In a wide-open field with nothing but a small hill, isolated from a nearby town, the strong, howling wind whooshed loudly as a small white tornado appeared in mid-air. Within seconds, the dust portal grew rapidly in size, creating a large storm. The twister whirled around a few times before Elsa fell out of the tornado and landed on top of the hill. As soon as she hit the ground, she rolled over to avoid spraining her ankles from the impact. Just as she stopped, she lifted her head and through her windblown brown hair, watching as the dust portal spun around one last time before it became smaller and smaller till it disappeared. The strong winds that had accompanied the twister calmed. She glanced around the area, slowly rising from the dirty ground.
At the bottom of the hill, there was a bumpy path surrounded by tall green grass and with a sign that read 'THE NORTHERN ISLES" next to it. In the distance, Elsa could see the faint traces of tall buildings and houses. 'This must be the Northern Isles', she thought to herself. Unlike most queens and princesses, she had never been to another country before. Fortunately, Anna would be arriving in Belliville tonight for the dinner party and, most likely, she would be exploring the country afterward with Kristoff, Eugene, Maximus, and Sven, especially if Belliville was as beautiful as Arendelle. Hopefully, it would help make up for being locked away in the castle with the gates closed for most of her life. Just like Rapunzel had been able to explore other countries in recent years.
Gazing at the town, Elsa didn't know why she was staring at the foreign land. Was it because of its beauty? Maybe it was because she had never thought that she would be anywhere else besides Arendelle. Whatever it was, it still would never compete with Arendelle. Arendelle would always be part of her heart, and she would do anything to protect her country.
The young queen gazed around the large area for any sign of Rapunzel, Olaf, and Pascal. Had something gone wrong? Or perhaps she was just overreacting. As Elsa searched for them, she noticed the sun setting in the orange sky, and took it as a sign that she shouldn't be outside much longer and had to get to town. She wished that she could write a note to Rapunzel and Olaf, but she knew that it would be impossible; she had nothing to write with and, even if she did, it would be foolish because she could give herself away. It was much more probable and sensible that Rapunzel and Olaf either had arrived in the town and were waiting for her somewhere, or they would arrive here shortly and head to the town. Taking a deep breath, Elsa ambled down the hill and strode on the pebble path to the town.
For an August day, the temperature was colder than usual, but Elsa didn't mind. However, she was disguised as a peasant, and no matter what, she had to proceed with her plan. She remembered that Marcella had told her that others shared her powers, but she still didn't want to take any chances. She peered down at her peasant dress. Although it was unattractive, for some reason, it reminded her of Anna's dress that she'd bought from Oaken's during the great thaw last summer. She wondered briefly if this dress came from the same place.
The buildings grew bigger as Elsa reached the center of the town. There was laundry hanging from one building to another. The town was crowded with the locals bustling around to get everything they needed before all the markets closed for the night. All around, locals were rushing to get in line for supplies, and some were even pushing each other away. Taking a deep breath, Elsa reminded herself for the umpteenth time since she landed that she had to play the part of the peasant she was disguised as. Now that she was in the town square, she was a mere peasant, not the queen she was raised to be.
A market man walked up to Elsa with a loaf of bread in his hand. "Would you like some bread?" he asked with a large smile on his face.
Elsa was tempted to take the bread because she hadn't eaten dinner before she left and didn't know how long it would be before she ate again, but she couldn't because she hadn't brought any money with her as part of her disguise. "I do not have any money with me, sir, but thank you."
As night fell, the streets were starting to clear up, reminding her that she would have to find Rapunzel and Olaf quickly. Her hunger grew the more she walked and she wished that she had bought the bread. Elsa glanced over her right shoulder just in time to see the bread market closing with the citizens rushing past each other.
As Elsa was wandering the market, keeping an eye out for her cousin and friend, she felt someone push into her, and she fell into a puddle. Disgusted, she wanted nothing more than to sigh in disgust, but she knew better due to years of etiquette lessons.
"Oh, dear!" a voice exclaimed from above her. The voice was deep and gruff, and distinctively male. "I'm so sorry, ma'am. Are you alright? Are you hurt somewhere?"
Elsa stood up, brushing the dirt off her drenched dress. "It's alright. I should have been watching where I was going."
"No, it was my fault," said the voice. Elsa peered at the man, who appeared to be in his early forties. He was tall with fair skin, blue eyes, and brown hair tied back in a ponytail. He wore a blue jacket with a white cravat. He was a commoner. "I was in a hurry to get home to my wife. I should have been more careful. Shouldn't you be heading home?"
