Chapter 28
In the afternoon Gerda sat inside the ship playing dominoes with Orm on top of a box while sitting around it with crossed legs for comfort.
„You're going out tonight?" Orm asked making Gerda shrug her shoulders.
„I haven't decided yet," Responded Gerda. „I'm waiting for Rollan to come back from the academy. We don't really need to go out anywhere, Simply spending the time together would do it well for us or just talk. Tomorrow if Alfida and Kai are interested, we're all going to the beach…...are you by coincidence interested in coming along? If you do, we may have to go at night, when almost no one is around,"
„It's alright. I've seen everywhere beaches, it's fine if I skip this," Responded the troll.
„You're sure?" The blonde asked earning a nod from the friend. „Alright,"
„You're still planning to take the triplets back home this weekend, right?"
„The best moment for me is to go out at night to make sure no one spots us. Also, someone of you needs to show me, where they are or how we should go there,"
„When Rollan is back, I ask him how we should do it," Gerda mentioned. „I believe the triplets want as well to tell him and his mother goodbye,"
„Good, then we depart on Monday?" Orm asked making Gerda shrug her shoulders.
„Alfida hasn't said anything yet," Gerda commented, then they heard someone whistle and they looked at the entrance of the airship to see Alfida step in with a book in her hand, afterward helped her boyfriend Kai up on the boat.
„We've found a replica of that book Orm threw off the ship!" Alfida announced making Gerda smile and take the book.
„What you really bought me one?" Gerda asked. „Thank you," Gerda responded putting his arms around the friend.
„Well, I wouldn't say I've bought it too 100%. More like we borrowed it," Alfida commented showing the girl a sheet, which showed the day they had to return the book. „But technically we will leave the next few days so we can just keep it forever,"
„Oh well, then I make sure I finish this book before we leave, so I can give it back,"
„I knew you would say that," Alfida chuckled, then sat down on the ground next to Orm. „By the way how was your night yesterday with Rollan? I didn't pay attention to when you arrived here,"
„It was sweet to be spending time with him. Just the two of us alone on the beach strolling around, listening to the sea. It couldn't have been better,"
„That's sweet," Alfida commented, then Kai came along with his painting easel and placed it on the middle of the ship, then looked over the town. „You're going to paint the town?"
„I haven't painted in a while. It would be a good thing to do now," Kai announced. „Any special wishes?"
„A painting of the beach would actually be cooler and different" Suggested Alfida. „Like not many people have seen a beach and it would be worth a lot,"
„That's actually a good idea. That king there would give you a lot of money if you did that," Orm suggested.
„It's worth a try," Kai responded closing the easel again. „Is someone tagging along with me?"
„If you're okay with waiting five more minutes, I come along," Alfida said making her way into the cabin, then Gerda looked at the town squinting her eyes to look at the church with the tower showing the time, then smiled.
„I will leave as well in a few minutes, I'm just finishing the match here with Orm," Gerda pointed out making her brother nod.
„Where shall we all met later on?" Questioned the younger brother.
„Maybe to dinner time," Suggested Gerda. „Don't worry, I'll say anything,"
„Okay," Kai responded walking towards the cabin to wait for his girlfriend to come out.
About a quarter-hour later Gerda arrived at Rollan's mother's house, then as she stepped on the stairs she heard someone whistle and she looked back to see Rollan coming along on the carriage with his friends.
„Hey," Gerda greeted, then watched Rollan jump down off the cart to meet the girlfriend, by holding his arms open to her and she got onto them. „How was your day?"
„Could have been worse," Rollan responded, then Pastor jumped down off the carriage followed by Marina. „Enrico has noticed right in the morning his book was missing,"
„That's your girlfriend?" Pastor asked approaching the couple along with Marina.
„Uh…...What are you doing here?" Rollan asked surprised.
„After what happened I thought it would be a good thing to have two witnesses here with you," Explained Pastor making Gerda raise her eyebrows curious.
„Did something happen to you?" Gerda asked watching Rollan take down his back and shrug his shoulders.
