Though Anna could barely move, she lifted her head to see Kristoff coming toward her. But nearby, in the other direction, she suddenly caught sight of something else—something she could hardly believe. Was that her sister? Could Elsa also be out on the ice? Anna tried to focus.
Then she realized that Hans was standing over Elsa, who knelt on the ice, her face buried in her hands. Horrified, Anna watched as Hans drew his sword and raised it over her sister’s head. He was taking his time, almost smiling with anticipation.
Anna knew that kissing Kristoff was her last hope for survival, but she couldn’t bear to see Elsa in danger. With great difficulty, she turned away from Kristoff and moved toward her sister.
“Elsa!” she cried. With a final surge of energy, Anna lunged, using every remaining ounce of her strength. She threw herself in front of Elsa to block Hans’s blow. “NO!” she shouted.
In that instant, Anna’s entire body froze, turning into solid ice. Hans’s sword came down at full strength on her body. The sword shattered! Hans reacted in angry astonishment as jagged pieces of steel fell into the snow.
At the sound of the sword, Elsa turned…and saw Anna’s frozen body, one arm raised to shield her sister.
“Anna!” Elsa cried. She jumped up and threw her arms around her unseeing sister. “Oh, Anna,” she said, weeping. “No, please, no!” Elsa sobbed, hugging the frozen figure.
Behind her, Hans was fuming. He quickly picked up his broken sword and started to swing it at Elsa, but Kristoff ran at him just in time. He hit Hans right on the jaw and knocked him down. There would be no second blows for Hans.
Olaf ventured forward, looking up at the sisters. He was shocked to see Anna so still, without movement or life. “Anna?” he asked sadly. He stepped back as Elsa hugged her sister and cried.
Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf all bowed their heads. So did the dignitaries and citizens of Arendelle, watching from the shore. A somber silence fell over the kingdom.
Suddenly, as Elsa hugged her sister, drops of water began to form at the tips of Anna’s fingers. Then her arm began to bend. Anna was beginning to thaw!
“Anna!” Elsa exclaimed.
“Elsa…,” Anna murmured. She opened her eyes and smiled lovingly at her sister. Elsa laughed with joy.
“You sacrificed yourself for me?” Elsa asked in wonder.
Still weak, Anna replied simply, “I love you.”
Olaf gasped. “An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart,” he said. Anna’s sacrifice had saved her own life!
Elsa found herself turning Olaf’s words over in her mind as she slowly realized their full meaning. “Love will thaw.… Love. Of course!” she said. She hugged Anna again and laughed.
“Of course what?” Olaf asked. Elsa took a step back and raised her hands above her head, and the snow drifted back up to the sky! Next, the ground began to shake and move. The ice and snow began to melt. The fjord waters thawed and a boat rose, lifting Elsa and the others onto its deck. Soon all the boats in the fjord were returned to their upright positions. Elsa waved her arms one more time and revealed a sunny sky! The warmth of a summer’s day spread across the kingdom in one joyous moment.
All of Arendelle cheered!
“Hands down, this is the best day of my life!” Olaf exclaimed. But the snowman was again starting to melt. “And,” he added, “quite possibly the last.”
Elsa looked over at the dripping, sagging snowman. “Oh, Olaf,” she said kindly. “Hang on, little guy.” She waved a hand over Olaf and surrounded him with a swirl of cold air. Olaf quickly refroze and looked like himself again. Best of all, he now had a permanent little snow cloud above his head, to keep him from melting ever again.
“Ha!” he exclaimed. “How are we doing this?”
Hans climbed to his feet, still dazed from Kristoff’s punch, and turned to Anna. “B-but she froze your heart,” he stammered. He thought Anna had frozen to death back in the library.
“The only frozen heart around here is yours,” Anna replied fiercely. Then, with all her might, she punched him in the face. Hans fell backward into the water.
Anna grinned. She was feeling warmer already. She caught sight of Kristoff and grinned. Then she hugged Elsa again. The sisters held each other tight. Neither one wanted to let go.
Summer returned to Arendelle, and the waters in the fjord were full of boats moving cargo and people. Hans sat locked in a cage on the deck of a ship preparing to return to the Southern Isles.
“I’ll return this scoundrel to his country,” a dignitary told the royal handler. “We shall see what his twelve brothers think of his behavior!”
Nearby, Arendelle soldiers were leading the Duke and his two guards to their ship.
“This is unacceptable,” the Duke protested. “I am innocent! I’m a victim of fear. I demand to see the queen!”
“Oh, right,” the royal handler told him. “I have a message from the queen: ‘Arendelle will henceforth and forever no longer do business of any sort with Weaseltown.’”
“Weselton!” shouted the Duke. “It’s Weselton!”
In the village, Anna hurried through the streets, pulling a blindfolded Kristoff behind her. “Come on, come on,” she called to him.
Anna led Kristoff straight into people and almost slammed him into a pole. “You’re not a very good blindfold guide,” he told her. Finally, they stopped.
“Here we are!” Anna said. She pulled off Kristoff’s blindfold. Before them sat a beautiful new sled. “I owe you a sled!”
Kristoff was taken aback. “Are you serious?” he said. “No. I can’t accept this.”
Anna laughed. “You have to. No returns. Queen’s orders. She’s named you the official Arendelle ice master and deliverer.”
“That’s not a thing,” said Kristoff with a smile.
“Sure it is!” Anna said. “And it even has a cup holder. Do you like it?”
Kristoff hugged Anna. “Like it?” he asked. “I love it. I could kiss you!” Kristoff looked into Anna’s eyes and suddenly felt bashful. “I mean, I’d like to. May I? I mean, may we? Wait—what?”
Anna leaned over and gave Kristoff a quick kiss. “We may,” she said.
Kristoff smiled. Then he leaned in and kissed Anna right back. But this time it was a real kiss, sweet and romantic, and perfect for Anna.
Not far away, Olaf was happily enjoying the summer weather with the help of his little snow cloud. He held a big bouquet of flowers up to his nose and took a deep sniff. Suddenly, he sneezed—and his carrot nose shot off his face!
Sven was standing nearby, and with a quick movement of his head, the reindeer reached out and caught the carrot in his mouth. For a moment, it looked like Sven might chomp down on his favorite food. But instead, he gave the carrot back to Olaf, who happily popped the carrot back onto his face.
Just past Olaf, Anna saw something else that brought a smile to her face. The gates to the castle were wide open. Elsa stood in the courtyard. All around her, people were putting on ice skates. And the parts of the castle that had been destroyed earlier were now fully repaired—with ice!
“Are you ready?” Elsa was asking the crowd. She raised her arms, swirled them in the air, and created a beautiful ice rink!
Anna ran to her sister. “The gates are open,” she said. “I like it.”
Elsa put an arm around Anna. “Let’s never close them again.” Then, with a smile, she pulled Anna onto the ice so the two could skate around the rink, together at last.
Behind them, Sven ventured out onto the ice, too. But his skating didn’t come so easily. His legs slipped and twisted as he struggled to keep his balance. Anxious for his friend, Kristoff chased after Sven, awkwardly trying to keep him upright.
Last came Olaf, who slid over to Anna and Elsa. Together, they all skated happily across the ice. Summer—as well as love and happiness—had finally returned to Arendelle.
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Frozen Junior Novel Page 7
