The dust portal whooshed angrily blocking any outside calls as Rapunzel floated inside trying to catch her breath and feeling nauseous. In all her life, she'd never imagined that she would be floating inside a tornado. Despite moving rapidly in the air, she was more concerned for her friends and peered down to see that Pascal had just turned purple in her hands.
"Hold on, Pascal!" Rapunzel shouted, holding her best friend close to her chest and searching around for her other friend. "Olaf!"
"I'm here!" Olaf's voice shouted below her. Rapunzel peered down and saw that Olaf's head was floating below her while the rest of his body was floating above her. "Look out!"
Right when Olaf's body got a little too close to her head, she ducked as she held Pascal closer to her. Her eyes widened when she saw that the dust portal was beginning to grow larger. Then she felt like she had accidentally swallowed something. Suddenly, she was dropped down. She was screaming so loudly that she could almost drown out the whooshing dust portal. The ground slammed against her back, painfully.
Rapunzel lay on the ground and watched as the dust portal grew smaller and smaller till it disappeared. For a long minute, she tried to recall everything that had just happened. She never wanted to go back in that thing again but she knew that after she and Elsa found Lord Graham, they would most likely use it again. As Rapunzel rose, she saw that she had landed in a large garden. There were tomatoes, carrots, turnips, and cauliflower all over. She peered down at her hands to see that Pascal was still there and he was looking around the place. She was in a pile of cauliflowers and after a moment of clarity, she jerked around for any sign of Olaf.
"Olaf!" she shouted in her hoarse voice. The last thing that she wanted was to be separated from her friend. She couldn't imagine what she would do if she lost someone in her group. "Olaf, where are you?"
"I'm over here!" Olaf shouted. Rapunzel turned to see that Olaf's head was in a rose bush. He seemed unharmed and very happy. She loved that he always tried to stay positive despite the circumstances. "My body just lost my head. Or my head lost its body."
Just then, they heard pots breaking nearby and saw that Olaf's body was running into flower pots, breaking every single one of them. After she placed Pascal on her shoulder, Rapunzel rushed over to the flower pots and picked up Olaf's body where she saw that there were scattered pieces of the vases everywhere. As she rushed over to the rose bush, she saw that the vegetables were ruined and the flowers were out of place most likely because of the dust portal. When Rapunzel reached the rose bush, she gently helped Olaf onto his body.
"Are you alright, Olaf?" she asked, a gentle tone in her raspy voice. "That dust portal was dangerous, to be honest."
"I am wonderful!" Olaf beamed. "That was so much fun! Can we ride in there again?"
Rapunzel chuckled nervously, surprised that Olaf had liked the dust portal while she found it to be potentially dangerous and too fast. It was amazing that no one had gotten hurt even if she might've swallowed something when they were inside. Rapunzel opened her mouth to say something when a door slammed opened and a woman's scream was heard.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY GARDEN?!" the woman shrilled. Her scream was so high pitched that it could break a window. "WHY ARE YOU TRESPASSING ON MY PROPERTY?!"
"I'm so sorry! We didn't mean to ruin your garden! It wasn't our fault! We—"
"And I suppose that you attempted to steal something from my garden?" the woman shrieked. "How did you get in my garden?"
"No, not at all," Rapunzel said. "We had fallen from the sky!"
"Yeah, right!" the woman shrieked, obviously not believing her. As best as she could, Rapunzel attempted to explain to the woman about the dust portal but it did nothing. "NOW GET OUT!"
"If you can just—"
"OUT!"
Rapunzel gingerly raced out of the garden as Pascal clung on to her sleeve and quickly opened the gate. She turned to see that Olaf was still in the garden and gestured for him to come with her but instead, Olaf turned to the woman with a smile on his face.
"Can I have a tomato?" he asked. "I've never tried one before—"
"GET OUT OF HERE!" the woman shrilled, scaring the snowman. Olaf let out a loud yelp and scurried over to Rapunzel with the woman marching right behind him. Rapunzel allowed Olaf to run out of the garden first. "AND STAY OUT!"
As soon as Rapunzel ran out of the garden, the woman slammed the gate and snatched Olaf's nose from him. "Hey, that's mine!" Olaf said.
"No, you stole it from me!" the woman barked.
"We did no such thing!" Rapunzel snapped, glaring at the screaming woman. "You're the one who—"
"GET OUT!" the woman screamed. Rapunzel and Olaf took this as the last warning and ran away from the woman and her ruined garden. "AND DON'T YOU DARE COME BACK OR I'll REPORT YOU!"