"I'm just trying to look for...some friends of mine," sighed Elsa. She was afraid that she could give herself away if she brought up Rapunzel and Olaf especially since the common man might have heard of her before. "I don't know where they could be."
"I'm sure you'll find them soon," he assured. "At least you're not out in the rain or snow looking for them."
"I actually would be fine with the snow." Elsa blushed. She glanced her head over her right shoulder, hoping to spot Rapunzel and Olaf wandering around in the town, looking for her. All she saw were the citizens heading home as the markets closed. "But the rain, on the other hand, I couldn't agree more."
"You sound like my wife," The commoner chuckled. Elsa's eyes widened as she turned her head to him. Did his wife have magical powers too? She was tempted to ask, but she couldn't, so she just smiled, crossing her arms. "Winter is her favorite time of year. She loves the snow and don't even get me started on Christmas. She would spend hours out building a snowman and even snow angels."
"I can relate to that." Elsa smiled. "I reckon that we both have something in common."
"Last Christmas I gave her a jewelry box," said the commoner. "She loved it when she had it."
Elsa's eyebrows raised. "What do you mean 'when she had it'?" she asked.
"It was stolen a few days ago," the commoner explained. "We left our home to see my mother and when we came back, the door was open, and the jewelry box was gone. Someone broke into our home."
"I am very sorry to hear that," said Elsa sincerely. "That is unfortunate."
"It's just one of those things." The commoner sighed. Elsa was just about to bid him farewell and leave when she noticed that he was deep in thought, rubbing his chin, gazing at her with a contemplative gaze. "Maybe you can do me a favor?" He grinned.
"Favor? What sort of favor?"
"While you're waiting for your friends, maybe you can help me find the thief and get my wife's jewelry box back," the commoner suggested.
As much as Elsa wanted to help him, she never trusted strangers and wanted nothing more than to find her cousin and friend, so they can get to Lord Graham and ask for his help. But she couldn't just turn him away after hearing him tell her about the jewelry box. "I am going to need more details, so I can help you. Have you noticed anything unusual since the jewelry box was stolen?"
The man stood there for a moment, apparently trying to recall anything that he could remember. She patiently waited until he finally spoke. "I did notice something strange," he answered. "Lately, a man with a torn, dark brown, leather jacket has been wandering around the market selling some things. Strangely, at eight o'clock, he would always head towards an alley."
"Other than the jacket, what did he look like?" Elsa asked. "And why are you suggesting that he might be the thief?"
"I never caught a glimpse of his face," the commoner admitted, reaching into one of his pockets. He pulled out a ripped piece of dark brown leather. "When we arrived home, the door was unlocked. We rushed into our house to find this caught in our bedroom doorway. My wife and I knew something was wrong because we always leave our bedroom door closed throughout the day. We came into our room to find nothing, but an opened window and the jewelry box was gone."
Elsa felt like the whole story came out of one of the many books that she had read. She had always been a bookworm, refusing to go to bed without a book and never spent a day without reading. "Why haven't you reported this to the authorities?"
"I reported this to them right away before I saw the man in the market," he responded. "They said that this could have belonged to anyone and I would need to find enough proof before I can accuse anyone. Otherwise, it would be considered just a coincidence. I don't know anything about the man, and I don't have any proof that he might've stolen the jewelry box."
"Hand me the fabric. I'll see what I can do." Elsa nodded. The commoner gave her the fabric, as Elsa surveyed the area, again looking for Rapunzel and Olaf. The streets were nearly clear and there was a large clock in the middle of the market. She saw that it was almost seven and peered back to the commoner. "Where is the alleyway?"
The commoner pointed over to the clock. "Right across from that clock. You can see the alley from there."
The commoner expressed his gratitude to Elsa shortly before he left, and she strolled over to the clock. Again, she peered around for any sign of Rapunzel and Olaf to no avail. It was astounding that in mere minutes, the town square had gone from a teeming marketplace to a desolate ghost town. Elsa laid her head against the clock as she sat down on the ground, waiting for the thief to potentially arrive in the alleyway across from her.
After a long and slow hour, Elsa felt like dozing off as she waited, still seeing no sign of the thief nor Rapunzel and Olaf. She wished that she had found a place to stay, but she was unsure if there was an inn nearby and regardless, she had to carry on with her plan. Elsa gazed out into the alley, keeping an eye out for the thief, for he could be arriving anytime if what the commoner said was true. If the thief did show up, she would need to be careful. Now that she had thought of it, she was beginning to question whether it had been wise to agree to help the commoner. He hadn't seemed like he was lying, but he could have been a very talented actor like Hans. The thought of the two-faced prince put a sour taste in her mouth, but she quickly shook her head, banishing the thoughts away.
