by Jen Calonita
“Get ready to jump, Sven!” Anna shouted.
Kristoff picked up Olaf and threw him into Anna’s lap, then lifted them both his arms.
“Hey!” Anna protested.
Kristoff tossed her forward, and she landed on Sven’s back with Olaf in her arms. “You don’t tell him what to do! I do!” Kristoff cut the line from the sled just as they reached the ravine. “Jump, Sven!”
Sven leapt into the air. Anna looked back in a panic for Kristoff. He and his sled were already airborne. Sven landed on the other side of the ravine, almost pitching Anna and Olaf off him as he came to a grinding halt. Anna jumped off and raced back to the edge of the cliff. Kristoff leapt off the sled as it plummeted into the ravine. She watched in horror as he attempted to reach the other side, instead hitting the edge of the cliff and sliding backward.
“Hang on!” she shouted. “Rope! I need rope!” Anna called in a panic to Olaf, but she knew everything they needed was in that sleigh. Please don’t let anything happen to Kristoff, she silently begged.
Suddenly, a pickax with rope attached to it flew through the air above her head. The ax hit the ground in front of Kristoff.
“Grab on!” someone yelled.
Anna looked up. A man with red hair and a blue overcoat was holding the other end of the rope.
“Help me pull him up!” he told her.
Anna grabbed the rope, dug in her heels, and helped pull Kristoff to safety. He collapsed on his back, breathing heavily. She was so relieved she thought about hugging him, but she stopped herself and gave Kristoff a moment to catch his breath. Now probably wasn’t the time to bring up how his newly paid-off sleigh had gone up in flames.
Anna looked up at their rescuer, who stood next to a pale golden horse. “Thank you. If you hadn’t come along when you did—”
He cut her off. “Of course.” They both knew what would have happened if he hadn’t arrived. “What are you all doing out here in the middle of this storm? It’s dangerous with the wolves and the weather.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Kristoff said, breathing heavily, “but once this one has an idea in her head, she has to go with it. I am the fool who listened.”
Anna held out her hand to shake the strangers. “I’m Anna, and the one you helped rescue is Kristoff.”
“I wouldn’t exactly say ‘rescue,’” Kristoff mumbled.
The man blinked his hazel eyes several times before he spoke. “Did you say you’re Anna?”
“Yes, we saw the deep freeze happen in Harmon and headed down to Arendelle to see what was going on,” she explained, talking a mile a minute. “But then the wolves caught up with our sleigh and we reached a ravine and had to jump and Kristoff threw me onto Sven—that’s his reindeer—and then he jumped, but his sled didn’t make it. He almost didn’t, either, but then you came along.” She smiled brightly. The man still looked incredibly bewildered. “But we’re all safe now. I’m Anna. Did I say that already?”
He squeezed her hand and smiled. “You did, but that’s okay.”
He had a great smile.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Anna. I’m Hans of the Southern Isles.”
Anna gripped his hand tight. “You’re Hans? The Prince Hans?”
He laughed. “Yes. I think so. And you’re the Anna. Am I right?”
“Uhh…yes!” He was funny. Anna laughed at the absurdness of it all. The wolves were on the other side of the ravine, Kristoff was safe, and they had somehow found Elsa’s Prince Hans. It had to be fate!
“Prince Hans!” Olaf ran out of the woods, where he’d been gathering some of Kristoff’s things that had flown through the air. “It’s you! It’s really you!”
Hans lost his footing in the snow.
“Oh, it’s all right,” Anna said, over the shock of a talking snowman by then. “Princess Elsa made him. His name is Olaf, and he’s trying to help us find Elsa so we can stop this winter.”
“We’re looking for her now!” Olaf added.
“You are?” Hans looked surprised when she and Olaf nodded.
Kristoff sat up and Anna dropped Hans’s hand. “Great,” Kristoff said. “Now that we’re all clear on who’s who, we should get moving before the wolves come back. Thanks for your help, Prince Hans.”
Anna blushed at Kristoff’s sarcasm. She was used to it, but Hans was a prince. “Sorry, it’s been a long few days. We haven’t had any luck finding Princess Elsa so far. Have you seen any sign of her?”