They kept running until they were apparently in a large city. Rapunzel glanced over her shoulder to make sure that the woman wasn't chasing after her and saw no one behind her. As she turned back to Olaf, she saw that the buildings were tall and that the weather was beyond humid which surprised her because she had expected the weather to be cooler in the Northern Isles.
"Why did she think we stole my nose?" Olaf asked.
"We landed in her garden and there were carrots, Olaf," Rapunzel explained as she took out her handkerchief and coughed into it. Although she thought the woman overreacted and she didn't have to take Olaf's nose, the woman had gone through all that trouble of cultivating a garden only for it to be destroyed. Pascal chattered to her and she peered down at her little friend. "I tried to explain to her about the dust portal, Pascal, but she didn't believe me."
"You don't think the same thing happened to Elsa, do you?" Olaf asked.
"I'm sure she's had better luck than we have," Rapunzel replied. She peered around the area for her cousin. "Speaking of which, where is she? She should be around here somewhere."
"We'll find her, right?" Olaf asked nervously.
"Don't worry, Olaf. We will." Rapunzel smiled reassuringly. As she glanced over her shoulder again, she wrapped her arm around Olaf as Pascal crawled onto her shoulder and they stepped forward into the streets of the large city. The city was larger than she'd been expecting. The streets were filled with busy residents. The children were playing games with each other while the men and women were either coming out of buildings or heading towards a destination. "While we're looking for her, we should buy you a new carrot. We'll run into Elsa or she'll meet us somewhere."
As Rapunzel and Olaf explored further into the city, a woman and young boy approached a man who opened his arms and the young boy jumped into his arms. The man and boy laughed and the woman smiled as she stood by them.
"I am so happy to see you, Uncle Joseph!" the boy exclaimed.
"I haven't seen you and your mother in such a long time." Joseph smiled.
"Thank you for letting us come here to stay for a while, Joseph," the woman said. "My husband doesn't even know when he'll come back from his trip. I figured since your nephew hasn't seen you in so long, we could stop by to visit you and your wife."
"I understand." Joseph smiled. "Welcome to Mirahton!"
The loud sounds of the city carried out over the atmosphere as Rapunzel and Olaf wandered onto the streets where the citizens were doing their daily routines, bikes riding past them, and children playing ball. Although the street was filled with its residents, Rapunzel was surprised that they hadn't run into a market and most of all, she was surprised that they had yet to find her cousin. Was there a possibility that Elsa had landed in another part of the country? She doubted that Elsa would search for Lord Graham without her and she knew that she would be appalled if they decided that they would search for the Lord without her, which they would never do. When they found her, they would have to keep Elsa's identity hidden until they found Lord Graham. However, Rapunzel didn't need to keep her identity hidden and could inquire the citizens for Elsa's whereabouts without giving her away.
"Rapunzel?" Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the snowman called her name and pointed in a different direction. "What is going on over there?"
There was a crowd in a huddle not too far from them. Their backs were all turned to them and they seemed to be cheering about something. For a moment, they were silent until a band of instruments was playing a lively tune. When the music ended, there was applause echoing over to them.
"I think they're watching some kind of street performance, Olaf," Rapunzel guessed. Pascal shrugged up at her and Olaf nodded before turning back to the crowd. "Something is entertaining them."
"Wow!" Olaf smiled. Rapunzel's eyes widened as her friend raced over to the crowd, leaving her no choice but to chase after him. They were already in a mess trying to find Elsa and the last thing that they needed was to lose more people in their group. "Let's see what they're watching!"
"Wait, Olaf!" shouted Rapunzel. She peered down at Pascal who sat on her shoulder. "Hang on, Pascal." She peered back to the direction Olaf was running. "We'll just have to—"
Rapunzel's heart started beating as she watched Olaf disappear into the crowd. Without hesitation, she shoved her way through the crowd, politely apologizing as she pushed past people. The crowd all stood like statues making it more difficult for her to move, but all she could do was to keep moving forward. Fortunately, the crowd was silent and she could hear Olaf's voice in the distance and she wasn't too far from him. She followed his cheering until she finally saw him in the front of the crowd, clapping and cheering about something.
"Olaf!" she shouted.
Just then the entire crowd cheered so loud that it almost hurt Rapunzel's ears. By the sound of it, there must have been something exciting going on. As she went further into the crowd towards Olaf, she hoped that the crowd would become silent again so Olaf could hear her calling out to him, but, instead, everyone around her kept cheering so loud that she could barely even hear herself. She kept her eye on Olaf as she shoved her way past people. No one was bothering to move, which slowed her down, making her afraid that she would fall or worse, Olaf would take off again before she would even get to him or Pascal could fall off her and get lost. She looked down at her shoulder where Pascal still sat and reminded him to stay close to her. Before she knew it, Rapunzel was standing right behind Olaf.
