Disney makes happily-ever-afters look easy.

Elsa's thawed Arendelle and Anna's heart is no long frozen; Hans has been outed as a villain and it looks like Kristoff's finally got the girl. Olaf has his own personal flurry and somehow Sven's got himself out of the fjord- but has anyone thought about what a mess there is still to clear up now? Can any of you sail that ship to shore- and is no-one going to question the talking snowman?

Leading straight on from The Great Thaw, a little fic dealing with the unbelievable amount of awkward practicalities that weren't glamorous enough to make it to the big screen. Rated K+ for some very mild language and buckets of dorky sexual tension.

My first fic in a long time. Be gentle with me.

Over the shoulder of her sister's embrace, Anna caught Kristoff's eye and smiled. With the cheers of Arendelle's people in the summer air, the splutterings and splashings of Hans flailing in the waters of the fjord, and an arm slung across Sven's back, Kristoff found it easy to smile back.

The moment passed, though, and they both looked away, suddenly awkward and very aware of the fact that Kristoff had just stumbled across a frozen wasteland through a magical snowstorm to deliver a true love's kiss to a girl he'd met three days ago.

A kiss which, it turned out, wasn't needed anyway.

Complete train-wreck of a romantic rescue, really.

Kristoff went bright red, and was very glad when Elsa broke out of the hug and grinned at her sister.

" Anna. I don't know where to start." Her eyes searched every inch of her sister's face. "I hadn't really thought past the ice palace on the mountain."

Anna laughed, easily. "Oh God, I know. This is crazy. Crazy awkward. Not that we're awkward, just that the situation – um. Elsa, this is Kristoff. And that's Sven."

She waved a hand to the ice harvester and his companion. Introductions seemed a fair place to start.

Sven wagged his little tail and Kristoff fumbled into a funny sort of bow. Anna got the feeling he'd never done it before.

Elsa cocked her eyebrow slightly, peering at the man before her. "I know you from somewhere."

"Your ice palace. I was at your ice palace with An – Princess Anna. Your majesty."

Elsa's expression cleared as Anna bounded over to Kristoff and took his arm. "Ah Kristoff, you can still call me Anna. Kristoff is…" she briefly glanced up to him with smiling eyes. "Kristoff is an ice harvester, Elsa, but he lives with the Rock Trolls, and he helped me find you, Elsa –"

"Well I don't live with them, exactly, um. It's sort of, well. Sort of."

Elsa inclined her head slightly. "Well, I owe you my thanks, Kristoff. It's good to know someone was looking after my sister when I should have been." With that, Elsa swept her head around and scanned the shoreline – sure enough, a hesitant but intrepid party of a few guards had pushed out in a smaller boat to retrieve the queen and her motley entourage. Elsa raised a hand to them, then looked back over her shoulder at Anna, guiltily. "We've got some explaining to do."

Anna laughed, delighted. "It'll be fine, I'm sure. They're coming over to get you, and that's a start! And I don't see any witch-hunters. And we're on a boat. I mean, what are the chances?"

Anna was babbling, but it was good to have something fill the air. She'd hit on something there, with the witch-hunters- were people just going to accept Elsa as queen again, just like that? God knows what Hans had been saying in the absence of both royal sisters.

Kristoff very briefly caught the queen's eye and saw his thoughts reflected in the second before he looked away in respect. He shifted uncomfortably. He was very aware that this was the queen before him, and the girl currently hanging on his arm – the girl he'd been running around with for the past few and recently delivered to the castle half-frozen and bundled into his arms like a damsel in distress – was the princess. Things like that didn't seem very important with the impending doom of Aredelle and life-and-death decisions at hand – but now, in the warm summer sun of a very ordinary-looking day, they became enormous.

After a moment's hesitation, Elsa held out her hand to Anna. Anna unconsciously squeezed his arm before almost skipping over to take her sister's hand.

Kristoff uncomfortably tugged at his furs and jumper. He was boiling.

Sven nudged his elbow.

"I didn't even think about the boat to be honest. All I could think was to get rid of the ice…" Elsa sighed. "My foresight isn't the best this week, is it?"

"Lucky for us it was here though, or we'd be swimming about with Hans," Anna glanced almost imperceptibly over to the side of the boat where the indignant splutterings of the 13th son of the Southern Isles could still be heard. "That's something I don't mind giving a miss."

"Anna, what –" But Elsa glanced at the present company and just smiled, rubbing her sister's arm. "We'll talk about it later. I think you need to do a lot of filling-in."

"Oh, we could tell you the whole story!" Olaf had chipped in, his personal flurry dancing up and down with his excited bounce. "How I found these lovebirds in the frozen forest, how I thought they were both called Sven…"

As the little guard-bearing boat sailed closer, Olaf and Anna happily chattered away, the earlier awkwardness on the boat melting like the enchanted ice. Kristoff pulled off his gloves and stuffed them into the sash around his waist. He couldn't help stealing glances at Anna as she spoke so animatedly.

"Your majesty?" The call came from below. "You majesty, if I may, I will send up some guards to bring the boat to shore. May they approach?"

Elsa dashed to the side of the boat and looked over, wide-eyed, hands on the railing. "Of course. Of course you may – please, do not be afraid."

Anna followed her over and peered down to the little boat.

A handful of guards scurried up the rigging, each bowing and murmuring their respect to the queen when they hopped over onto the deck before hurrying to bring the boat closer to the shore. It looked really quite ridiculous – Anna caught Kristoff's eye and giggled.

Ten minutes and a great deal of chat from Olaf and Anna later, the great ship was tethered to the dock.