Hans’s face fell. “No, I haven’t. Have you?”
Anna shook her head. “No. We believe she may be in the Valley of the Living Rock, but with all this snow, we can’t seem to find it.”
“Really?” Prince Hans ran a hand through his hair. “I thought she was headed to the North Mountain—that’s why I came this way—but I’ve seen no sign of her. I doubt she made it up there, anyway.”
“Why do you say that?” Kristoff asked.
Hans gave him a look. “She’s a princess. Do you really think she made it up the North Mountain with no supplies?”
Anna hesitated. She hadn’t thought of it that way before, but she wasn’t convinced. After all, she and Olaf had come this far, and she’d never left Harmon a day in her life. Wouldn’t Elsa be able to make it up a mountain with the aid of her powers?
“It’s not impossible.” Kristoff seemed to hear her thoughts. He stood between her and Hans. “She can make snow, so we know she likes cold places.”
So now Kristoff is on Elsa’s side? Anna wondered. Didn’t he just call her ice crazy last night?
“Olaf? You mean the talking snowman.” Hans seemed perturbed as he gave Olaf a small wave. “Hello there.”
“Prince Hans! It’s so good to finally meet you!” Olaf said, clapping his twigs. “I love your flowers!” Hans looked confused.
“Olaf told us how you sent the princess purple heather every week,” Anna said. “He said you were one of the only people who could convince her to leave her room.”
Hans blushed. Or maybe it was just windburn. “It was her favorite flower. They always seemed to cheer her up.” His face clouded over. “Princess Elsa didn’t trust many people. I knew she was unhappy, but I never thought she’d plunge Arendelle into an eternal winter.”
“It had to be an accident,” Anna said as a gust of wind sent snow swirling their way. “She wouldn’t have done something like this to her kingdom on purpose.”
“Have you ever met the princess?” Hans asked. Anna and Kristoff shook their heads. “I knew her well,” he said softly. “She was conflicted, and sometimes very angry. She was having a tough time with this coronation.”
“It’s true,” Olaf chimed in. “Elsa wasn’t happy about her hair. They wanted her to wear it up, and she said, ‘Olaf, should I wear it down?’ And I said, ‘I don’t have any hair.’” He pointed to the twigs on his head.
“She was upset about the crown.” Hans corrected him. “She kept telling me she wasn’t ready to be a queen. I thought she was just having pre-coronation jitters, but she was insistent. She told me she didn’t want to be responsible for the whole kingdom. I tried to reassure her that she’d be a good ruler, and that I’d be there for her, but…”
Anna touched his arm. “It sounds like you tried to help her.”
“I hated seeing her so upset.” He looked away. “The morning of her coronation, I tried to calm her down, but she got angry with me and some of the castle staff. The Duke of Weselton, too. She kept telling us to stay back. That’s when…” Hans shut his eyes tight. “We barely made it out of that hallway alive.”
“She tried to hurt you?” Anna was shocked. Would the princess really try to hurt the man she loved?
“Ice can be dangerous,” Kristoff said. “I should know. I deliver ice for a living. It’s beautiful, but it’s also powerful and has a magic that can’t always be controlled.”
“Exactly. And like I said, she was angry,” Hans said. “She shot ice straight at us, trying to pierce our hearts.” He lo
oked directly at Anna. “The Duke barely got away.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if that guy provoked her,” Kristoff said with a chuckle. “He seemed real friendly when we met him.”
“The Duke was almost killed,” Hans said sharply. “How friendly would you be? I’m sorry, but the princess we thought we knew is gone. The one I saw that day is a…monster.”
Elsa wouldn’t abandon her people, would she? Anna felt a sharp pang and held her head. She was getting another flash. But this time it wasn’t a forgotten memory. Instead, she felt pain. Help me! she heard someone cry out. Anna! Help me!
“Elsa?” Anna whispered, and crumbled to the ground.
Kristoff reached for her, but Hans caught her first. Her eyes fluttered open and closed, his face going into and out of focus.
“The princess is in trouble,” Anna said. “I can feel it.”
