Olaf plopped down on the ground. A moment later, Sven and Pebble joined him. The reindeer felt pretty awful about upsetting Kristoff. The young troll, however, didn’t realize anyone was in trouble. He had loved his day of adventure!
“Hey!” Pebble said. “Can you show me the castle? I’ve always wanted to see the castle! Oh! Can we also say hi to Princess Anna? She is soooo pretty. And so nice.”
Anna was nice. So was Kristoff. They deserved to have a pretty picnic together, and Olaf would make that picnic happen. A picnic on a hot day…who wouldn’t want that?
“Why don’t you just help him out tomorrow?” Pebble suggested, putting his chubby little hands on his chubby little sides. “I’ll hang out with you, and Anna, and Kristoff tonight and you can show me around Arendelle. Tomorrow can be Kristoff’s picnic day!”
“Wait!” Olaf cried. “That’s it! Pebble, you’re a genius!”
The troll smiled proudly. “Really? My mom tells me I have too many ideas.”
Olaf hopped up. “I have to find Kristoff!”
As Olaf began to walk away (as fast as a snowman could walk), Sven and Pebble traded looks. Then they both shrugged and followed him.
After talking to Olaf, Kristoff had gone back to the castle. He wanted to see Anna. She always knew what to say, and right then, he needed advice. Meeting her in the courtyard, he told her about Olaf’s adventures and how he’d reacted. Anna got a funny look on her face.
“He was just trying to help you, Kristoff,” she said. “If I recall correctly, you tried to help me out once, too, remember? When I had to get Elsa back to Arendelle?”
Kristoff nodded.
“That turned out a little better,” Anna went on, “but the point is, when someone tries to help, you shouldn’t complain if it doesn’t go perfectly.”
Kristoff sighed. “I hope I wasn’t too hard on him. Maybe I need to go talk to him again.”
Luckily, Olaf was already walking into the courtyard with Sven and Pebble. “Kristoff!” he called. “There you are! I just had the greatest idea in the history of greatest ideas. I’ll just help you tomorrow!” He looked over his shoulder. “Well, we’ll help you. Right, guys?” Sven and Pebble nodded. “If we all work together, we can get everything done three times faster. You’ll be able to deliver your ice and go on your picnic with Anna.”
Standing next to Kristoff, Anna whispered, “Remember, if someone wants to help, that is a good thing.”
Kristoff nodded. Turning back to Olaf, he said, “You know what? That sounds like a fantastic idea. I’m sorry I got upset earlier. You were only trying to help.”
“True,” Olaf said. “I probably should have checked with you first, but I love surprises!”
Kristoff started to smile, so Olaf continued. “I knew what I was doing most of the time, though. Sven and I make a great team, you know?”
Kristoff laughed. “Wanna know a secret, Olaf?”
Olaf nodded. “Yes, I love secrets!”
“When I was younger, I fell into the lake trying to get ice! I even ruined a brand-new pair of boots. For a long time, the other ice harvesters called me icicle, because that day I looked just like one! I didn’t always know what to do, either.”
Olaf laughed. At least he hadn’t fallen into the lake. Yes, he had fallen down a hill, but that was completely different.
“So for tomorrow,” Kristoff went on, “I think you should watch me and learn the right way to deliver ice. Who knows, maybe in time you could become the Official Arendelle Ice Master and Deliverer!”
Olaf began to bounce around happily. “That would be the greatest day ever! Well, that day and the day I finally get to go to the beach. That day would be pretty great, too. But wait! Kristoff, can you help me with something else?”
Kristoff nodded.
“Can you help me get an ice cream cake for the cook?”
“Of course,” Kristoff said. “It would be my pleasure.”
So the very next morning, bright and early, Olaf and Pebble met Kristoff and Sven in the stables. This time, they had no trouble getting the harness on together. They had no trouble getting the ice out of the lake and loading it. Kristoff even taught Olaf how to cut the ice, which Olaf thought was totally fun. When they made their deliveries to Oaken, they put the ice in the right shed this time and both apologized once more. Together, they brought Pebble back to his family, and Olaf even managed to win over the grouchy farmer, who, it turned out, couldn’t resist the happy-go-lucky snowman. Finally, they made their way back to Arendelle just in time to pick up the cake for Cook and put it in the now very full and very cold—thanks to the new ice delivery—freezer.
With everything done, it was time for Kristoff and Anna to go on their picnic.
“So, want to do this again tomorrow?” Olaf asked as Kristoff turned to go.
Kristoff smiled. “I don’t know about tomorrow, but how about we do this once every month? And on that day every month, you won’t be the Official Substitute Ice Master and Deliverer, you’ll be the Official Apprentice Ice Master and Deliverer!”
Olaf let out a little squeal of joy. “That would be perfection!” he said. True, he might have been on thin ice for a moment, but he had never been too worried. After all, Olaf knew everything would work out. Now things were better than ever. And that seemed like a pretty good way for things to be.
Olaf & Sven on Thin Ice Page 4
