Chapter 29
After dinner, Gerda was the only friend, that stood back late to keep Rollan and the troll cubs company. Rollan and Gerda sat together on the bed watching the cubs play along with Luta a card game, Rollan had taught them a while ago during the trip to Europe.
„Last hour we spent the time playing tag with each other during the parkour. One of us had to act as a criminal fleeing and the second person had to pursue the person during the obstacles. Lieutenant Roberto had randomly mixed up people so it would be each time different. Everyone would have a different way of leading us to a wrong situation or simply trick us to fail," Rollan told the girlfriend.
„That sounds like a great way to practice for the outside. You had mentioned the other day you had similar situations when you ran behind a criminal out in the city,"
„It's actually quite helpful. You get used to it and begin to capture a faster way to overcome the obstacle," Rollan commented. „Next month we are going with Roberto to a ranch to see ponies. The ones who are interested can adopt one and it will stay in another place so we can train with it together for the future when we become actual guards or better said we got the full formation,"
„And you're going to take this opportunity or is it mandatory?"
„It's more mandatory if you're going to work for the king as far I remember. I'm most likely interested in staying here on the town or any other one for that matter to work and finish the education,"
„And you're still planning to come back to us after all this?" Questioned Gerda making the boyfriend nod.
„It will take a little long, but I'm trying to make sure my mom gets out of the debts and I can go back to you when I've got enough money to pay for the way back,"
„And is your mother going to stay here alone?" Questioned Gerda making Rollan shrug his shoulders.
„Yes…...oh…..okay this is now bad. I…..I haven't really thought about that. I….just wanted to help her pay the debts, so she wouldn't lose her house. I got used to the life out from here, I haven't actually thought about how lonely my mother is now since I left," Rollan confessed. „Before I actually thought about it, but I didn't realize it was actually bad,"
„I think something that is good about this, is that your mother knows you're independent now and you have people there looking for you," Gerda stated placing her hand on her boyfriend's leg,"
„I have to think about a way on how I will be more often around mama, while I'm also back with you and the rest…..you know….our plans of the future are also in this game and I don't want to have a hard choice between my two most important persons," Rollan admitted placing his hand over Gerda's hand making her smile angelic at his confession.
„You know I have an idea, that could fix this problem, it's just a matter of habituation, mostly for your mother. What do you think she would say if she would leave Spain with you and live somewhere near us?" Suggested Gerda. „You could arrange a place for the two of you and we all would be able to see each other more often than usual,"
„For that, I would as well need to find a job there too and…...before we would be really bothering with us overnighting somewhere until we find a place to get a job….mostly me of course,"
„Yes I assume you have to…..but you know Alfida works for the king and he knows you well or he knows, that I know you well. When he sees you made the education here you could most likely get there a job or at least be one of the guards on the outside of the kingdom,"
„I could give it a try," Rollan replied, then leaned her head on his shoulder moving her hands up to Rollan's arm to embrace it, getting Rollan to feel enamored at her deed. „You know I don't think I have asked you anything, „
„What exactly?"
„Like how your day was," Rollan explained. „I think I only talked about what was up today,"
„We didn't do a lot today. After we took your friend the book away Kai and I walked along the town together and after midday, we returned to the ship, and Orm and I played domino the entire evening while Kai and Alfida went to the library or somewhere else….They have borrowed from the library a book Orm had thrown off-board mistaking it for one of those books, which were some sort of satires I think. I don't remember, but he somehow mistook it for something else,"
„Must have been an odd book or well to their sight,"
„It had two people in a love square with themselves. It's actually quite interesting,"
„I think I've seen that book once. I think in some moments the characters are in the distant future,"
„I think that was one chapter about that,"
„Then I think I have read it,"
„Then don't spoil the ending for me,"
„The actual main villain is…,"
„Shush! No!" Gerda ordered placing her finger in front of his lips. Rollan chuckled, making Gerda shake her head at his silliness.
„Don't worry, my lips are sealed," Rollan commented taking Gerda's hand down, then leaned his face closer to her for a kiss, and both got interrupted as someone knocked on the door and both saw Rollan's mother stand there with Alfida and Kai.
„Did we good in coming earlier or bad?" Alfida asked making Gerda chuckle.
„I think I wouldn't like the latter one," Kai commented making his girlfriend shake her head amused at the raven-haired boy's comment.
