This chapter will contain actual singing. Also, there is a pretty big announcement at the end.
In this chapter it is September, and Elsa may be a little out of character.
Elizabeth Fire Ice Heart: Thank you! I was worried about that. :P
Guest: You're welcome! I hope you like this chapter.
Darkwarrior0416: I'm so happy I could do that for you. You're very welcome. :)
Elsa rode her horse through the burning forest, avoiding thick clusters of trees and piles of ashes.
"Anna? Anna! It's me, Elsa... your sister who didn't mean to make you burn the forest and evaporate the entire fjord!" Elsa avoided another clump of trees. "Of course, none of this would have happened if she had just told me." With a sigh, she continued on. A moment later, a flaming branch snapped and fell in front of the horse, startling him. He looked around, clearly unnerved. Elsa muttered words of encouragement. Just then, a stick snapped in the distance, and glowing eyes peered at them through the trees. Elsa's horse reared, throwing Elsa off of his back and running away. She hadn't seen the glowing eyes, but they blinked and disappeared.
"Oh no. Come back... no..." The horse didn't come back. Elsa waited, hearing his hoof-steps echo in the distance. She stood up with a groan. "I suppose I should find shelter, huh?" she asked no one in particular, beginning to walk.
Hours later, and Elsa was still walking. The sun had set, and the trees on fire had quickly died, leaving glowing embers.
"Why is it so hot?" Elsa wondered, taking her cloak off. She tried to use her magic to cool the air, but nothing happened.
"Why didn't she get rain powers, or something of that sort? It's too hot for this. Whoa!"
Elsa tripped and fell down a hill, her white-blond hair taking on a gray tint and shedding ashes.
"This is no place for a queen," she murmured, getting up. "It's too dangerous."
There was no answer. Elsa looked around, and spotted steam rising from somewhere in the distance.
The wood was scorched, but Elsa had no problem reading what was etched into the building located in the middle of nowhere.
"Wandering Oaken's Trading Post," she read. Looking down, the queen continued. "And sauna? Who would do that? Especially now?"
Elsa walked in, the air becoming a little bit stuffier. Suddenly she heard a voice. "Hoo hoo."
Eyes wide, Elsa looked around and spotted a bright-faced fellow sitting low behind a counter.
"Big winter blowout," he said, "Half off coats, boots, and a moisturizer of my own invention, yah?"
"Yeah..." Elsa echoed. "Um. Has anyone passed this way? Like, the princess?"
"Only one crazy enough to be out in this heat is you, dear?" Oaken said. Suddenly the door flew open. Oaken and Elsa paused for a moment.
"You and this fellow. Hoo hoo!"
The man who entered the trading post walked over to Elsa and leaned forward. "Carrots," he said, though it was muffled by the supposedly cool rag he held in front of his mouth.
"Excuse me?" Elsa asked. The man groaned.
"Carrots," he repeated. "Behind you."
"Oh." Elsa looked behind her and moved out of the way, straightening up and taking a queenly posture.
The man began grabbing supplies, then placing them on the counter.
"Very hot for September, yah?" Oaken said. "Where ever could it be coming from?"
"The North Mountain," the man said.
"The North Mountain?" Elsa murmured to herself, while Oaken counted on his fingertips, every so often looking down at the pile of things the man had placed on the counter.
"That'll be forty."
"Forty? No, ten."
"Oh dear, that's no good. See these are from our summer stock, where supply and demand have a big problem." Pause. "With the weather and all."
The man looked exasperated.
"You wanna talk about a supply and demand problem? I sell ice for a living." He gestured outside to his sled, which had nothing on it but water.
"That's pretty rough, I mean especially with the-." Elsa let the words slip before she knew what she was doing. The man shot her a glare.
"Ahem. That's unfortunate," she continued. The man stared at her. "Hey, aren't you the-"
Elsa interrupted quickly. "No."
"Oookay..." The man turned back to the counter.
"Still forty. But I will throw in a
visit to Oaken's sauna. Hoo hoo!
Hi, family."
Elsa and the man turned to see his family waving from behind the window. "Hoo hoo!" they cried.
"...Ten's all I got. Help me out," the man said. Oaken moved everything aside and isolated the carrots.
"Ten will get you this and no more." The man seethed.
"Excuse me, sir, can you tell me one thing? On the North Mountain, did it seem... magical?" Elsa asked. The man looked at her, removing the rag from in front of his face to reveal none other than Kristoff.
"Yes! Now, back up while I deal with this crook here."
Elsa watched as Oaken revealed his seven-foot stature. Kristoff looked scared for a moment before being thrown out. His reindeer Sven dragged himself over, and nudged Kristoff expectantly.
"No, Sven, I didn't get your carrots."
He spotted a rundown barn a little ways away. He looked back at Sven, who was panting and looked like he was about to faint in the heat. Kristoff pointed.
"But I did find us someplace to sleep. And it's free."
Back inside, Oaken had squeezed back behind the counter and was sitting low again. "I'm sorry about this violence. I will add a quart of lutefisk, so we'll have good feelings."
"Lute...fisk? I'm not buying anything," Elsa said. "But thank you."
"Are you sure?"
Elsa looked at the door.
Meanwhile, Kristoff and Sven were in the barn. It was surprising that the barn hadn't caught fire yet, but it was significantly cooler in there than it was outside. He had a lute with him and began playing.
"Reindeers are better than people," he sang. "Sven, don't you think that's true?"
Sven nodded his head to the music as Kristoff continued, acting as Sven.
"Yeah, people will beat you, and curse you, and cheat you. Every one of them's bad. Except you." Kristoff smiled. "Oh, thanks buddy. But, people smell better than reindeers. Sven, don't you think I'm right?"
As Sven, Kristoff went on. "That's once again true, for all... except you."
"You got me. Let's call it a night."
"Good night."
"Don't let the frost bite... bite." Kristoff trailed off. Suddenly the door opened and he jumped. In came Elsa, who was trying to hide a smirk.
"Nice duet."
"Oh, it's just you. What do you want?" Kristoff asked, leaning back against his pile of hay.
"I need you to take me up the North Mountain."
"I don't take people places." Kristoff closed his eyes. All of a sudden, a bag landed on his stomach. He let out an "Umph!" of surprise and looked at the bag's contents, then at Elsa.
"Take me up the North Mountain."
He looked at her, then settled back down.
"Look, I know how to stop this... heat wave."
Kristoff looked at her again, but once again settled. "We leave at dawn... and you forgot the carrots for Sven."
Suddenly a bag of carrots hit him in the face. He got up. "Ow!"
"We leave now. Right now." Elsa stepped outside and gained her composure, though she didn't want to leave the coolness of the barn. With a snap of her fingers, she tried again to cool the air. It worked, but only for a few seconds. A moment later, Kristoff and Sven walked out of the barn.
"Fine."
Announcement Time: There will be NO update next week, because I will be out of town.
I do not own Anna, Elsa, Elsa's horse, Kristoff, Oaken, Oaken's family, Sven, or the little Mickey Mouse figurine hidden in Oaken's Trading Post. I do not own Frozen. I do, however, own the mysterious creature in the forest.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
~Misfortune