Olaf was having so much fun on his adventure with Sven! In fact, the duo was making good time as Sven marched up the mountain. With the sleigh empty and only a little snowman to carry, the work was easy for the reindeer. So Sven used the time to take in his surroundings.
Up on Sven’s back, Olaf was enjoying the scenery, too. He hadn’t been on the mountain for some time. It was nice to see that the trees were full of leaves and the grass underneath Sven’s hooves was bright green. Birds chirped, and every so often a squirrel or rabbit would peek its head out and watch the duo as they passed by.
Finally, after they had walked for quite a while, the forest began to thin. The air got colder, and soon they found that the ground was no longer green but rather white with snow. “Look at that, Sven! We must be almost there,” Olaf said. The reindeer let out a pleased harrumph. “Now we just need to find the lake,” Olaf cheered.
With a nod, Sven pulled the sleigh along, turning this way and that. He knew the route well, and after a few minutes, they arrived at the lake.
Letting out a happy yelp, Olaf jumped off Sven’s back, unhooked his friend from the sleigh, and quickly made his way to the edge of the lake. Sven followed close behind.
Both Olaf and Sven were surprised by what they found: they didn’t have to worry about cutting any ice blocks, because a huge pile had already been cut and the blocks were scattered along the shore! “We’re so lucky, Sven!” Olaf said. “Kristoff must have cut too many blocks on his last trip—which means we can just deliver them today. This will be so easy!”
Of course, there was another teensy, tiny problem that wasn’t very teensy and wasn’t very tiny. Kristoff’s blocks of ice were very big and very heavy. How would Olaf and Sven be able to gather them all up and put them in the sleigh?
Sven watched as Olaf walked around and mumbled to himself about all the possibilities. Sven knew his snowman friend could come up with some inventive ideas, but he also knew that Olaf didn’t have to figure out this one alone. It was just like when Kristoff was younger and needed Sven’s help to gather ice. Sometimes it went smoothly; sometimes one of them ended up wet and cold. However, working as a team always, well, worked. Sven and Olaf could work together, too.
Sven walked over to Olaf and let out a loud “Harrumph.”
The snowman stopped. “What is it, Sven? Can’t you see I’m trying to figure out how the Official Substitute Arendelle Ice Master and Deliverer should collect the ice?”
“Harrumph!” Sven replied.
“Oh, you have an idea?” Olaf asked.
Sven nodded. He shook his big body, causing the harness buckles to jangle. Then he pointed his antlers at the ice.
Olaf laughed. “I don’t think we should stop and play a game right now! But maybe later, okay?”
Once again, Sven shook his harness. And again he pointed his antlers at the ice. Olaf still wasn’t getting it, so Sven pawed at the snow, drawing a semicircle with his front hoof. Finally, he looked back at his harness.
“Oh, I see!” Olaf squealed. “You think we should take the harness and turn it into a loop?”
Sven nodded.
“And then we will use the loop to pull the ice?”
Again Sven nodded.
“Sven, you’re a genius! I knew we would make a great team!”
The reindeer puffed up his chest proudly.
“Let’s get to work!” Olaf exclaimed.
Sven knelt down next to Olaf, who reached out for the harness buckles. Sven waited patiently as the snowman fastened the straps. “Look at us, Sven! Kristoff is going to be so proud. I hope Anna and Kristoff are having a nice time on their picnic.”
When Olaf was done fastening the straps and talking about how fun today was turning out to be, Sven was happy to see the harness was connected so that it created a perfect loop. He picked up the loop in his teeth and dragged it over to a block of ice.
As he had done in the stables, Sven nodded his head up and down until finally, with one big last nod, he looped a block of ice. He pulled it to the sleigh. Then he did it again, and again, and again until they had a bunch of ice blocks ready to be loaded onto the sleigh.
“Thanks, Sven!” Olaf said when the reindeer was done. “I can take it from here.” He scurried over to the first block. He brushed his hands off. He placed them on the ice. And he pushed and he shoved. Then he pushed and shoved some more. The ice didn’t budge. “Don’t worry, Sven. I think this piece is just stuck in a rut. I’ll try another.”
