could be heard clearly from within, making Kristoff wince at the sound. He knocked gently and was met with a hoarse, congestion-tinged, “Come in!” He gave a rough sniff to keep his nose from running for as long as possible, and then entered.

Anna sat in a chair pulled up close to the fire, bundled in blankets and clutching a mug of tea to her chest. Kristoff watched a wisp of steam curl beneath her chin as she turned to face him. She was clearly expecting someone else. Surprise flashed across her features, her eyes wide with pleasure as he crossed the room in a few large strides to get to her.

“You’re back! What are you doing here?” Her voice sounded rough, but not nearly as terrible as Anders had sounded when he first became ill, which Kristoff took to be a good sign. Her cheeks were rosy but held no telltale unhealthy flush that came with fever. He cupped her face in his hands just to be sure, planting a kiss on the top of her head.

“I heard you were sick. I came to take care of you.” He felt his cheeks heat up a bit when she beamed at him.

“Kristoff!” He loved the way she said his name, holding the second syllable a fraction of a beat too long, which never failed to turn his insides to warm honey. “You didn’t have to come running for a little cold.” She gave a pitiful sniffle, and then a shiver as snow from his sleeve touched her face. He pulled his hand away, dusting snow off of himself. “Jeez, how long were you out there? You’re covered in snow! You need to change out of your wet clothes before you turn into a human popsicle!”

He gave her a muzzy smile and murmured, “Not until I make sure you’re okay.”

She rolled her eyes and began wiggling in an attempt to extricate herself from her blanket cocoon, but her efforts dissolved as a fit of coughing took over. Kristoff could feel a frown tugging at his brow, and he leaned over to rub her back, saving the tea from inevitable spillage as he did so. She grumbled under her breath about “this stupid cough” but looked up at him gratefully. “Now that you made sure I haven’t died, will you please take off your wet clothes so I can hug you?”

He nodded obediently, shrugging out of his snow-caked coat and hanging it along with his hat over the back of a chair to dry. She sipped contentedly at her tea, watching him first step out of his boots, then his snow-caked outer trousers, and finally his vest, leaving him clad in simple wool under-layers.

The cold had seeped deep into him by then, and he began to shiver despite the warmth of the room. He stepped closer to her and to the fire, and she opened her bundle of blankets invitingly. Her tired eyes glimmered with endearment as he buried himself into the warmth of her fire-heated embrace. He maneuvered her expertly until she was seated on his lap and she pressed her warm forehead into his neck and breathed a sigh so heavy he almost thought she had fallen asleep.

He was suddenly taken with the urge to sneeze, and struggled to remove himself from her tight tangle of limbs so as not to sneeze on her. She gave a whine of protest as he twisted away, chest shuddering with hitching breaths. “Hehhihh… Nhh-heh—ehh’TSCHHhh!” He tried to sniff away the resulting congestion but it came out as a miserable-sounding sniffle, and only served to aggravate the tickle. He extracted a hand to rub at his nose, aware of Anna’s enormous eyes on him as he did so.

“Bless you!” she chirped, then, upon hearing his sniffling, frowned. “I hope you’re not getting this.”

He shrugged his big shoulders too quickly, waving a hand airily and trying not to shiver. “Just a sneeze. Cold winter air and all thahh… hh! Huhh’TGSCHHhih!”

His forced nonchalance must have been too transparent. Her eyes narrowed, mischievous smirk quirking at her lips. “Hmm… Big-tough-mountain man doesn’t get colds?”

He rubbed the back of his head. “I didn’t say that…” The cold contrast of the room to her incredible heat sent a shiver through him and he tucked his arms back into the blankets. This action proved to be a mistake, however, as his nose began to itch once more. He gave yet another set of sniffles to stave off any more sneezing.

Anna bit her lip, her huge eyes staring up at his face with suspicion and concern. This expression was marred by a coughing spell, which ended with an exasperated sigh and a murmured expletive that he hoped she had never said in front of Elsa. She’d picked up more colorful language from him than he’d like to admit.

He felt a frown of his own muddle his brow, and tightened his embrace on her slightly, a gruff sound of concern rippling from his throat.