When she saw that the coast was clear, she waved her hand and tiny snowflakes appeared around her, causing her to smile at the sight. Smiling and laughing, she continually created more snowflakes, hoping for the time to go by fast.
When she and Anna were children before the accident, Anna would beg for her to show her powers, and would smile every time they would make a snowman. She wished that Anna could remember the times they would play with her powers during their early childhood and the accident was still painful for Elsa to think about. It was just another long list of mistakes that she had made. Still, she regretted being isolated from the world and hoped that she never limited her contact with anyone again, especially her sister.
All her life, Elsa always had felt like she didn't belong in Arendelle and wished that she could do more than being just the queen. Although she had the freedom to be herself now, she still didn't feel free. Ordinarily, she would spend most of her time in her study. Therefore, she would rarely have the time to be herself and barely even have time to be with Anna and their friends. While Arendelle was an ordinary place, Elsa was the only one who was born with powers and always wondered if there was someone out there that was like her. There was Marcella, but she could perform magic spells and hadn't been born with powers. Since Elsa was a child, she dreamt of a place that was magical like the enchanted forest that her father warned her about. Sometimes, Elsa dreamed that she could leave all her duties of being a queen behind and search for that one place where she would belong, but she was afraid of leaving her country, her friends, and Anna behind. She couldn't deny that it was normal for siblings to go their separate ways, but she and Anna had been separated for so long and neither of them wanted to be separated again. No matter what, Anna would always come first, and Elsa had vowed for things to stay that way forever.
Hopefully, Marcella was doing a decent job at running her kingdom with the help of Kai and Gerda, especially since they knew how she ruled her own country, despite that she only had a year of experience. Speaking of which, where were Rapunzel, Pascal, and Olaf and how was it possible that they still hadn't caught up with her yet? As much as Elsa hated to admit it, there was the possibility that they hadn't heeded Marcella's directions and, consequently, something had gone wrong with the dust portal. Perhaps she was just overthinking, and they had just got lost in the town somewhere. She was sure that they would meet up with her soon and then Lord Graham would help them deal with the potential assassin. Elsa was already determined to know if the rumor was true, who would want to kill her and why. The only person that she could think of was Hans, but she had not heard from him since she had exiled him. She could also count the Duke of Weselton because he'd sent his guards to kill her during the great freeze and, from what she had heard, he had moved on to find new trade partners since she'd cut off all trade with him.
Suddenly, the clock stuck loudly, forcing Elsa to jump up with a surprised yelp. She was kicking at herself for yelling, for it was foolish of her. Elsa backed away from the clock and she turned to peer around for any sign of the thief.
"Halt! Who goes there?" a voice shouted behind her, and she froze with her hands in the air. To her surprise, ice shards weren't shot out of the ground, ice wasn't trailing off her fingertips, and the ground wasn't covered in ice. Footsteps slowly came over to her, causing her heart to beat. As soon as the footsteps came to a halt, she gulped and bit her lip. "Turn around."
Elsa took a deep breath as she spun around to a lieutenant standing right across from her. He looked to be in his late fifties or early sixties as he stood tall in his uniform. Elsa crossed her arms, clenching her sleeves to try to avoid exposing her powers.
"I don't think I have seen you before," said the lieutenant. "What is your name?"
Even though Elsa was able to keep a calm demeanour, her heart was beating erratically. How stupid was she for not thinking this through when she was going over her plan with Kai and Gerda? If she had thought more into this, she would have thought of a fake name for herself. She knew that she just had to say the first name that came into her mind. It was not too late to come up with a fake identity, but she would have to come up with a name quickly or the officer would suspect something.
"My name is Ella," Elsa lied, blurting out the first name other than her own that came to her mind.
"What are you doing out in the marketplace at this time, Ella?" The lieutenant frowned suspiciously. He cocked an eyebrow and craned into the young girl. "You're not stealing anything are you?"
"No," Elsa denied, shaking her head. She wondered why he was suspecting that she might've stolen something until it finally hit her. It was her disguise. She was dressed like a peasant and, despite the circumstances, needed to play the part of one. "I am not from around here and I got lost."
For a moment, the lieutenant fisted his hips. Elsa couldn't tell if he believed her or not. She could see the dark alleyway right behind him. "I understand you're poor, but stealing anything will only get you into more trouble. Anyway, you should be careful out here. It's not safe. If I were you, I would find some shelter."