"Olaf!" she yelled, eager to get his attention. She coughed violently into her left arm. "I'm right behind you!"
The cheering crowd had blurred her out therefore Olaf still couldn't hear her. Rapunzel tapped on his shoulder and he turned to her as the crowd kept getting louder.
"Hi!" he said. The crowd was so loud that Rapunzel couldn't hear him.
"Don't take off like that again," Rapunzel said.
"What?" asked Olaf.
"I said don't take off like that again."
"I'll try not to cough again." Olaf smiled.
"No, I said 'don't take off again'," Rapunzel shouted through the crowd.
"Yes! I'll have cake again!" Olaf cheered, jumping up and down.
When the crowd finally became dead silent, Rapunzel slowly peered up and saw that there was a tall slim middle aged man. He had a long blue cape and wore rings on his hands. There was a small black hat on the ground with coins inside.
The man pointed to a young townsman standing beside Olaf. "Will you be my assistant?" his deep, haunting voice asked affably. "You will be missing a once-in-a-lifetime experience if you don't."
"Alright." the townsman shrugged.
After the townsman stepped forward, the man placed a cloak over him and turned to the crowd. Olaf stood with a huge smile on his face while Rapunzel stood with a curious expression on her face.
"Now ladies and gentleman," the man said. "I present you—"he grabbed the cloak with a grin, "an invisible man!" When the man removed the cloak, the crowd gasped and the townsman was nowhere to be seen.
"What's all this?" he asked.
The crowd gasped again and Rapunzel's eyes widened. The man put the cloak on the invisible man again. When he removed the cloak, the townsman was back and the audience cheered again.
Rapunzel tapped on Olaf. "We have to go now," she said, taking his hand.
After Rapunzel donated some of her money into the man's hat, she, Olaf, and Pascal left the crowd, wandering farther into the streets.
As soon as they turned around the corner, Olaf tugged on Rapunzel's dress and pointed to a large building with a market sign hanging from the door. Rapunzel grinned and gestured for Olaf to follow her to the shop. She thought that it was about time that they would find some shop or market and the best part was that it only took a short time for them to find one. Olaf had already arrived at the door before Rapunzel's feet even reached the stairs that led to a small porch and he peered at the sign.
"Where do you think we'll find Elsa?" Olaf asked as he glanced at Rapunzel with a knock on the door.
"She's probably either waiting for us somewhere or she's looking for us," Rapunzel answered with a smile shortly before she coughed into her hand. As she heard footsteps stomping over to the door, her smile faded when she noticed that the sign said 'CLOSED' and she remembered that her cousins had told her that they had just started teaching Olaf how to read. "Uh, Olaf?"
"The door slammed open and out came a large pump man who was incandescent with rage. The little snowman smiled at the man. "Hi, there! I'm Olaf and I like warm—"
"DO YOU, PEOPLE, NOT READ?!" the man bellowed, sending Olaf to step backward in fear, Pascal to scowl at him, and Rapunzel to come to Olaf's side. She tried to defend him but she covered her cough instead. "DID YOU NOT SEE THE SIGN?!"
"Y-Yes, I did," Olaf stuttered. "Your market is open. It said that we could come in!"
"MY MARKET IS CLOSED!" the man roared, spraying spit in Rapunzel's face and drawing in a large crowd nearby. "WE ARE CLOSED UNTIL TOMORROW! ARE YOU NOT BRIGHT?!"
"He's learning how to read," Rapunzel explained, wiping the spit off her face. "He didn't know what it said."
"We are very sorry," Olaf spoke, covering his face with his twig arms. Rapunzel wrapped her arm around him, trying to comfort him. "I didn't mean to—"
"WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?!" the man demanded, forcing Pascal to turn red and making Olaf jump.
"We—"
"I SAID WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?!" the man screamed, scaring the snowman.
"Home," Rapunzel answered.
"THEN GO BACK HOME!" the man hollered. Rapunzel grabbed Olaf's arm and scurried away from the market, not wanting to anger the man anymore and ignoring the crowd as she and her friend spirited away. "AND DON'T YOU DARE COME BACK UNTIL TOMORROW!"
