(Author's note: As always, thank you for the positive feedback! It encourages me to keep writing.)
"Alright. I'll be right back, Sylvie."
Eighteen-year-old Anna stepped out of the cheap wooden sled that Sylvie was pulling, slinging her apothecary's bag over her shoulder. The sudden snow and ice cover was a rude awakening for her, as it was meant to be the day that she gathered most of the toadstools that she needed. The woman wasn't exactly planning on having her main source of income freeze over in the middle of summer. Luckily, she was dressed for a fairly chilly Arendelle morning. She didn't have much meat on her bones despite her muscle tone, so she had to dress in layers to keep from freezing. She wore a sleeveless dark green tunic lined with brown fur, and her legs were kept warm with thick gray wool pants, tucked into hiking boots.
The sudden change in weather warranted an unplanned visit to Oaken's Trading Post, and financial anxiety was creeping into Anna's mind. She wasn't particularly wealthy, and she often sold all of her winter clothes in the spring and sold her summer clothes in the autumn in order to save enough money to buy needed supplies. Her belongings were always cheap but well-loved, especially her sled. Today, she would probably have to spend the majority of her savings on winter supplies.
"Hoo-hoo, Anna!" Oaken greeted her as she entered.
"Hoo-hoo." She answered as she usually did.
She placed a long-sleeve brown shirt, thick socks, a lantern, and a thick wool hat on the table as soon as she found them.
"Do you still have that lacquer?" She asked hopefully.
Oaken smiled and produced a brown barrel from beneath the counter, labeled "Oaken's Lacquer" in messy handwritten letters.
"Ja. Still same price, fifty."
Anna bit her lip. She had been coveting the lacquer for nearly two years now, but she knew that now wasn't the time for impulse spending. Before she could answer, the door to the shop slammed open and a large Nordic man was standing in the doorway, covered in a thick layer of snow. He was far too formally dressed for the occasion, dressed in a dark suit with black dress shoes and a wimpy burgundy scarf.
"Hoo-hoo?" Oaken called. The blonde man didn't answer and wordlessly sludged through the store, rummaging through the barren winter section.
Anna stared at the man for a moment before returning her attention to Oaken. "Okay. Hm. I'll take these, I need to think about the lacquer."
Anna's coin purse felt uncomfortably light after the transaction, but after dressing in the small changing room, she could tell it was worth it for the extra warmth. When she emerged, the snow-covered man had grabbed an ice pick, rope, a hat, and a much thicker navy coat and had set them down on the counter.
"I'm looking for my brother, have you seen another man come through here? White hair, purple coat?" He asked.
"No. Only you and Anna are crazy enough to be out in this storm." Oaken gestured to her before counting out the man's supplies, "Okay. That will be fifty." The jolly man requested, holding out a large hand.
"Fifty? No, I… I only brought twenty. Please, I can pay you back another day." The man pleaded.
"Oh dear, no... I'm sorry, we don't have credit here. Twenty will get you the pick."
"Come on, please. I need to get to the king so I can stop this winter."
This was enough to pique Anna's interest. She was out of luck if she had to deal with two winters in a row. "You know what's causing this?" She asked.
"Yes, it's my brother, he has… powers." He sighed. "I just have to find the source of where the snow is, so I can get him to bring back the summer."
"Most of the cold is blowing in from the north mountain. Something strange is going on up there." She informed him, having seen the clouds roll in herself.
"Hoo-hoo? Will you take the hook or not?" Oaken interrupted.
"Sorry, let me deal with this crook first-"
Before Anna could snap her fingers, the blonde man was once again out in the snow, tossed out by Oaken, who merely dusted off his hands with a smile.
"I'm sorry for this violence. So, will this be all?"
Anna could hear him just fine, but her focus remained on the window, where she could see the blonde man struggling to his feet, his arms wrapped tightly around his chest for warmth. She felt a pang of pity for him, as he did seem truly determined to find his brother, but completely incapable of doing so. Her gaze wandered back to the supplies the man left behind, and she knew what she needed to do.
"You said this would cost fifty?"
"Ja."
She cast one sorry glance back at the barrel of lacquer.
"Alright. I'll take all this too, then."
Prince Kristoff looked like a premature hamster lost in a box of packing peanuts. Even with his new sense of direction, he moved through the snow at the pace of a slug, struggling to keep his scarf from blowing off. Anna fumbled with the heavy load she was now carrying, stumbling to her sled and finally slamming the bag down on the floor. Sylvie brayed curiously.
"Looks like we're taking a little detour, Sylvie. To the north mountain." Anna chimed. "But it's so warm back home. Yeah, but somebody needs our help, and they know how to bring summer back. But he doesn't look very nice. You can't judge people by their covers, let's just go."
Anna urged Sylvie forward, pulling up alongside the prince.
"I can take you to the north mountain." She called.
"I don't want your help." He grumbled in response, defiantly turning his head away.
As Kristoff rejected her, he found himself tripping over a snow-covered rock, and he couldn't stumble to his feet quickly enough to play it off.
"Hey. Here."
She tossed the loot at him as soon as he looked back, and he tumbled backward with the force of the hit, covering his entire back in snow.
"Oh, oh gosh, sorry!" Anna couldn't help but laugh. Kristoff rifled through the bag, looking angrier than expected.
"Why are you giving me this?" He demanded to know.
He eyed her with suspicion, but she only chuckled and patted the spot next to her. Sylvie brayed in protest at the suggestion, but a quick tug on the reigns silenced her.
"Alright, Prince Towhead. You look pathetic, and you're getting in my sled."
"What did you just call me?" His face contorted into the look of someone who might be offended, the only problem being that Kristoff had no idea what towhead actually meant.
"Just get in!" Anna pulled the sled up alongside the struggling man and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him inside the sled.
"Hey, I-!" He took a moment to consider his situation and finally relented, placing his items on the floor and crossing his arms over his chest defiantly. "Fine. I'll let you help me."
"Riiight. And I'll let you get to the north mountain in one unfrozen piece."