“I just. Can’t. Stop. Coughing!” She sighed dramatically, tipping her head back with a look of pain. “It’s been horrible! As soon as Elsa got back she forced me into bed and since this cough decided it’s not leaving, I’ve been confined to my bedchambers like I’m going to die or something! All I could think about is missing set up for the Festival, and worrying about you getting hurt on your trip and—what if they forget about the snowcones?” She fixed him with a stern look that made her look startlingly like Elsa. “Kristoff, you cannot let them forget about the snowcones!”

It took every ounce of his fading strength not to break into laughter. As it was, he couldn’t hold back a few chuckles. “How could they forget about the snowcones? You’ve only been going on about them for a week and a half!” To his deep embarrassment, his normally clear tenor broke on the word ‘week,’ leaving the rest of the sentence sounding hoarse and tired. He felt a blush fan across his face and he fought the urge to rub the back of his head. “Sorry. Been shouting orders for days. Sven says my lullabies have been pretty awful lately.”

A grin broke out over her face. She giggled, nudging an elbow at his side gently. “Poor Sven! The kingdom owes him an official apology and extra carrots for putting up with such mistreatment.” Her face sobered after a moment, however, and a rare moment of seriousness took over. “You could never sound awful. I really missed your voice while you were gone.”

He kissed the top of her head. “I missed yours too. How have they been keeping your feistypants occupied while you’ve been stuck in here?” Talking was really starting to hurt, his inflamed throat scraping viciously with each word. He knew she could talk for hours if given the opportunity—it was probably why she still sounded hoarse after days of recovery time—so he let her carry the conversation for a while.

“I think you mean imprisoned. Kristoff, seriously, Elsa wouldn’t even let me sneak down to the kitchens for a midnight sandwich. She froze my door shut when she caught me. And it doesn’t help that Olaf kept telling me stories about the Festival and I barely had the energy to look out the window the first few days. And now that I’m practically all better I kept trying to see you out the window, but Elsa kept making me get back in bed. She turned my bedroom into a temporary office so she could keep an eye on me but I think I was starting to annoy her because she’s been getting called away for ‘meetings’ more and more often.”

Kristoff just listened, smiling at her animation and melodrama, trying to keep his eyes open through her story. The pull of exhaustion was growing stronger now, however, and he found himself falling into a slight doze ten minutes into her story of Olaf’s attempt at painting a picture with his clumsy stick arms.

“He ended up trying to use his nose as a paintbrush, which got so messy—Kristoff?”

His head shot up from where it had nodded to his chest. “Hmm? Sorry. I’m sorry. Long day. Long week, actually. Please, keep going.”

She was looking at him peculiarly, but then gave a huge yawn herself, her head falling against his chest. “It’s okay. All this talking is making me sleepy too. Plus Elsa says if I keep talking this much I’ll lose my voice entirely and then I won’t be able to sing in the caroling competition—oh, I decided we’re going to have a caroling competition! It’ll be in the ice amphitheater—oh, I decided we’re going to have an ice amphitheater!”

He was torn between amusement at her unending enthusiasm for the Festival and dismay at the idea of creating an amphitheater out of ice. It must have shown on his face, because Anna quickly added, “Don’t worry, Elsa’s going to make it. She said you all have enough on your plates building the ice wall, which is probably true.” A sheepish smile quirked the edges of her lips and Kristoff was taken with the sudden urge to kiss the corner of her mouth where the smirk took form. He blushed at the thought—why was it he could never stop blushing around her?—and directed his gaze steadfastly at the freckles studding the pale space beneath her enormous turquoise eyes.

 

She gave a sniff and a heavy sigh, and then began to unravel the blankets, shifting her body so she was no longer seated in his lap. He immediately missed her warmth and found that the bone-deep chill hadn’t left him. She was shivering too, and he made a woozy attempt to stand and drape the blankets about her shoulders once more. His overworked muscles protested at first, but the second attempt at standing was much more successful than the first.

He glanced out at the raging snowstorm beating upon the darkened village beyond her window. She followed his gaze and when he glanced back to her a steely expression had taken over her features.

“Kristoff. You are not going out in that! Your guest room is all made up; please stay here.”

He had to admit that the concept of leaving her fire-warmed chambers at all sounded daunting, let alone going back out into the freezing tempest currently screaming at the castle’s thick stone walls. But there were matters besides his own comfort that needed to be tended to. “I have to check on Sven. It looks bad out there, and I need to make sure he’ll be warm enough for the night.” His hasty departure from the stables was weighing on him, and he worried over the wellbeing of his friend.

