Elsa rolled her eyes as her sister tugged anxiously on her sleeve. "C'mon sis, please! He just left... I need a distraction!" Anna's lip was popped out in a pout, eyes large and glittering with false tears.

"Anna, please... I have work to finish before Papa gets home." Elsa bit her lip, before risking one glance upwards towards the red head. Almost immediately, she sighed, pushing her chair out from under the writing desk. "Okay, fine. Just a few hours, though."

A smile stretched her cheeks, and Anna pulled her sister excitedly up from her chair, bouncing in a circle before running off to change. "Thank you!" she hollered over her shoulder, before disappearing into the doorway of her bedroom. "I promise we can go wherever you want!"

Elsa snickered behind her hand as clothing started to fly past the open door frame, and she took a few slow, careful steps towards the tornado of dresses. "Anna, you look fine in what you're wearing. Why are you –" her words were cut off as a skirt landed over her head. Uncovering her face and folding the cloth over her arm, Elsa let out a frustrated shout. "Anna!"

Taking pause, Anna looked up towards her sister with a small hum of inquiry before noticing the mess she had caused. "Oh... Um..."

"You look fine, Anna. Besides, you're engaged. You don't need to be impressing anyone," Elsa muttered, a slight hint of teasing twitching at the corner of her lips.

Anna looked down to her dress, a simple green and black, and ran a hand along the fabric. "I... I guess you're right!" she laughed, relief washing over her face. The dress, in her mind, was rather plain, but she was sure it was fine for just going out shopping. "All right!" she started, grabbing Elsa by the wrist and leading her out the door. "Let's go!"

Elsa couldn't help but chuckle as her sister dragged her out the door, shushing the red head's excited laughter.

xx

Within the hour, the two sisters were deep into town, a few bags slung over Anna's shoulder, Elsa laughing as she was dragged from window to window by her bright-eyed little sister. "Anna, don't go crazy, now... you know Papa wants you to be a little more careful with money since..."

Anna jumped back and clasped a hand over the blonde's mouth. "Shhh," she hissed, placing her free index finger over her own lips. "We don't talk about that!" Feeling the blonde smiling under her hand, she let go of her grip, and straightened her posture again. "Besides, I learned my lesson! I'm only buying things that have been marked down, you see?"

A roll of her icy blue eyes, a smirk, and a shrug of her shoulders, Elsa continued forwards. "Whatever you say, little sister. I'm not defending you this time if Papa gets m –"

Suddenly, Anna's hands were wrapped tightly around Elsa's forearm, and she was tugging desperately. "Do you hear that, Elsa?" The blond quirked her head, trying to figure out what her sister was babbling on about, barely noticing that she was being dragged along the pavement. "Singing! We have to go listen!"

"A-Anna..." Elsa pulled her to a stop, tugging on her arm. She couldn't help but be quickly tired out by her sisters' overenthusiastic personality. "Can we walk?" There was an obvious sigh of relief from Elsa as Anna nodded with a smile, and did her best to keep the bounce in her step to a slow walk. Quick apologies poured from the redheads' lips as she put all of her focus into not running too far ahead of her sister.

To Anna, it took forever before they found the source of the music – a small barbershop quartet, all young, broad men with big smiles on their faces as young women stared on and smiled with infatuation. But one of the men in particular caught Annas' eye. He had deep brown eyes, blond hair that was slicked back under his hat. And it was clear that he had caught sight of her, too. She giggled, a blush spreading across her nose as he smiled at her, and looked away.

Elsa quirked an eyebrow towards her giggling sister, then to the stranger, and back to her flushed cheeks. The younger sister was a notorious flirt, and with Hans gone for a good two months, she wasn't sure that her sister would behave, if faced with an attractive stranger giving her the attention she had craved for her whole life.

The blond mans' gaze followed Anna as the sisters walked by, and he nudged the other men to follow his movements. Suddenly, her breath hitched in her chest as she felt a large hand grasp at her much smaller one, catching her and turning her to face the group. Elsa crossed her arms over her chest impatiently, watching with a curious protectiveness as the man knelt down on one knee, singing directly to Anna. The ruddiness of her cheeks only darkened, face almost matching her hair, as words rolled over the presumed leaders tongue, sweet words of affection through song.

Though Elsa didn't quite catch all of the words sung, she had heard enough about these men and their infatuation with the pretty, rich girls, and immediately tugged Anna away, scowling at the blond man as his words stopped and he stared onward. With the girl gone, and the the rest of the group slowly trailing off without their lead's voice to keep them going, the blond stranger stood up, dusting off his knees.

"Sorry 'bout that, guys," he murmured, walking back to their original place. A brunet nudged his arm with his elbow, laughing.

"Haven't seen you like that in a long while, Kristoff..."

"Yeah, yeah. Shut it, bud."

xx

Kristoff swallowed a large lump forming in his throat as he stared after the mysterious red head, before giving a small snap and urging the group to continue with their repertoire for the afternoon. They had to gather money somehow, and he wasn't about to let some little pretty red head distract him from his main purpose out here. "All right, what's next?"