„Enrico and I almost got into a fight due to the missing book," Rollan responded.
„That's all my fault Rollan. We should have made another plan to get rid of it," Gerda stated, then Rollan shook his head.
„No, it's not your fault. I rather have had this happen, than him showing Roberto that book," Rollan explained earning a nod from his girlfriend.
„What's so special about that book?" Questioned Pastor. „Is it so good it destroys someone's life or what?"
„It could," Rollan spoke quietly, then looked at Gerda which nodded and Rollan sank his head down.
„They're your friends. Let them at least know what's it all about," Gerda suggested and Rollan grabbed Gerda's hand tight holding it close to his body.
„I don't want to be saying all this alone," Rollan commented making Gerda nod.
„I help you out, if you want," Gerda offered making the boyfriend nod, then both sat down on the stairs and exchanged looks to see, who would start first.
„I had this one book about legends and one of those pages talked about the wishing stones, which would grant the persons, who touched it some sort of superpowers. I went to the Scandinavian peninsula and made my way through the trolltunga to look for the troll kingdom, where this tomb was located with the wishing stone. Gerda…..."
„He met me at a friend of mine's house and he told me about the stone and I convinced myself to go along with him there, mainly to bring back my parents. When we found the stone we used it and instead of it giving us what we wanted we got cursed with the powers that once belonged to the fire-demon and the snow queen,"
„The worst part was I was an idiot. I wanted to obtain superpowers with her help by using her, but with the time I was together with her looking I felt bad about the lie, but as nothing had happened so far I kept it a secret and I don't remember, what happened afterward. The only thing I know, is that I was terrible towards her and anyone else."
„What happened?" Marina asked curious. „I kind of got lost,"
„After we awakened the demons we were cursed and we had 24 hours until the curse would take over us and we would become slaves of them. The worst part was, that Rollan….I don't know what happened to him, he….the fire-demon had somehow got Rollan on his side and he left me back in the middle of the lava in the tomb to go out destroy the kingdom and hurt everyone there,"
„Kill you mean," Rollan corrected quiet at listening to the story. „I almost committed genocide without even knowing I was doing that. I can't even imagine I was capable of doing so,"
„There must be a better explanation to that. I'm certain, that the fire-demon somehow is able to brainwash you to have done that. Why else would you not have any memory from what happened?"
„I don't know, didn't Orm tell me you found me in the middle of the lava unconscious?" Questioned Rollan.
„Maybe your memory got erased during the time the fire-demon was in your body or you had gotten it from the time you had passed out for the amount of time you were there at the lava. There are many theories, that could be right,"
„It could even be my fault and I just don't remember anything about it. What if I made a pact with the devil?"
„Rollan don't be stupid. I know this isn't true, even if it was, just leave it behind. You're doing better now," Gerda assured the raven-haired boy, which shrugged his shoulders, then the girlfriend patted him on the shoulder.
„And what has that have to do with the book now?" Pastor asked. „Is all that you talked about written in it?" Questioned the raven-haired boy, while Marina was processing what she had just head.
„Wait a minute…...didn't you say that your girlfriend Gerda is the Gerda, that defeated the Snow Queen or something?" Marina asked making the couple nod. „And that book from the library isn't a myth, but truth and the one you're…..Enrico was looking for is the same?"
„Almost everything you read inside those books is what happened…..or at least the major points of the books are true. I'm not sure about then one this Enrico had, but I assume it's the same,"
„Woah that's cool," Pastor commented seeing Rollan lie his arms on his lap to sink his head. „Well the thing of the stories being real, the part of you being brainwashed and all not,"
„You know it's hard for Rollan to believe he did that and having no memory of it, makes it just worse for him. I really understand this situation,"
„I'm sorry I never told anyone of you about this. I was afraid of how you two would react or worse, if you two would find it out the other way around and wouldn't forgive me for why I didn't tell you it," The Spaniard apologized.
„Well at some point I understand, why you didn't say that," Marina mentioned. „I didn't believe you had a girlfriend after two weeks after meeting you,"
„Him having a girlfriend doesn't sound unrealistic, the rest of the story does if he would have told it all by himself," Pastor added earning a nod from Marina.