Anna gave a sigh. “He’s a reindeer. He’s used to snow and ice! All the horses have been fine, the stablemaster has lots of blankets for them. I’m sure he has spares.”

Kristoff appreciated that. But he needed to see for himself that his friend was properly tended to, or he wouldn’t be able to sleep. He told Anna as much and she seemed to understand.

“Will you come back to say goodnight after you’ve finished?” She smiled coyly at him through her eyelashes, swaying her hips a little. He nodded, fought back thoughts of goodnight kisses and began to pull on his damp layers once more, bracing himself for the outside.

*  *  *  *  *  *

More misery to come!

Edited November 6, 2017 by Zwee
Apparently italics don't paste?

[Elyze]

1 hour ago, Zwee said:

More misery to come!

Looking forward to it!

[WolfPack]

Ooooohhhh! I am LOVING this so far! 

Please keep us updated! 

[SterlingSilver]

WHOA WHAT, SOME KRISTOFF FICTION~? I'm so up for this. I love how this is developing, and their relationship dynamic is so, so cute! They are so in character >w< The idea of them both being sick, and Anna teasing him but then not totally suspecting him of being sick is a really fun way to start this off. Really well done, and I'm excited to see how this continues to develop >w> What a wonderful cliffhanger~

Thanks so much for writing!

[Alabaster]

Yesssss!

[Spoo]

My friend, there is ZERO SHAME in Kristoff!torture. Believe me, I was in a similar boat 3 years ago with my own Kristoff fic.  THAT BEING SAID, this is an excellent story so far and I'm crazy excited to see where you go with it! I'll happily second that the characterization is spot on, and so are the general dynamics (and adorableness) between Kristoff and Anna! Can I also just say that the idea of Anna with a cold is reallyreally cute?   

Oh, and this line cracked me up: 

13 hours ago, Zwee said:

“I think you mean imprisoned. Kristoff, seriously, Elsa wouldn’t even let me sneak down to the kitchens for a midnight sandwich. She froze my door shut when she caught me.

SHE FROZE HER DOOR SHUT.  

[JQLovesSneezes]

This is great so far.  I can't wait to see where you take it. I've never read a Frozen fic that developed Anna and Kristoff's characters and relationship so well. I love sneeze fics that don't feel like sneeze fics, ya know?... if that makes any sense.   Anyway, keep up the great work, Zwee! 

[sickprincess]

THIS IS SO GOOD!!! You captured Anna and Kristoff so perfectly. <3 

[Salamander]

oooooh this is super cute. Nice in-character voices too

[Zwee]

Y'all, I'm blown away with the response to this!! What the heck.

On 11/6/2017 at 0:40 AM, helyzelle said:

Looking forward to it!

Coming right up!!

On 11/6/2017 at 0:40 AM, WolfPack said:

Ooooohhhh! I am LOVING this so far! 

Please keep us updated! 

Thank you!! I will do my best!

On 11/6/2017 at 8:10 AM, BlackScatter said:

WHOA WHAT, SOME KRISTOFF FICTION~? I'm so up for this. I love how this is developing, and their relationship dynamic is so, so cute! They are so in character >w< The idea of them both being sick, and Anna teasing him but then not totally suspecting him of being sick is a really fun way to start this off. Really well done, and I'm excited to see how this continues to develop >w> What a wonderful cliffhanger~

Thanks so much for writing!

SOOooOO flattered you think they're in character! Biggest compliment. Ever. Hee, thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy!  

On 11/6/2017 at 10:54 AM, Alabaster said:

Yesssss!

On 11/6/2017 at 0:43 PM, Spoo said:

My friend, there is ZERO SHAME in Kristoff!torture. Believe me, I was in a similar boat 3 years ago with my own Kristoff fic.  THAT BEING SAID, this is an excellent story so far and I'm crazy excited to see where you go with it! I'll happily second that the characterization is spot on, and so are the general dynamics (and adorableness) between Kristoff and Anna! Can I also just say that the idea of Anna with a cold is reallyreally cute?   

Oh, and this line cracked me up: 

SHE FROZE HER DOOR SHUT.  