Olaf walked over to a second block of ice. Then he pushed. He shoved. And he pushed and shoved some more. Just like before, the ice didn’t budge. He pushed each block, and each time it was the same result. Olaf was just not strong enough to move the ice.
Luckily, while Olaf was busy trying to push the ice, Sven had also been busy. Knowing that Olaf probably couldn’t lift the ice blocks, Sven was trying something different. He found two fallen logs and, using his antlers, pushed them together so they were propped at an angle against the sleigh, creating a ramp. Then he walked back to Olaf, who was still vainly pushing a block of ice.
“Harrumph?” he snorted.
“You want to help? Sure, that’d be great!” Olaf said.
So Sven showed him. Leaning his large head down, he began to push one of the blocks with his antlers. Slowly at first, and then faster, the ice began to move forward, until Sven had pushed it close to the ramp. Then, placing the tips of his antlers underneath the ice, he lifted the block up onto the log ramp. After that he simply had to push it up the ramp until it landed in the wagon.
“Sven!” Olaf cried. “What a smart reindeer you are! We are the best official substitute ice team there ever was!”
Together—or rather with Sven pushing and Olaf trying his best—they loaded another block into the sleigh. Then another. “Look at us go!” Olaf shouted as they worked. “We’re the best! Up we go. Push that ice! Push, push, PUSH!” When the final block of ice was loaded, Olaf let out a big breath. “Whew! What a workout! I’m exhausted.”
His chest heaving, Sven looked at the snowman. “Hmmmph!” In reindeer, that roughly translated to “Are you kidding me?”
Olaf smiled. “Of course I meant you were getting the workout, Sven. But all that cheering was exhausting, too.”
The reindeer thought about it for a moment and then nodded. His little snowy friend had helped him stay motivated.
Hopping onto Sven’s back, Olaf gave the signal. Together, they headed out, Olaf singing and Sven bobbing his head in time with Olaf’s slightly off-key tune. They were ready to make their first delivery!
Luckily, their first stop was not far away. In no time, they reached Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post and Sauna. The trading post happened to be the only place in the area with a sauna, which made it a popular destination year-round, so Oaken depended on Kristoff’s ice delivery to keep the drinks and food cold for his guests.
As Olaf and Sven pulled up in front of the trading post, Oaken stepped out onto the front porch. He was a very large man with a bushy beard, bright red hair, and rosy cheeks. He squinted at the pair in confusion. “Hoo-hoo!” he called out. “Kristoff? You look quite different!” he joked with the snowman.
“I’m not Kristoff!” Olaf said cheerfully. “I’m the Official Substitute Arendelle Ice Master and Deliverer and this is my Official Substitute Ice Reindeer.” He paused. “Actually, Sven is always the ice reindeer, but you know what I mean. We are the substitute ice team, here to help with all your ice needs!” Olaf went on cheerfully. “Where should we put your ice?”
Oaken had seen plenty of strange things at the trading post, so a snowman riding a reindeer and delivering ice didn’t faze him. Oaken pointed to a pair of smaller buildings behind the trading post. “Please unload the ice in the shed,” he said. “When you are done, I will bring your payment.”
“Let’s go, Sven!
” Olaf said. “Time to deliver the ice!” Sven began to walk around to the back.
As they approached the first building, Sven slowed down. “What are you doing, Sven?” Olaf asked. “We’re supposed to put the ice in the shed. Clearly, that is an outbuilding. Keep going!”
Sven didn’t move.
“Hee-ya!” Olaf shouted, trying to get the reindeer to continue walking.
Still, Sven didn’t move.
“Do you want to play a game?” Olaf asked. “Or is it a treat you’re after? Soon, I promise! We just need to deliver this ice to the shed, okay?”
The reindeer let out a big sigh. “Harrumph,” he snorted, as if to say, “This is not a good idea.” He knew that Kristoff usually dropped off the ice at the first building—but Olaf kept insisting that Oaken wanted it in the second building. Finally, Sven walked to the other building and halted in front of the door.
