Magic

Chapter 2: An Act of Kindness

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."