DISCLAIMER: All of the places and characters in this story belong to Disney and are inspired by the work of Hans Christian Andersen. No profit is being made from this story. It only serves to (hopefully) entertain.

Rated T for some sensuality, language, mild social drinking, and allusions to mature things. Pure Kristanna fluff... emphasis on the fluff. :)

Chapter One

It wasn't that he was afraid to see Anna. No, that wasn't it at all. In the week since the Great Thaw, Kristoff had seen her quite a lot. Anna had been out in the town as often as she could thanks to the opened gates, getting acquainted with the Arendelle she'd never gotten to know growing up. She'd stopped by his stand every day to say hello and chat until she was called away by a shop owner or Elsa, who accompanied her frequently.

This, however, was different. Kristoff had closed his stand early solely to come to the castle before sundown and see the princess. He was seeking her out, something he'd never had the time nor the nerve to do before. Though he'd wanted to several times, he was held back by the new, unique, scary feelings that had been blossoming within him since their adventure in the snow. Their kiss beside the docks had been their only one, and since then, Anna hadn't made any indication that she was interested in romance with him. Instead, they'd maintained an easy friendship, and while Kristoff loved it, he had to know if there was potential for more.

So no, it wasn't the prospect of seeing Anna that was making him nervous as he approached the colossal oak entrance to the castle, but rather the notion of facing the possibility their kiss had been a fluke.

"Please state your name and your purpose," instructed the guard as he neared the door.

"Kristoff Bjorgman. I'm here to see Princess Anna."

"And what business do you have with the Princess?"

"Um..."

"Lars," said a nearby guard. "He's clear. Let him in."

"Are you certain?"

The second guard looked at Kristoff. "You said Bjorgman, correct?"

"Yes."

"He's the one who brought Princess Anna home to safety," he informed the guard named Lars. "She said he's welcome here anytime." He turned to Kristoff again. "Our apologies, Mr. Bjorgman. Please, go right in."

"Thank you," he said, offering a cordial nod to both guards before stepping inside the palace.

Though it was a difficult desire to restrain, Kristoff managed to not allow his feet to burst into unsightly dance moves. Anna had said he was welcome there anytime. Anytime. That meant she actually wanted to see him. He knew quite well that she could have meant it in a strictly platonic way, but the idea still provided him with a slight glimmer of hope.

"Good afternoon," a woman greeted him. Based on her solid green dress and white apron, he guessed she was one of the servants. "My name is Gerda. How may I assist you?"

"Hello. I'm here to see Anna. Princess Anna," he hastily amended.

"Of course. I'll be happy to fetch her for you. Feel free to have a seat. May I get you anything? Perhaps some water or a brandy?"

"Oh, no, but thank you."

As Gerda departed, Kristoff gazed around the entrance hall in awe. Never before had he been in a place so elegant, so rich with art and obvious wealth. Portraits of men and women he assumed were former kings and queens of Arendelle were framed with gold and displayed on the walls. There were suits of armor, complete with helmets and swords, and Kristoff wasn't sure if they were empty or actually contained living men who were quite skilled at not flinching. Each window, crafted with stained glass, depicted the Arendelle emblem and cast colorful beams of light onto the polished mahogany floor.

Kristoff sat on one of two fancy couches in the hall. For a couch to be fancy must have required the sacrifice of comfort, he decided, because it was as hard as a rock. He didn't bother himself with it too much, however, because in a few minutes or less, Anna would be entering the room, and he'd never been more anxious.

For the umpteenth time, he silently rehearsed what he planned to say. It had taken a lot for him to pluck up the courage to do this, and although there was a chance of her answer not being the one he hoped for, he wasn't about to let his stupid mouth be the reason for it. Not to mention, he wasn't sure when such an opportunity like this would come around again. The ice business was a temperamental one and a steady income was never guaranteed. A couple days prior, he'd counted the money he had, and after setting aside enough for food and the new shoes he desperately needed, he determined he had enough to take Anna out should she accept.

"Kristoff!" came a delighted shriek.

He turned to see Anna skipping in, and a lump formed in his throat. There were those nerves again. The two of them hadn't been alone since he carried her icy, frail body to the palace before the thaw, and if that wasn't enough, they were in the palace, of all places. Those portraits Kristoff had found so endearing a few minutes before were suddenly intimidating, staring down at him as if to say he didn't belong there. Part of him wondered if they were right.