Elsa nodded. As soon as the lieutenant headed into another direction, Elsa noticed a dark silhouette moving forward in the alley. She could make it out to be an outline of a person. Her eyes widened, and she immediately peered right back at the silhouette. For a moment, she considered bringing the lieutenant with her, but before she could call out to him, he had already left the town square. It was too dark for her to see the silhouette clearly, so she would have to approach him to find out. The silhouette began to step farther into the alley and farther into the darkness. Elsa let out a breath before she stalked into the alleyway after him.
For a while, Elsa followed the silhouette straight until the silhouette finally turned right. Cautiously, Elsa tiptoed up to the corner and gingerly turned to the right with her right hand on the wall. Moonlight shone through the entire area like a lantern in the night. She could see the silhouette clearly now, and she made it out to be a middle-aged man in a torn, dark brown jacket surrounded by crates all around him. He was sitting on one of the crates with a satchel seated next to him. He appeared to be counting something in his hands.
Elsa slowly tiptoed farther until she came to a halt where she slowly reached into her pocket and pulled out the fabric. She felt it was stupid to be out in the open like this and decided to hide behind something. As she stepped back, her foot stepped in a puddle of water, causing her heart to beat in fear. She slowly peered up and gulped as she saw the man staring right at her.
"Oh?" the man exclaimed. His voice was deep, rich and friendly. "Where did you come from?"
There was no point in being silent since he had already spotted her. Elsa cleared her throat and clenched the fabric tightly. "I was from town," she answered.
"Do you need help?" asked the man. "Are you lost?"
"No, I am not lost," replied Elsa. "What are you doing?"
The man arose, grabbed his satchel, and slowly approached her. As he came closer, Elsa noticed that his jacket was the same as the fabric she held in her hand. She was starting to doubt that she'd been wise to follow him. "I was counting my money," he said, laying out his hand where she could see piles of gold pieces scattered all over his palm.
Elsa glanced at the satchel that the man clenched in his left hand, suspiciously. Was he hiding something? "What do you have in the satchel?"
"Just some food," the man answered calmly. He appeared to be in his mid-forties with curly black hair with grey streaks, blue eyes, and a small white mole on his chin. "I can show you if you wish."
"Please," Elsa said, nodding her head.
The man tossed the satchel to her where she barely caught it. Elsa opened the satchel and saw that there was bread, oranges, apples, and some turnips. The man gestured for her to return it to him, and she reluctantly did so.
"Why are you concerned?" the man asked nervously. He gasped as Elsa held out the fabric to him. "No!" he hollered. "I've been caught red-handed!"
"It's true then?" asked Elsa.
"I'm so sorry!" the man cried as he fell to his knees. "I didn't mean to take the jewelry box from you!"
"The jewelry box doesn't belong to me," Elsa said, peering down at him. Looking at the distressed man, Elsa felt shreds of sympathy. "A man had told me that you took his wife's jewelry box, and he had asked me to help him find it."
"Oh dear," The man fretted as he cupped his face, dropping his gold pieces all over the ground. Elsa bent down and picked up the money. "What have I done? I never should have done that! Someone could find out that I had stolen the book that I sold today! I'm in hot water!"
"Wait!" said Elsa as she handed the money back to him. "You sell things after you steal them?!"
"Yes!" the man confirmed, putting his money into one of his pockets. "I would break into an empty house and I would steal anything valuable. I would then go to the other side of town and sell them."
"Why would you do that?" Elsa quizzed. She was astonished that he seemed so honest. "Do you realize how much trouble you'll get into?"
"Yes, but I have no choice," the man explained. "I can't afford to put food on the table, so I have to steal things. I need to take care of my family. They'll starve to death if I don't have the money. We could barely survive on our own."
Elsa almost believed him. Perhaps, it was because the part where he spoke about his family reminded her of Anna. But still, he could be lying. He didn't seem like he was, but he could be a good liar like Hans.
"Can you show your family to me?" Elsa inquired. She wanted proof that he was telling the truth. If he turned out to be a liar, she could always use her powers even though she wished not to expose them as part of her disguise. "I want to believe you, but I don't trust strangers. I want you to prove to me that you are telling me the truth."
"Yes," the thief responded with no hesitation much to Elsa's surprise. "I was on my way home anyway. Follow me."
After they went around a block, they were heading towards a small old cottage surrounded by trees, far out from the town. For a while, Elsa could barely see the colour because of the dark. As they got closer to the cottage, she could tell that the cottage only had one or two floors, was made of stone, and had a thatched roof.
The man opened the door for himself and Elsa and they stepped inside the small house. She could hear the floor creak as she entered the house shortly before she shut the door behind them.
"DADDY!"
