Characters in this chapter: Anna, Kristoff and Sven.

4. Nomad

Harvesting Season, which occurs during the winter months, is Kristoff's favourite time of year. He enjoys the manual labour much more than the sales part of his job. He can easily zone out and concentrate on only the ice and only on perfecting his craft. An ice harvester can drift into the daily work song and fall into rhythm with everyone, moving the saw back and forth into the thick ice, though he usually works in silence. No one works with any sympathy for his fellow man. When you are out on the lakes, you are alone with the ice.

A small masochistic part of Kristoff also enjoys the cold. He is physically tolerant and emotionally in love with low temperatures. He feels the immediate warmth once his body starts moving and by the end of the harvesting session, he is sweating and risking the flu. The clearest ice comes from the coldest days when Kristoff hears more stories about ice harvester deaths than any other time during the year.

Anders slipped and fell into the lake.

Henrik cracked his skull.

They found Martin so well preserved in a block of ice, you could almost bring him back to life if you warmed his body again.

News of death is told casually though silent respects are given at the end of the day over hot beer. Since he is an independent ice harvester and not a hired one he is unable to bond with others properly. The hired ice harvesters are fishermen during the summer and ice harvesters during the winter. Their money is in fish and whoever hires them to cut ice. Not him. Ice is his life. He can fish and hunt as well as the next man but he is devoted to ice. During the winter, Kristoff lives by his teeth, with little money to keep Sven and him breathing. After all, not many people buy ice when it's winter. Food is scarce. Shelter is usually stolen. But, when he sees the Northern Lights when he is out on the frozen lakes, it makes being alive just a little more worthwhile.

His favourite days, he will say, are when the skies are clear. Nights are tremendously long – maybe if he were out on a good location far, far, far up north, there wouldn't even be any sunlight. His skin dries, his eyes become too used to the dark, but the lights above are dancing, moving to their own song.

In his current relationship with Princess Anna, Kristoff's days have become more business and less harvesting. In the summer he is in charge of both domestic and international deliveries, ensuring that the right amount of ice is on the right ship that is sailing to the right country and checking constantly for safety measures, for weather predictions and for profit expectations. In the winter he harvests with the others, but his mind is less free to daydream and more filled with thoughts about how many ice blocks must be harvested that day, if they would be able to make the deadline and he hopes that the ice houses have been cleared and are clean for the new stock. Of course, he is eternally grateful for his new job: he is closer to Anna, the job pays well and he can sleep comfortably but when the skies start moving again in greens and blues, he only has a split second to admire it before his attention falls back to Earth.

When he was younger, he used pull himself away from the group at the end of the work day and wander deeper into the woods with Sven. To many harvesters, Kristoff used to vanish for months when harvesting season was over, only to reappear the next year, just a little taller and broader but still with the same quiet enthusiasm for his job. Now, he lives permanently in Arendelle – always easy to find, especially now that he is dating the princess. He has to socialise with his harvesting team to ensure good teamwork. He has to be present during any ball where trading partners are present or any council meeting regarding his ice business.

The most unexpected attachment to his new job is how much attention is paid to his appearance. Queen Elsa reminds him several times that meeting with trading partners means he cannot pick his nose in public or smell like a reindeer and he must always stand straight. She usually ignores his strange habits but when an important foreign guest is in the same room, Kristoff must at least be presentable, though he might not have much to say in any of these meetings.

Kristoff never complains but occasionally he feels just a little suffocated beneath the regimen and he wants to relax and not worry about his smell or the icehouses' cleanliness or if the last shipping order actually made it to its destination and the ship did not ironically hit a massive iceberg, sink, ruining the order and killing everyone onboard. On his free days, he usually steals Anna to spend some alone time together. Sometimes, they act like children in the castle, exploring every room and chatting for hours. He's so unused to talking so often that his throat might even start to itch. Anna, in contrast, can talk for hours so sometimes he lets her do all the talking for both of them. He likes her voice, he'll tell her. She, flattered, will smile and keep on talking.

He never saw himself as alone. He had his troll friends, Sven, and now Anna, but he realizes now that he has not had a moment to sit and simply do nothing. He almost, almost, cannot remember what his own thoughts sound like or what moss smells like or what grass feels like. So, at some point during the cold spring, he develops an idea. He will not be gone long – just long enough for him to just reset his brain, yet short enough for no one to notice his brief disappearance.

