Kristoff held the reins¹ tightly, steering² Sven and the sled through the thick, heavy snow. The night sky was cloudy with the promise of still more snow. "Hang on!" Kristoff yelled to his passenger. "We like to go fast!"

 

Sven responded happily and charged forward through the drifts.

 

"I like fast," Anna answered. She leaned back and put her feet up on the front of the sled to show that she was not bothered by the high speed.

 

"Get your feet down," Kristoff scoffed³. "This is fresh lacquer." He glanced at her sideways. "Seriously, were you raised in a barn?" He leaned over and wiped down his new sled.

 

"No, I was raised in a castle," Anna replied.

 

"So tell me," Kristoff said, "what made the queen go all ice crazy?"

 

"It was all my fault," Anna blurted⁴ out. "I got engaged and she freaked out, because I'd only just met him, you know, that day. And she said she wouldn't bless the marriage."

 

"Wait," Kristoff said. "You got engaged to someone you just met that day?"

 

"Yeah, anyway," Anna replied, dismissing his comment. "I got mad and yelled at her, and she tried to walk away, but I grabbed her glove, and — "

 

"Wait. You got engaged to someone you just met that day?" Kristoff repeated.

 

"Yes, are you listening?" Anna snapped. "Thing is, she wore the gloves all the time, but I just thought the girl's got a thing about dirt."

 

"Didn't your parents ever warn you about strangers?" Kristoff asked.

 

"Yes, they did," Anna said. She looked Kristoff over carefully and slid farther away from him on the seat. After all, he was a stranger. "But Hans is not a stranger."

 

Kristoff raised his eyebrows⁵. "Oh, yeah? What's his last name?"

 

Anna frowned, thinking. "Of the Southern Isles⁶?" she offered.

 

"What's his favorite food?" Kristoff fired off. Anna hesitated. "Sandwiches."

 

"Best friend's name?" Kristoff quickly followed up.

 

"Probably John," Anna replied, reflecting that lots of people were named John. So maybe Hans's best friend would be, too.

 

"Eye color?" Kristoff pressed. "Dreamy." Anna smiled.

 

"Have you had a meal with him yet?" Kristoff asked. "What if you hate the way he eats? What if you hate the way he picks his nose?"

 

Anna wrinkled her forehead. "Picks his nose?" "And eats it," Kristoff added.

 

"Excuse me, sir," Anna said. "He is a prince." Kristoff shook his head. "All men do it."

 

"Ewww!" Anna made a face. "Look, it doesn't matter. It's true love."

 

"Doesn't sound like true love," Kristoff said, staring straight ahead.

 

"Are you some sort of love expert?" Anna asked. "No, but I have friends who are," he responded. "You have friends who are love experts?" Anna asked sarcastically⁷.

 

Kristoff's eyes widened and he stopped the sled. "Stop talking," he demanded.

 

"No, I want to meet these friends," she insisted with a grin.

 

Kristoff put his hand over Anna's mouth. "I mean it. Shhhh!" He stood up and looked into the dark woods. He held up a lantern. Suddenly, he yelled, "Sven! Go! GO!"

 

The sled took off and Anna fell backward. She saw glowing eyes in the darkness all around them. "What are they?" she whispered.

 

"Wolves," Kristoff said.

 

"What do we do?" Anna asked. She looked at Kristoff and readied herself.

 

"I've got this," Kristoff said calmly. "You just don't fall off — and don't get eaten."

 

"But I want to help," Anna said. "No," Kristoff replied.

 

"Why not?" Anna pouted⁸.

 

"Because I don't trust your judgment," Kristoff said.

 

Anna was offended. "Excuse me?"

 

A wolf jumped at the sleigh, and Kristoff kicked it back. "Who marries a man she's just met?"

 

Anna was seething⁹. "It's true love!" She picked up Kristoff's lute¹⁰ and swung it at his head. He ducked, and Anna struck a wolf that was about to lunge onto the sled!

 

"Whoa!" Kristoff exclaimed, just as another wolf jumped up and knocked him down. He fell out and was dragged behind the sled.

 

"Christopher!" Anna cried. "It's Kristoff!" he yelled.

 

Anna took the lantern and lit the sled's blanket on fire. She threw the flaming blanket toward Kristoff, and the wolves tumbled off him. Then she reached out and pulled him back onto the sled. Kristoff looked at her in dismay.

 

"You almost set me on fire," he said. "But I didn't," Anna replied.

 

Sven suddenly whinnied. Ahead of him was a steep drop into a massive gorge¹¹.

 

"Get ready to jump, Sven!" Anna called.

 

"You don't tell him what to do!" Kristoff shouted. "I do!"

 

In one swift movement, he grabbed Anna and threw her onto Sven's back. Then he unhooked the reindeer¹²'s harness. "Jump!"

