food,” Mr. Larsen added grimly. “The fjord appears to be frozen over, so no ships can get in or out to send for help. The horses will not last long outside in this weather. We are done for.”
The situation was direr than Anna had realized. “Papa, someone needs to get to Arendelle and find out what is going on.”
Papa put his hand on her shoulder and attempted a smile, but it was weak at best. “Why don’t you go to the bakery and make sure the fire is still burning while Ma gets everyone more glogg?”
“Papa—” Anna tried to interrupt, but he cut her off.
“Go ahead now,” he said softly. “Don’t worry.”
“Listen to Papa,” Ma agreed.
Anna walked slowly to the kitchen. She looked back, hearing the men and Ma talking quietly by the fire. It popped and crackled even as a breeze blew through cracks in the walls. Curses. Was such a thing possible? Ma and Papa seemed to know something they weren’t saying, but Anna was with Mr. Larsen: there was something unnatural about the weather and the way the ice had traveled up the mountain. Anna had never witnessed anything like that before. Maybe curses were real. But why was someone or something threatening to destroy their kingdom? How much longer would they be able to survive like this?
Not long at all.
One thing was certain: someone had to get to Arendelle and find answers fast.
Papa was in no condition to journey to the castle and get help. Goran and Mr. Larsen were also older. Would they even be able to make it down the mountain? They needed someone skilled at traveling in conditions such as those. Someone who was skilled at handling ice.
Kristoff.
Anna looked back at the others again. No one noticed her standing near the doorway to the bakery. They didn’t see her quietly go upstairs and search her armoire for her warmest hat, cloak, and gloves. They wouldn’t find the note explaining why she had left until they came to her room looking for her. And they were too engrossed in their conversation to notice her slip through the bakery doorway and gather supplies of water, bread, and whatever vegetables she could find. Without a word, she pulled open the door, determined to help her people. She was almost blown back by the wind. Anna was shocked at how cold her exposed face felt, but she kept going, holding on to railings and overturned carts as she slowly made her way to the barn.
When she arrived, she found Kristoff playing his lute for Sven and the other animals, who were all huddled around a small fire. He saw her and dropped his instrument in surprise.
“What are you doing out in this weather?” he asked.
Anna’s teeth were chattering. She rubbed her arms to keep warm. “I want you to take me to Arendelle.”
He sighed and picked up his lute. “I don’t take people places.”
“Let me rephrase that.” She threw the bag of supplies at him.
“Hey!” He winced and rubbed his shoulder.
“Sorry!” She stepped closer, holding her ground. “Take me down the mountain. Please.”
Sven nudged the bag, and Kristoff opened it. Inside were some carrots, rope, and an ice ax. He looked at her curiously.
“Look, we need to figure out how to stop this winter. You saw it yourself—the ice started in Arendelle. We need to know what happened down there at the coronation that caused this. It feels…magical.” Kristoff didn’t laugh at her suggestion, so she kept talking. “We need to find out what’s going on and figure out how to protect the kingdom.”
Kristoff pulled his hat over his eyes. “We leave at dawn.”
She took a horse blanket off a barn stall and threw it at him. It hit Kristoff in the face. “Sorry! Sorry! I’m sorry. I didn’t…” She cleared her throat. There was no more time to waste. “We leave now. Right now.”
Anna was going to Arendelle. It wasn’t the way she had planned to make the journey, but she was going all the same. She thought again in wonder of the frozen castle and the princess. Her gut told her someone down there needed her. Anna could feel it in her bones.
Elsa’s mind was swirling as fast as the snow that fell around her in thick sheets. She’d run across the fjord, the water beneath her feet freezing as hard as glass with each step. She headed deep into the forest and didn’t stop till the moon was overhead. Faster and faster she asked