Author's Note: I apologize for the long gap in writing. Honestly, I wasn't ready to begin a new story, I had just meant it to be a one-shot. I should have waited to post the first chapter, but I got a little excited. :) Anyway, now that Just-Ice is almost finished and I have the plot all laid out, I can concentrate on Epic more. I hope you enjoy!
Waving goodbye, Mary Katherine stepped through the portal. There was a sickening twist and sharp pop, and then she landed on her stomach in the middle of soft grass.
"Ow," she said, putting a hand to her head and looking up.
Inches away from her face was a very surprised man. He was wearing a complicated leather helmet with glass of different sizes and shapes in front of his eyes.
"That is spectacular. Extraordinary! How did you do it?"
Energetically, he leapt to his feet and ran behind her, examining the spot where the portal had connected. MK quickly picked up the snowglobe and tried to stash it away, but the odd looking man spotted it.
"What's that? A scientific instrument from the future perhaps? Or the past?"
"I'm sorry," she stuttered. "I was trying to get to Berk? Is that anywhere near here?"
"Afraid not," the man said. He studied her intently for a moment. "Where are you from? Or the better question is when? I'm a scientist, not a historian, but I'm pretty sure you can't find clothes like that today."
"I'm from Corona," MK said uncertainly. "It was 1838 when I left Arendelle."
The man grabbed her hand and pumped it up and down. She didn't understand it, but it appeared to be a friendly gesture.
"I'm Professor Bomba. Welcome to the year 2009."
"Two thousand? But that's nearly two hundred years in my future!"
"Yes, it is!" the professor said, beaming. "You've traveled in time!"
"But I meant to go backwards, not forwards! Now I'm even farther away from Merida." She held up the globe again. "Take me to Merida, on Berk!"
She threw it, but, like a ball, it simply bounced and rolled gently down the hill. MK stared at it in shock, then ran over and picked it up, extremely concerned. She rubbed it with her sleeve.
"Come on, work! Take me to where Merida has been kidnapped!"
Again she there it, but for a second time nothing happened.
"That's not supposed to happen!" she cried, beginning to panic.
"Hey, calm down. Like I said before, I'm a scientist. I may be able to figure it out."
MK shook her head. "It's not science. It's magic. Although I guess you don't believe in such things."
"I might before the day is over. Come inside, let me see what I can do."
"How do you move around in here?" MK asked, looking at the crowded rooms.
"We don't wear big dresses," professor Bomba said simply. "Here, you can borrow my daughter's clothes for now, she's about your size. They're easier to move around in."
"These...these are pants."
"Girl pants, yeah."
"Girls are allowed to wear pants like men?" MK asked, astounded. "You mean I can wear them and not be yelled at?"
"Yeah," the professor said absentmindedly.
He was examining the snow globe and thoroughly engrossed. Grinning, MK quickly changed into the modern clothes. Immediately, she adored the pink sweatshirt and loose fitting pants. Pink wasn't really her color, but this was definitely her style.
"So, you have a daughter?" she asked, joining the professor in his lab. It looked a cross between the North Pole and Hiccup's workshop.
"Oh. Yeah," Bomba muttered.
"Where is she?"
"She's staying with her mother for awhile. She won't live with me for another month."
MK was a little confused but didn't press the subject. "What's her name?"
"Penny," he said. "I forgot to ask about your name. Sorry, I forget things like that."
"Princess Mary Katherine," she said automatically. "But, just call me MK."
"You're a princess?"
"Only child of Queen Primrose and King Thomas, reluctant heir to the throne," she said unenthusiastically. "That's me."
"So, is this thing yours?"
"You're not going to believe me, but that snow globe is the property of Nicholas St. North. Better known as Santa Claus."
Professor Bomba took off his glasses and stared at her in shock.
Bunny arrived a few minutes later, having sensed "a time distortion," as he put it. Immediately, he went to fetch North, but even the big man himself couldn't figure out what happened to the snow globe.
"Is is just dead," he declared. "But don't ask me why."
"Do you have more at the Pole?" MK asked hopefully.
"I brought them with me," he said. "Professor, can you help me lift this bag?"
