A Frozen Heart

by Elizabeth Rudnick

  In the distance, a wolf howled.

  Anna scrambled to her feet and brushed the snow off her dress. Taking a deep breath of very cold air, she looked ahead. Then she looked back at her retreating horse. A small part of her wanted to run after him and just go home. Find Hans and have him wrap her in his warm embrace. Maybe have Cook make some of her delicious hot glogg. Put on her slippers…

  Anna shook her head. She wasn’t going to turn her back on Elsa. Even if it meant walking alone, in the dark, in the snow…

  Another wolf howled.

  The long walk back to Arendelle would have to wait.

  Anna had come to the conclusion that the three things she hated the most in the world were ärtsoppa, people who were mean to animals, and snow. Snow was at the very tip-top of her list. She would actually have made it all three of her least favorite things, but she did remember a time that she had liked playing in the fluffy stuff. So in honor of the memories, she had only listed it once. At number three.

  She had been walking for hours, and while she knew she must be making headway, it felt like she had gone nowhere. The landscape looked the same. A mountain. Snow-covered trees. Snow-covered ground. It didn’t change. The only difference now was that Anna was colder and her feet were sorer than they had been hours ago.

  “Snow. It had to be snow,” Anna said, taking another painful step up the mountain. “She couldn’t have had tr-tr-tropical magic that covered the f-f-fjords in white sand and…” Her voice trailed off as she reached the top of a small rise. In the distance, she saw the most wonderful sight in the whole wide world—smoke! And where there was smoke, there was usually…“Fire!” Anna shouted, jumping up and down excitedly.

  Unfortunately, Anna’s toes were numb and didn’t quite comprehend the concept of jumping. With a cry, she fell and began tumbling down the hill. Her roll was only stopped when she landed—splat—in an icy stream. Anna fought through the shivers that made her shake all the way to her fingertips. She had seen a fire, which meant there had to be people close by. Maybe people with warm things.

  Getting to her feet, Anna double-timed it in the direction of the smoke. By the time she arrived in a clearing in the woods, her dress was frozen stiff and she had to keep reaching up to her face to make sure her nose was still there. In the middle of the clearing was a small log cabin with several outbuildings behind it. A sign that read WANDERING OAKEN’S TRADING POST hung out front. Shuffling over, Anna smiled when she saw the smaller sign underneath that read SAUNA. She had most definitely stumbled upon a good place to stop.

  I’ll go in, get some supplies, sit in the sauna for a bit, maybe get a snack—Anna stopped herself. This was no time for saunas or snacks. I need to keep looking for Elsa, she thought as she made her way up the front steps of the store. I can get a snack for the road. Elsa may be a little mad at me at the moment, but she wouldn’t want me to starve to death. Freeze, maybe, but not starve.

  Cautiously, Anna pulled open the door and stepped through. The door, heavy from the snow, slammed shut, hitting her in the butt and sending her flying into the middle of the store. That was a quiet entrance, Anna thought, rubbing her backside. Shrugging, she looked around. It wasn’t a very large shop, and what supplies it had all seemed to be for summer. Fishing rods, bathing suits, dresses…

  “Hoo-hoo!”

  Startled, Anna whipped around. A large man with a bright red beard and rosy cheeks sat behind the shop’s counter. He was wearing a sweater that appeared a few sizes too small and a hat that barely covered his head. This had to be Oaken of Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post. He gave Anna a big salesman’s smile. Then he gestured to the shelves she had just been looking at. “Big summer blowout,” Oaken said in a singsong. “Half off swimming suits, clogs, and a sun balm of my own invention, yah?” His eyebrows raised hopefully.

  “Oh, uh, great,” Anna said, trying to be polite. “For now, how about boots? Winter boots…and dresses?”

  Oaken looked disappointed. “That would be in our winter department.” He raised a finger and pointed to another part of the store. A much smaller, less stocked part of the store. The winter section contained exactly one outfit, a pickax, and one lonely pair of boots that Anna prayed were close to her size.

  Well, beggars can’t be choosers, Anna thought as she went over and picked up the clothes and the boots. “Um, I was just wondering,” she said over her shoulder. “Has another young woman, the queen perhaps, I don’t know…maybe, uh, passed through here?” She brought her new gear up to the counter.

