The Perfect Gift
Pairing: Anna and Kristoff
Summary: Anna’s birthday is coming up soon. However, Kristoff is called away for an ice harvesting emergency. To make things worst, he has not gotten Anna’s birthday gift yet. Can Kristoff find Anna’s gift in time?
Hello everyone! This was my submission to Frozines. There is great content in there, so be sure to check it out at @frozines!
It was a beautiful June morning in Arendelle. The sky was blue with a few stray white clouds moving across. The sun was beating down on the town square as Arendelle citizens went about their day. At the center of the square stood a tall statue commemorating late royals, King Agnarr and Queen Iduna. On the stoop of the statue sat a young man with broad shoulders and shaggy blond hair with a pensive look on his face. Next to him was his reindeer, looking very worried for his owner. Kristoff had received word from the ice harvesters that one of the ice storage houses had sustained damages and posed a risk to their harvest. If nothing was to be done, they risked losing three months worth of harvest.
Being Arendelle’s Official Ice Master and Deliverer, Kristoff would have to travel to the storage house, assess the damage, and oversee the repairs. It would take about half a day to travel to that specific storage house and repairs may take more than two weeks depending on the damage. This would not have been a problem had it not been for the fact that Anna’s birthday was in two days.
Since this was Anna’s first birthday as Queen, everyone was planning a huge birthday party. Even Elsa and some of the Northuldra were in Arendelle to help out. Anna had, at first, pushed back against a big celebration, but relented after seeing how much everyone wanted to make her happy.
Kristoff let out a heavy sigh as he thought about what to say to Anna.
“Should I say ‘Hey Anna, I’m really sorry but there seems to be a problem at one of the storage houses and I would be gone for two weeks’? Nah, that sounds too casual. Or maybe I should say ‘Anna, I know you want me to be with you on your birthday, but it seems I cannot make it.’ No, that just sounds plain mean.”
Sven gave Kristoff a look that said, “Just tell her everything. She would understand. And besides, Elsa has people to help her now, so don’t worry.”
“You’re right. At least she has people to help her carry the presents….”
Kristoff groaned even more when he realized that he had not gotten Anna a birthday present.
“Sven, I completely forgot to get Anna’s birthday present! With all the planning and now this, I don’t think I have enough time to get her one!”
Sven snorted and shot him an exasperated look.
“I know, I know! I should have done it earlier, but what do I get for a queen?”
Just then, the woman in question came bounding towards them. Anna was wearing her casual queen outfit that she wore when she went into town. It was similar to her formal queen outfit, the one that always makes Kristoff’s heart soar as it reminds him how far Anna had come in her life. It also made Kristoff’s heart ache even more when he thought about breaking the bad news to her.
Anna opened her arms wide, and Kristoff responded by opening his arms up and bracing for her impact. He caught Anna in his arms and hugged her tightly, savoring the feel of her body and her scent. He could never get enough of Anna.
“Hey,” he replied, but it wasn’t as cheerful.
Anna picked up on his change in tone and looked up at him.
“Hey, is everything okay?”
He took a deep breath to prepare himself.
“Anna, I just got a report that one of the ice storage houses has been damaged. I need to go this afternoon to assess the damage.”
“But you’ll be back tonight right?”
“Yes, but it’ll only be to gather supplies for the repairs. We have to move quickly or else we’ll lose the harvest.”
“How long would the repairs take?”
“From the report, it seems it will be a two week job.”
Kristoff did not miss the disappointed tone in Anna’s voice.
“I’m sorry. I know you were looking forward to having everyone there at your party-”
“No, it’s okay Kristoff. The kingdom comes first and we need to make sure the citizens are fine.”
Kristoff sighed heavily and grabbed Anna’s hands in his.
“I really love you, Anna. I wish I could be there for your big day.”
He brought her hands to his lips and left a lingering kiss on them.
“I know you do, but it cannot be helped. Don’t worry, I will be okay. I have everyone here to celebrate. You just worry about saving that harvest and getting back to me safely. That’s all I wish for.”