Two young boys and one young girl ran over to the man and jumped into his arms, nearly knocking him over. He smiled, wrapping his arms around them and speaking great things to them. A tall teenage girl ran over to them and wrapped her arms around her father and he kissed her forehead in response. A woman who looked roughly the same age as the thief came over to her husband and children. The man and his wife embraced and kissed. The man told his wife about the money and the food.
Elsa stood there speechless as she gaped at the family. She felt terrible and she instantly regretted not believing him. The man only stole so he could support his family. He did one of the worst things he could do in order to protect the best thing that ever happened to him. He loved his family and couldn't afford to lose them. Tears started to form in her brown eyes as she watched the loving family and saw that they truly cared about each other. Without a doubt, they loved each other very much and it reminded her of Anna and their parents.
"Papa, who is this?" asked the teenage girl spotting Elsa. The man and his family turned to Elsa who was wiping her eyes with her sleeves. "I've never seen her before."
"I brought her here to return something to her," the man explained, taking off his jacket. He kissed his wife and children shortly before heading towards a door. "I'll be back in a moment."
The three little children played with each other while the teenaged girl helped the mother set the table. Elsa looked around the room, feeling pity for the family. There was only a table, some sewing tools, and a pot hanging over a small fireplace. The ceiling, walls, and the wooden floor were old, worn down, and poor quality. The thief came back into the room with something large in his hands and led Elsa outside the cottage. After they shut the door behind them, the man handed her the jewelry box. It was a large white box with a lid on the top and some knobs in the middle of the box. Elsa could tell that it was very expensive because of the high quality.
"I'll make you a deal," the man offered. "I'll give you back the jewelry box if you don't tell Lieutenant Larson."
"I'll take the deal," said Elsa. "However, you must do me a favor in return for not speaking with the Lieutenant."
"What would that be?" asked the man.
"When I return the jewelry box to the owner's husband, you should consider coming back with me and tell him why you stole it," she suggested. The man's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped which didn't surprise her. "If you just tell him the truth, he might listen to you and forgive you."
"I know you won't rat me out, but he would for sure," the man said. "You just told me that you barely knew him. How do you know he won't turn me in?"
"To be honest, I don't know," Elsa said. If this were a perfect world, she would be able to assure the man that the commoner would forgive him, and everything would be alright, but this was reality and she had to be frank with him. "I just thought that he should know that you are a loving husband and father just trying to put food on the table. I understand if you don't want to. Just do what you think is best for your family and what you think they would want you to do."
For a moment, the man said nothing. Elsa was already convinced that he would turn down the deal. The man peered up at her with sadness in his eyes. "What if I refuse?"
"Then I won't take the music box back," Elsa answered. "If I see him, I'll just tell him that I couldn't find the thief and I won't tell anybody, not even the lieutenant. No one will know except the two of us."
The man was silent again which wasn't a good sign. Elsa was certain that he wouldn't accept the deal. Perhaps it was best that he didn't. He would still be with his family. After a long minute, the man finally gave her an answer. "Yes. I'll return with you and explain everything to him."
"You don't have to."
"I know but I want to."
. . . . .
As they reached the town square, Elsa's eyes surveyed the area for any sign of the commoner or Rapunzel and Olaf. She realized that having the man confess to the commoner was a very risky thing to do and it made her anxious, wishing that she hadn't proposed the deal. It was possible that the commoner would turn the man in to the authorities. She hoped that wouldn't happen.
"It's you!" a voice shouted, causing Elsa to jump. At first, she thought that it was the lieutenant again until she saw that the commoner was coming over to them. "You're back!"
Elsa saw that the commoner was rushing over to them. She figured that the thief knew that this was the owner's husband. If the thief hadn't left his jacket at home, the commoner would've recognized him. She could feel that something was going to happen as her heart rapidly beat.
"What happened?" the commoner asked, right when he stopped in front of Elsa and the man. Elsa brought out the jewelry box to the commoner gasped and stood in awe.
"Yes." Elsa nodded. She handed the music box to him who still stood in awe. "That's your wife's jewelry box."
"Oh, my dear." He smiled, tears starting to fill his eyes. "You didn't have to. My wife will be so happy! Thank you so much!" He noticed the man, which made Elsa more anxious. She didn't want this to be a situation where her powers could be exposed. "And who are you?"
The man cleared his throat and brought out his hand. "My name is Andrew," he greeted politely. "Nice to meet you."
Elsa was quiet as she watched the commoner and Andrew shake hands. It seemed to be starting off well so far, but she knew that it could change at any moment. She took a few deep breaths. Elsa knew better than to get so worked up that they would discover her powers.