„We were going to kiss. Nothing life-changing," Rollan commented watching Gerda sat normally. „I guess I won't need to accompany you home,"
„Another night, I promise," Gerda commented pecking Rollan on his cheek. „We are still all going to the beach tomorrow all together,"
„Yeah," Rollan noticed, then watched Ivan and Igor entangled in a ball together pushing down the bag of Rollan down, making Rollan recall the destroyed image he hadn't shown yet. „Oh I forgot to show you the portrait," Rollan warned getting up from the bed to take out the broken portrait to show it to Gerda.
„I will get you a new one someday, don't worry," Gerda said shoving the image back to her boyfriend. „But as long as I'm here and you've got the letters we send to each other during the rest of your formation, you will be able to see I'm fine. Otherwise, I'm right there," Gerda pointed at Rollan's heart making him nod.
„Gracias, amor," Rollan responded and embraced his girlfriend. „Get home safely"
„See you tomorrow, cariño," Gerda said pecking the boyfriend on the cheek, then she followed her friends out of the room and Leticia accompanied them down to the entrance, leaving Rollan back, which sat down on his bed and looked at Igor chewing on Ivan's ear making him furrow his eyebrows curious.
„Boys, what about I read you all a book again?" Rollan offered watching the two boys get up from the ground to jump at Rollan's bed making him smile glad at them obeying him and Rollan looked at his bookshelf to look for a book, therefore Leonid, which had been sitting alone with Luta went to observe Rollan choose between his books.
On the outside, the trio walked together on the road making their way back to the ship.
„How was dinner?" Alfida asked the girl. „Pretty good, right?"
„That was it," Gerda responded.
„I assume it tasted better than mines, right?" Kai asked making the girls laugh.
„Come on Kai, their fishes were grilled. Preparing raw and cooked fish isn't the same," Gerda cheered her brother up.
„I know I just was joking," Kai commented. „But I was afraid on that day, that you might have gotten terribly sick, than you were,"
„Nothing happened, that's what's more important," Alfida added, then heard someone curse in Spanish and chuckled.
„Why are you laughing?" Kai asked.
„I just heard someone say something bad in Spanish," Alfida commented looking down at the port to see two teenage Spaniards around Rollan's age on a small boat getting up from the boat, then the brunette teen jumped at the bridge beside the ship and held out his hand to help the friend up.
„I think I've seen them somewhere," Gerda mentioned watching the raven-haired one in the boat pick up a ladder to hand it out to the friend. Gerda stopped watching the brunette get the ladder and point at the buildings across the street.
„You remember the house? It's the only one with a window near the roof," Told the raven-haired boy earning a nod from the friend. Gerda frowned watching the two walk the bridge along to get up on the sidewalk and go in the opposite direction.
„Kai, Rollan kept the book we stole back from the academy, right?" Questioned the blonde earning a nod from the sibling.
„Yeah, I think he stored it into his bookshelf in the room," Kai responded. „Why?"
„Just asking," Gerda answered observing the teens follow their path and stop at a junction, then the raven-haired pointed at a building. Kai observed the two, then noticed his sister having her eyes glued on the teens and placed his hand on her shoulder.
„They must need the ladder for something, let's head home, Gerda," Kai asked seeing the boys move on and Gerda shook her head.
„I think those two are up to something," Gerda said making Alfida shrug and look at her boyfriend.
„You know, what happens in Spain is none of your business Gerda. If they break into someone's house it's none of our issues. After all…..there are better houses around here to assault, than Rollan's,"
„I'm certain they were talking about his house, even if it isn't I'm going to check it out," Gerda said turning into her dragon-heroine form and flew up at one house's roof and ran over them, making Kai sigh.
„Ugh she's going to cause trouble," Kai commented, then Alfida ran along the sidewalk to the road junction and stopped to observe them stop and have Rollan's house in sight.
„Why exactly his house?" Alfida whispered to herself, then heard steps from above the roof and she looked up wondering, where Gerda was.
The two boys stood under the window of Rollan's bedroom, then Enrico placed the ladder on the house and looked up at how far the ladder reached and frowned as up to his window the ladder wasn't able to reach.
„Looks like we have bad luck today," Ernesto commented, then as he was about to leave a little anxious with their breaking-in plan Enrico grabbed the friend on the shoulder and pointed at the ladder.
„I have another idea. You climb the ladder up to the top, afterward I climb behind you and I get on your back and try to climb up into his room," Enrico explained. „Best option I can offer you now unless you prefer to break into his room, which you denied before,"
„Okay, I'm just afraid we might fall and get hurt," Ernesto said watching his friend shake his head.
