Call it intuition or her gut, but she knew someone was out there looking for her. Either that, or the snow was making her a little batty already.
The sled hit a bump and she bumped into Kristoff. She locked eyes with him for a moment, her cheeks burning before they both looked away. Anna slid over so that it wouldn’t happen again.
“Hang on,” he said, staring straight ahead as he cracked the reins. “We like to go fast.”
Fast was exactly what she needed. She had to get to Arendelle, figure out where this weather was coming from, and get back to Harmon before her parents started to worry. Who was she kidding? They were probably already worried.
Relax, Anna, she told herself. Focus on your plan, and try to enjoy the ride. She was finally leaving the village! She put her feet up on the front of Kristoff’s sleigh. “I like fast.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Kristoff nudged her boots. “Get your feet down. This is fresh lacquer. Seriously, were you raised in a barn?” He spit on the wood and wiped the area where her feet had been. His spittle went flying into her eye.
Anna wiped her face with the back of her mitten. “No, I was raised in a bakery. What about you?”
“I was raised not far from here.” He kept his eyes on the path. “Stay alert. We need to watch for wolves.”
Anna sighed. He wasn’t going to reveal anything about himself, was he?
She really was traveling to Arendelle with a total stranger.
Well, he couldn’t stay a stranger for long. Not when they had a two-day journey ahead of them to get down the mountain to Arendelle.
When they got tired, they made camp in someone’s barn. Kristoff didn’t even ask if they could use it (“Who’s coming out to check on us in this weather?”). Then they rose before the sun to journey on. Anna watched as Arendelle grew closer and closer. As the castle came into view that afternoon, she was too in awe to talk anymore. Arendelle was just like she pictured it in her mind. Even covered in snow and ice, the castle was magnificent nestled among the mountains. And the village surrounding it was ten times the size of Harmon.
“Whoa, look at the fjord,” Kristoff said, pointing to the harbor.
Dozens of ships listed on the frozen water. Covered in snow and ice, they looked like a ship graveyard. The village was equally eerie. Even though it was the middle of the afternoon, no one was outside in this weather. Everywhere, lanterns and green-and-gold flags bearing Princess Elsa’s silhouette were frozen solid.
“We should find the castle courtyard,” Kristoff suggested. “Maybe someone there will know what’s going on.”
“Make a right at the butcher’s shop next to the stables,” Anna said without thinking.
Kristoff did a double take. “I thought you’d never been here before.”
The butcher’s shop was straight ahead. The stables were next to it, but she was certain the courtyard was around the corner. Anna felt a tingle go up her spine. “I haven’t.” How did she know where to go?
Kristoff followed Anna’s directions to the castle courtyard. A crowd was gathered around a large bonfire burning near the castle gates. He dismounted and gave Sven carrots.
“Let’s see what’s going on,” Anna suggested, and patted Sven on the back. “Nice job, buddy. Why don’t you take a rest for a bit?” Sven looked happy to oblige.
As they got closer, Anna could see men in green uniforms passing out blankets and cloaks to villagers waiting in line. Someone was also directing them to where they could get a mug of hot glogg. Anna looked up and gasped. The water in the fountain had frozen midstream, curving in a pattern that was both beautiful and frightening. She’d never seen water freeze like that before. In the middle of the fountain stood a bronze sculpture of the king, the queen, and the princess as a young girl. Anna leaned on the fountain railing, trying to get a closer look. Then she heard someone shouting.
“The future queen has cursed this land!”
A small, skinny man with glasses, a white mustache, and a military uniform was standing on the castle steps, talking to anyone who would listen.
Future queen? Cursed? There was that word again. Anna joined a group of people standing in front of him.
“Why would she want to hurt Arendelle?” someone asked, and others murmured in agreement.
“She wouldn’t!” another man interrupted. He was dark-haired and large around the middle, and his face seemed