Author's note: It's here! It's finally here! The second half of Frozen: Genderbent! I'm so sorry it took this long, but I wanted to make it as close to perfect as I could! I've actually gone back and hugely edited the past chapters, because they had much room for improvement. Thank you for waiting so patiently my beautiful readers! ENJOY! ; )

Chapter Six - Oka's Trading Post

The once summery woods that had been filled with green grass, vibrant fern trees and butterflies just hours ago was now blanketed with a thick layer of white. Snow had piled up on the forest floor, now waist deep, meaning even horses couldn't trudge through it easily. As Aaron patiently led his horse through the snow slower than cold molasses, he remembered his time here as a boy. The family would often take trips to the woods in summer, before Erik had locked himself away. The brothers would roam through those twisting branches and tree stumps all day, never tiring of each other's presence for a second. That had felt like centuries ago. Now, Aaron was leading a mission alone, to bring his brother back to the kingdom he ran away from, drudging through harsh winter in the middle of June.

"Erik!" he called out, but no one heard, the only listeners being the pure, white snow around him. "It's me, Aaron! Your really sorry brother who didn't mean to make you freeze the summer! I'm sorry, it's all my f-fault..." he stammered through the cold.

He had been searching for hours, all through the night and now it was early morning, the sun high in the sky. Although even its powerful rays couldn't hope to change this winter. Aaron felt another wave of guilt wash over him as he saw just how far this weather went on for. Even as he squinted, there seemed to be snow for hundreds of miles up ahead, if not more. He knew that he had triggered this by angering his brother.

But then again… why hadn't Erik just told him? What was so dangerous about his magic? Sure, he had nearly impaled several people with the sharp spikes that had shot out of his hand earlier, but had no one ever taught him to control his magic?

"Of course, none of this would have happened if he had just told me his secret…" he said to his horse, it being his only companion. "I mean, what's so embarrassing about a superpower? I don't have a superpower. Why don't I have a superpower? That ungrateful little bi-…" he was sent tumbling backwards however, when his horse suddenly reared up in fright, an unseen force causing him to dash off into the distance. "Wait, come back! No no no, you can't just leave me out here!" Aaron called after the traitorous animal. "And now I'm saddled with so much more responsibility. Perfect."

Aaron kept walking all through the day, and now night was beginning to fall. He was soaked and chilled to the bone with no sign of Erik. It was all he could do to keep powering through, constantly lifting each leg high over the over with each step through the unforgiving weather.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks as a quaint cottage came into view, its lamps lit and smoke coming from its chimney. "Oh thank god!" he exclaimed as he set off to make a dash for it, but he slipped and was sent sliding down what was once a grass hill, but was now a cold, wet snow mound with an awaiting, frigid stream at the bottom. "Just when things were looking up, of course. Why did I expect any different..." he rambled on to distract himself from the pain of very possible hypothermia as he pried himself out of the water. His cloak had come untied on his way down and was now nowhere to be seen... like he needed any more mistreatment from the elements, he thought.

Aaron waddled up to the front step of the hut, which proved to be a difficult feat due to how cold he was, having to swing his legs around the wooden steps as, as they were stiff with cold. He looked up at the dangling sign that was covered in snow and gave it a push, revealing the words:

"Wandering Oka's Trading Post..." he read aloud, then noticed another, smaller sign underneath it. "and sauna, huh? How is there not a line from this place?"

Aaron pushed his way into Oka's and was grateful for the warmth. Shivering from the sudden change in temperature, he looked around for whoever owned this place. It seemed to be some kid of pawn shop, with timber shelves displaying items of various contents.

"Yoo-hoo!" came a voice from behind the front counter, and Aaron turned and smiled to find a quite old, plump lady with grey braids popping out from beneath a beanie hat. "Yoo hoo! Big summer blowout. Half off swimming suits, clogs, and a sun-balm of my own invention. Ya?" she gestured to the various items around her.

Aaron only chuckled. "Uh, hi," He began, "I was thinking more like… boots? Winter boots and… I dunno, like a poncho, maybe?" he asked hopefully.

The old lady smiled. "That would be in our winter department." she replied in a thick Swedish accent, and pointed to the farthest corner from the store where only a few items lay.

A pair of snow shoes slipped from their propped-up position and fell to the floor, making the entire section feel even lonelier.

Aaron swallowed his disappointment and made his way over. At least they had something he could use. Arriving at the quote en quote "department", he picked out the only winter gear that was left, being a second hand ice harvesters uniform. It was old, and smelled slightly, but it was thick and warm, and it was made to survive these conditions.

