This story will contain neither sex nor gore nor foul language. However, it still might not be everyone's cup of tea. You'll understand when we get there.

Chapter 1

"Oof... Ooff... How about... oooff... how about now?"

"Hmmm..." Anna held her hand in front of her with her thumb up. She closed one eye. She stuck out her tongue. "A little to the left."

"Oh, come on!" Kristoff nearly grunted.

"Look, trust me, a little to the left," Anna said. "It'll be perfect."

With another heavy grunt, Kristoff wrapped his burly arms around the enormous fir tree sitting in the middle of the ballroom. His breath came hard as he lifted it off the ground, and a burst of panic filled him when he heard something in his back pop. But his spine didn't shatter, his knees didn't buckle, he seemed all right. So he shuffled backward, dragging the tree and its heavy iron stand to the left.

"Stop!" Anna cried. "Right there!"

With another deep grunt, Kristoff lowered the tree. The stand clanged on the red carpeting where it came down. He took a step back, panting. "Well?"

Anna again stuck out her thumb, stuck out her tongue, and closed one eye. "Yes... yes, that's perfect!" she exclaimed.

Kristoff's annoyance at moving the tree- which he had been doing for about half an hour now- dissipated when Anna's happiness was on full display. She was particularly radiant today, clad in black and plumb velvet, her hair in loops. He took a few steps back to admire his own work, where he happened to line up with Sven sitting on the marble floor. "Well, buddy?" Kristoff nodded toward the tree. "What do you think? Not bad, eh?"

'Yeah, Kristoff, looks really great!' said 'Sven.'

"Elsa!" Anna cried.

"Hm?" Elsa said softly. She was standing at the window, peering out into the snowy drifts that lined the banks of the fjord. She stepped out of the darkness into the roaring firelight, her graceful features seeming all the more otherworldly in the flickering flames. She wore a deep blue dress adorned with the white geometry of snowflakes.

"The tree, silly!" Anna said. "What do you think of it?"

"Oh," Elsa said. "It's... nice, I guess." Unseen by all of them, she began to run her thumbs across her palms. Like they were itching. She tilted her head to the side. "I suppose you could move it a little to the right."

"Uuggghhhh..." Kristoff groaned, falling to his knees.

Elsa suppressed a giggle. "No, it's fine. It's perfect. I'll have the staff start decorating tomorrow."

"The tree is up!" Anna exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "The tree is up! Christmastime is officially here! God Jul!"

"God Jul!" Kristoff bellowed, rushing to her and lifting her off the ground.

Elsa sighed to watch them, so happy, so warm. Not like her. She was always cold. She glanced back toward the window. A light snow had begun to fall outside. "God Jul..." she whispered. Two days til the Solstice. If she could make it through that, she would be fine. At least, that's what she told herself.