As hiccup shifted along in the knee high snow , he found himself wishing that he had a monstrous nightmare or a deadly nadder with him . He loved toothless and it was fantastic to go on rides with him . But having a fully able dragon did have it's merits. It wasn't dependent on any mechanical apparatus .... He trudged along in the snow . Luckily , his leather boots prevented his foot from freezing over but he could still feel his toes getting numb from the cold.
" Nyeh.... ELSA! IT'S ME ,ANNA! " Hiccup looked around to see Elsa's red headed Sister walking in the snow in a manner similar to a gorilla or an ape as she lifted her leg high above her knew to stop her leg from freezing. Finally seeing a familiar face, Hiccup shouted to Her. " Anna! Hey ! It's me Hic....uh prince haddock! Did you find Queen Elsa yet? " He called out as he walked up to her. As he looked up from his feet to her, his eyes widened in surprise as he saw her running at him as she pushed him, making him lose his balance and fall back first into the snow. " Hey! What was that for?!" He said as her looked up to her glaring.
" you left Elsa when she needed you. . I searched around for you in the castle for your help and you weren't there. Do you even like my sister or do you wanna just get comfortable with the queen?!" Shocked at her outrage and at what she had said. " WHAT!? No ! How could you? I don't. I would nev-- I love El---" he stopped mid sentence as his eyes widened . He had realized what the confusion was about. He had forgotten that he had left to get toothless after the incident with Elsa. He hadn't thought about how it must've looked to everyone else , to have dissapeared without notice like that.
" I'm sorry Princess. I hadn't realized how irresponsible it must have looked to you for me to dissapear when you needed my help. And for that I apologize" he said as he dusted snow off his hair. " And I assure you that I meant no harm. I only sought to find help. My....." he decided not to tell her about toothless " horse is injured and I can't ride him anymore. " Anna's features softened as she listened to his story. Thinking for a moment , she smiled at him " So...you love Elsa huh? " she teased him. She smiled mischievously as she watched his face blushed bright red. " Uh. No. I mean yeah... I mean....ummmm. " he stammered. She helped him by diverting the topic." Snow.... It had to be snow.... she couldn't have powers that covered the fjord in tropical weather and warm--" ." Shelter" Hiccup cut across her; he could see a House in the distance with steam blowing out of its chimney. Looking up, she saw what hiccup was looking at. "Fire! " she breathed . The next moment, she lost her footing as she tumbled down the small snowy cliff that they were standing on. The poor girl fell on her butt into the icy cold stream at the bottom of the hill. Hiccup, making sure that he didn't fall in after her, clambered down the side of the slope towards her.
" Here " he said as he extended a hand to help her up. " Th-than-k you...." she said as she shivered from head to toe. Hiccup stifled a laugh as he looked at her. Her skirt, which was the same as the one she wore from the coronation ceremony, had completely frozen solid in the water from hip- down. "Cold.cold.cold.cold.cold.cold." she shivered as she walked forward towards the house. Hiccup followed her towards the house. As they reached the entrance. She stopped. Her frozen skirt was preventing her from climbing up the the two stairs. Hiccup helped her up. She reached up onto her toes as she tapped a sign board above them. As the snow fell off, it read: Wandering Oakens's Trading post. Noticing there was a smaller boards he shook the snow off it . " Ooh. And sauna! " she exclaimed joyously. Hiccup grinned at her playful remark. A bell rung above them as hiccup opened the door to let them selves in. Looking around, he realized that they were standing in a quaint little shop. "Hoo hoo!" He heard someone call out from behind the counter. They looked around and saw a rather bulky looking man with a red,funny looking moustache sitting at the counter. He was wearing a red cap and a rather colorful sweater. "Big summer blowout! Half off swimsuits, clogs and sun balm, my own invention, ja?" he said cheerfully, as he presented his goods. Hiccup and Anna just stared at him speechlessly, then the princess spoke up.
"Uh... great! But for now, how about winter boots and dresses?" she asked, hoping to get a more insulating outfit than her coronation gown.
"That would be in our winter department." he replied, pointing to the other end of the shop. They turned there only to see a pair of boots, a rope, a pair of racquets and a dress.