Kristoff pulled Anna out of Hans’s grasp. “You are going home. Now.” He looked at Hans. “She fell ill yesterday but tried to push on. She’s too stubborn for her own good. She needs to get inside and rest.”
The pain subsided as quickly as it had come, and Anna shrugged away. “It’s just a headache. I can keep going. I have to get to the valley. I don’t know why, but I feel like Elsa could be in danger.”
“Danger?” Olaf looked frightened.
“Valley?” Hans questioned.
“Olaf thought she was on the North Mountain, but now he seems to think she’s in the Valley of the Living Rock,” Kristoff explained. He looked at Hans sharply. “Ever hear her mention it?”
Hans thought for a moment. “No, I’m afraid not.” He looked at Anna. “But if you think she’s there and she’s in trouble, we have to find her. I only have my horse, Sitron, but I have money and things to barter. We can get you a horse, too, and then we’ll locate this valley together.”
“And convince her to come back with us and help her people,” Anna added. She took a deep breath and tried to steady herself. The pain was gone, but the memory of Elsa’s voice lingered. What was happening to her?
“Yes,” Hans agreed. “And if she doesn’t want the crown, she can abdicate, but she must bring back summer.”
“Whoa!” Kristoff interrupted and appealed to Anna. “You cannot go to the valley in this condition.” He touched her arm. “Anna, something is going on with you. I don’t know what it is, but you need rest.”
Anna set her jaw. “Someone has to stop this winter, and I feel like…it’s me.”
“But you don’t even know her,” Kristoff reminded her. “What if the prince is right? If she’s that angry, she might hurt you.”
“She won’t,” Anna insisted. The wind was whipping hard in the open clearing, and she felt her balance falter. Hans offered her his elbow to help her stay upright. “Kristoff, I can’t go home now. Arendelle needs help. I have to try to do something.”
“I agree,” Hans said.
“Who asked you?” Kristoff said, and Sven snorted. Kristoff looked at Anna. “This is crazy! You can’t just go off with this guy you just met!”
“I went with you, didn’t I?” Anna reminded him. Kristoff was quiet.
“Excuse me, but I don’t think you should be yelling at the lady,” Hans said. “Anna seems smart and knowledgeable. She’s trying to help save the kingdom.”
“Thank you,” Anna said.
Hans wasn’t brooding or indecisive. He might have been worried Elsa wouldn’t return with him, but he was still willing to go after her. Maybe he’d be able to talk sense into her. Something told her she needed to be with Hans when he found her.
“Anna, see reason! We’ve lost all our supplies, my sleigh is in pieces, and this weather is making everyone a little crazy.” Kristoff was growing agitated now. “You can’t possibly want to keep going when we don’t even know for sure where Elsa is! We’re going with a snowman’s hunch!”
“We do know! When the letter was read aloud, I heard someone say ‘the Valley of the Living Rock’,” Olaf reminded them.
“You heard me read the letter?” Hans said slowly.
“It was you!” Olaf said happily. “I should’ve known. You’re so good to Elsa.”
“Anna,” Kristoff tried again. “Don’t do this.”
Why couldn’t he see how important this was? She couldn’t show up back home and tell her parents she had failed. Harmon would never survive this eternal winter.
But that was the problem, wasn’t it? Harmon wasn’t Kristoff’s village; it was hers. Kristoff just passed through with ice deliveries. He didn’t care about the people the way she did. The only one he cared about was Sven. “I’m going,” she said firmly. “And I have no problem going the rest of the way with Hans. So…are you going to come with us?”
Kristoff threw up his hands. “Look, I know the valley well, and even I can’t find it in this weather—and I’m not getting sick. We should all turn back.”
“I’m still going,” she said firmly. “Hans is, too. We can all go.”
“No. I think you three have it covered on your own. I’m going to salvage what’s left of my sleigh. Come on, Sven.” He turned his back and stalked off.
Sven grunted mournfully as he looked from Anna to Kristoff.
“It’s okay, Sven,” Anna said, surprised she couldn’t change Kristoff’s mind. “You look after him. I’ll be okay.” She watched the reindeer follow Kristoff into the woods.