„That must be a lot to take it for now, right?" Gerda asked as she placed her hand behind Rollan's back for comfort.
„It's fine I guess," Pastor replied shrugging his shoulders.
Behind Rollan, the door opened up and Leticia looked out to see Rollan's friends around, then smiled at seeing them all around.
„Hijo, I didn't know you were here" Leticia commented, then she felt someone surpass by her side laughing and looked down to see Igor ran towards Gerda and Rollan.
„Gerda!" The troll extolled getting onto the arms of the girl, which smiled and hugged him.
„Hey you shouldn't be here," Rollan warned watching Igor cuddle with the teenage girl.
„What is that?" Marina asked perplexed with the look of the creature, then shrieked as two more of the creatures ran out of the house and jumped on Rollan's lap to get to Gerda, with the exception of Leonid, which was picked up by the Spaniard.
„Get in there, no one else should see you three," Rollan warned watching Gerda stand up, then Rollan accompanied her into the house along with his friends and Leticia looked around before closing the door.
„Is this another of those long stories?" Pastor asked watching Leonid grab Rollan on his hair to play with.
„Those are baby trolls," Rollan commented. „Or well…..toddlers in some sort,"
„So…...this troll land place is actually a normal place, but with trolls like them?" Questioned Marina earning a nod from Rollan.
„And these trolls aren't any trolls, they're Princes," Gerda mentioned. „My troll-friend Orm was taking care of them, while the parents were busy and they somehow went as blind passengers on Rollan's ride here up to Spain," Gerda explained. „In a few days, we will bring them back home before something happens to them,"
„My mother and I took care of them this entire time until Gerda and the rest of the team came. At some aspects I really enjoyed having them here with me," Rollan confessed patting Leonid on his head, which chuckled and nudged him on his cheek making the others smile enchanted by the cub's deed.
„Leonid is most likely going to miss you a lot, Rollan," Gerda mentioned, then Igor grabbed Rollan on his shoulder and Gerda helped the cub up on Rollan's arms, which now both were occupied by the cubs.
„Gees how can you handle three babies at once?" Pastor asked surprised making Rollan shrug his shoulders.
„They're so far not as hard to deal with at the moment," Rollan responded.
„Are you planning on going somewhere, Hijo?" Leticia asked looking at the son, which shook his head.
„Nope," Responded Rollan. „You need to go to the bank?" Rollan asked putting his hand in his pocket to get out the money he received. „I'm not sure about if you arranged something for us to eat yet, but if not you can also take some from here,"
„I saved aside for food, don't worry mi hijo. Tomorrow I'll be out as well to work at the fish market and I may bring home a fish or two for dinner," Leticia offered earning a nod from Rollan.
„But use my whole money to pay the debts. The faster we do that the fewer debts we get at the end of the month," Rollan warned earning a nod from the woman.
„I'll be back in a hour. Make yourself home," Leticia asked getting out of the house, then Marina sank her head down at knowing about the debts of the family.
„Do you need more money to help you out?" Asked Marina making Rollan shake his head.
„No, no you two need it for your own family. We're fine at the moment," Rollan explained earning a nod from the girl, then Pastor had an idea.
„Hey my mom works as well at the fish market. What do you say, if I buy a few fishes at the market?" Pastor offered. „I get it cheaper as my mom works there full-time. Let's all have dinner together. Interested?"
„I would like that," Marina responded.
„I haven't eaten for so long in family…..except well my mom was always here and the triplets, but I wouldn't mind doing it," Rollan responded. „You're staying as well, Gerda?" Rollan questioned the blonde, which shrugged her shoulders.
„I'm not sure if the invitation also is referred to me," Gerda answered making Pastor chuckle.
„You're Rollan's girl, of course you're staying with us. It's his house at the end of the day….his mom's I mean," Pastor corrected earning a nod from the blonde.
„Well, then you can count on me," Gerda announced making Rollan smiled amused to know the girlfriend would stay with him for dinner.