"Nice to meet you too. My name is Ezekiel," the commoner greeted with a smile. "You must be one of her friends that she was waiting for earlier. It was so kind of you to help her find my wife's jewelry box."
"That is why I am here," Andrew said. Elsa's smile faded away as she saw that Ezekiel had a concerned expression on his face. "I have decided to talk to you. I was the thief."
"What are you saying?" Ezekiel growled as his face suddenly turned red.
"Please," Elsa pleaded. "Listen to him. Please."
While Andrew told him everything, Elsa watched in fear with her heart beating rapidly, unsure of how Ezekiel would react. When Andrew finished, Elsa felt that the worst was about to come and wished that she hadn't brought Andrew back with her. For a long minute, Ezekiel was speechless before he finally peered up at Andrew.
"I can't imagine what you all have been going through," he lamented. "I always took care of my wife, but we never thought of how lucky we were. You and your family don't have what we have. I am amazed that you would do anything to help your wife and children. I feel horrible that I was wrong about you. I forgive you. We won't say anything to Lieutenant Larson, and we are willing to help you and your family if you need anything."
"Thank you. Thank you so much," said Andrew. Elsa was pleasantly surprised and relieved that everything had worked out. Andrew turned to her. "And thank you for convincing me to talk to him."
Ezekiel turned to Elsa. "This was your idea?" he asked.
"Yes," Andrew replied. "She told me that I should come with her and talk to you. I'm glad that she did."
"That was a very thoughtful thing that you did. Thank you," said Ezekiel.
Elsa let out a breath and smiled. "Oh, you don't have to thank me," she said softly. Now that she had completed an act of kindness, she thought that she should start searching for Rapunzel and Olaf. She felt that they were waiting for her somewhere. "Ezekiel, I wish the best for your wife and Andrew, I wish the best for your family."
Just then, Elsa, Andrew, and Ezekiel heard a door opening from nearby. They turned and they saw that far off from them, a slender woman with long curly shiny black hair had just come out of one of the stores with a locket in her hand. She buttoned her red coat and made her way to the opening of the town square.
"Do you know her?" Ezekiel asked. Andrew and Elsa shook their heads in response. "I don't either and I don't know anyone who knows her. I have been seeing her around the town lately."
"You know," started Andrew, "I have been seeing her a lot as well. The other day when I was selling some boots, she asked for some potion. I asked her the reason and she told me that it was none of my concern. Before she left, she told me not to mention it to anyone."
"Something's strange," said Ezekiel. "She could be up to something."
Elsa wondered who this strange woman was and why she would be asking for a potion. What she was more curious about was why she refused to tell Andrew what she needed the potion for. She saw that the woman was leaving the town square and, while Elsa would have rather searched for Rapunzel and Olaf, she wanted to know if this woman was up to something.
"I'll see what she's up to." Elsa decided. Andrew and Ezekiel were aghast as they spun towards her. "I am going to follow her."
"Do you want us to come with you?" asked Ezekiel. "You have done so much for us."
"No thank you," Elsa answered. "I can do this on my own. I'll see if she's up to no good or not."
"Are you sure?" Andrew asked.
"Don't worry," Elsa reassured. "I'll be alright. She could be harmless." Now would be the time to follow the woman if she wished to learn more about her. Elsa took a deep breath as she stepped forward, glancing over her shoulder at Andrew and Ezekiel. "I will follow her. You two wait here for me. When I find out about her, I will come back and let you know."
Andrew and Ezekiel both expressed their gratitude to her, wished her the best of luck, and warned her to be careful. Before she left, Elsa gave them one last smile and couldn't have been any more grateful that she'd helped them. She wished that she could tell them her identity, but she couldn't give herself away. Cautiously, Elsa left the town square as she stalked after the woman.
. . . . .
After a while, Elsa was following behind the woman in a wide-open field surrounded by trees and bushes and wondering if this was the same area that the dust portal dropped her off at until she saw that the woman was heading towards a well. Elsa thought that it was strange that she was going towards a well and wondered why she was doing this.
The woman suddenly paused and spun around to see that no one was there. She turned and approached the well quietly. Peeking out from behind a tree, Elsa watched as the woman pulled some rope out from a bush, swung it over the well and climbed down. When the woman was no longer in her sight, Elsa gingerly raced over to the well and peeked through the opening. There was nothing but water at the bottom and she could hear the woman walking. Elsa wrapped her fingers around the rope and slowly began to climb down. As she climbed, she was tempted to use the wall as leverage but she knew that she would draw the woman's attention if she did. From the horrible smell and the sound of water, she could tell that she was going to be following her in the sewer, much to her disgust. Elsa had always been a neat freak and would refuse to go into any messy room.