Shortly after, Rapunzel heard the door slammed loudly behind her and she turned to see that the sign had fallen off the floor. Olaf lifted his arms away from his face and Pascal snuck his tongue out at the market. Taking a deep breath, Rapunzel gestured for Olaf to back farther away from the market with her in hopes of not causing any more trouble. She couldn't help but wonder if the market man had known that she was the princess of Corona and wished that she would've spoken up, but there was no point and it wasn't Olaf's fault that he was still learning how to read. When they came to a halt, Rapunzel glanced over her shoulder to see that the crowd muttered something as they broke up and went back to their business.
"What was that about?" Olaf asked. Rapunzel peered back to the market one last time to make sure that the man wasn't going to come out again and chase after Olaf. If only Elsa was there with them, she would not allow them to be foolish and impetuous. Instead, she would've read the sign and this wouldn't have happened. They needed to find her cousin soon before they ran into any more trouble. "Why was he so mean?"
"I don't know, Olaf," Rapunzel answered. She agreed with her friend that the man was very unfriendly and he had no reason to scream at them like that. Back in Corona, she had always been on bad terms with Monty but he even wouldn't act this way towards anyone. "Some people are just not nice people."
A man in his mid-fifties approached them. He had brown eyes and was dressed in a grey jacket with a pocket watch and dark trousers. "Excuse me? I don't mean to be rude but why didn't you read the sign before you knocked on the door?"
Olaf was just about to run away but Rapunzel gestured for him to stay. She knew that Olaf meant no harm and she doesn't need to lose any more people from her group. It was bad enough that they would have to find Elsa. She was not hiding her identity so there was no reason not to be honest with him.
"My friend here is still learning how to read and spell," Rapunzel explained. The man with the pocket watch nodded and crossed his arms as he stared at Olaf. "He didn't mean to anger him."
"Are you a snowman?" the man with the pocket watch asked. Olaf nodded with a large smile as the man bent down to him. "How are you alive? We haven't even reached fall yet."
"She made me," Olaf smiled.
The man with the pocket watch turned to Rapunzel. "You made him?"
"No, my cousin did," Rapunzel responded. This would be a perfect opportunity to learn of her cousin's whereabouts. "That reminds me, have you seen a woman who is this tall with brown hair and eyes? We are looking for her and we need to find her soon. We need to escort her somewhere."
"I'm afraid I haven't," the man with the pocket watch answered, shaking his head. "I would help you if I could but I haven't seen her." He raised his eyebrow and gave Olaf a puzzled look. "Why doesn't he have a nose?"
"I did but it got taken," Olaf answered.
"A woman thought that we stole one of her carrots so she took Olaf's nose," Rapunzel explained. "That is why we are trying to find a market."
"There aren't any markets open around here." The man with the pocket watch rose. "However, there is one open a little farther away, but you would need to get there fast before it closes for the night."
"Really?!" Rapunzel and Olaf exclaimed at once. "Where is it?"
"Can you tell us how to get there?" Rapunzel inquired.
"Go around the block and you should see one," the man with the pocket watch instructed. "It is located next to the sweet shop."
"Thank you very much." Rapunzel smiled.
After they went around the block, they saw that there was a market with a red roof next to a large building with cupcakes and sweets through the glass window. Rapunzel and Pascal grinned to each other and she was just about to get over to the market when she saw that Olaf was peeking through the glass window. She thought of gesturing him over to him but instead, she smiled and raced in line.
As she waited in line, she saw that two townspeople were painting a building across from her, reminding her of her favorite hobby and it made her smile. If she didn't have a lot going on, she would be going over there and offering to help them paint the same way she was helping Elsa and Anna decided to go to Belliville for her sister. That reminded her that a few days ago, Rupert had told her that he knew her father. She was curious to know how they knew each other. Were they friends? Did they meet at a party? Were they even enemies? She doubted the latter for she couldn't imagine who would be in conflict with her parents.
The long line dragged on slowly, but, fortunately, she was able to buy a carrot before the market closed for the night. As soon as she started to approach Olaf, she saw that the market person placed a closed sign on the market. She coughed violently into her handkerchief as she came towards her friend.
With a gentle smile, Rapunzel tapped on Olaf's shoulder and he turned to her with a smile. "Here you go, Olaf."
"Thank you!" Olaf exclaimed as he put his new nose on, causing Pascal to smile. He peered back to the sign on the sweet shop. "Why is it called a sweat shop?" Rapunzel and Pascal burst out laughing while Olaf stood there puzzled. "What did I do?"
"Olaf," Rapunzel laughed."It's 'sweet shop' not sweat shop."
"Oh." Olaf nodded. He peered back up at the sign again. "They both sound the same."
"You know, Olaf," Rapunzel chuckled, "I have a story that I think you would like to hear. It was the annual Gopher Festival and a shopkeeper named Monty booed me in the crowd. I wanted to find out why he didn't like me so one of the guards gave me the name of his shop and he actually spelled it 'Sweat Shop'."