“Fantastic!” Olaf exclaimed. “Now if you help with the ramp, I’ll push the ice out of the sleigh. Look how good we are at this, Sven!”
Again, Sven pushed the logs into place so they lined up with the blocks of ice. The stacks of ice had created a slick surface that made it easy for Olaf to slide the top blocks off the wagon.
Quickly, Olaf gave a heave—and a few big cold blocks tumbled down the ramp, pushed open the doors of the building, and rumbled inside.
“And there you have it!” Olaf said, clapping his hands together. “See how easy that was, Sven? I love being the Official Substitute Arendelle Ice Master and Deliverer!”
Sven harrumphed skeptically, but Olaf didn’t hear. “Do you think Kristoff would let me help more often?” he mused.
Sven stared at the closed door of the trading post with a worried expression on his fuzzy face. But Olaf was thrilled. They had completed the first ice delivery of the day!
Kristoff was a bit tired. He had hiked all the way up to the lake only to find that he had just missed Olaf and Sven. From the look of things, they had succeeded in collecting some of the ice he’d left after his last trip. Kristoff had to admit he hadn’t expected Olaf to make it that far, let alone figure out a way to load the ice. Pretty impressive, Kristoff thought. But he didn’t hang around the lake admiring their work for too long. He wanted to catch up with Olaf and Sven before they arrived at their next destination. It wasn’t difficult to find their tracks, and soon he was following their route back down the mountain.
Arriving at Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post and Sauna, Kristoff glanced around, looking for the snowman and the reindeer. He didn’t see them. What he did see was Oaken standing in front of a building, which steam was billowing out of.
When Oaken saw Kristoff, his face turned slightly redder than normal. “Hoo-hoo! Kristoff!” the big man called. “I missed you today! That snowman is not the ice master and deliverer that you are.”
Kristoff took a step back. Uh-oh, he thought. What happened?
As Oaken walked past him toward the steaming shed, Kristoff could see the man was upset. When he opened the doors, Kristoff could see why.
The building was the trading post’s sauna. Or what had been the sauna. Now it was just a wet mess. The reason was clear: sitting there, in the center of the room, was the last bit of a melting block of ice. When Olaf had pushed the ice into the building, it had landed smack-dab in the middle of the fire that kept the sauna stones hot. Immediately, they had begun to cool and the ice had begun to melt! The sauna was now cold instead of hot and steamy.
Kristoff gulped. “I’m sorry, Oaken!” he said. “I didn’t know Olaf was trying to deliver the ice by himself. What can I do to make things right?”
“You can help me mop up the sauna and rebuild that fire,” Oaken replied. “And then maybe you can deliver me twice the ice next time. What do you say?”
There was nothing Kristoff could do but agree. As he went to find a mop, he let out a groan. The day was not going according to plan. And he knew Olaf and Sven would be making more deliveries, which meant Kristoff had to hurry to catch up to them before anything else happened!
As Kristoff got to work cleaning up Olaf’s mess, the snowman was happily making his way toward the next stop on the ice delivery route—Troll Valley.
“I love visiting the trolls, don’t you, Sven?” Olaf said cheerfully.
The reindeer raised an eyebrow. Then he snorted.
“Oh, right! We talked about treats! Maybe the trolls will have something for you to nibble on.” But as he spoke, his eyes grew wide. He just had another brilliant idea. “You know what? Troll Valley is kind of far away. Maybe we should stop now so you can have a little snack. What do you think?”
The reindeer shook his head. Then he nodded his antlers to the right. Following his gaze, Olaf saw the North Mountain. It towered high above them, the top covered in snow year-round.
The North Mountain was where Elsa had made her ice palace when she ran away from Arendelle. It had been beautiful. It had also been isolating. No one had lived there except for Elsa—and Marshmallow. The huge creature was made of snow and ice. He was very strong, and last time Olaf and Sven had run into him, he had not been happy. He had even tried to throw Olaf over a cliff! Olaf still thought Marshmallow was just having a bad day. He only had nice things to say about Marshmallow!
But that didn’t mean Sven was ready to run into Marshmallow again. Unfortunately, there was no way to get to Troll Valley without passing the large mountain. Every time he and Kristoff had gone that way, they had hurried through as fast as possible.