Night comes when he sneaks into the castle stables to wake Sven. The night shift stable boy is predictably asleep outside the stable; Kristoff didn't even have a coin to bribe the kid if the kid was awake. He slips through the heavy wooden doors that creak just a little too loudly but thankfully, not a soul twitches in its sleep. In the corner, with an unnecessarily large stall, is Sven. The reindeer is now spoilt beyond belief, eating as many carrots as he wants and sleeping in the most comfortable hay Arendelle can provide. He has always been a hefty animal, but now he just seems too large to handle.

"Hey, buddy. Up. Up." Kristoff whispers, poking his friend awake. He is careful not to disturb the horses that occupy the same building.

Sven grunts a complaint and stretches and yawns. He glares at Kristoff before pulling himself up.

"We'll be back before anyone realises we're gone." Kristoff digs into his bag for a carrot. It is too much trouble to prepare a sled when the trip is so short so he attaches Sven's reins and walks with his friend through the stable doors. Arendelle's spring fluctuates from horrifyingly cold to a calm chill. Despite spring being present for many weeks, the previous winter's snow still lingers in some places, particularly in shady areas where the sun barely reaches. He guesses this is due to the queen's control but his hypothesis is never proven. This night is bitingly chilly but calm.

As Kristoff walks out the door, he takes a deep breath, reveling in his temporary freedom. He and Sven carefully make their way through the courtyard to the front gate.

"Kristoff?"

The voice catches him off-guard and he spins around. He sees nothing until red and pink seizes his peripherals from above. On the rooftop is Anna, in a fluffy robe and her winter boots. Anna is not an early riser, something Kristoff took into account when he planned this short trip.

"Anna? What are you doing up?"

"What are you doing up?"

Kristoff glances back at Sven, who in turn, gives him a look that says: "Can't help you here, pal."

"Uhh... night walking?" Awful excuse. Despite the physical distance between him and Anna, he can almost see her eyebrow raise. He counters her silent questioning with: "And are you checking for leaks in the roof?"

She squirms guiltily.

Seeing their need for discretion, Kristoff signals to Anna with an index finger pressed against his lips. Anna mimics him and points to a nearby window washer's pulley that leads from the top floor of the castle to the courtyard ground.

Kristoff's eyes follow Anna as she tightropes along the roof's ridge. He walks until he reaches the pulley and grips onto the ropes to steady it. She slides down the roof's slope until she reaches the eaves.

"Ready?" She loudly whispers.

He nods. "I got you."

Her foot lowers, searching for purchase on the plank. It does but as she begins her descent, her robe snags onto an unseen roof splinter and she is pulled down, slamming her hands onto the roof to catch herself from falling.

"Anna!"

"I'm OK! I can do this!"

Sven braces himself, ready to catch Anna. Kristoff's heart is beating madly in his chest as he watches a bundle of pink struggle to unsnag itself. His grip on the ropes tightens and he already feels his palms beginning to sweat. Anna slowly rises again onto her hands and knees. Her foot searches for the plank again. She finds it easier this time, planting herself onto the small piece of wood and she holds onto the ropes for dear life as Kristoff slowly lowers her.

"I hope you haven't made nighttime rooftop lounging a habit," he says as she falls neatly into his arms. He knows she enjoys exploring the castle's exteriors but night expeditions seemed a little too daring in his mind.

"Actually..." Anna shrugs bashfully.

"Really? Anna, I was kidding." He lowers her to the ground and brushes the wild strands of hair off her face. "I'm almost surprised no one has mistaken you for a thief."

"Excuse me? Are we talking about suspicious activity? Who's running off in the middle of the night?"

"I'm talking about dangerous activity. I think you scaling the palace walls in the dark is the winner."

"This was a one time mistake. I'm usually a lot more –"

Sven's braying cut off her words. Their argument is increasing in volume. An older woman groans from the window above along with the sound of aching floorboards. They freeze. Kristoff points to the stables and everyone nods, carefully making their way away from any open windows or waking gossipers.

Kristoff pushes the stable doors open once more. This time the creaking awakes several of the horses. They neigh and look about as if trying to determine the time of day. The stable boy is still fast asleep, thankfully and Kristoff closes the door behind them to ensure that he remains asleep outside and not overhearing his conversation with the princess. When they are both safe within the stable walls, Sven snorts at the human couple in clear annoyance. He makes his way to his stall and plops himself down onto the hay.