 

Sven leaped and cleared the gorge with Anna on his back.

 

Just behind them, Kristoff boldly jumped with the sled. The sled didn't make it all the way across, but just before it fell into the gorge, Kristoff threw himself off and caught the edge of the cliff on the other side. Down below, his new sled burst into flames as he dangled¹³ from the cliff. "I just got it." He looked down with a sigh. Then his hands started to slip on the slick ice. "Uh-oh," he said in alarm. "No, no, no!"

 

Out of nowhere, an ax slammed into the snow just inches from his face. He heard Anna's voice from above.

 

"Grab on!" she yelled.

 

The ax was attached to a rope that was secured around Sven.

 

"Pull, Sven!" Anna ordered.

 

Sven heaved and walked backward, lifting Kristoff to safety.

 

Anna and Kristoff peered over the edge at the burning sled. "I'll replace your sled and everything in it," she promised. She looked sadly at Kristoff. "And I understand if you don't want to help me anymore."

 

Kristoff watched as Anna walked away. Sven nuzzled him softly with his cold nose.

 

"Of course I don't want to help her anymore," he told the reindeer. "In fact, this whole thing has ruined me for helping¹⁴ anyone ever again." He watched as Anna turned and started to walk in the opposite direction.

 

"But she'll die on her own," he said, speaking in Sven's deep voice.

 

Kristoff looked away. "I can live with that," he said. Anna turned this way and that, unsure which way to go.

 

"But you won't get your new sled if she's dead," Kristoff continued in Sven's voice.

 

He sighed. "Wait up," he called to Anna in his normal voice. "We're coming."

 

Anna grinned. "You are?" she said happily. Then she composed herself. "I mean, sure, I'll let you tag along."

 

Anna wasn't sure what lay ahead, but she was very glad that Kristoff and Sven were coming with her.

 

克斯托夫紧紧地拉住缰绳，驾着雪橇在厚厚的积雪中前行。夜晚的天空被浓密的云层挡住，看样子还会下更大的雪。“抓紧了!”克斯托夫对安娜喊道。“我们要加速了!”

 

斯特应声欢快地在雪地里加速前进。

 

“这我最喜欢了。”安娜回答说。她向后靠着座椅，把腿搭在了雪橇的前杠上，显得轻松随意，完全可以适应更快的速度。

 

“把脚放下去，”克斯托夫嘲笑道，“这刚刚上过漆。”他瞥了她一眼，说：“你是乡下来的吧?”他弯过身，擦了擦新雪橇。

 

“才不是呢，我是在城堡里长大的。”安娜反驳道。

 

“说说吧，”克斯托夫说，“女王怎么会把这儿弄得冰天雪地的?”

 

“都是我的错，”安娜脱口而出，“我订婚了，她知道了很生气，因为那天我才刚认识那个人。她说她不会祝福我们的婚姻。”

 

“等一下，”克斯托夫惊讶地说，“你跟一个刚认识的人订婚了?”

 

“对，反正，”安娜没有理会他的评论，回答道，“我生气了，冲她大喊，然后她想转身走人，我抓住了她的手套，然后……”

 

“等等。你和一个那天才刚刚认识的人订婚了?”克斯托夫重复道。

 

“是的，你在听吗?”安娜断然说道，“事情是这样的，女王她无时无刻不戴着那副手套，我还以为她大概有洁癖呢。”

 

“你父母没警告过你要提防陌生人吗?”克斯托夫问道。

 

“是啊，他们警告过，”安娜说。她仔细打量着克斯托夫，坐的离他远了点。毕竟，他才是陌生人。“但汉斯可不是什么陌生人。”

 

克斯托夫眉毛一挑，说道：“哦，是吗?他姓什么?”

 

安娜眉头紧锁，思考了一番“他姓南埃尔斯?”她回答道。

 

“他最喜欢吃什么?”克斯托夫继续问。安娜迟疑了一下，说道：“三明治。”

 

“好朋友叫什么?”克斯托夫马上接着问。

 

“大概叫约翰吧。”安娜回答说，想着有那么多人叫约翰，也许汉斯的好朋友也叫约翰呢。

 

“眼睛什么颜色?”克斯托夫紧接着问道。“梦幻般的颜色。”安娜微笑着说道。

 

“你和他一起吃过饭吗?”克斯托夫问，“万一你讨厌他的吃相，万一你讨厌他抠鼻子的样子呢?”

