The road out of the capital stretched farther than it should have.
Or maybe it just felt that way.
Elsa didn't look back.
Not once.
If she did—
She knew she wouldn't leave.
---
The world outside the city hadn't changed.
Fields still swayed.
Wind still moved.
People still lived like nothing had happened.
That felt wrong.
Something inside her had ended.
The world should have noticed.
It didn't.
---
She walked until the sun dipped low.
Then further.
Until night settled quietly over everything.
Only then did she stop.
A small clearing.
No houses.
No voices.
No eyes watching her.
Just silence.
---
She sat down slowly.
Not carefully.
Just… sat.
Her body felt heavy.
Not tired.
Empty.
Her hand drifted upward.
Touched her horn.
Still red.
It didn't fade anymore.
She already knew it wouldn't.
---
"I didn't cry."
The words came again.
Quieter this time.
The air didn't respond.
No warmth.
No reaction.
Just stillness.
---
She lay back on the grass.
Stared at the sky.
Stars scattered above.
Cold.
Distant.
Unreachable.
"…Father."
The word broke.
Barely.
But enough.
---
For a moment—
She wanted to scream.
To burn.
To tear the world apart until it felt even a fraction of what she felt.
The urge rose fast.
Sharp.
Instinctive.
Dragon.
---
She closed her eyes.
Forced it down.
Hard.
Her fingers dug into the ground.
Cracked the soil beneath her.
"No."
Her voice trembled.
"You promised."
His voice.
Clear.
Steady.
She held onto it like something solid in a collapsing world.
---
"I won't lose control."
This time—
It sounded like effort.
Not certainty.
---
Morning came quietly.
Like nothing had happened.
Like it never mattered.
Elsa sat up slowly.
The emptiness hadn't gone.
It had settled.
That was worse.
---
She walked again.
No destination.
No plan.
Just… forward.
---
By noon—
She found a village.
Small.
Ordinary.
Children running through dirt paths.
A woman drawing water from a well.
Men repairing a broken cart.
Normal.
---
She stopped at the edge.
Watched.
For a long time.
A girl laughed.
Holding her father's hand.
Something twisted inside Elsa.
Sharp.
Unexpected.
---
"You could."
His voice again.
Memory.
"You could."
She stepped forward.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Like approaching something fragile.
---
People noticed.
Of course they did.
Her horns weren't hidden.
Her presence wasn't subtle.
The laughter stopped.
Conversations died mid-sentence.
Eyes turned.
Fear returned.
Faster this time.
---
A man stepped in front of the others.
Protective.
Uncertain.
"Don't come closer."
Elsa stopped.
Not because she had to.
Because she chose to.
"I'm not here to hurt anyone."
Her voice was calm.
Controlled.
The man didn't relax.
"They said… in the capital…"
She didn't let him finish.
"They killed my father."
Silence.
That wasn't what they expected.
---
A child peeked from behind a doorway.
Curious.
Not afraid.
Yet.
Elsa saw her.
Their eyes met.
For a brief second—
There was no fear.
Just curiosity.
---
Then the child's mother pulled her back.
"Inside!"
The door slammed.
That was it.
That small moment.
Gone.
---
Elsa lowered her gaze slightly.
Not in shame.
In understanding.
"I'll leave."
She turned.
No argument.
No anger.
Just… leaving.
---
"You didn't even try."
The thought came uninvited.
Sharp.
Accusing.
Her own.
---
She stopped.
Looked back.
The village was already retreating from her.
Doors closing.
Windows shutting.
Fear sealing itself in.
---
"You can't stay anywhere."
Another thought.
Colder.
"Because you don't belong anywhere."
---
Her hands tightened.
The air warmed slightly.
The ground beneath her feet cracked.
Just a little.
---
She exhaled slowly.
Forced it down.
Again.
Again.
Again.
---
"I won't lose control."
But this time—
The words felt thinner.
Weaker.
Like something repeating itself to stay real.
---
She walked away.
Further this time.
Faster.
Not running.
But close.
---
By evening—
The forest swallowed the road.
No villages.
No people.
No reminders.
Just trees.
And silence.
---
She leaned against one.
Closed her eyes.
And finally—
Something slipped.
Not rage.
Not fire.
A tear.
Just one.
It fell.
Quiet.
Unnoticed.
Gone.
---
She opened her eyes slowly.
Touched her cheek.
"…That doesn't count."
Her voice was barely there.
---
Far behind her—
A group of riders moved along the road.
Not loud.
Not rushed.
Tracking.
Following.
Orders given.
Quietly.
---
The world wasn't done with her.
Not even close.
---
Elsa pushed away from the tree.
And kept walking.