As soon as she reached the end of the rope with her feet just above the water, she let go and felt her boots in the water below her. She looked around as she went forward into the sewers and decided that the well must be some short cut to the sewers. Just as Elsa turned around the corner, she quickly froze as soon as she saw the woman walking forward in the water. Fortunately, she was able to remain calm and she pressed herself against the wall and slowly followed the woman for quite some time. It was hard to do because she couldn't be too fast, but she also couldn't be too slow.
Eventually, there was a three-way split ahead of them. They were most definitely far from the town by now, and Elsa was beginning to doubt that she'd made the right call following this woman, especially since Rapunzel and Olaf were still looking for her somewhere, but it was too late now. She'd made her choice and all she had to do was pay attention to where the woman was going. After the woman took the tunnel to the right, Elsa snuck over to the wall across from her.
Just then the woman froze and Elsa pressed herself against the wall. The woman whirled around with an arched eyebrow. Elsa thought that she was lucky that she could just blend in with the darkness and stayed where she was until she heard the woman sigh and go farther along the path. Elsa pressed her hand against the wall and snuck forward with her long brown hair hanging over her shoulders as she listened for the woman's footsteps in the water. When Elsa reached the corner of the wall, she slunk forward and peeked to see that the woman was climbing up a rope that led up to a circle with moonlight shining through. After the woman reached the top of the rope and climbed out of the circle, Elsa raced over to the rope and immediately climbed up. The sound of crickets chirping and owls hooting grew louder the farther she got up on the rope.
To no surprise, the rope came out of an opening of another well. As Elsa climbed out of the well and rose from the ground, she saw that there was a bridge across from her. Right when she crossed the wooden bridge, she surveyed the area and let out a horrified gasp when she saw that the woman was heading towards a sandy wide-open space with nothing for her to hide behind. If the woman turned and spotted her, it would be all over. Then she noticed that the woman was leaving footprints in the sand. A voice was telling Elsa to go back through the well and get back to the town but for some reason, she ignored it and waited for the woman to be far away from her. When there was a good distance between the two of them, Elsa seized her opportunity and carefully followed the footprints.
After at least fifteen minutes, Elsa saw that they appeared to be on a beach with two beached ships in the sand while the blue water washed up against them. The two ships were spread out from each other and they got bigger the closer Elsa got. One was a green ship while the other one was a red ship that was across from a boardwalk that would lead to another town which was supposedly bigger than the last one she was in. From years and years of being a bibliophile, she suddenly recognized this place from one of her history books she'd read as a young teenager. The ships were pirate ships from almost a hundred years ago and, since then, the sailors and the fishermen had emptied out the ships and used them for storage. At this time of night, the fishermen were out at sea somewhere. Elsa quickly hid behind the green ship and watched as the woman approached a large opening on the red ship. She was talking to someone who was inside the ship, so she wasn't alone. After the woman entered the large hole, Elsa quickly slunk over to the red ship, and crouched down towards the large hole where she could hear everyone talking inside very clearly.
Inside the ship there were two young men and two young women seated at a small table. All four of them were in either their late teens or early twenties. The young men and women looked around the place and couldn't believe that this was a pirate's ship. Other than the table and chairs that they were sitting in, there were fishing rods and nets all around. Eager to get their attention, the woman whistled and dropped her locket on the wooden table. Right when the four young people finally turned their attention to her, she cleared her throat and took out a list from one of her pockets.
"Now I would like to see all of the ingredients for the energy potion on the table," The woman commanded. "Come on! No time like the present!" After she snapped her fingers, the four young people brought out ingredients and placed them on the table. The two young women and the oldest male had the same ingredients while the youngest male with black hair had completely different ingredients. He was confused and searched through pages in his book, shaking his head. "And by the looks of it I can tell that Phillips didn't get any of the ingredients that he was supposed to get," The woman angrily pointed. "Because he's like: 'What?' 'No, but I—' 'Why that's impossible!' 'This couldn't be!' 'I don't know what you're talking about!' What do you have to say about that, Phillips?"
"I must've got the ingredients for the wrong potion!" Phillips whined.
"Well, I don't know what to tell you, Phillips. You were here yesterday." The woman chastised. She opened a large red leather book and turned to page three hundred and forty-one. "Now, my four apprentices. Apart from Phillips, you have all gotten the required ingredients for the energy potion. Phillips will have to work with Tabitha for the moment and get the right ingredients when we head back to town later. You all have your spell books, don't you?"
"Gothel," said the oldest female with an average height. "Do you think we should get to the point why we're here?"