"Is it always so empty, or were there many customers today?" Hiccup asked cynically . The man just smiled at him.
"Well, with this sudden cold, winter goods sell good." he answered, before he was addressed by Anna again.
"Uh, excuse me... Mr. Oaken, yes ?" she asked, as she shuffled over to the "winter department" and grabbed the boots and the dress. She waited for him to nod yes, before continuing. "Uh, we were just wondering, did you happen to see another young woman pass through here?" she asked, putting the the dress and boots on the counter.
"Like... I don't know... the Queen, perhaps?" Hiccup added.
"Only you two are crazy enough to be out in a weather like this." Oaken answered, then he heard the bell above his door ring again, signaling the entrance of another customer. The three turned to the door to see a man covered in snow from head to toe entering. Hiccup and Anna looked at him in a disturbed way, while Oaken just kept up his cheerful face. "You two and this fellow. Hoo hoo! Big summer blowout!"
The man , who was mabye a few inches taller than hiccup, ignored Oaken and walked up to the counter, and stopped directly before Anna and Hiccup. The two looked at him awkwardly, before they heard the stranger speak.
"Carrots." he grumbled from behind his scarf. The princess and the viking prince looked at him in confusion. What was he mumbling about?. "Behind you." he elaborated. The two turned around to see a bunch of carrots behind them under the counter.
"Oh, sorry." Anna said as they made way for him to grab the vegetables and place them on the counter.
"Ohh. A real howler in July , ja?" Oaken said to him. "Where do you think it could have come from."
"From the North Mountain." the man replied, as he picked up the ropes from the winter department. This caught Hiccup's and Anna's interest.
"North Mountain..." they said together as they looked at each other. The North Mountain was a perfect place for someone who wanted to get away. Hiccup caught a glimpse of it when he was zipping around on toothless earlier . He remembered where it was, but getting there could be problematic. The man placed the rope on the counter, next to the carrots and was about to pay, when Hiccup butted in.
"You know, buddy, we were here first." everyone turned to look at him. "What?" he asked them.
"Don't be rude!" Anna told him. He raised an eyebrow.
"I shouldn't be rude? He stole our place." Anna rolled her eyes at him .
The man ignored them and turned towards Oaken to pay. "That would be forty." he told him on his usual cheerful voice. "Forty?" the man asked in shock. "No ten!" . "Oh no, that won't do." Oaken replied. "You see, this is from my winter stock, and their supply and demand have a big problem."
"You want to talk about the supply and demand problem? I sell ice for a living." the conversation was interrupted by a chuckling Anna.
"Wow! That's a tough business to be in right now. I mean that is really....." she cut herself off when she saw the stranger and hiccup narrowing their eyes at her, making her feel awkward. "That's unfortunate." she finished sheepishly. Hiccup raised an eyebrow. He's selling ice for a living? Who would want to buy ice?
"Still forty. But I will throw in a visit to the Oaken sauna." He turned around and waved into the direction of said sauna, which a family of five was currently using. "Hoo-hoo! Hi family!" The family returned Oaken's gesture and Oaken, Anna and Hiccup waved back. "Ten's all I got." said the man. "Help me out." . "Ok." Oaken pushed the carrots in front of him and pulled the rope away. "You can have this for ten, but no more." he said and the man groaned . Clearly that wasn't the deal he expected. "Ok. Tell us one thing." Anna chirped in suddenly, much to the stranger's annoyance. "What happened at the North Mountain... did it seem... magical?".Annoyed he pulled this face scarf off to reveal his face as he turned and scoffed at us. "Yes!" he snapped at her a bit. "Now back up, while I deal with this crook here!"
However, their attention soon turned to Oaken, as he slowly stood up from his chair, revealing his actually quite frightening size. He must've been bigger than Stoick, now that hiccup thought about it. Hiccup and Anna backed away, not wishing to be on the receiving end of his wrath, because he sure wasn't happy with the term the blond stranger used to describe him.