"Hello, Anna," he greeted as he stood. "I mean, Princess. Hello, Princess."

She grinned. "Anna is fine."

"Well, we are in the palace..." When Anna raised an eyebrow, he relented. "Okay, okay. Hello, Anna. Good afternoon."

Great. I'm mucking this up already, he thought.

"Hello, Kristoff. It's a pleasure to see you. I'd hoped you would stop by."

"You... you did?"

A faint blush crept across her freckled face as she nodded. She gingerly touched one of her braids, which he'd come to learn was a habit of hers whenever she was nervous or uncomfortable. He prayed that in this case it wasn't the latter.

"So," she continued, "what brings you here? Surely not the paintings, I assume."

"Why? I think they're lovely."

Anna narrowed her eyes and smirked.

"Kristoff, don't be ridiculous. Ancestors or not, they're creepy."

Kristoff glanced around the room once more, and he had to admit she had a point. The figures in the frames weren't exactly warm and friendly. Their faces were stern, their eyes dark, and their smiles non-existent.

"Okay, maybe they're a little unsettling."

She laughed, and he felt the tension inside him ease a bit. This was the same Anna he'd met over a week ago, the same Anna he'd talked effortlessly with all the way up to the North Mountain. She was the same girl who'd befriended him and captured his heart.

"So...?" she urged.

"Oh, right!" he exclaimed. Get it together, Kristoff. Get it together. "I was just wondering if you'd like to accompany me to dinner tomorrow evening?"

Her smile widened, as did her twinkling blue eyes.

"What?"

"Would you... I mean, may I take you out to dinner tomorrow night?"

"Dinner? Just the two of us?"

Kristoff nodded. "There's a small restaurant in town that I'm told is quite good. I mean, it most likely won't measure up to what you're used to, and it isn't very fancy, but it is nice, and-"

"Kristoff," she interrupted, and it wasn't until he was stopped that he realized he'd fallen into a hasty ramble. "It sounds wonderful. Thank you for the invitation. But... I'm sorry. I can't."

Oh, no. You're such a fool, thinking you could get a date with royalty...

"It's not that I don't want to," she added, and Kristoff's raised his eyebrows in hope, "it's just that we're having visitors from a neighboring kingdom tomorrow evening, and I have to be here."

"Oh," he said. He was disappointed, but at least she'd wanted to come. She didn't hate his guts. "That's alright. I understand."

"But," she continued, "unless I'm mistaken, I have no obligations the following evening. I mean, if you're available and would still like to-"

"Yes," he answered a bit too fast, a goofy grin spreading across his face. "I mean... yes, the night after next would would be perfect."

Anna smiled. "Shall I meet you somewhere, or...?"

"I'll meet you here and we can go together. Would six o'clock be a good time for you?"

"Six o'clock sounds wonderful. I'm looking forward to it."

"Me, too," Kristoff agreed. He tenderly took her hand in his and placed a small kiss on the back of it, a move he'd heard was both respectful and classy without crossing any boundaries. "I'll see you in two evenings, Princess."

"Anna," she corrected with a kind, eager smile.

"Anna."

"I'll see you then, Kristoff. Good day to you," she said, giving him a quick kiss on his cheek. Kristoff could feel the heat rising in his cheeks, but thankfully she'd already turned and began walking back to where she came from. Before she closed the door behind her, she looked back and offered him a small wave, which he reciprocated.

Kristoff let out a deep breath once she'd left, giddy smile creeping across his face. She said yes. Anna said yes. They were going out to dinner, away from the palace, just the two of them.

Oh! Kristoff thought. I need to wash my nice clothes. I need to polish my nice shoes. Are the clothes and shoes even nice enough? Should I cut my hair? I should at least shave, right? I should have planned this out better. I'm taking Anna out to dinner, in TWO days! Oh, God, this is really happening...

He left the palace, stating a quick farewell to the guards as he did so, and silently thanked the heavens above he had one more day than he'd anticipated. He was definitely going to need it.

Author's Note: Well, I'm at it again. Another short Kristanna multi-chap. However, in contrast to my other ones, this one's going to be super fluffy and all about their first date. As much as I love angst, I think we're all due for a bit of angst-free romance. There's not nearly enough of it to go around. :)

Also, I'm sure you all knew this, but the title is a play on William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

Thanks for reading!