Olaf laughed. Rapunzel smiled at her little friend and was more than happy that Elsa had created him with her powers. If only her cousin would see how talented she was with her magic.
Olaf's smile faded away and he peered back up at Rapunzel. "Why didn't Monty like you? What happened next?"
"After I met him, I went in disguise to seek the truth of why he hated me," Rapunzel explained. "I learned that he dreamt of winning the gopher grab so I convinced him to sign up. He won with my help but when he found out about my disguise, he explained to me that he didn't like me because of all of the changes I made to Corona."
"Did you become friends?" Olaf asked.
"Actually, no," Rapunzel answered. "We're not friends, but we still respect each other. That was when I learned that not everyone has to like everyone."
"Do you think he would like me?" Olaf asked. "And Elsa? Anna? Kristoff? Sven?"
"I was one of the few people he couldn't stand," Rapunzel laughed. "But he would love you. I think he would like Elsa, Kristoff, and Sven. I'm not sure about Anna though." Rapunzel suddenly thought about Elsa. Her cousin was probably wandering around the city somewhere, looking for her. "And we still need to find Elsa."
"Yes!" Olaf smiled. "Let's go find Elsa! Where is Elsa?"
Eventually, Rapunzel, Olaf, and Pascal reached a large, unfamiliar area with houses lined up on both sides, fewer people, and a fountain in the middle of the square. Rapunzel surveyed the area but she didn't see her cousin anywhere. She thought that they should take a break, especially since they'd been walking for a while. They went over to the fountain and sat down to take a break.
"Wow!" Olaf exclaimed, staring into his reflection in the water. "This looks like fun!"
After Pascal gestured for her to look, Rapunzel glanced over her shoulder and saw that the beautiful fountain was large and had a statue of a lion. Staring into her reflection, she placed her hand in the water and, surprisingly, it wasn't very cold. Her reflection showed her smiling with Pascal turning blue with the stars scattered in the sky. "It is pretty, isn't it?"
Her reflection suddenly broke when Olaf jumped into the fountain and accidentally splashed her and Pascal. The snowman quickly stood up in the water while Rapunzel laughed and Pascal shook his head in annoyance.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Olaf fretted.
"It's alright, Olaf," Rapunzel chuckled as Pascal went back to his usual green. Her smile faded as she quickly surveyed the area for any sign of a guard. Afterward, she craned in closer to her friend. "Just make sure that you get out before a guard catches you."
Olaf kicked in the water, laughing and smiling. This caused Rapunzel to put a smile on her face as she laughed with him. For a moment, Olaf stared into his reflection in silence. "I can see the stars from up here."
Rapunzel peered up at the sky that had stars scattered all over, reminding her of the lanterns that her parents and kingdom would release every year on her birthday.
"You know, Olaf," Rapunzel smiled. "You just gave me an idea for my birthday."
"Oh!" Olaf exclaimed excitedly. "What is it?"
"For my birthday," Rapunzel began, "I would like you, Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, and Sven to come to Corona for my birthday celebration and watch the lanterns with us."
"That sounds like so much fun!" Olaf cheered. "Did you tell Anna and Elsa yet?"
"Not yet," smiled Rapunzel. "But I was thinking that we can tell Elsa when we find her and when Anna comes back from Belleville, we will tell her. There'll be cake and I'll send you all an invitation."
"Yay!" Olaf cheered. "Is your birthday coming up soon?"
"My birthday is not until May 12," Rapunzel answered. "But—" Suddenly she started coughing violently into her hand as she pulled out a handkerchief, alerting both Pascal and Olaf.
"Are you okay?" Olaf asked.
"I just have a dry throat, Olaf." Rapunzel nodded. Pascal chattered to her. "Pascal, I'll be alright. I promise." Her little friend chattered to her again. "I think that it was from the dust portal, but I don't think it's really serious."
"I wish that I had a cup with me," Olaf commented. "So, you could have a drink from the fountain and feel better."
Rapunzel smiled weakly. It was amazing that Elsa created such a lovable snowman. "That is very kind of you, Olaf. But we're not supposed to be drinking from the fountain. It would be against the rules."
"And you don't seem to be following them," a low, gruff voice spoke behind her, causing her to jump.
Rapunzel turned to see that there was a short, slightly plump, unattractive merchant standing right in front of them. He had brown hair with grey streaks and brown eyes with a bushy mustache. He must've snuck up behind them sometime during her conversation with Pascal.
"You should know better," the merchant said. "Get out of the fountain."