  Oaken shook his head. “Only one crazy enough to be out in this storm is you….”

  In challenge, the door once again swung open. What might have been a very large man, though it was hard to tell through the thick layer of snow and ice, blew in.

  “You and this fellow,” Oaken continued with a shrug. Then he looked at the ice man. “Hoo-hoo! Big summer blowout.”

  The man ignored Oaken and walked right up to Anna. She took a startled step back. This guy clearly knows nothing about personal space, Anna thought. She couldn’t help noticing, however, that his eyes, which were the only feature visible at the moment, were a deep brown, like the rich mahogany shelves that lined the library walls, and his shoulders were broad and looked strong. She also noticed he smelled a bit like…reindeer?

  “Carrots,” the man said.

  Anna raised an eyebrow. “Huh?” she replied.

  “Behind you,” he explained.

  “Oh, right. Excuse me,” Anna apologized. Stepping out of the way, she watched as the man grabbed a bunch of carrots and unceremoniously tossed them onto the counter. Then he began to move about the small shop, gathering other supplies.

  Well, he’s awfully rude, Anna thought as the man crashed through the place like a snow-covered bull in a not-so-fancy china shop.

  While Anna was bothered by the stranger’s behavior, Oaken seemed unfazed. He simply bagged up the supplies as the man threw them. “A real howler in July, yah?” he said, holding up the ice pick. “Wherever could it be coming from?”

  “The North Mountain,” the other man replied matter-of-factly.

  The North Mountain, Anna repeated to herself. The storm was bursting out of the North Mountain. That could only mean one thing. Elsa has to be there! Anna grew excited. This was just the kind of clue she needed. Now she had a destination. She looked down at her meager supplies. Just not a way to get there, really. Hearing raised voices, Anna looked over at the two men. Oaken was holding up four fingers.

  “Forty?” she heard the snow-covered man say. He shook his head. “No. Ten.”

  Oaken was having none of it. “Oh, dear,” he said in a voice as sweet as pie. Then he shrugged. “That’s no good. See, these are from our winter stock, where supply and demand have a big problem.”

  Anna could have sworn she saw steam begin to rise off the man when he realized Oaken wasn’t going to barter. Then he shook himself like a dog coming out of the water. Snow and ice fell to the ground, revealing a young man probably a few years older than her with rosy cheeks and thick blond hair. He had on a gray fur-lined vest and a thick wool sweater that looked, Anna had to admit, well used but very, very cozy. “You want to talk about a supply and demand problem?” he asked. “I sell ice for a living.” He pointed out the window. Following his fingertip, Anna saw a sled filled with ice, which was currently being covered in snow. And a reindeer. That explains the smell, Anna thought, raising an eyebrow.

  “Ooh! That’s a rough business to be in right now,” Anna said. “I mean, that is really…” Her voice trailed off as the young man shot her a look. She coughed. “That’s unfortunate.” She felt sorry for the stranger.

  Oaken, however, did not. “Still forty. But I will throw in a visit to Oaken’s sauna.” He pointed to a steamed-up glass door on the other side of the store. But it wasn’t steamy enough to hide the family sitting inside. Anna waved awkwardly and then looked away. It didn’t seem quite the incentive she had first thought.

&nbs
p; “Ten’s all I got,” the man said, holding out his meager money. “Help me out.”

  Oaken paused, and for a moment, Anna wondered if he was going to change his mind. But then he simply grabbed the carrots and separated them from the rest of the supplies. “Ten will get you this and no more.”

  While Anna was more than happy to let the pair negotiate until the sun came up, she was eager to get on her way. And to get a few more answers. “Just tell me one thing,” she said, tugging on the young man’s sleeve. “What was happening on the North Mountain? Did it seem…magical?”

  “Yes!” the young man said as he rolled up the sleeves of his sweater and raised his fists. Then he glared at Oaken. “Now, back up while I deal with this crook here.”