Kristoff sighed and gave a small “okay”. Then, he gave a quick peck to Anna’s lips and quickly went to gather his things for the travel.
By late afternoon, Kristoff and Sven had arrived at the storage house. The ice harvesters Kristoff oversaw were already there. Kristoff approached a man around the same height and build as him, wearing the standard ice harvester’s uniform. The only difference was that this man had darker hair and eyes, and looked to be in his mid forties.
Henrich Sorenson had worked the ice fields for over 20 years and was one of the most experienced and well respected ice harvesters out there. Kristoff still remembered the time when he carved a huge ice sphere and accidently pushed it down a hill. Henrich still told the younger ice harvesters about how in doing so Kristoff had almost destroyed a village with the ice sphere. It had been his idea of putting their sleds in front to stop it that saved the village from destruction. Kristoff wished Henrich would quit telling that story, but let it go after a few younger ice harvesters started asking him to teach them how to carve ice spheres.
“Hey Henrich! I’m here. What is the status?”
“It does not look good. Come take a look for yourself.”
As Kristoff approached, he could see that the front left part of the roof had collapsed in. It had missed the harvest thankfully, but now the hole was letting the summer heat into the building. To make things worse, the whole roof would have to be replaced to make sure another collapse would not happen. The blizzards that hit the kingdom in the past winter and the unseasonably long rainy season that had caused the wood to rot. It hadn’t had time to dry completely and caved in.
“We’ll need to replace the whole roof. Henrich, how many men do you have?”
“Well, I have ten guys available now. I could round up another five men, but they live farther out and would need to travel for about a day to reach here.”
“Okay. Have one of your men go round the rest of your men up. First, let’s cover up the hole to prevent more heat from getting in. Then, we’ll move the harvest to another ice storage house. The nearest one is ten minutes away. We will need to move them fast. How many wagons do we have?”
“All of us have our wagons here.”
“Perfect. Let’s get one of the wagons filled, and have one person transport it to the other ice house. We’ll continue this process with each wagon until all the ice is moved. Henrich, you and I stay behind to load the ice. Everybody ready!?”
They first covered up the hole using a large tarp, and started to load the first wagon afterwards. It took them a little over an hour to completely move the whole harvest over, but luckily, most of the harvest made it over perfectly intact. They spent the rest of the remaining afternoon making estimates for the repairs. Kristoff did not return home until late evening when most of the castle had already turned in for the night. He hoped Anna had gone to bed after a long day of her duties, but was surprised to see her sitting on a barrel in the stables. She was wearing her green nightgown and wrapped in a thick blanket to keep warm. Kristoff’s heart warmed at the scene before him.
“You didn’t have to wait up.”
“I know, but I wanted to. How does it look up there?”
“Not good. The whole roof would need to be replaced and that would take about two weeks. We were able to save the harvest though.”
“That’s good to hear. Would you be able to push back the repairs?”
“Unfortunately, no. That ice house is the main storage house that we use to deliver ice to Arendelle. Where we are currently storing them is further from Arendelle and can risk the ice melting before it gets to town. Replacing the roof sooner will help our profits in the long run.”
“I see. What do you need to pack? I can get the stable hands to help you get ready for tomorrow.”
“I would like that. Actually, can you help me get some lumber ready?”
“Consider it done! Just let me know how much you need.”
Kristoff gathered Anna in his arms and gave her a huge hug. He still couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have Anna in his life. It reminded him that he had still not gotten Anna a birthday present yet, and there was no time left.
Oh well, if he could not get anything for her, at least he can still give his love to her.
“I love you, too. Now let’s go upstairs and get some rest. You have busy days ahead of you.”
Early the next morning, Kristoff set off with Sven to the ice house. He was halfway to his destination when something caught his eye. Something was shining in the distance. He pulled Sven to a stop and got out the wagon. Kristoff carefully approached the shiny object. However, what he found was not an object, it was the sun’s reflection off a pool of water. Kristoff took in the scenery and smiled.