He picked up the ensemble and hauled it to the counter. "Hey, um…" he began, hoping to find some answers from the street about his brother's whereabouts. "Have you seen anyone else come this way? Tall, blonde, distant?" he asked, hoping desperately that this stranger could point him in the right direction.

"Why, I've seen just the person" She replied kindly, a huge smile plastered across her plump, rosy cheeks.

Aaron could have burst on the spot. Was Erik here?! "You have? Where are they?!"

"Well, right outside, m'dear! Oh, I think I see them coming in now!"

Aaron's heart skipped a beat. Erik was here? Why was he here? What would he say to him? He didn't have to worry about a hard journey, it was over already!

Suddenly, a gush of icy wind burst through the entrance as another person entered, closing the door quickly. They were covered from head to toe in thick, grey winter gear; an ice harvester. There must be a lot of them around here, Aaron thought. The figure stalked up to the counter, directly in front of the red-head. They were very much taller than the little prince, and seemed to practically loom right over him, a grey scarf covering half of their face. Aaron leaned back and felt disappointment sink ink and adrenaline slip from his limbs. This person was not his brother.

"Carrots." he heard the person whistle through their frost covered scarf.

"What?" Aaron asked, not hearing them.

"Behind you." the figure replied, to which the red-head looked behind him to find a bundle of carrots on one of the lower shelves. He sheepishly moved aside. The figure flung the carrots on the counter and went to the winter section of the hut, selecting a bundle of rope and a sturdy looking pickaxe.

"What crazy weather we're having. An extra cold July, yes?" said Oka.

"It's June." the harvester replied. Luckily, Oka seemed unfazed by their rudeness.

"Wherever could it be coming from, do you think? The North Pole? Antartica? Atlantic Ocean?"

"The North Mountain." the hooded figure interjected, as if a sudden change of weather was nothing out of the ordinary.

The mention of the name made Aaron think. "The North Mountain?" he breathed. Maybe that's where his brother had gone. Yes, of course! The highest, coldest place in the middle of nowhere! What better place would there be for running away too?

"That'll be ten thousand kroner." said Oka as the harvester placed their items in front of her.

Their eyes widened. "Ten thousand?" the figure exclaimed, "No way! Two thousand!" They argued.

"Oh dear.." Replied Oka, "Not Hygge. You see, prices go up for supply and demand problem."

The figure only scoffed. "You wanna know about a supply and demand problem? I sell ice for a living!" they exclaimed, pointing with a gloved hand to the window where a rusty sled stood dormant with at least a dozen blocks of ice strapped to the back.

Aaron cringed and managed to suck in a snort. "Man, that is... that's unfortunate."

"Still ten thousand kroner honey, apologies," said Oka, "But I throw in visit to family sauna. Yoo-hoo, hi family!" she called to the window-door on the side of the room that led to a sauna, where four people waved back.

"Yoo-hoo!" they exclaimed.

"That's my wife. She's very friendly, would love to have you. Ya?" she offered.

The figure was unfazed. "No thank you. Listen, two's all I got! Could you help me out?" they pleaded.

Oka smiled. "Okay. I give you this and no more." she said, pushing the pickaxe forward. Begrudgingly, the figure took it.

"Okay, just tell me one thing," Aaron asked the person that he couldn't tell if they were a man or a woman. "What was happening on the North Mountain? Did it seem… magical?" He asked, to which suddenly, the figure turned to him and took off their face covering.

Much to Aaron's surprise, the person was a woman. It had been so hard to tell with the thick winter gear and the fact that this person towered over Aaron by at least a few feet, but the soft eyes and pointed lips paired with adorable freckles dotted across their nose gave them away instantly.

"UGH. Yes!" she groaned. "Now back up while I rob this dump-" she blurted out, trying to stop herself from saying the last sentence, but it was too late.

Oka slowly stood up, revealing to be taller than the both of them, her shadow encompassing them. "That was not Hygge…"

The next thing Krista knew, she was being slung over Oka's shoulder and tossed out into the snow. "Okay, okay, I-AAAA!" she exclaimed as she went flying, landing face-first in the cold, wet earth.

"Bye bye, never come again!" Oka sang after her as she waddled back inside.

Krista sat up and shook herself off, her reindeer Sven coming up to her and giving her a huge lick on the face. "No, Sven, I didn't get your carrots," the reindeer let out a snort. "What? No, I didn't mess up the robbery plans again! Why would you…" the reindeer raised an eyebrow. "Okay, you got me. But…" Krista trailed off as her eyes fell on a small, abandoned barn only a few yards away. "I did find us a place to sleep."