*scours internet for Spoo Kristoff fic* WHAT WHAT WHAT I must find this!! Also you are too kind. Excellent? Spot on characterization?? I am SO flattered. Thank you!! And I had the same thought about Anna being sick. She is so vibrant and fun and possibly underrated in the candidate-for-colds department (is that a thing? Because I have a list of people I could add to it)

On 11/6/2017 at 6:41 PM, JQLovesSneezes said:

This is great so far.  I can't wait to see where you take it. I've never read a Frozen fic that developed Anna and Kristoff's characters and relationship so well. I love sneeze fics that don't feel like sneeze fics, ya know?... if that makes any sense.   Anyway, keep up the great work, Zwee! 

I know exactly what you mean about sneeze fics that don't feel like sneeze fics! They're my favorite. Also thank you so so so much, that is such an amazing compliment!! Hope you like what's up next.

On 11/6/2017 at 7:10 PM, sickprincess said:

THIS IS SO GOOD!!! You captured Anna and Kristoff so perfectly. <3 

 THANK YOU! I'm so flattered people think my characterization is honest!

On 11/7/2017 at 1:26 PM, Salamander said:

oooooh this is super cute. Nice in-character voices too

eeee! Thank you!! What a compliment!

I'm about to post the next installment! I hope it continues to please! You all are too kind.

[Zwee]

Ack!! Everyone is sooooo NICE! I feel marginally less embarrassed that I'm having so much fun writing this, and I am seriously blushing at all your comments. I hope you all continue to enjoy the story as I continue to work on it!

This is a shorter chapter but includes a bit of Kristoff character study which should come into play a little later, and a bit more Kristoff/Anna cuteness because I couldn't resist! Here you go:

*  *  *  *  *  *

Chapter 2

          When Kristoff got downstairs, he had to force his pained, exhausted muscles to go faster than a snail’s pace so his trip outside wouldn’t be longer than it needed to be. Sven was very happy to see him, but immediately noticed Kristoff’s demeanor and snuffled at his face with concern. Kristoff brushed him off, murmuring that he was fine, and pulled carrots from his bag to distract him.

Sven was immediately sidetracked, chomping the carrots contentedly, his worries forgotten in the face of his favorite treat.

Once he was sure the reindeer was tucked up warmly in the hay with a thick wool horse blanket, he began the trek back up to the castle, made more arduous by his incessantly sniffly nose and the exhaustion that was now so heavy over him he felt as though he were moving through peanut butter.

By the time he had made it to the landing of Anna’s floor, his cold nose had taken over and he was overcome with the urge to sneeze.

“Nhh-hih! Hehh’MMFF! Ehh-hehh-EhhTSCHHFF!!” He muffled two harsh sneezes into his sleeve in an attempt to dampen the sound and then groaned as violent shivers wracked through his thoroughly spent muscles. He gave a series of miserable sniffles and then continued down the hall, thinking only of Anna and the incredibly soft feather bed waiting for him.

She was leaning against her door, a blanket draped over her shoulders, as he came around the corner. He gave her a tired smile, and she smiled back, but her eyebrows were pinched in sympathy and concern. “Bless you,” she said, pursing her lips.

He blushed for what felt like the thousandth time that night and started to explain that the cold air made his nose run, but was interrupted by the seemingly endless nasal irritation that trapped his breath in his throat viciously and made his eyebrows steeple drastically with desperation. “EHHH’ktschh!”

“Bless you!” She repeated, worried and exasperated. She stood on tiptoe to press a hand to his forehead. He ducked away, brushing off her concern with amusement.

“Thank you. Anna. I’m okay. I just need to go warm up.”

His face, still frost-nipped from outside, had been freezing against her hand, so she dropped the matter. “How’s Sven?”

“He’s fine. Fed, warm, and cozy. He was just being dramatic before.”

“Mm, oh he was being dramatic. Right.” Her eyes danced with mirth and suddenly he couldn’t stop himself from planting a kiss right on her smiling lips, which she eagerly returned. “Sleep well, Kristoff. See you tomorrow morning for breakfast?”

“And by morning you mean 11:59, I’m assuming?” His voice scraped painfully with the inflection but he loved the way her nose scrunched up when she pretended to be irritated and he could never resist a chance to make her giggle.

“Hey!” She put on a look of shock and whacked at his arm playfully. “Is it a crime to not be a morning person?”

“I’m just saying, how can you expect to escape your ‘imprisonment’ tomorrow if you’re not up before Elsa?”

She shrugged. “You’ll just have to break me out, won’t you?” She turned to go in her room, but not before calling softly, “Goodnight, Kristoff,” over her shoulder, to which he replied, “Goodnight, feistypants.”

