So it's official, after seeing Frozen for the third time today, it's safe to say that I am obsessed. With that, here's an elaboration of Kristoff's feelings during one of the final—and most agonizing, heart-breaking—scenes. Passenger's song "Let Her Go" seemed to fit the scene perfectly from Kristoff's perspective, therefore it is the inspiration for this drabble.
Well you only need the light when it's burning low,
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow,
Only know you love her when you let her go.
.:And You Let Her Go:.
Sven forces him to turn and he elicits a gasp as he feels his heart drop and his chest tighten. A swirling storm of snow is encompassing Arendelle and while his shortness of breath could be attributed to the sudden drop in temperature, he knows it is for a reason far removed from that. Only one word resounds throughout his head.
Anna.
He's running down the hill before he realizes he's doing so, stumbling and nearly collapsing several times. Sven's at his side before he knows it, snorting for him to get on. He readily complies and kicks the reindeer into high gear, fear settling further in the pit of his stomach with every inch of headway they make.
He never should have let her go.
What had possessed him back there? Entrusting her safety in a man she told him she had just met? Relying on the fact that she would be safe with her day-old fiancé? He was the one who had criticized her for her lack of judgment, and now he had gone and committed the same folly. If he lost her. . .
He gulps as he tries to push those thoughts to the back of his mind.
The wall of snow is fast approaching, but he doesn't back down. Sven bravely breaks through the barrier and all of a sudden they are thrust into Hell's own winter wonderland. Charging across the fjord, he fails to be deterred or unnerved by anything. The biting cold and razor winds go unnoticed as do the several near-deaths of crashing ships which Sven so expertly evades. The only thing he can feel is the guilt of leaving—of letting her go against his better judgment.
Suddenly he is thrown off Sven as the reindeer bucks its back to keep its master from freezing in the icy waters. Turning for only a second to make sure his friend is okay, he turns back to the task at hand as Sven climbs on to a slab of ice, nodding for him to go on and leave him.
He squints blindly into the blizzard of this frozen Hell, searching for any sign of her. His heart is racing, and he can feel its reverberations in his ears.
Suddenly he catches it. The wind carries it to him softly, yet clear enough to not be his imagination playing tricks on him.
Kristoff.
He spins and all of a sudden she's there—stumbling and frail, yet determinedly making her way towards him. His heart leaps, but remains unsettled; it won't be perfected until she's in his arms.
Pushing himself forward, he runs towards her, knowing time is their enemy. The ice is slick and provides an obstacle as he trips once. As he closes in his heart cries out in agony at the sight of her. Her hair is white as snow, her fingertips blue from the cold, traces of ice creeping across her face; he can only imagine the pain of it all.
Then before he can blink, she stops her approach and looks off into the distance. He's still several feet away and out of reach as she turns away from him. Confused, he stops, only to see her new goal. Her sister is kneeling on the ground, a man who must be Hans above her, sword raised.
His breath catches in his throat as he realizes her intentions. He feels frozen in time as he watches her come between her sister and the arc of the sword. He wants to cry out as the sword comes down, yet stops short of cutting straight through her. Instead, there's a blast which knocks Hans off his feet and causes him to shield his eyes. When he opens them, he near sinks to his knees.
She's standing there, her arm outstretched in an attempt to shield, frozen. Her last breath escapes her statue and his heart shreds itself into a million pieces as they settle in the pit of his stomach. Mechanically, he moves towards her, tears blurring his vision.
He notices her sister cry out in alarm as she finally becomes aware of the situation. He notices Elsa caress her face briefly before collapsing into a fit of tears—mimicking the same scene which is taking place inside of him at this moment. He stops himself several feet away as the first tear falls. Guilt crushes him as he finally sinks to his knees.
She is gone. It's all his fault.
He let her go.