Kristoff had been mostly silent for the short journey to shore, but now, as the gangplank bridged the watery gap with a bang, he realised he had to say something.

"Anna."

She was hanging off Elsa's arm, babbling away, but paused and turned as Kristoff spoke. She looked surprised at his expression.

"Kristoff! Are you ok?"

"Um…" He drew her aside for a moment. Elsa took the hint and crouched down to speak to Olaf. "Should I – what should I…?"

She looked puzzled.

"Should I – stick around for a bit, or…?"

She blinked. Then realised. "Oh! Of course. Of course! I mean, do you…" The sudden realisation that they knew very little practical information about each other – despite spending the past few days pretty much solidly in each other's company – was vast. "Do you… live close by?"

Kristoff rubbed the back of his neck. "Not exactly. Me and Sven sort of stay wherever, as and when really. My sleeping stuff, it's… it was in my sled."

"Oh!" Anna's eyes went very wide. "Oh, God, I'm sorry. We have a castle. There are a lot of rooms you could stay in. If you know, you want to hang around. Tag along." She was trying, and failing, to be very nonchalant. It was something familiar to Kristoff, and he suddenly felt a great relief. He laughed.

"Thanks, but I think I'll just get a room at an inn. The Cross and Courtier is all right."

His stomach gave a huge rumble.

"Their food isn't bad either."

They both laughed. Anna's eyes creased up at the corners when she laughed. That was nice. He liked that.

"Well, the offer's open," she smiled, glancing over her shoulder at Elsa. "Don't be a stranger, ok? Don't forget I still owe you a sled!"

Kristoff laughed. "Don't worry. We won't be going anywhere without that."

With another warm smile – Anna couldn't stop smiling, it was ridiculous, her cheeks ached with all the joy – she trotted back over to Elsa. Together, they walked away down the gangplank – Elsa sweeping , Anna almost skipping, and Olaf waddling behind them.

Anna was already babbling away to her sister, but threw a glance and a smile over her shoulder at the ice harvester. It was clearly meant to communicate something, but didn't.

Kristoff exhaled massively, and watched the sisters head towards the castle, flanked by wary guards.

"She said rooms at the castle!"

"Yeah, I know Sven. But I don't think we're ready for that kind of luxury."

"She asked you to stay!"

Kristoff grinned. "Yeah. I noticed that too." He patted Sven on the back. "Lunch?"

Elsa cast a troubled eye over the guards accompanying them up to the castle. They seemed a little to on edge; a little too cautious.

Not that she blamed them.

Anna noticed her expression.

"They're just being cautious, Elsa. They don't know what's been going on." She squeezed her sister's arm. "We'll explain it all in good time. Meantime," she stifled a yawn. "Meantime, I want some chocolate and a nap. You must be exhausted too!"

Elsa hadn't really given any thought to it – what with freezing her sister's heart, having an epic ice fight with two Weselton guards, being imprisoned and then thinking her sister was dead, seeing that she was not dead, then seeing her actually dead and then seeing her finally, mercifully, beautifully, genuinely alive – but now that Anna's warm hand rested in the crook of her arm and Arendelle did not sleep under eternal ice, she realised that she essentially hadn't slept properly in… well, to be dramatic, since she was eight years old.

And Elsa did have a flair for the dramatic.

She let out a huge yawn.

"Yeah. I could use some sleep."

They had reached The Gates. They were open.

They had barely stepped a foot inside when Kai and Gerda swept both girls into their arms.

"Princess Anna, you had us worried sick! After we left you with Prince Hans, we thought all was well, but then the ice, it froze the doors shut, so there was no way to check, and just now, we heard you had died –"

"Queen Elsa, are you all right? The snow is gone, but you look exhausted –"

"Let us get you some hot food –"

Kai turned to the guards, who seemed somewhat taken aback at the two servant's complete lack of fear.

"That will be all. We shall accompany their majesties from here."

The Gates did not shut, but the procession of guards stopped. As Gerda put her arm about Anna's shoulders, she finally caught sight of the small snow cloud following the two girls.

"Hi! I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!"

Gerda shrieked in surprise.

"Oh – it's all right, Gerda, this is Olaf, he's a friend –"

Gerda was absolutely speechless with shock, but Kai bowed to the little snowman. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Master Olaf."

Always a gentleman, Kai.

Gerda swallowed and followed his example, stifling her surprise and curtsying low.

"Olaf will be accompanying us into the castle." Elsa was on the brink of apologising, but Kai stopped her in her tracks.

"Of course, your majesty. Will any rooms need to be prepared for our guest?"

Olaf looked perfectly bemused. He looked to Elsa for guidance.

Unhelpfully, Anna giggled.

Olaf grinned toothlessly up at Kai. "I'm ok. But thanks!"

Kai and Gerda showed them to the closest parlour before excusing themselves – Gerda to fetch some chocolate for Anna, and Kai to ensure both royal bedrooms were prepared.

As soon as the door shut behind them, Elsa collapsed onto the sofa. She let out a great breath and stretched, eyes closed. Olaf bounded over to the window, and pushed it open with tiny arms. A warm breeze drifted in and he sighed happily.

Anna smiled. The room was quiet – there was nothing but the soft sounds of the town drifting in through the window – and it was wonderful. And very, very peaceful. Anna suddenly remembered that she had barely slept since her sister's coronation.

Her mouth formed the beginning of Elsa's name to tell her such, but a sudden, delicate snore stopped her. Anna turned to see her sister flat out on the sofa, fast asleep. She walked over, gently lifted her sister's head onto her lap and leaned back her head, eyes closed.

When Gerda returned some five minutes later, she left a plate of chocolates on the coffee table before the two sleeping sisters.