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