“Oh, Sven! Don’t worry!” Olaf said, not the least bit concerned about Marshmallow. “Look! There’s a perfect lake to sit by and have a quick nibble. How could you and Kristoff have missed this place?”
“Harrumph!” Sven snorted. They hadn’t missed it, was what his snort meant. They had just chosen not to use it because it was too close to Marshmallow’s territory.
Olaf smiled at Sven. He knew exactly what the reindeer’s snort had meant. “That’s just silly,” he said. “It is a perfectly perfect lake and Marshmallow is not such a bad guy. I bet he would be so happy to see us now! He is probably pretty lonely, you know. I mean, the big guy is up here all alone now that Elsa is in Arendelle. He has no one to play games with or talk to or sit and read with.” Olaf put a hand to his chest in sympathy. “Sven, I feel bad for Marshmallow. I think we should go and find him and invite him to join us.”
Sven shook his head.
“Fine,” Olaf said. “I’ll just come back by myself sometime.” Then he added, “I bet someday you, Marshmallow, and I will get together, though. We could have an amazing snowball fight—or better yet…we can all go to the beach together!”
Sven shook his head and then began to pull the sleigh a little farther away from the lake.
“No, no!” Olaf cried. “Come on, pal! We will just take a quick break and you can have your much-needed snack.”
Together Olaf and Sven made their way to the lake. The snowman whistled as they went, not a care in the world. But Sven walked very slowly and very softly. When Olaf made a particularly high-pitched whistle, Sven cringed. And when he heard a twig snap in the nearby woods, he nearly jumped out of his skin. He was sure that at any minute, a very angry Marshmallow would appear. He even thought he saw Marshmallow in the distance looking down from the ice palace. He wasn’t positive, but he certainly quickened his pace.
After what felt like an eternity to Sven, the pair arrived at the shore of the lovely lake. Olaf hopped off Sven’s back. Then he clapped his little stick hands together. “Time to relax!”
The sun was beginning its descent toward the horizon. They had to get their final deliveries made before it was dark. Still, Olaf wanted to make sure Sven ate. He didn’t want his friend getting too hungry. Being the reindeer helper for the Official Substitute Arendelle Ice Master and Deliverer was hard work.
He wobbled to the bac
k of the sleigh and pulled out a little sack filled with treats from the cook. He had made sure to stop in the kitchen before leaving the palace. Olaf always liked to be prepared.
“Look, Sven! I made sure Cook gave you some carrots and a loaf of bread, and she packed another extra treat—a carrot snowflake! Isn’t she clever?” The reindeer’s big ears perked up. “She made a snowflake out of carrots. She definitely deserves a great birthday gift.”
Sven’s belly let out a loud rumble. Maybe a snack stop wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
Olaf rummaged around in his sack. Pulling out the hunk of bread, he smiled. “Now, I’m just going to start a little fire. Kristoff says Cook’s bread always tastes better toasted.”
“Harrumph?” Sven replied.
“Of course I know how to build a fire,” Olaf answered. “You’ll see. I love a nice fire. It is almost as great as lying on a sandy beach. All warm and toasty.”
As Sven watched, the tiny snowman collected some twigs and leaves and built a small fire. He couldn’t find a match, so he rubbed two little sticks together until he started to see smoke. When the flames were flickering merrily, Olaf sat down. Then he inched closer to the fire. Then closer still. Soon he was right next to the hot flames.
Sven snorted a warning.
“What’s wrong?” Olaf asked. “Marshmallow is nowhere to be found. We are perfectly safe and I’m perfectly toasty by the fire. I just have to remember not to get too…whoa, too close, too close!” Olaf yelled as he looked down and realized his nose was where his mouth used to be, and his mouth was where his buttons had been. He was melting!
Hopping up, Olaf tried to hold his face together before he completely melted. He started dancing around, trying to save his buttons! Fortunately, his flurry was there to keep him cold. Unfortunately, as he danced about, he got too close to the flames and one of his stick arms caught fire!
Olaf & Sven on Thin Ice Page 2