Everything beyond that moment was lost in a haze of exhaustion. Somehow, Kristoff made it to his room, changed out of his soaked, snowy clothing and into blessedly warm, dry sleeping clothes. He collapsed on the impossibly soft bed, buried himself in a cocoon of blankets, and fell deeply asleep.

 

          Kristoff always woke with the sun, it was a vital aspect of the ice harvester lifestyle. A trek to the mountains often took hours, if not the whole day, and any time wasted sleeping was money lost in his line of work. That morning was no exception. The sun gleamed briefly through the cracks in the curtains, bouncing off the white snow before the dark clouds devoured it, leaving a bleak brightness that seeped into the guest room where Kristoff slept. The light roused him gently, but the exhaustion that had dug its claws into him the previous night seemed not to have been alleviated by one night’s rest, despite the softness of the bed. He stirred, curling in on himself and taking stock of how he was feeling.

His head felt stuffed, the pressure mounting painfully with each moment he spent awake, and the weak light from the windows had ignited a tickle deep in his sinuses that wouldn’t let up. He shifted positions weakly, trying to alleviate the pressure behind his eyes (he was certain if it didn’t let up, his head would burst). Cold air attacked his exposed skin and he retreated to the warm spot, shivering wretchedly. A cough worked its way up from his lungs and didn’t retreat until he felt ragged and sore.

This was a terrible sign. Kristoff could not remember the last time he had been sick. It didn’t happen very often, but it always seemed like the viruses he did catch hit him harder than most. The ice harvesters he modeled himself after had taught him to work through illnesses—ice demand didn’t wait for a simple cold—and the Trolls had limited knowledge of the mundane world of non-magical ailments. They had taught him about simple herbal remedies to alleviate symptoms, but, for the most part, he had been responsible for taking care of himself. He was capable of this, but was glad not to require it very often; the severity of every illness he managed to catch felt nearly incapacitating.

This cold seemed to be no exception. Fever was taking root in him, and the tickle plaguing his nose was unrelenting and merciless. His breath caught teasingly a few times and he buried his face beneath the blankets, sneezing helplessly until the tickle let up slightly.  “EHH’tschch! Huhh’ESCHhuhh! Hh! Ehh’TSCHhh-yew!” His voice squeaked embarrassingly with the force of the final sneeze. He gave an almighty groan and came to terms with the fact that he was sick.

He allowed himself one last moment in the warmth of his blankets to wallow in this realization before crawling out into the freezing reality of the day. Sick or not, there was work to be done.

First, he had to go check on Sven and see how the reindeer had fared during the night, and after that he had to go down to the festival grounds to check on the previous day’s progress. He assumed, it being Saturday, that most of his crew would be taking the day off, but as the kingdom’s official Ice Master, it was his responsibility to ensure the set schedule was on track. That included the wind barrier, the toboggan slopes, the skating rink, the ice-carving stations, the award podiums, and the snowball fight forts, just off the top of his head.

He eyed his reflection in the mirror with displeasure. An unhealthy flush was creeping up from beneath his collar and spreading across his cheeks, and his nose looked pink and irritated, but the rest of his face was set in clammy pallor. His blonde hair hung limply over his forehead, falling into his eyes which were rimmed with exhausted purple shadows. Not to mention the distinct layer of grunginess that had settled over him after four days of nonstop labor in the freezing wilderness.

He looked terrible. Before any of his plans could be set into motion, he realized, he needed a wash.

*  *  *  *  *  *

This part was a lot shorter than the first, but I promise next chapter will be longer + extra miserable with a healthy dose of Elsa and Olaf  

Thanks for reading/enjoying!

[WolfPack]

Excited for the next part! Keep up the good work! 

[ALilSneezy]

Oh no, Kristoff can't seriously be going to work in his condition! Someone needs to stop him before he collapses! If they can get to him in time, that is... 

[2SHY222]

I am absolutely in love with this!!!❤️  please write more 💙😱😍

[Seeker]

I am (not so) patiently waiting for an update 

*refresh*

*sigh*

patiently 

[Zwee]

Wow, thank you everyone for your continued appreciation and following of this story! Sorry it's been a bit since my last update, I went on a road trip with some friends for the long weekend! Thanks for your patience!

Here comes some more Kristoff sickliness. Hope you like the next bit!