“I’m going to miss them,” Olaf said sadly.
Me too, Anna thought.
Hans shook his head. “I can’t believe he’d leave you out here.”
“I’ll be fine,” Anna said firmly.
“I don’t doubt it. You seem like a natural leader.” Hans was looking at her so intently Anna started to blush. He pointed at smoke in the distance. “There has to be a cabin that way. Let’s find shelter for the night.” He held out his hand to help her onto his horse. Anna climbed on and Hans placed Olaf in front of her. Then he mounted the horse behind them.
“We’re going to make a good team, Anna. I can feel it.”
“So can I,” Anna said with a soft smile.
Team. She liked the idea of that.
Elsa felt her head pounding before she opened her eyes.
Why did her head hurt?
Then she remembered: Hans revealing his sinister nature, her desperate attempt to get away before Hans could find Anna on his own, the ice chandelier crashing and almost impaling her, and the ambush outside her fortress. If only she’d known they were planning to take her back to Arendelle Castle and lock her away.
She sat up and the blanket that had been lying over her fell, revealing chains. Elsa wore metal gloves, meant to keep her from using her hands—or, more specifically, her magic. The chains were anchored to a large boulder on the floor that prevented her from moving more than a few feet. She pulled on the chains, hoping to yank them free, but it was no use.
Once again, she was a prisoner in her own castle.
The chains were only long enough to allow her to walk to the castle window. Outside, Arendelle wasn’t just covered in snow; it was buried. Layers of snow were piled so high past rooftops that houses were no longer visible. She heard a crash and wondered what had fallen: A house? A statue? A ship? She could see the boats out in the harbor, frozen where they were anchored, and she could do nothing to change it. It seemed the more she panicked, the bigger the storm got. As she felt her fingertips tingle, icicles grew like weeds in the dungeon, causing the walls to groan with misery.
Where were all the people? How were they staying warm? She thought again of the mother and baby she had frightened in the castle courtyard on coronation day. Were they safe?
Was Anna?
Elsa closed her eyes, overcome with worry. “What have I done?” she whispered.
Mama, Papa, please help me break this curse, she pleaded. The kingdom can’t survive much longer. Help Anna remember who she really is!
As she suspected, no answers came.
She would hav
e to figure this out on her own. The only way she could do that was escape. Maybe if she could get word to Anna without actually going near her, she could jog her memory. If only she had that letter as proof of the truth. Elsa concentrated on her cuffs and they started to glow. Break, she willed them. Break! Instead, the cuffs started to freeze up, making it almost impossible to move.
The situation seemed hopeless.
“Princess Elsa?”
Elsa looked up. Lord Peterssen was peering at her through a barred window in the dungeon door.
“Lord Peterssen!” she cried. The ice on her cuffs stopped forming immediately. She rushed to the door but was yanked back by her chains.
“Are you all right?” he asked, holding tightly to the bars.
Aside from Olaf, Lord Peterssen was the only other person in her life who treated her like family. Her father had trusted him with his life. Maybe she could do the same. “No. I need to find someone. Desperately. Lord Peterssen, did my parents ever talk about having another child? A girl? Younger than me, with red hair? Her name is Anna?”
For the briefest of seconds, she thought she saw Lord Peterssen’s brown eyes flicker. “I…the name does sound familiar.”
“Yes!” Elsa tried harder to yank the chains out of the wall so she could get closer to him. “Do you remember her?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know who you’re talking about,” he said as the wind howled fiercely. “You are the only heir to this kingdom.”
“But I’m not,” Elsa stressed. “Lord Peterssen, please! I must find this girl. She’d be a few years younger than me. We need to start a search! I must find her before Prince Hans does.”
“Prince Hans?” Lord Peterssen appeared puzzled.
“Yes. You cannot trust him! He does not have the best interests of the kingdom at heart.” She longed to say more, but didn’t want to scare him off. “I know my word doesn’t hold much weight at the moment, but you must believe me.”
“No one can search for anyone in this weather,” he said. “We are running out of firewood, and food is growing scarce. The people are freezing! They’re getting desperate. Prince Hans went after you, but he has not returned.”