"Elsa!" Anna yelled, tugging her arm out of her sisters' grasp. "What on earth was that for?!" Crossing her arms over her chest, the redhead waited patiently for an explanation. The blonde tugged the opening of her shawl a little closer together and sighed.

"Anna... You and I both know that you... well..." she took in a nervous breath, gesturing with her hands before clasping them together in front of her chest. "We both know that you... like attention..."

"What?"

"... And you're not one to turn it down, especially from... men..." Elsa swallowed the rest of her words, looking back nervously at her sister, whose insecurities were washing over her features. "Anna... I didn't mean..."

"No! You're right. You're..." the redhead sighed, slumping down on a nearby bench, casting her gaze downward to the stone beneath her feet.

"It's just that you're engaged..."

"I know..."

"And I could see it in your eyes, that look you had when you first met Hans, too..."

Anna frowned, twisting her fingers together. "Really?" she asked, peeking up from under her lashes. Did she really give that guy that look? Sure, he was cute... but he was no Hans. And she didn't even know his name! How could she -

"But it was different, somehow." She looked up as her sister sat beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Just remember how much effort you went through to get all of us to agree to Hans..." Elsa gave a small, reassuring squeeze on Anna's shoulder as worry took over her features again, before standing up in front of the bench. "Come on, Papa will be home soon."

Anna nodded, gave a small smile and stood up, walking off with her sister.

The rest of the evening had provided a good distraction for Anna. Between helping Mama with the cooking, taking their puppy, Marshmallow, for a walk, and tidying up the kitchen, she hadn't had a moment to think about Hans... or the stranger from earlier in the day. But sitting here now, preparing for bed and letting her mind wander, she couldn't help but see his warm smile and deep brown eyes behind her lids when she closed her own.

She had to see him again.

Not like that... She just –

There was a loud knock on her door, and Anna perked up, smiling as her sister walked into her room. "Hi," Elsa started, quietly latching the door behind her. She took a few steps forward, and held out her hand behind Anna, staring into the mirror in front of them. "Can we talk?"

"Of course," Anna mumbled, handing her sister the brush that was resting in her palm. She had learned, over time, that Elsa was best able to express complicated topics if she kept her hands busy. When it came to something between sisters, Elsa felt most comfortable when brushing the red head's hair. "What's wrong?"

She brushed five times, exactly as she always did, before speaking. "I know you, Anna... And I know you're going to see that boy again." Anna opened her mouth to protest, and Elsa cut her off. "Please. Just..." She sighed. "Anna, just be smart. I know Hans is gone for a while but..."

Anna spun in her seat, grasping the back of her chair so tightly that her knuckles began to turn white. "Are you implying that I'm some sort of tramp?"

"No, no! Anna! I just..." Elsa stepped back as Anna stood in front of her, her hands clenched into fists, face flushed with frustration.

"I know I'm spoken for, Elsa." She walked with purpose towards her bed, sitting and crossing her arms. "I'm not stupid."

"I wasn't saying you were!" The blonde watched her sisters' motions, and immediately was filled with a sense of regret. "I'm sorry, Anna... I just... I know you love Hans. And with all the effort you put in to get us to agree to the engagement –" Elsa sat beside her sister, placing a gentle hand on her knee.

"I know, Elsa. I know. I just want..." She sighed, clasping her hands under her chin. "I just want to know his name." Pressing her hands against the back of her neck in frustration, Anna bit her lip and looked towards her sister. "Honest, Elsa. Once I find out his name, I'll be over him. Really!"

Elsa smiled, obvious disbelief in her grin. "Okay, Anna... Just..."

"I know. I won't do anything stupid."

There was a chill in the air between the sisters as the blonde stood, kissed her sister on the crown of her head, and made way for her door. "Good night, Anna."

Giving one last smile to her older sister as the door shut, the red head let her smile drop and laid backward on her bed with a frustrated whine. "Just want to know his name... That's it, Anna. Just..." She paused, pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes.

xx

The next thing she knew, the sun was beaming in through her window, shining right onto her eyes as a hard fist knocked on her door. "Anna," her mother's voice called through the door. "It's getting late, and Papa, Elsa, and I are going out. Are you okay alone today?"

She coughed, rubbed at her eyes and hollered out a weak "Yes, I'm fine! See you later!" before listening to her mother walking away. It very, very quickly clicked in her head that if they were out today, she would have every ability to go see that boy today, and Elsa would be none the wiser.

A bite of her lip, and a smile. It was perfect! She waited by the window, waving gleefully as her family left. She ran to quickly bathe, pick out a sweet blue dress, and style her hair up in mess of curls pinned haphazardly around her head. Within half an hour, she was out the door and on her bike, riding to town with a quick wave to one of her mother's closest maids.