The professor, who had no problem believing in magic now and had taken the whole situation extraordinarily well, gladly obliged. From the sleigh came a gigantic bag full of snow globes. They tried until the sun went down, but nothing worked. North could get through alright, but even traveling through space would not work for MK. The portals, or perhaps the Moon North theorized, wouldn't let her through.
"Is that it, then? Am I stuck here for the rest of my life?"
"You can't just give up after one day!" Bomba said encouragingly. "Listen, you're welcome to stay with me until we can sort it out. You and Penny would be great friends!"
"Or you could always stay with me or one of the Companions," North added.
"Are they still around?"
"Of course they are! Why shouldn't they be?"
"But mom..."
"She never became immortal. Neither did Rue and Robert, and they had magic in their blood."
"I'd rather stay here for now. I'm not ready to see them."
"Suit yourself," North said, shrugging his broad shoulders. "I must return. I've been gone for too long already."
"But it's only spring!" Bomba protested.
"My break runs from the day after Christmas until Easter! After that, it's back to work, preparing for next Christmas!" He climbed into the sleigh and cracked the reigns. "I will check back with you later!" he called as he disappeared.
"Well, I guess if you're going to be staying for awhile, you can use Penny's room for now," Bomba said, leading her upstairs to a little girl's bedroom.
"How old is she?" MK asked, looking at the dolls.
"She's about...oh, I don't know. 16 or 17 I think. I lose count."
"Uh huh...when was the last time she stayed here?"
"She visited last summer which is when she left some clothes...oh! You mean the dolls. She and her mom moved out when she was 8 or 9, but I always left her things in case they came back..." he trailed off, looking at a 4-year-old's drawing of a butterfly.
"Why did she move out?" she asked innocently. "Did she have to move to a healthier climate?"
"What? Oh, that's right. I guess they didn't have divorce back where you come from."
MK shook her head. "No. Is that a bad disease?"
"Um, in a way," he said slowly. "Basically, Elizabeth, her mother, decided she didn't want to be married to me any longer."
This only made MK even more confused. "But didn't you love each other?"
"At one point, we did. But things got complicated, we argued a lot, and it made it hard to live together. So she took Penny and moved to another house in a big city. But Penny does come to visit me every now and then, so it's fine, really."
I'm not so sure about that... MK thought. She didn't visit for almost 5 years and you can't even remember how old she is.
But she decided not to press the subject, as it seemed to make the professor sad.
"Anyway," he said. "I'll let you get some sleep. It's been a weird day for all of us."
"Ok, thank you."
"Goodnight, Princess," he joked.
"Goodnight."
After some searching, MK found some more comfortable looking clothes to sleep in and slipped in. Luckily, she was roughly the same size as Penny, but there wasn't much of a selection. She decided to ask him about it in the morning. The bed, since it was made for a young child, was a little cramped, but after her day, it didn't really matter. MK was soon fast asleep.
A loud, sharp shrieking noise woke her in the morning. Thinking something was terribly wrong, she rushed downstairs with hands clapped about her ears. She found the professor in the kitchen, jumping back and forth anxiously.
"What's going on?" she yelled above the noise.
"Don't worry, it's fine!" he yelled back. "I left the waffles in for too long so the alarms going off...can you take that darn kettle off the stove?"
The tea kettle was familiar enough that she quickly found it and lifted it off the stove. Part of the racket ceased, and soon Bomba had silenced the rest.
"Sorry about that, I got distracted with that ball thing if yours."
"Snowglobe," she said. "Where do I put this?"
"Back on the stove now that I've turned it off. Don't worry, it won't whistle at you. Oh, um, your shirt's on backwards, by the way."
"What? Oh, sorry. I'm not used to these kinds of clothes. I like them, but they're a little different. And...well, I hate to bring it up, but there's not that many."
"Well, she didn't leave much," Bomba admitted. "Hey! Maybe I can give her a call and you two can go shopping. Girls like that, right?"
"Um, yeah. I think so. I would like to meet her if I'm going to be here for awhile."
"Perfect! I'll call after breakfast." He popped open the beeping machine to reveal a round black thing that was supposed to be edible. "Ah...looks like the waffles are burnt. I guess we'll have cereal then. Unless you'd rather have oatmeal?"