"Why can't I swim in it?" Olaf asked. "Did I splash you?"
"It's one of the rules," said the merchant. "It would be unsanitary."
"What does unsanitary mean?" asked Olaf.
"Unsanitary means unhygienic," explained the merchant. Olaf stood there puzzled. Rapunzel could tell that he didn't know what he meant.
"Olaf, what he means is dirty," Rapunzel explained. "They don't want anybody to swim in the fountain because it would be dirty."
"But I'm made out of snow," said Olaf.
"I'm sorry but I'm afraid you're going to have to get out of the fountain," said the merchant. "If a guard catches you, you would be in a lot of trouble."
"That was my fault," said Rapunzel. "I told him that he could swim in it."
"Why?" asked the merchant.
"I didn't see why not?" said Rapunzel.
"Well you seem to know that you two wouldn't be allowed to drink from the fountain," said the merchant.
"I'm sorry, Olaf," said Rapunzel. "You're going to have to get out of the fountain."
"Okay," said Olaf, defeated and disappointed.
As Olaf climbed out of the fountain, Rapunzel thought that she should ask the merchant about her cousin. "Excuse me," she began. "Have you seen—" She coughed violently into her handkerchief causing Olaf, Pascal, and the merchant to spin to her with concerned expressions on their faces. "Have you—" Rapunzel coughed violently into her handkerchief, only this time the cough was much more violent than the last. The merchant stood there with a concerned expression as Olaf ran over to her.
"Are you alright?" the merchant asked.
"I'm fine," Rapunzel spoke in her raspy voice. She coughed again. "I just swallowed something from the dust portal."
"Wait," said the merchant. "How long has it been since you arrived here?"
"I don't know," Rapunzel answered. "Over an hour at least?"
"Then you must get some medicine," said the merchant. "By the sound of it, you must've swallowed some of the magic from the dust portal while you were inside. I own a shop not too far from here and I can make medicine. You'll feel better in no time."
After about twenty minutes, Rapunzel, the merchant, Olaf, and Pascal were approaching a small wooden building with a brick roof and see-through windows surrounded by flowers. The bell rang as the merchant opened the door for them, allowing them inside.
As Rapunzel stepped inside the shop, her mouth dropped when she saw that the white walls were filled with potions stacked on wooden shelves, a painting of the merchant's family hung above a door behind a small counter, cabinets with potions were located in the shop, and a bear rug laid in the middle of the wooden floor.
"Which potion will I need to take?" Rapunzel asked, peering around the room.
"The healing potions are out of stock," the merchant answered as he went behind the counter and twisted the knob on the door. "But I can make you one right now. Just have a seat over there and wait."
After Rapunzel sat on the wooden chairs with Olaf sitting next to her and Pascal crawling on her lap, she couldn't help but look around the place that looked like it was recently built. Everything about the shop was appealing to her except the bear rug. She had always been a lover of animals and never believed that they should be used as trophies.
When the merchant closed the door behind him, he went further into the small room and placed a small bowl on a small wooden table. After he poured water into the bowl, he went over to a cabinet and opened. Inside, there was a magical golden flower sitting in a flower pot.
After about ten minutes, the merchant came out of the room with a small white vile in his hand. Rapunzel stood up from her seat and went over to the merchant who handed her the potion.
"This will make you feel better after you take it," the merchant said. "But first, you have to wait at least fifteen minutes before you can take the potion."
"Thank you," Rapunzel smiled, placing the vile in one of her pockets. "How much do I owe you?"
"Fifteen gold pieces," the merchant answered.
After Rapunzel paid the merchant, she suddenly remembered that she never asked him about Elsa. "Have you seen this woman? She's this tall with brown hair and eyes. Did she come by here by some chance?"
"Sorry, I haven't seen her," the merchant answered, shaking his head. "Maybe you should explore more of the city again. She could be waiting for you somewhere."
"Where would we go?" asked Olaf.
"We'll head back to the town square," Rapunzel declared.
After fifteen minutes, they reached the town square and just when Rapunzel was about to take the potion, she saw that something was different. There was a large crowd gathered around about something and there were guards all over, asking people questions. Had something happened?
"What's going on over there?" asked Olaf.
"I don't know," said Rapunzel, putting the potion into one of her pockets. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Maybe we can ask them if they saw Elsa? Olaf, you go look over there."
Olaf went over towards where women were washing and hanging their laundry on a clothesline that towered over Rapunzel, Pascal, and the bystanders in the area. Rapunzel smiled as she watched Olaf jumping to grab the clothesline in hopes of swinging on it.