Anna reaches for his reins and gently removes them.

"Poor Sven. He must be so tired."

"Don't 'poor Sven' him. He was looking forward to tonight for days."

"So this was pre-planned?"

Kristoff eyes widen when he realises his mistake. "I mean... not for days for tonight. Maybe for a night for a day - I mean..." He pinches his nose bridge in frustration, trying to find the correct words without stumbling through them. "I wasn't planning on just running off in the night. I just... needed maybe two hours alone... or something." He doesn't want to say something offensive or stupid like 'being in the castle is killing my soul'.

"You needed to sneak out of the castle for two hours alone?"

"Not exactly." He can't even make eye contact. "Sometimes... when I'm not working... I don't want to be in Arendelle."

Anna's eyebrows curl in confusion and her shoulders tense.

"It's not that I don't want to be here with you!" He says very quickly. "I always want to be with you! But I also miss being an outdoors kind of guy. I know how to hunt and fish, how to make a tent, how to make a knife, how to cut ice. I don't know how to dance, how to dress like a gentleman or even stand like a gentleman."

The silence that follows is long and awkward. A few horses shake their heads – he cannot tell if the shakes are directed towards him or just ordinary horse mannerisms. He sees Anna's mind working through the cogs and Sven rolling his eyes. "Nice going."

"Look," he continues. "This is stupid. Never mind I did this."

Anna's eyes soften and her shoulders drop. "No, I... I used to climb the rooftops when I was younger. When everyone was asleep, I would dream of leaving Arendelle. Far outside the edge of town would be dark but I'd imagine all these wonderful things. But I couldn't even leave the castle. I love Arendelle, but sometimes I wanted to leave it too. And now I can leave whenever I want. Sort of. Ignoring responsibilities." He isn't sure where she's going with this but he lets her continue. "I want you to leave whenever you want too. As long as you come back safe."

"Of course I'll come back."

"Safe?"

"Promise."

As he says this, thunder grumbles in the far distance and they can hear rain begin to gently fall.

A loud yelp calls out from outside; the stable boy is now awake.

"Aw, no – rain!" He opens the door for shelter and sees a guilty pair of lovers staring back at him with reindeer-in-headlight eyes. "Uhh Princess? Mr. Bjorgman?"

"Just checking up on the horses, Knut. You've been doing a great job! The stables are so clean," Anna says with a nervous laugh. Kristoff echoes her laughter.

"Um... thanks?" The stable boy rubs his eyes. Sleep is still close by. "What time is it?"

"Not sure. The sun has barely set." A blatant lie. "Well... Mr Bjorgman and I are going to say good night to Sven. It looks like it's a bad night to go running off in the wild if I was thinking of it." She looks to Kristoff.

"Bad night to be thinking about hanging out on roofs, if I wanted to as well." Kristoff responds pointedly.

The stable boy's eyes dart back and forth between the two, not entirely sure what might be going on. "If the horses are doing well, I hope you both have a good night...?"

"Of course," Anna says with a smile. "Kristoff? Should we leave the young man to do his job?"

"Uhh, yeah." Kristoff's shoulders slump. He mumbles more seriously and softly to himself: "I should have predicted the rain. I guess I got over-excited."

Kristoff pulls a musty old blanket from the stall and covers Anna with it.

"Come on, I'll walk you back to the castle."

"I don't want you to get wet," she protests.

Without hesitating, Anna moves to stand behind him and jumps onto his back, piggyback style. His reflexes kick in and he grabs onto her thighs to keep her up. The blanket only partially covers them both but the closeness is welcome.

"This works," Kristoff says as turns his head to see a smiling Anna close to his face.

"Night, Knut!" Anna says as they make their way back out to the courtyard. The stable boy watches them disappear in drowsy confusion through the rain. He closes the stable doors to keep the cold out and finds comfort on a thick bale of hay. What a weird couple. He slowly begins to dream again and forgets that he ever saw the two when he awakes the next morning to his angry supervisor.

The following night, Kristoff packs his things, kisses Anna good-bye and he and Sven begin their journey into the forest. He says he will return very soon and she says she will be waiting.

When he does return, she is standing on the rooftops waving to him.

This chapter was intended to reflect Frozen's light attitude and dialogue and have it contrast with the previous chapter's seriousness.