  As Anna watched, Oaken stood up, offended by the other man’s name-calling, and unceremoniously threw him out the front door. Her mind was racing. She had to figure out what to do next. Elsa was definitely up on the North Mountain somewhere. She just didn’t know where exactly. But the ice guy seemed to know.…

  As Oaken turned back and began to wrap up her boots and outfit, Anna looked at the young man’s abandoned supplies and smiled. She knew just what to do. Now if only she could get a certain reindeer-scented ice seller to agree.

  It didn’t take Anna long to find the ice harvester. The first giveaway was the human-shaped indent in the snow outside the store, followed by the footprints leading toward a small outbuilding. The second giveaway was auditory: Anna could hear singing coming from inside the small building.

  Anna slowly approached and peeked through the open door. She saw the man lying back on a big pile of hay, as though he didn’t have a care in the world. Next to him was a large reindeer with huge antlers who appeared to be…smiling? Interesting, Anna thought. Even more interesting was the singing coming from the man. He kept changing his voice, sometimes singing as “Sven,” who Anna assumed was the reindeer, and sometimes singing as himself. Not wanting to interrupt, Anna waited for him to finish before she entered the barn.

  “Nice duet,” Anna said.

  The man bolted upright. Then, seeing who it was, he relaxed once more, lying back on the hay. “Oh, it’s you,” he said, placing his hands behind his head. “What do you want?”

  “I want you,” Anna said, daring him to challenge her, “to take me up the North Mountain.”

  “I don’t take people places,” he replied, not at all daunted by Anna’s stare. He closed his eyes.

  So he wants to play that game, Anna thought as she looked down at the man. Does he think I’ve never in my life had to do something like this? Well, technically she had never had to do something like this. But that wasn’t the point. The point was that she’d figured this ice harvester character wouldn’t be the easiest to deal with and so she had thought ahead.

  “Let me rephrase that.” As Anna spoke, she picked up a heavy bag of supplies that she had carried from Oaken’s shop and tossed it at him. It landed with a thud right on his lap. Not too shabby, Anna thought, turning back to the ice gatherer. “Take me up the North Mountain…please?” She couldn’t help it: the “please” just slipped out. Years of etiquette lessons were ingrained in Anna. Her manners just seemed to come out, whether she wanted them to or not.

  When the man still didn’t say yes, Anna sighed. “Look, I know how to stop this winter,” she explained.

  At that, the harvester seemed to perk up. “We leave at dawn,” he replied without hesitation. Then he held up the bag. “And you forgot the carrots for Sven.”

  But Anna hadn’t forgotten the carrots. They were right next to her. Grabbing them, she threw them at the man—hard. The orange vegetables hit him square in the face. “Oops! Sorry! I didn’t mean—” She caught herself. She was sorry, but she wasn’t about to let him know that. She needed to look strong and in charge. She put her hands on her hips. “We leave now. Right now.”

  Turning, she walked back outside. I really hope that worked, Anna thought as she waited to see if he would follow her. Because if it didn’t—she looked up into the darkness of the North Mountain—I’m in for a very long, lonely walk.

  Anna heard an exaggerated sigh from behind her, followed by the man’s thumping footsteps as he gathered his things.

  Yes! Anna cheered—silently, of course.

  As the man emerged from the barn, he turned to Anna. “Well, if we’re going to head up a treacherous mountain into a magical July blizzard, I should probably know your name.”

  “Oh! I’m Anna. Er, the princess of Arendelle. My sister’s kind of the queen. And she may be…might be…causing this storm,” Anna said, her confidence melting away the farther she got into her story. Instead of trying to explain anything more, she turned the question back around on her guide. “And I suppose you’re some super-special master ice harvester?”

  “The name’s Kristoff,” he replied. “And I do happen to be a pretty great ice harvester, now that you mention it. In fact, I hold the Arendelle record for the most ice delivered in one day!”

  Anna raised an eyebrow. “Is that supposed to be impressive?” Anna thought about her life in the castle. Ice had always just been there when she needed it. She’d never really thought about how it got there. Or what it might be used for other than cooling drinks. “I mean, people can’t need that much ice, can they?” she asked.