"This looks like fun!" Olaf laughed as he tried to reach the clothesline. "I want to swing it."
Rapunzel chuckled as she watched Olaf try to reach it. The clothesline was so close to her head that she could grab it if she wanted to. Pascal climbed onto her arm and into her palms where he peered up at his best friend. Rapunzel smiled down at him and he chattered. "Someone will help us find Elsa, Pascal," Rapunzel assured.
"There she is!" a deep male voice yelled.
When Rapunzel peered up, her smile faded away when she saw that the guards were racing over towards her and the crowd was muttering and backing away from her in fear which made her feel uncomfortable. Right when the guards reached her, they came to a halt.
"Hey, have you seen—" Rapunzel queried.
One of the guards grabbed her hands and took out a pair of handcuffs. "You are under arrest for the murder of Professor Duke," he said.
"What?!" Rapunzel gasped with a perplexed expression. Did he just say she'd killed someone? She would never do such a thing! Why would they think it was her?! She hadn't done anything! She, Olaf, and Pascal just wandered around the town! She doesn't even know anyone with the name Professor Duke! Was this some kind of a joke? "What are you talking about?! I didn't do it! I don't even know him! This has got to be a mistake!"
"Nice try," scoffed the guard. "Someone said they even saw you kill him!"
"WHAT?!" Rapunzel shouted frantically. Who said that she'd killed someone?! She didn't kill anybody and who would say that they saw her kill someone?!
The guard locked her handcuffs and was just about to put away the key. "Now let's-OW!" Pascal had bit his hand. He took the key from him and jumped back on Rapunzel's shoulder.
Suddenly they heard the sound of a rope snapping above them and the laundry fell all over everyone including the guards. Rapunzel quickly threw off a jacket and darted away from the area. She noticed Olaf, who was standing there with the end of the clothesline. His twig arms were separated from his body and were clutched on to the rope. Apparently, when he'd finally grabbed the clothesline, it broke and fell on everyone. As she was trying to unlock the handcuffs, she gestured to follow her, which he did after quickly getting his arms back on his body.
"I'm sorry!" Olaf panted, trying to keep up with her. "I didn't mean to break the clothesline! I just wanted to swing on it!"
Rapunzel actually was thankful that Olaf had done that. If he hadn't, the guards would've taken her into custody. "Don't be sorry, Olaf!"
"What is going on?" asked Olaf. "What do we do now?"
"We—"
"Get her!" the guards yelled.
Rapunzel gasped as she glanced over her shoulder and saw that the guards had taken the fallen laundry off them and were chasing after her. Rapunzel ordered Olaf to stay close to her as they dashed further into the city with the guards racing behind them. Unfortunately, she wasn't going as fast as she normally would because she was trying to unlock the handcuffs and, to make matters worse, there were still people in the middle of the road, walking home. She almost ran into a man who was carrying bread and Olaf was trying his best not to run into anyone. Rapunzel's heart started beating with fright as she heard the guards coming closer to them.
A woman opened her window with a large bucket of water from a tub and was getting ready to pour it out. Pascal peeked up and gasped as he saw the woman was just about to pour the bucket. He chattered to Rapunzel and he took the key from her and tried to unlock the handcuffs as his best friend just kept running. Rapunzel sighed in relief as Pascal successfully unlocked the handcuffs as the woman poured the water out the window. Just in time, Rapunzel threw off the handcuffs and ran faster. The water came on most of the guards soaking them and making them slip. Some guards noticed that and went around the wet area to try to catch Rapunzel.
Rapunzel was able to run faster with her arms swinging but she still hadn't gotten away from them just yet. Pascal hung onto her shoulder and Olaf was trying his best to catch up with her. Two men were coming out of a bakery carrying a tall wedding cake. Rapunzel gasped as she saw that she was just about to run into them. She quickly slid under it and ran faster. Just then she saw that there were men loading barrels onto a wagon. One of the men dropped a barrel and it started to come over towards Olaf.
"OLAF, LOOK OUT!" she shouted.
Olaf gasped as he saw the barrel coming towards him. Right when the barrel reached him, he jumped. The barrel ran over to the men with the cake and knocked them down, sending the cake flying in the air. The barrel went over a ramp and smashed as soon as it hit the ground, spilling wine all over. The guards slipped and fell on the ground and then the cake fell all over them.
Without looking back, Rapunzel and Olaf raced further into the city with Pascal hanging onto Rapunzel's shoulder.
After a long while, they were finally out of the city and were on a road in the middle of nowhere with nothing but puddles on the ground. Out of breath, they sat down on the ground, taking deep breaths while they waited to get their strength back.