He held up a box labeled Quaker Oatmeal, with a picture on the front that looked somewhat familiar.
"If it's like porridge, then yes, that'd be fantastic."
Two hours later, there was a knock on the door, and Penny came in. She was a little shorter than MK, with bobbed auburn hair and big brown eyes.
"Penny!" Bomba said excitedly. "I'm so glad you're here."
"Sure, dad," she said, looking annoyed. She held out a hand towards MK. "I'm Penny."
"Mary Katherine," MK said, taking the hand. "But you can call me MK."
"Dad, where's your card?" Penny asked.
"Hmm? Oh, yes! My card. You might be needing that," he chuckled as he searched his pockets. "Um…hang on, I don't remember where I left it."
Penny rolled her eyes as he ran to his study. "He's always losing things," she explained.
MK nodded awkwardly. She was beginning to have second thoughts about this. Just then, Bomba returned with the card and handed it to Penny.
"What's that?" MK asked.
"Money," Bomba said. "Penny can explain it in more detail on the way." His watch started beeping and he looked down at it excitedly. "Ooh! I've got to go get this. Have fun girls!"
He ran out the back door, picking up his helmet on the way out, leaving the two teens standing in the hall.
"And there he goes," Penny said dejectedly. "Oh, well. Now the fun can begin!"
She grinned and led MK out the front door to her little red car. Trying not to embarrass herself, MK watched her every move and copied her, although she didn't see what the gray sash across her chest did. She soon found out when Penny started the engine and took off down the dirt road.
"Whoa!" she said, clutching the sides of the chair.
"Hope you like to go fast!" Penny said. "I always need to burn off some energy after coming here."
"I'll be ok," she said, settling in. Tentatively, she pressed on the roof of the vehicle. "It feels like North's sleigh, only safer."
Penny looked sideways at her and stopped the car. With a jolt, MK lurched forward and gasped for air.
"OK, here's the thing," Penny said, looking her dead on. "I don't mind making new friends and shopping. Dad rarely gives me his credit card so I'm not complaining. But are you really a time traveler, or are you two lying to me?"
"Why would we lie to you?"
"For a joke? To get me to believe his insane theories and go live with him? I don't understand half the things my father does."
"Well, nobody's lying. I really am from the past."
Penny studied her for a moment, then started driving again. "Ok, I believe you. So, where are you from in the past?"
"Corona. It's an island south of Arendelle and the Southern Isles."
"South of the Southern Isles, huh? Must be pretty far south. Is it north of anything?"
"It's north of Germany," she said. "Part of our kingdom actually is on the mainland."
"Germany? So you're from Europe. But you've never heard of Hitler or Nazis or anything?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," MK said honestly. "They must have come after 1838."
"Proof enough for me," Penny said. "Do you have a family?"
"Just me and my mom," she said. "My dad died two years ago and I don't have any brothers or sisters. But I'm pretty close with my cousin Rapunzel and her family…"
"Rapunzel? Like the fairy tale? I didn't know people were actually named that."
"Um, yeah."
MK did not mention how Rapunzel and Jack were immortal Guardians and that Rapunzel's story probably had become the legend Penny was talking about. She decided to ask professor Bomba when they returned to the house.
"So, what about your family?" she asked. "If you don't mind me asking."
"Me and my mom are on our own too. "I keep busy with school and acting…"
"Acting? You're in theater?"
"That's where I started. But now I'm on a TV show."
"And what's that?"
"Man, you have missed out. Maybe one day you can come over to my apartment and I can show you. Or you could come to the set when we start filming again, depending on how long you're staying."
"Ok, that sounds fun. How far away is the tailor's?"
"The what? Oh, no. No. People haven't used tailors in a century. Girl, we're going to the mall."
It was the most confusing three hours the MK could remember, and as she looked back on her life, it remained that way. And that was saying something, considering everything she'd been through and would experience. There were so many people rushing about, talking into machines or thin air. Their clothes, so vastly different from anything in Corona, barely seemed to fit. Some hairstyles seemed somewhat familiar; there were braids and buns (though not very tidy), straight hair and curly. Brunettes, blondes, and redheads were common, though the shades were harsher and seemed as natural as the bright blue girl that they passed.