 

安娜皱着眉头说：“抠鼻子?”“然后再吃掉。”克斯托夫补充道。

 

“拜托，先生，”安娜说，“他可是位王子。”克斯托夫摇摇头说：“男人都一个样。”

 

“呃!”安娜做了个鬼脸，“听着，这不重要，我们两个是真爱。”

 

“听起来可不怎么像真爱。”克斯托夫眼睛看着前方说道。

 

“难道你是什么爱情专家吗?”安娜问道。“不，不过我有朋友是。”他回答说。“你居然还有朋友爱情专家?”安娜讽刺地问道。

 

克斯托夫瞪大着眼睛，停下了雪橇。“别说话。”他嘱咐安娜。

 

“不，我要见见你的这些爱情专家朋友。”她兴致高昂地说。

 

克斯托夫连忙用手捂住了安娜的嘴。“我没开玩笑，嘘!”他停了下来，向漆黑的树林里望去。他举起了灯笼。突然，他大喊：“斯特，走，快走!”

 

斯特猛地加速，安娜一下子摔在了后座上。她看到周围黑暗中出现一双双闪着绿光的眼睛。“那是什么?”她轻声问道。

 

“狼。”克斯托夫说。

 

“我们该怎么办?”安娜问道。她看着克斯托夫，自己也做好了准备。

 

“我来处理，”克斯托夫淡定地说，“你只要坐好别掉下去，别被吃掉就行。”

 

“可我想帮忙。”安娜说。“不行。”克斯托夫回答。

 

“为什么不行?”安娜撅着嘴问。

 

“因为我不相信你的判断力。”克斯托夫说。

 

安娜觉得很不服气，问：“你说什么?”

 

正说着，一只恶狼扑上了雪橇，克斯托夫一脚把它踹了下去。“有判断力的人会和一个刚认识的人结婚吗?”

 

安娜愤愤不平。“我们是真爱!”她抡起克斯托夫的琴，朝他的头打去。他躲开了，安娜狠狠地打到了一只扑上来的狼。

 

“嚯!”克斯托夫惊叫道，一不留神，又一只狼扑了上来，咬住了克斯托夫。他从雪橇上掉了下去，拼命拉住雪橇。

 

“克斯豆夫!”安娜惊叫道。“我叫克斯托夫!”他喊道。

 

安娜拿起灯笼，用火点着了雪橇上的毯子，她将燃烧的毯子扔向克斯托夫，狼群从他身后滚落下去。她伸手将他拉上了雪橇。克斯托夫看着她，心有余悸。

 

“你差点把我给烧了。”他说。“差点而已。”安娜回答。

 

突然，斯特长嘶一声。他前面没有路了，他们正朝着一条深深的峡谷奔去。

 

“准备好跳，斯特!”安娜叫道。

 

“你没资格指挥他!”克斯托夫大喊道，“他听我的!”

 

他一把抓住安娜，将她扔到斯特的背上。然后他解开了驯鹿的绳套，大喊一声：“跳!”

 

斯特纵身一跃，背着安娜跳过了峡谷。

 

紧接在他们后面，克斯托夫跟雪橇一起腾空而起。在雪橇掉入峡谷前，克斯托夫猛地一跃，扒住了悬崖的边。他摇摇晃晃地挂在悬崖边上，新雪橇掉进了深深的峡谷，突然燃烧起来。“那是我刚买的啊。”他回头看着雪橇长叹道。这时，他的手在光滑的冰面上滑了一下。“啊，”他惊恐地叫道，“不，不要啊!”

 

突然，一把斧子砸向他扒住的雪里，差点砸到他的脸。他听到上面传来了安娜的声音。

 

“抓紧!”她喊道。

 

斧子被一根绳子拉住，绳子套在了斯特身上。

 

“拉，斯特!”安娜下令道。

 

斯特向后猛拉，将克斯托夫拉上了安全地带。

 

安娜和克斯托夫看着悬崖下燃烧的雪橇，半天没回过神来。“我会赔你雪橇的，还有上面所有的东西。”她许诺说。她伤心地看着克斯托夫说：“另外，如果你不想再帮我了，我能理解。”

 

克斯托夫看着安娜转身离开。斯特在克斯托夫身边，用冰冷的鼻子拱了拱他。

 

“我当然不想再帮她了，”他告诉驯鹿，“事实上，发生了这种事，我以后再也不想帮助任何人了。”他看着安娜转身朝相反的方向走去。

 

“可她一个人会死的。”他压低嗓音，学着斯特的口吻说。

 

克斯托夫看向一旁。“那也跟我没什么关系。”他说。安娜对眼前的路很茫然，不知道该走哪条路。

 

“可如果她死了，就没人赔你新雪橇了。”克斯托夫继续用斯特的口吻说着。

 

他叹了口气。“等一下，”他用正常的声音冲安娜喊道，“我们来了。”

 

安娜露出了笑脸。“真的吗?”她惊喜地问，然后又故作平静地说，“我是说，行啊，你们要跟着就跟着吧。”

 

安娜不确定前方会有怎样的危险，但她很高兴克斯托夫和斯特一起陪着她。

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