"We lost them," said Olaf, catching his breath.
With little energy that she had left from running, Rapunzel forced herself on her feet and paced, muttering to herself. She couldn't believe what had just transpired.
"No, no, this isn't good," Rapunzel murmured, shaking her head violently. "I didn't do it. Why do they think it was me?"
"Why were they arresting you?" asked Olaf. "What happened?"
"They think I killed somebody!" yelled Rapunzel.
"But you didn't kill anybody!" Olaf denied.
"Exactly!" Rapunzel squealed. "They even said that someone saw me! This is insane! I would never do such a thing!"
"Why didn't you tell them?" asked Olaf.
"I did but they didn't believe me!" said Rapunzel. She gasped as she paused again with fright, shaking her head. "Oh no! Now they're after me! I'm a wanted fugitive! Oh my gosh!" Rapunzel coughed violently. Pascal climbed into her pocket and took out the small white vile. So much had already happened that Rapunzel had already forgotten about it. "I forgot all about it. Thank goodness, I didn't lose it. Thank you, Pascal."
Rapunzel gently took the vile from Pascal and she hesitated before she took off the lid and drank the potion. After she took it, she saw that Olaf and Pascal had noticed something and were staring straight at her. "What is it?"
"What happened to your hair?" asked Olaf.
"What do you mean?"
"Your hair's a different color now."
Rapunzel stared into a puddle and saw that he was right. Her short brown hair was now blonde. She stared in debrief as she ran her fingers through her blonde pixie cut. "How did this happen?"
"Didn't you say you used to have long blonde hair?" asked Olaf.
"Yes, twice," Rapunzel replied. "How is it blonde again? Was there something in the potion?"
"Does this mean that your hair's magical again?" Olaf wondered.
"I don't know," Rapunzel responded. "I wish that I could ask the merchant what was in the potion."
Olaf looked back with a worried look. "I wish that Elsa was here with us. I hope she will find us soon."
"Oh no," Rapunzel cried as she cupped her face and paced again. They were now separated from each other and the worst part was that they have no idea where her cousin was. "This can't be good. How will Elsa find us now? Oh, dear."
"You don't think she got arrested, do you?"
"I don't think so," Rapunzel doubted. "I hope. But to be honest, it looked like it was just me they're after so Elsa's more likely safe."
Rapunzel stared back at the city in the distance. She had to admit that Elsa's plan had not worked. The guards were now after her and she was now separated from her cousin. The guards would be looking for her and would even leave the city. Eventually, they could even start looking for her in other countries.
"Olaf, Pascal," said Rapunzel. "We can't stay here."
"Alright," said Olaf. "We'll wait for Elsa and then we'll leave."
Rapunzel felt a tear coming from her eye. She was kicking at herself for saying this. "We can't wait for Elsa," she cried. "We must leave now."
Olaf's eyes widened and he gasped. "No! We can't do that!" he shook his head violently. "Elsa won't know where we're at! We can't leave without her!"
"I'm sorry, guys," Rapunzel apologized. Pascal chattered to Rapunzel. "But we don't have a choice. The guards will be coming here soon and we can't be around by then, we must get as far as we can. Maybe we could find a way to get back to Arendelle or Corona. But I am sorry. We have to leave without Elsa."
"What would she do?" asked Olaf. "We don't leave friends behind!"
"It isn't like that, Olaf," Rapunzel sniffed. "We don't have a choice. Heck, we haven't even seen her since we arrived. Who knows where she could be? It's me they're after. Don't worry, Elsa will be alright. She'll figure out what's going on and then she'll try to fix it. She'll continue with her plan. She's smart. She'll find Lord Graham. He'll help her and then she and my parents will find a way to help us."
"Are you sure?" asked Olaf.
"I don't know, but I hope so," Rapunzel reassured, drying her tears. "My parents are king and queen of Corona and Elsa's the ruler of her own country. They will help us."
Rapunzel glanced back at the city and over to a path. She let out a breath as Pascal hung on her shoulder while Olaf stood next to her. "Alright," she sighed. "On a count of three, we'll start running." She let out a breath. "One. Two. THREE!"
As fast as lighting, Rapunzel and Olaf darted away from the area while Pascal hung onto Rapunzel's shoulder. The many thoughts on Rapunzel's mind made her run faster. She wanted to get as far away as she could. She didn't know why they thought she had killed someone. She couldn't imagine how Eugene would react if he found out. She hated the idea of leaving Elsa behind but they didn't have a choice. She hoped that someone would help them.
The one thought that haunted Rapunzel the most: someone had framed her and she was now a wanted fugitive on the run.