  Apparently, that was not the right thing to say. Kristoff’s already red cheeks grew redder, and he sputtered in disbelief. “People can’t need that much ice?” he repeated. “Lady, people need loads of ice. Loads and loads. And harvesting it is not exactly easy. Have you ever tried to move a block of ice?” Anna shook her head. “I didn’t think so. They are heavy! Really heavy. Right, Sven? Sven?”

  Anna turned her head. The reindeer had emerged from the barn, still chewing on a ridiculously large clump of hay. Hearing his name, he looked up. Wisps of hay dangled from his antlers and out of his mouth, making him resemble a reindeer-shaped scarecrow.

  “I can tell it’s a very serious business,” Anna said, trying not to laugh.

  “It is a serious business,” Kristoff snapped, his temper flaring. It only made Anna smile more. “How do you think your precious food at the castle stays cool? Magic?”

  Anna cringed, the words hitting too close to home. Kristoff’s mention of magic had brought it all rushing back. “I didn’t know,” she said softly. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, no,” Kristoff said, realizing that he had touched a nerve. “I’m the one that’s sorry. I didn’t mean it…I just, well…sometimes I say the wrong thing. I spend a lot of time with just Sven, and, well, he’s not always the best conversationalist….”

  The reindeer let out a loud harrumph and knocked the ice harvester to the ground.

  Despite the somber turn the conversation had taken, Anna had to laugh. The reindeer was adorable, and Kristoff struggling to apologize was pretty cute, too. “Well, do you want to make it up to me?” she finally asked.

  Kristoff smiled as he threw their supplies into the back of his sled. “Let’s get going.”

  AFTER THE SLIGHTLY rocky start, Hans was now getting quite comfortable as temporary leader of Arendelle. With the help of Gerda and the other household staff, he had turned the Great Hall into a relief station, complete with warm clothes and food to comfort both the townsfolk who couldn’t reach their homes and the many foreign guests who were now trapped in the frozen kingdom. He just had a few more things to take care of inside before he could go back out and announce that the relief station was open.

  It had only been a few hours since Queen Elsa had turned the world white, and already things inside the kingdom’s walls were beginning to descend into chaos. In the courtyard Hans had seen men and women fighting over scraps of wood while their children stood by, shivering. He had seen one sneaky-looking young man blatantly take a pile of wood when the people fighting were too busy to notice. And really, it wouldn’t matter if they were fighting or not. Wood was scarce. He had considered sending men out to gather f
irewood, but it was the dead of night, and he didn’t want to risk losing anyone in the darkness. When their supply of wood ran out, that would be it till morning.

  That was why Hans was pleased to offer people a warmer place to go for the night. True, the Great Hall was drafty in the relentless wind, and even the thickest of windows and curtains couldn’t keep out the strong chill, but it was better than nothing. Yes, Hans thought as he checked the glogg one more time to make sure it was hot, this will be just what the people need. And just what I need, he mused, to ensure that my position becomes less temporary and more permanent.

  I wonder how Anna is doing, he thought suddenly. Pondering his future position here in Arendelle made it impossible not to think of his fiancée. She clearly hadn’t found her sister yet, as the snow was still falling. Or if she had, things weren’t going well. Elsa’s powers were impressive. And Anna had none. If the pair were to face off…Well, it most likely wouldn’t end well for his betrothed. The thought of something happening to Anna sent a shiver down his spine. If she didn’t come back, how would he secure control of Arendelle?

  Hearing a noise behind him, he turned and saw Gerda entering the Great Hall. She was holding out a pile of cloaks. He nodded. It was time to get outside and help “his” people.

  Hans made his way out of the castle and down into the crowd. “Cloak,” he called out. “Does anyone need a cloak?” The people flocked to him, their arms outstretched. Soon people were thanking him and trying to hug him. They were no longer questioning who he was. Now Hans heard people calling him “savior” and “hero.”

  “Arendelle is indebted to you, Your Highness,” Gerda said. She had been beside him the entire time, and now she looked up at him, a smile on her face.

  Hans smiled back at Gerda, pleased by how natural “Your Highness” sounded as she addressed him. He looked back at the crowd. “The castle is open,” he said, his voice loud and steady. “There’s soup and hot glogg in the Great Hall. Please, go in and get warm.”