Oka waddled back behind the counter.

"I am so sorry about this rash display of violence. To compensate, I give you free jar of Lutefisk, because emotional trauma cannot be ignored and should be treated with fish immediately. Ya?" she smiled, holding out a jar.

Aaron just looked down at it with many questions, one of which being, did she just have jars of fish under the desk that she saved for traumatised customers? But instead, his eyes fell onto the discarded items the woman had left behind. Feeling sorry for her, thief or not, he didn't want to leave her out in the snow with nothing. He had used all his money, so what else could he use? He placed an elbow on the counter and turned to face Oka.

"You accept trades, right?"

Krista led Sven into the nearby barn, which was at least warm with a huge pile of hay to one side and stocks of firewood to the other. Gathering some and starting a small fire using a match from her pocket, she lay down in the hay next to Sven, snuggling into his warm fur. The two had been inseparable ever since she had found him as an infant, separated from his herd and starving. She had given him a carrot and one thing led to another. Ever since then, Krista never went anywhere without him. The two had known each other for so long, it was almost as if Krista could understand what his various grunts and snorts meant as if he was talking to her, and she had always pictured what his voice had sounded like in her head. She knew Sven was always trying to tell her things, and no one else could convince her otherwise.

The act of finding an abandoned place to crash in had become second-nature to the 18 year old by now, and she placed her hands behind her head, knowing she better rest up if she was going to dash out of here in the morning. Feeling the warmth of the fire nearby and the familiar sent of hay, she sunk into a state of relaxation and felt herself begin to drift off.

"You know what, Sven?" she mumbled. "I think reindeers are better than people…" the animal brushed his muzzle into her blonde braids as if in thanks, and Krista smiled as his fur tickled her face. Even though she was more than used to reindeer licks, she couldn't help but laugh every time Sven mistook her nose for a carrot. "Of course, people smell way better than reindeers. Except for me of course…"

A wave of drowsiness washed over her, and she felt the pull of sleep weigh her down… when suddenly, her reverie was shattered as someone entered the barn, letting in a gust of icy wind from outside. Krista jolted awake and sat up, her heart racing. Being caught sleeping in a place she wasn't supposed to be in was no new situation, but it scared her every time, the uncertainty of what awaited her if she got caught. But when they came close and stepped into the light, Krista was relieved to find that it was just the red-head from earlier.

"Did I startle you? I'm so sorry." said Aaron as he walked up to the girl and her reindeer, now in the ice-harvester's uniform he had scored.

"No no, you just gave me a heart attack, that's fine!" she replied. "You're not gonna tell Oka I'm here, are you?" she said in defence, although Aaron could detect a hint of fear in her words.

"No, of course not," he replied. "But, I want you to take me up the North Mountain." he said.

Krista only scoffed. "Good luck with that." she said as she leaned back, draping her beanie hat over her face. "I don't take people places."

Aaron's brow knotted. He was not about to accept another obstacle on this mission. "Okay then, what if I told you the Prince of Arendelle commands it?" he said with crossed arms, a satisfied grin spreading across his face.

Krista moved part of her hat out of the way and opened an eye. "Prince?" she questioned. "So you're that little red-headed twerp all grown up. Alright, I'm listening."

Aaron tried to not be offended by her comment, but he pushed his thoughts aside, especially since she was considering his words. Tossing Krista the sack he had scored from Oka, she opened it to find her pickaxe and rope. Did he paid for these? She thought. He must have pawned that fancy outfit he was wearing.

Krista felt the annoying feel of gratitude deep down inside, knowing she now had to do something to make it up. She looked up at the Prince. "Thank you." she said.

Aaron nodded. "Look, I know how to stop this winter."

Krista couldn't be bothered to question his logic or reasonings. After all, she had her items. She just needed to take someone up a mountain to keep them. No big deal. She had climbed many a mountain in her career, always searching for more ice fjords from the expansive views mountain-tops gave her. It was what led to her gaining extremely thick and strong muscles, and she had crossed entire outcroppings using nothing but two pickaxes and her strength, hundreds of feet in the air.

Sighing in reluctant agreement, she slumped back down on the hay. "We leave at dawn."

"What? Why?" argued the Prince.

"I don't know, because you forgot Sven's carrots!" she exclaimed, only to be hit in the stomach with another snack, this one containing the orange vegetables.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry…" Aaron stammered.

Krista just grunted and picked up a carrot, feeding one half to Sven and saving the rest for herself. "Fine! We leave now." Aaron beamed as Krista begrudgingly got up.