The trip to town wasn't long, and with the late spring breeze cooling her off, it was rather enjoyable under the beating sun. But she moved quickly, probably a little too desperately, to reach the spot where she heard the singing the day before. When she heard the familiar harmonies of the four men just around the corner, she dismounted from her bike, locked it up against the side of a building and straightened herself up.

Anna took just a few steps before pausing, biting at her lip and pulling one curl loose to twirl it in her fingers. What if she didn't catch his eye again? What if he does that to all the girls who pass? What if...

No. It doesn't matter! She just wanted to know his name. Anything further than that wasn't even worth thinking about. It's not like it would happen. She had Hans, and she was sure that he had someone back home. He was too gorgeous not to. Just his name. Just. His. Name. She let out a deep breath, and stepped around the corner, immediately turning her gaze to the blond stranger.

When he caught sight of her, he couldn't help but stumble over the lyrics he was meant to be singing, and flash her a nervous smile. Anna stood back, gave him a small wave, and blushed brightly as he moved forward, his group following close behind again. So it was her who he wanted to sing to. More than he wanted to sing to anyone else who was standing around, at the very least.

In an instant, he had his hand clasping hers again, his arm twirling her out and in, and his other hand catching hers as she spun back, landing chest to chest. A bright laugh bubbled from her chest as he dipped her on their last note, calming to a soft giggle as he lifted her up again.

"Hello again," he mumbled, letting go of her and stepping back, a new self-consciousness taking over him. Anna smiled, tucked a loose strand of hair back behind her ear, and winced as her cheeks burned. "No one to drag you off today, huh?"

His speaking voice was just as smooth as his singing one, and just his words made her flush brighter and feel a twist in her stomach. "N-no... I... By myself! I mean. I'm not..." Anna bit her lip to shut her words in, and quickly stuck out one hand for a shake. "I'm Anna."

A thick eyebrow cocked in her direction as he lifted the back of her hand to his lips, smirking against her soft skin. "Kristoff." Her big blue eyes continued to stare at him with a dreamy smile stretching across her lips, and he started to blush. "S-so, Anna –"

She snapped out of her daze. "Well!" Pulling her hand free, Anna took a few steps back between each broken phrase. "Just your name! That's all I came to find out. You see... I... I'm meeting my family! I have to go!" By the time he had a chance to react, she was darting off in another direction, and Kristoff stood where she left him, completely dumbstruck.

"W-wait!" he managed, taking a couple steps intended to follow her, before his friend called out to him.

"Hey, Bjorgman!" the brunet called, waving him over. "We're just getting started for the day! Get back over here!"

The next breath he let out was an almost a bitter laugh. What the hell just happened?

xx

Anna pressed her back up around the wall, just around the corner, and took in a huge breath. Okay. Kristoff. His name was Kristoff... That's all she wanted to know, right? She began fiddling nervously with the ring sitting on her left hand, spinning it around and around on her finger. She was engaged. He was coming back. She couldn't...

Biting at her nails, Anna let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding. There's nothing wrong with just watching his performances... right? Right! She could enjoy the quartet, she was just an audience member. She couldn't stop him from flirting with her, if he so chose to... It was harmless! All she knew about him was his name, anyway. It was impossible for anything to happen there. Just a name, and a quartet, and a little, easy, harmless flirting.

That's what she told herself the next day.

And the next.

And the one after that.

Before she realized it, a whole week had passed. A week of walking by, and eying him. A week of him grabbing her hands and singing to her. A week of blushing and running away. And a week, in Anna's opinion, was long enough.

Today, she was going to do something different. Still innocent, she told herself. But different.

With a calmness she did not feel, she walked straight up to where the men were performing. No greeting, no waves, nothing but a little smile. But when he smirked and bowed his head down, she grabbed his hat and ran. Looked over her shoulder once to see that they had stopped singing, and he was just staring after her, and by the time he started running after her, Anna had picked up her pace, giggling wildly as she ran around a corner.

"Hey!" she heard his voice booming from behind her as she stopped to lean against the wall, hoping he wouldn't see her as he rounded the corner. She heard footsteps growing closer, the skid of dress shoes on the pavement as he tried to take the corner just a little to sharply, and his heaving breaths as he noticed her and came to a stop. "What did you do that for?"

Spinning the hat in her hands, Anna smirked. "I don't know!" she laughed, resting it behind her back, and looking up towards the blond as he leaned against the wall next to her. "Just thought maybe I could pique your interest by taking..." She had to pause to swallow the nervousness that was overwhelming her as he leaned down closer to her face. "... by taking something."

Kristoff laughed, "Now, now, miss..." he tried to snatch the hat from behind her, but she moved just a little too quickly for him. "If you don't give that back me, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you out on a date in order to charm it back from ya..." He touched gentle fingers to the tip of her chin, tilting her head up to face him. "Now I'm sure you wouldn't want that..."

Pushing off the wall, Anna gave him a smirk as she turned the hat in her hands again, before placing it gently over her voluminous curls. "So where are we goin'?"