*  *  *  *  *  *

Kristoff had planned on simply ducking his head into the kitchen for a quick snack before going to meet Sven, but the smell of food from the dining room piqued his appetite. He could only faintly pick up on it through his congestion, but the thought of something hot to ease the pain in his throat was so inviting he decided the few extra minutes wasted would be worth it.

As he entered the dining room, however, he was surprised to see a regal-postured body occupying the seat at the head of the table. The queen sat with a coffee in hand, poring over a stack of papers that lay spread in front of her while several staff members scurried about, clearing away breakfast dishes. Her white-blonde hair was swept to the side in the messy braid she had taken to wearing when she was relaxing, or, as Anna called it, “off-duty hair.” To his chagrin, he noticed she was wearing what he could only assume were royal pajamas and was wrapped in a blue velvet, fur-trimmed robe.

 Suddenly feeling intrusive and out-of-place, Kristoff turned to go. His head spun unpleasantly with the quick movement and he stumbled. Clumsily attempting to quietly find his footing, he crashed into a small table (which had definitely not been there a moment before) with a loud bang and cringed.

“Kristoff?”

He froze, then slowly turned to face her. “Your maj—Elsa! Sorry, I didn’t think—I mean—Hi.”

“Hi.” She blinked her enormous blue eyes at him, a smirk spreading across her face at his awkwardness. “Please, sit down.” She gestured invitingly at the table, which was spread with breakfast.

His stomach growled loudly, but he ignored it, instead asking stuffily, “Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude on your breakfast or disturb you or anything…”

At this comment, she seemed to remember that she was still in her pajamas and a faint blush painted her porcelain cheeks. “I wasn’t expecting to have company; Anna isn’t usually up this early and I didn’t realize you were back. But please, sit! You’re not intruding at all, and besides, you look exhausted.”

He felt exhausted, which was silly because he’d only been up for an hour. The ice queen nodded pointedly at the chair beside her, so he shuffled over and eased himself into it. A fresh pot of tea was placed in front of him, and he helped himself, eager to dispel the ache that was seizing his throat. Elsa was examining him closely, and he began to feel awkward once more. “H-how was your trip?” He asked, hiding a sniffle behind a sip of tea.

“It was… wonderful.” She paused for a moment, seeming unsure if he wanted her to elaborate. He raised his eyebrows encouragingly, not trusting himself to not sound terribly stuffy if he spoke. Elsa’s eyes took on a dreamy look. “I hadn’t realized how long it’s been since I visited other kingdoms, since I left Arendelle at all, actually. The winter has been hitting other kingdoms just as viciously, but the countryside was just… breathtaking. Most places I visited seemed a bit sick of the weather, but everyone I spoke with seemed to love the idea of the Festival of Winter… Of course it’s wonderful to be back, but…” she trailed off, fixing him with a stare that caught his attention. “To be perfectly honest, Kristoff, Anna has been driving me crazy.”

He choked on his tea, suppressing his laughter into a subdued chuckle. “Yeah… She mentioned you seemed a little… irritated.”

“She had me so worried when I returned, a raging fever with these horrible chills. The doctor said it was just a cold, but then the cough was just clinging on. I assumed she had been overexerting herself at the fairgrounds all week, but when I tried to get her to rest she acted as if I was torturing her or something! Fortunately, she does seem to lose steam in the evenings, but she was bouncing off the walls all day yesterday, and the day before that I…” she looked at her lap, face taking on a look of discomfiture. “I froze her door shut,” she mumbled.

Kristoff couldn’t hold it back any longer; he burst out laughing.

Elsa blushed harder, meeting his eyes with a look of vexation. “It isn’t funny, I—” His laughter continued, and it seemed to get to her as well, for she cracked a small grin. “I had to! You should have seen her!” Elsa was giggling now, pleased by the idea that she could make someone laugh. “She was trying to sneak down to the kitchens in the middle of the night, coughing the whole way, and I got a little carried away with the ice…”

“I thought she was exaggerating!” He wheezed in between laughs. “You really froze her door shut!” After a moment, the chuckles turned to coughs—hoarse, tickly ones that went on too long for his comfort, or Elsa’s, for that matter. He rubbed his chest with pain, noticing vaguely that she too had stopped laughing. The congestion pressing behind his eyes was beginning to make him feel woozy.