They had been to several stores on the first floor when Penny decided they need to visit some on the next level.
"Are you sure?" MK asked, looking into the shopping bag. "We already have enough."
"You have three t-shirts and one pair of jean shorts. You can't live off of that."
"I usually have a riding outfit, traveling dress, and my casual wear," MK said. "I usually alternate between those. And then of course mom forces me to get into a nice evening gown every night for dinner."
"Ok, Princess. But I would like to check out Marmie's. So come on!"
MK smiled and followed Penny through the crowds, looking for a staircase of some sort. To her surprise, she found herself standing in front of a moving staircase, with stairs appearing out of the ground and rising upward.
"Oh, right. It's an escalator," Penny explained. "Don't be scared, just jump on."
"Like this?"
MK jumped and landed on an already formed step two feet in the air. She wobbled, trying to regain her balance as Penny quickly stepped after her.
"Close enough," she said. "Only you don't need to actually jump you can just step on one foot at a time. Just do it quickly. We can practice on the way down."
"Oh, ok."
In Marmie's, she found Penny spotted a pink v-neck t-shirt. She held it up to MK.
"That doesn't look half bad," she said.
"Pink's not really my color," MK said. "Mom says it doesn't look right with my hair."
"Just try it," Penny insisted, grabbing a pair of khakis and some leggings. "Fashion is different today."
MK sighed and took the clothes back to a changing room. Surprisingly, they were the only ones back there. For the first time since the car ride, they had some relative privacy.
"Can I ask you something?" MK asked tentatively.
"Sure."
"Why don't you and your dad get along? Earlier you said he had these insane theories..."
Penny sighed and slumped against the wall. "Yeah. That's what drove mom and me away. He believes that there are tiny little people living in the woods, taking care of it."
"Like gnomes? Or elves?"
"No, I'm talking about people not even two inches high. About the size of your finger. More like Thumbelina I guess."
"Oh. I don't know what that is."
"Fairies, I guess," Penny said. "But no wings. Just tiny little people who have a whole culture and history."
"Oh." It could be fairies. Fairies that lot their wings, or a whole different species. Maybe Toothiana will know. But I can't say anything to Penny or she'll think I'm as loony as her father.
"You ready?" Penny called. "How do they fit?"
"Pretty well, I think," MK said, opening the door.
"Oh, that is too cute," Penny said. "Do you like it?"
"Actually, yes! The pink isn't that bad now I can see it."
"Good, then we're buying it!"
"Are there any hoodies here?" MK asked, looking around.
"Only in the winter. But you can keep mine. It doesn't really suit me."
"Oh, thank you!"
"No problem. Hey, are you hungry?"
"A little. I only had a small bowl of porridge this morning."
"Porridge? Oh, you mean oatmeal. Well, I think it's time I introduce you to some modern food. There's a great pizza place down the road."
MK returned to Professor Bomba in time for supper. He was still gone, out on one of his hunts Penny said, so MK ordered another pizza. Bomba seemed a little surprised to see her, but then remembered who she was.
"Oh, great! Pizza!"
"Yeah, Penny gave me some this afternoon. And I got to try ice cream."
"Yum! I'm glad you're getting used to modern food. Just don't overdo it, your digestive system isn't adapted to these substances. We'll make sure to balance it out over the next few weeks, get you gradually accustomed to it."
There was a moment of silence as MK tried to make out what he said.
"So," he continued," did you and Penny have fun?"
"Yeah. We found some clothes at the mall, we had pizza and ice cream for lunch, and then we went to see a movie. That was quite the experience."
"Oh, I bet it was! Did you like it?"
"Yeah, I thought it was great! Next weekend Penny said I should come over to her house to watch her show."
"I'm glad you two get along," Bomba said cheerfully. But then he looked down at his plate a little sadly.
MK waited a moment. "She told me about your tiny woodsman theory," she said.
"The Leafmen, yes," he perked up a bit. "I think I found a piece of uniform today."
"Can I see what you've found?" MK asked eagerly.
"You mean, you believe me?" he asked in disbelief.
"Well, I know the Tooth Fairy personally. Why shouldn't there be fairy-like creatures living in the woods?"
Bomba grinned.
