Gijrradálvvie
Title: Gijrradálvvie
Characters: Kristoff
Rating: G
Warnings: allusions to death
Summery: His earliest memory of Arendelle is, also, his earliest memory
His earliest memory of Arendelle is, also, his earliest memory. Of course, there is not much to recall (apparently he was five or so at the time) - but he knows his parents were there, and he was in an actual building, and there was an old man splashing water on him.
He later figures out that this was his Baptism, but he’s never truly believed - the old ways were still strong in his tribe, and later on there were trolls and magic, and a single higher power never made much sense to him. His family still called him Áibmu anyway.
His second memory is only a few days later, and it’s the first time he sees Ice Harvesters. It’s almost Gijrragiessie , and there is a great sled in the marketplace stacked up with the sharpest, clearest ice he’s ever seen. He’s entranced, and slips away from his mother and wanders closer with wide eyes.
It’s probably a mistake - because he remembers and angry voice and his father pulling him away by his shoulder.
When he’s older he realises that it was probably the gákti he was wearing more than anything.
It’s another two years before he comes back to Arendelle. His memories now include the great open tundra, reindeer, the echoing sound of vuollie, the smell of meat smoking and the sound of wolves.
At seven years old it’s the wolves he remembers the most. Wolves and his mother’s weeping.
This time, though, he has all the town to himself. And though he can’t speak a word of Norsk it’s the most fun he’s had for months. While the adults went to see the ‘king’- whatever that was - he and Sven go down to the docks. He’s seen water before in lakes and rivers, but never so much. It’s his first memory of the ocean.
He and his mother don’t leave with the rest of the tribe, and he’s never been sure why. Perhaps his mother knew, somehow. He finds the Ice Harvesters again. This time, they are friendlier, and when his mother doesn’t wake up one morning, they are the ones who take him in.
The rest of his memories follow a pattern of ice and carrots and more ice and work songs. He is growing quickly, and it isn’t long before he needs new shoes, and new gloves and his gakti is too short.
Johan is one of the older harvesters. His own children are grown and his wife passed away years ago, so he takes Áibmu in, goes to the church register and finds what his Christian name is and starts calling him Kristoff; feeds him, gets him a new coat and takes him along to the mountain lakes where they work. But it doesn’t feel like family, and it’s only a few months later that Kristoff’s accidentally left behind and discovers the trolls.
The trolls understood his babbling away to Sven in Saami, so it wasn’t long before he’s back to only speaking in the one language. Grand Pabbie, though, insisted that he learn Norsk, and so everyone pitches in to help him, and he also - to Bulda’s delight - picks up the tongue that the trolls have among themselves. By the time he’s ten he has three languages under his belt.
It’s not until he’s fifteen that he re-connects with his own culture, but even to this day he’s far more Troll than Saami.
He’s twenty-one when he meets Anna. Back in the ice business for years and making his way through life happy and probably a bit more isolated than healthy, but on the whole he’s okay.
His childhood is made up of vague memories and lots of green and every now and then he has the opportunity to wear a gakti again - he was gifted to him two years ago by an uncle, who called him Áibmu for the first time in forever and ruffled his hair. And also challenged him to a drinking contest on night in the bear hall, which Kristoff was proud to say he’d won (seriously? He’d been raised by trolls. Trolls are made of stone. Do you have any idea how much alcohol it take to get stone drunk? They drink liquor like water. Literally).
Anna is bubbly and enthusiastic and lonely. Also a bit crazy and has no sense of self-preservation, and he can pin-point the exact moment he falls in love with her when she jumps off a cliff and calls it a trust exercise (and he can see it all of a sudden in his mind’s eye - a little boy with his eyes and her hair and that smile that he thinks belonged to his father).
But in love or not she’s engaged and possibly dying right now, so he has far more urgent issues to deal with - and yes, he’s an idiot for only just realising that this is the girl he saw when he was eight and had a crush on for, like, a year; and hopefully Grand Pabbie can fix her this time as well.
The first (and only) wedding he went to was troll. Trolls live a very long time, so it was kind of exciting that he was around to see it. It was very loud and colourful and the singing went on for ever. It’s one of the most fun nights he can remember.
When he sees Anna in a moss robe and grass crown with crystals around her neck he knows he should say something, but he can’t find the words, and his heard is beating far too fast and something inside of him is bubbling over. Nothing comes of it, though, and he knows, all of a sudden, that there was never a chance, so he takes Anna in his arms and calls for Sven and they race back to Arendelle and to Hans. And as the palace gates close something inside him breaks and he spits out a curse in Saami under his breath before turning away.
But, since nothing in his life ever goes to plan, it isn’t long before he’s rushing back to save Anna and when the storm swirling around the castle collapses in on itself he curses all over again because Anna is white from head to toe and can barely take another step.
It’s not the first time he’s seen someone freeze to death. Harvesting ice is not a safe profession to be in.
In the end it all works out somehow. The kingdom is saved, the Queen get her powers under control, Anna isn’t frozen (although she’s lost the white in her hair, and Kristoff kind of really liked it), and he gets his new sled. And though he’s upset about losing the gifts he received from his siida, he knows that in the end it’s what’s in his heart that counts.
The little boy ends up looking exactly like him, but the girl two years later has her mother’s hair. His remaining Saami family find him again a few years after his wedding and he’s never seen Elsa as surprised before. Anna, by now, has learnt to roll with it.
____
Áibmu - Possibly “Air”
Gijrragiessie - Early Summer - these days 20th June to 10th July
Gákti - Traditional Saami clothing
Vuollie - South Saami joiking (singing)
Siida - Family groups that live and work together
So, Kristoff is South Saami- the real city of Arendal (that the city of Arendelle is based off) is too far south to be in Sápmi, but I think artistic license can be taken here. I also really love the idea of ethnic!Kristoff.