She peered up at him, eyebrows pinching in the middle the exact same way her sister’s did. “Kristoff, are you sure you’re feeling alright? You seem—”

Whatever incriminating thing she was about to say, however, was interrupted by the sound of the dining room doors whooshing open and a familiar, ever so slightly hoarse voice singing, “Good morning!”

Anna swept into the room and plonked herself down at the table beside her sister with a clatter. Kristoff felt his face break out into a grin at the sight of her. She beamed back at him, then at her sister, then, eyes widening, at the table. “Ooh, breakfast!”

“Well,” Elsa murmured dryly, “You certainly seem improved.”

“Mm-hm!” Anna piled her plate with breakfast enthusiastically. “My plague has finally kicked it, so you can stop worrying about me! Man, am I hungry!” She began shoveling food into her mouth with such vigor, Kristoff was suddenly (though not for the first time) charmed by her, and by the contrast in the delicate way Elsa stirred her coffee.

He almost started laughing again, but instead the insatiable tickle snaked its way once more into the back of his nasal passages, and he found his breath growing ragged. He briefly considered the idea of using his untouched napkin as a handkerchief, but there was scarcely time for that—no time to do anything but twist away from the table and bury his nose into the fabric of his sleeve.

“Hehh’ESCCHHFF’uh!”

“Bleff-oo!” Anna worked out around a mouthful of food, patting his arm gently as she reached for the toast.

The tickle hadn’t gone, just slightly subsided, leaving Kristoff feeling dazed and weary. He grew conscious of Elsa’s gaze boring into him and felt wings of heat spread across his already flushed cheeks. He sniffled, wondering if it would be impolite to blow his nose at the breakfast table.

“So!” Anna swallowed, seemingly unaware of her sister’s concern or her friend’s discomfort. “What were you two laughing about? I could hear you from the top of the stairs!”

Elsa was fighting to keep a straight face, gazing steadfastly at the letter in front of her. “I was just telling Kristoff about some of your… escapades this week.”

“They sounded very… restful.” Kristoff exchanged a glance with Elsa, surprised and pleased to see she was smiling.

“Oh, I already told him all about the imprisonment!” Anna brandished her arms dramatically. “My own sister! You should be ashamed of yourself.” She chomped down on a slice of toast, shaking her head at the queen with mock disapproval.

“Well,” Elsa smirked, “At least I didn’t tell Olaf I was dying.”

“Hey, where is Olaf anyway?” It dawned on Kristoff that he hadn’t seen the snowman waddling around since he’d gotten back.

The sisters exchanged a look before Elsa spoke up. “He is on a quest to—” Her voice shook with restrained laughter. “To find the remedy to save Anna’s life. So far he’s tried marshmallows, interpretive dance, mittens, and something called ‘snow tea’ which, as far as we can tell is just water.”

“You really told him you were dying? Anna…” He teased.

“It’s not my fault! I felt like I was dying! I tried to explain to him what a hyperbole was, but he just kept tossing marshmallows at me, and—have you ever tried not eating a marshmallow that’s tossed right into your lap? Not easy, let me tell you.”

Kristoff was about to reply when the need to sneeze crept up on him once more. His breath hitched ticklishly and he became uncomfortably aware of the stares of the two sisters as he began to scrunch up his face against the itch. “Hh! Nhhh… Hehh’ESCHHhew! Hh! HuhhTSCHhew!”

“Bless you!” Elsa exclaimed, just as Anna cried, “Kristoff!”

An uncontrollable shiver rattled through him and the women exchanged glances.

Uh oh. The ice master was familiar enough with the sisters’ nonverbal communication to know when they were talking about him. Whatever was coming wouldn’t be good.

*  *  *  *  *  *

TBC...

[sickprincess]

3 hours ago, Zwee said:

“To find the remedy to save Anna’s life. So far he’s tried marshmallows, interpretive dance, mittens, and something called ‘snow tea’ which, as far as we can tell is just water.”

I'm literally crying bc I'm laughing so hard. This is genius!!!

[Alabaster]

Love it! So in character!

[Seeker]

Yay for update! Loved it!

[Zwee]

Hello lovely folks! Sorry it's been decades since my last update, I hadn't written the chapter after this yet and for some reason I didn't want to post an update until I had the chapter after already written? Not to mention the fact that my personal life is in shambles; goodbye motivation!!