"Then I guess you weren't listening to me," teased Gothel. Suddenly she laughed while the oldest female just sat in her seat, unsure of how to react. "Ha! I'm just joking, Tabitha!" She peered at the youngest female with rosy skin. "Lilly, can you tell me what the potion does?"
"It restores our energy," the oldest male with a mellow voice answered right when Lilly was about to open her mouth. "The potion restores our energy."
"Stew!" Gothel chided. "I wasn't talking to you!"
Elsa stayed perfectly still, listening to their conversations. From what she'd just heard, Gothel was a witch and she had her four young apprentices inside with her. Elsa felt a sick feeling in her stomach, thinking that following Gothel may have been a foolish and a risky thing to do. If she hadn't had anywhere to hide when she'd followed Gothel earlier, she could've been seen and had a spell cast on her.
"Mistress," Lilly, said. "I don't mean to be off-topic, but why couldn't we have our meeting in your tower back in Gavena instead of here in the Northern Isles?"
"Look, I am going to need help from all four of you," said Gothel. She pulled out a chair and sat down at her table, across from her four apprentices and made sure that they all were paying attention to her. "I've heard a myth that there is a tree that contains a sap that will give me eternal youth and immortality," she said. "I don't know if it's true, but I am curious to know."
"Why couldn't you just continue to use the healing incantation?" asked Tabitha.
"If I drink the sap, I will stay young and live forever," Gothel explained. "Then I wouldn't need to find and use the golden flower. But we have a bigger problem. Hector has betrayed me for the last time, and I need to get back at him for the way he set me up. If only I know where he is."
"I have an idea, Gothel!" said Stew. "We could find a dragon and we could fly looking for him."
"You know what, Stew?" Gothel smiled sarcastically. "I think that is the stupidest idea I've ever heard. Dragons are not real, and you are not a little boy."
"They are real," Stew argued.
"Well, have you ever seen one?" asked Gothel. Stew shook his head and Gothel smiled in triumph. "Then they are not real. You don't expect any of us to believe that, do you?"
"I thought you would," Phillips surmised. "You came back from the dead."
Gothel rolled her eyes, shaking her head at him. "I didn't return from the dead, Phillips," she hissed. "I had two lives. Apparently, you weren't paying any attention yesterday, so I am going to have to explain it again. Two hundred years ago, my boyfriend and I were strolling by the lake at midnight when we found a small sliver stone called the Stone of Wishes. He told me that it was a magical stone that only one would arrive every hundred years and it would be a once in a lifetime chance to find one and it can only grant one wish so if someone wished on it, it would be turned into a regular stone. I had never heard of such a thing and thought that it was ridiculous. He asked me to use it to make a wish. I jokingly wished that I had an extra life. Six years ago, when I died, I was relocated at the same lake where I used the stone. I was shocked that the stone had worked, and I even stopped ageing with time. I had two lives the same way that a cat supposedly has nine lives."
"How many lives do you have now?" asked Phillips.
"Only one just like the rest of you," Gothel answered. "I would love to stumble upon another stone of wishes to use but those are very rare to come by and I will start aging again eventually. That's why I need to find the tree of youth. Hector knew that I desire to find it, so he blew my secret of its possible existence and now everyone is out looking for it. He is willing to destroy it before I could get to it."
"So how are you going to get back at him?" asked Lilly.
"It's easy," Gothel said easily. "I'll have to kill him."
Right when Elsa gasped, a flock of seagulls flew around the ship, screaming. Their screaming could cause Gothel to come out where she would catch her. She quietly begged for them to stop to no avail. The seagulls were screaming louder and louder. Elsa knew that she must get away and tell someone of Gothel's plan, but it was too far for her to get back to Andrew and Ezekiel. Her best bet would be to use the boardwalk to leave the beach and try to get to the closest town.
With no hesitation, Elsa darted towards the boardwalk and kept running when she reached the wood and focused on only getting away from the beach and to the town.
Gothel stepped out of the boat and shooed the seagulls away. Her eyes fell upon the footprints in the sand next to hers. Gothel peered up and her eyes widened as she watched Elsa raced further on the boardwalk. She shook her head, knowing that her plan was just about to be exposed.
"Say goodbye to every single one of your memories," Gothel whispered as she raised her hand with a bright bronze light.
Right when Elsa reached the end of the boardwalk, she paused, and her brown eyes became bright bronze. She peered around, not knowing where she was or why she was there. Everything seemed unfamiliar to her and she couldn't remember her past. She began to panic as she tried to remember something about her past, but she couldn't. She didn't know where she came from or who she was.