“This will be the perfect gift for Anna. I’m sure she would love it.”
Kristoff marked the path by cutting marks into nearby trees and left for the ice house.
When he arrived, about fifteen ice harvesters had gathered and were preparing to start the repairs. He was surprised to see the amount of supplies already delivered there. He chuckled, realizing that Anna really held up her promise. For the rest of the day, they worked to remove the rest of the roof and measure the lumber.
The next day, everyone got up bright and early to continue with their work. It was Anna’s birthday and Kristoff knew everyone could see the disappointment on his face. Henrich suggested that Kristoff take the day off and go celebrate his fiancé’s birthday with her, but Kristoff refused, saying that the job was more important and that he could celebrate with her later.
Just when Kristoff finished speaking with Henrich, he noticed a figure dressed in white approaching the site. As the figure got closer, he realized it was Elsa and he wondered what she was doing there since she should be with Anna.
“Hi Elsa! What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with Anna?”
“I came to gather all of you for a special meeting with Queen Anna.”
“Special meeting? What does she want to discuss?”
Everyone followed Elsa as she led them through the woods. Kristoff was wondering what Anna wanted to talk about. Did she want to discuss the repairs?
When they came to a clearing, Kristoff could not believe his eyes. It seemed that all of Arendelle and Northuldra were there and that they had set up a birthday celebration in the woods! Rows of tables were set up with white table clothes, napkins, plates, and forks. On some of the tables were refreshments, various deserts, jams, and fruits from Arendelle and Enchanted Forest. The center table had a gigantic three-tier chocolate cake decorated with sunflowers and crocuses, similar to the one he saved two years ago. Music and laughter filled the area as the citizens mingled with each other. When the group approached, they were pulled into the festivities. Kristoff searched for Anna, but didn’t have to look too long as she came running towards him.
“Hey Kristoff! Glad you can make it?”
“Anna, what…What is this?”
“I decided to have my birthday here where every citizen can attend. After all, it doesn’t feel right that some of my citizens can’t enjoy my big day.”
“You are the best person I have ever known. Thank you.”
Soon it was time to cut the cake. Everyone sang Happy Birthday to Anna and wished her a long and prosperous reign. Soon, everyone was mingling with each other and enjoying the food there. With everyone busy, Kristoff decided it was the right time to give Anna his gift. After letting Elsa know, he took Anna’s hand and started leading her towards the area.
As they approached their destination, Kristoff told Anna to cover her eyes and not to peek Anna was excited about what Kristoff was planning to show her. She let Kristoff lead her forward, and then heard him say “Now!”
When Anna uncovered her eyes, she gasped when she saw the scenery in front of her. There was a small pool with a small waterfall and a tall willow tree next to the pool. Anna realized that this was the place she and Kristoff had passed through when they were searching for Elsa after she froze Arendelle. It was also the place where they met Olaf. After the Great Thaw, they had tried to find the place again but couldn’t remember the path to get there.
“Happy birthday Anna. This is my gift to you.”
“Kristoff…” Anna whispered.
She was so moved, she could hardly say anything back. She felt tears fall down her cheeks. Her silence started to make Kristoff nervous.
“Like it? I love it! Thank you Kristoff!”
She jumped into Kristoff’s arms and together they spun the way she liked . As Kristoff put her down, Anna tiptoed up and met his lips in a soft kiss. They held each other and savored the kiss for a few minutes before separating.
“So Anna, what do you want to do here? We have about fifteen minutes before we need to head back.”
“How about we just sit under the tree and listen to the sounds of nature.”
“Also, let’s come back here when you are done with the repairs. I want to make this place our spot.”
Kristoff gave her a wide smile. “You got it.”
They situated themselves under the willow tree and let out contented sighs. Together they enjoyed the sound of the water falling into the pool and the summer breeze whistling through the tree branches.
This place was definitely the perfect gift.