If, however, there is anyone out there is still invested, here's the next little bit! <3

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

“Kristoff, you don’t seem well,” Elsa’s eyes were full of such concern that Kristoff felt like squirming. It was an unfamiliar feeling to be the center of attention, but the love and care behind their concern was even more bewildering. The elder sister touched his arm with the utmost gentleness, crystal blue eyes expertly tracing his features.

“He was sneezing and coughing last night, too.” Anna added, her mouth twisting with worry. She scrunched her eyebrows together. “You’re sick!”

He was helpless to argue, what with the way Anna tugged his wrist and bit her lip, and the way Elsa examined his face, her mouth a thin line. He gave a weak shrug. “Yeah, but I’m fine, really. Nothing I haven’t survived before. Just a little tired and stuffy—”

A cool, ice-pale hand landed on his brow, catching him completely unawares. “You’re warm.” Elsa’s eyebrows shot up, and Anna sighed out a little whimper of sympathy.

“Oh, Kristoff!”

Utterly overwhelmed and rather uncomfortable at this amount of attention, Kristoff could only blush and laugh awkwardly. “You two are acting like I’m on my deathbed! It’s ju—”

“YOUR DEATHBED!?” A voice from below them squealed, and all eyes turned to see Olaf waddling in, his eyes wide with shock. “Kristoff!? Not you too!”

Anna’s head dropped into her hands. “Oh no. Olaf—”

“Olaf!” Elsa called gently, but firmly. “No one is dying.”

Olaf cocked his head to the side, a mannerism he’d picked up from spending so much time with Sven. “Wh-what? But… Okay, I’m confused!”

“Anna just had a cold.” Elsa explained patiently. “Albeit a bad one. And, by the looks of it, Kristoff’s got it too.”

Kristoff gave an embarrassed, indignant snuffle into his sleeve and Anna sent a guilty glance his way, still chewing her lip.

“A cold! Right, right.” The snowman leaned toward the sniffling mountain man, muttering out of the corner of his mouth, “What is she talking about?”

Kristoff rolled his eyes. “It’s nothing serious, nothing I haven’t worked through beehhh-Hh! HTKSCHH’hew! Hehh’EISCHHhew! Ugh.” He gave a groan, massaging the bridge of his nose to quell the itch and his mounting headache.

At this Anna stood up and strode across the room, planting both hands on the Ice Master’s broad shoulders. “Oo-kay! I guess that means it’s bedtime!” She began to scoot his chair backward, ushering him first into a standing position and then towards the door, despite his many protests.

“Wait—hey, hey! Anna I’m—Anna! Would you just hang on a second?”

She huffed exasperatedly, dropping his hand and placing herself steadfastly between his body and the table. Elsa was standing now too, hovering behind her sister with an expression that oscillated between concern and amusement.

Kristoff felt woozy, confused by the sudden action, and by Anna’s histrionic insistence that he needed to go to bed. It was difficult to corral his thoughts into words that made sense, but he felt a stubborn need to try.

“I’m an Ice Harvester.” This was apparently not a good way to start. Three pairs of eyes stared up at him, unimpressed. “Uhh, what I mean is, we usually work through things like this if there’s something that needs to get done.” His voice was getting rough and husky again. The royal sisters exchanged a horrified glance. Elsa’s eyes swept over him skeptically. “Look, I know I look awful—I feel awful—but aren’t you two even a little worried about the Festival?”

“Oh, Kristoff, of course we are.” Anna began, her angry posture crumbling as she reached soothingly for his hand once more.

“There’s quite a bit of work left to do, and not much time to do it,” Elsa agreed. “Which is why we need our Ice Master to be back at full health as swiftly as possible.”

“And he can do that by getting his stubborn behind to bed before he gets any worse.”

“But I—”

“Ah-ah! Queen’s orders. And you do not want to disobey the queen.” Anna glanced at her sister for support.

“No you do not,” Elsa agreed, nodding at her sister. “She would know.”

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Probably TBC! Lmk?

[Seeker]

Yes, more, please!

[Werewolf Sniffles]

I don’t know what caused me to procrastinate so long on replying to this story.....

......but I just have to say that you’ve reignited my love for Kristoff again!

(I’m actually looking forward to watching Frozen with my little cousins for the 500th time)

I really do hope to see more of this!

[Alabaster]

More! Always!

[ALilSneezy]

Love love LOVE the new addition! (and I just love Olaf! Great job with his character!) Please do continue! 

[sickprincess]

Yes, more please!!!!