" Vat did you.... call me?" He questioned as the blonde man gulped looking up at him. With a swift motion. He grabbed the man by his hips and lifted him onto his shoulders easily as he trotted out of the shop . " Bye bye!" He heard them say. He returned to them , "I apologize for this atrocity. I must have good feelings." Oaken said as he sat back behind the counter. "So, just the boots and the dress, ja?"
Anna was about to reply, when she paused after opening her mouth. Then she furrowed her brows in deep thought and then said" No. We'll buy the carrots and axe as well. " she placed a bag of coins on the table.
Hiccup wasn't entirely sure what the princess was planning this time, but if there was one thing he learned about Princess Anna during this half day, it was that once she decided to do something, there was no force on heaven on earth that could stop her. And he thought vikings had stubbornness issues. Maybe her ancestors included some vikings. When Anna paid for the mountain equipment and the carrots, Hiccup exactly knew what she was intending to do. "I assume these are for the guy Oaken just threw out." He said, trying to keep up with the princess, who made him carry all the stuff.
"You catch on fast. " she said as she lead the way. " Barely anyone ever goes to the North Mountain. If we get a guide, all the better, is it not?". Well, if he had Toothless with him, hiccup though , this whole thing would be already over. He could have flown to the North Mountain by himself - and his dragon, of course - but fate wanted it this way. Well, that doesn't mean he can't have some fun, does it?"
"You know, that's actually a very good idea." he said. Anna looked at him in surprise, " Really?" She exclaimed happily as they made their way towards a barn outside the shop. They saw foot tracks leading to it and guessed that the ice man had taken refuge there. " Shh... " he said as they reached the door of the barn. "Listen" he whispered as he pressed an ear on the door, the man seemed to be having duet with himself. " ....donnnn't let the frostbite biiiiiiitttteeee" he heard him sing . Before he could stop her, anna thew the door open and rushed inside. Seeing the ice man's bewilderment, he snickered a little. " Nice duet..." she said. " It's you two . What do you want ?" He groaned. " I want you to take us up the north mountain. " she said. Eyeing them suspiciously, he retorted " I don't take people places. " and with that he placed his beanie back on his eyes as he tried to sleep. To his surprise, anna grabbed the bag containing the axe and snow equipment and threw it at the man's face. " Oof!" He said, clearly annoyed. Hiccup saw her straighten up and order him. " let me rephrase that. TAKE us up the north mountain. Please " . He groaned at them. Hiccup was losing his patience as he spoke up "look. We know how to stop this winter.". Finally giving in, the man obliged as he sulked. " uhh. We leave in the morning.... And you forgot the carrots for sven ..." he added snobbishly. Slightly annoyed, hiccup whispered" may i?" to anna, raising the bag of carrots. She smiled and nodded mischievously. He threw the bag of carrots onto the man's face. As he looked at Anna reproachfully, she completed " We leave now!.... " . "Right now." She added, a little unsure of herself. And with that she nodded at hiccup and walked outside. Slightly amused, he turned to face the man. He was feeding a carrot to his reindeer . As he bit off the same carrot ( much to hiccup's disgust) " Is she always like this? " he asked hiccup. He shrugged as he helped him prepare his sleigh. " I'm hiccup , by the way. " he introduced himself. He didn't want any more people call him prince Haddock. " the name's Kristoff. " they shook hands.
A few minutes later, they were out rinding out on the snow. Anna sat in the front seat with Kristoff while hiccup was forced to sit in the back seat. " Hang on.... We like to go fast!" Kristoff said to them excitedly. " We like fast! " Anna said as she stretched out her legs on the dash. " Hey. Hey. Whoa... take your feet down. That's fresh lacquer. Seriously, Were you raised in a barn? " he asked as he spit on the dash , trying to wipe the smudge clean. Anna wiped his saliva that had ricoheted onto her face"No ,we were raised in castles ".
Hiccup had a feeling that they were going to get along really well. This wasn't the type of travel Hiccup was used to, but he had to admit it was pleasant. Event though flying was an experience that he could never get enough of, it took all of his time so he could never admire the beauty the land had to offer. And if he was going to be honest, the sight of everything covered in snow and frost looked even before beautiful.