„Don't worry, we will be careful. We're not supposed to attract people to us, right?" Enrico asked earning a nod from the friend, which climbed the ladder up to reach the top afterward Ernesto looked down at Enrico, which got on the ladder and followed it up. Afterward, Enrico climbed on the shoulders of his friend and Ernesto slowly got the last fewer stairs up to be able to raise Enrico up to the window, then he pulled himself up carefully up on the lodge and lied there on the side and glimpsed down at his friend, which gave him a thumb up.
„If you hear or see someone, misplace the ladder and whistle. I will hide under his bed and when you think it's safe make something like a bird noise," Enrico whispered making Ernesto nod and get down the ladder carefully as Enrico got into the room and spotted Rollan sleeping in his bed. Enrico smirked and sneaked carefully at the bookshelf, then began to look for the stolen book.
„Where is that book?" Enrico asked himself, then he took a look at the bed and spotted in the dark in front of Rollan's legs three, unrecognizable creatures and he squinted his eyes trying to recognize what they were. Enrico looked back at the bookshelf, then slid a few books out slowly to check their names, and while he continued the youngest troll raised up his head to look up at Rollan, which was sleeping and he looked across the room to see Enrico touching the books and he got down of the bed to watch the boy continue to look through them. Leonid looked up at his older brother and nudged him on his arm, trying to wake him up, Afterward, he pushed him harder, shrieking him and Leonid mirrored his reaction falling on his butt making noise, which called Enrico's attention. He stared at the cub, which sat on the ground and got afraid by looking at the burglar, then Enrico approached the troll cub and grabbed him under his arms.
„You're not a dog," Enrico mentioned, then he noticed Ivan sitting on the bed glaring at him with his arms crossed. „Oh there's three of you I see?"
Ivan growled at Enrico, which smirked and packed the cub by his ears, causing him to yell, shrieking Enrico who pulled the cub tight onto his chest and Leonid tried to bite the burglar and Enrico watched from behind Rollan's head a white weasel stare at him in shock, then she bit Rollan on his ear to wake him up, setting Enrico in fear, which dropped the cubs and grabbed pushed Rollan's head against the pillow trying to put him down.
Ernesto whistled as he heard screaming from the inside of the house.
„Enrico! Que pasa!?" Ernesto asked fearful about, what he heard and he heard behind him a roofing tile fall from the house behind him and he gazed back, then saw on the ground a human-like shadow with wings pass fast above him into the house of Rollan making Ernesto swallow hard.
In the bedroom the cubs tried to pull Enrico away from Rollan, the pet weasel Luta jumped against Enrico and got pushed away, then took the opportunity to press his free hand against the hand he had on the side to try to help himself out.
„Bad idea to sleep on your belly," Enrico commented, then he noticed behind him the moonlight get slightly blocked and he looked behind himself, then he got packed by his back and got thrown on the ground. „Woah!" Shouted Enrico, then he looked back at the bed and shut his eyes wide in shock as he spotted a dragon-themed superhero, which was snarling at him.
Rollan had sat up in shock, then the troll cubs got reunited with the dragon-themed superheroine, which embraced the triplets for comfort.
„What the heck are you?" Enrico asked, then Gerda moved the cubs aside and jumped off the bed to grab the bad guy, which shrieked and ran towards the window, then tripped over the shoes of Rollan flying against the wall and Gerda pressed him against the wall, growling and glaring angrily at the boy.
„Are you kidding me? What are you doing in my room?!" Rollan asked annoyed at his enemy's presence and Gerda looked at her boyfriend to check his health state, then Enrico used the distraction to push her away shrieking Rollan.
„Hey!" Rollan shouted watching Enrico get up on the lodge, then Enrico noticed on the drawer the book he was looking for and Gerda flew against him, then Enrico jumped away from the window and Gerda bounced with her legs on the edge of the window and flew against Enrico, which had already grabbed the book and now was under the arms of the superheroine. Enrico punched Gerda with the book and got up, then she used her tail to cause him to trip and he landed with his stomach on the lodge losing the book to the outside of the house. Gerda pulled Enrico with her tail away from the window, then grabbed him on his shirt continuing to growl at him.
„Enrico! Are you alright!" Shouted Ernesto from the outside catching Rollan's attention, then he looked down at Enrico which was feeling tensed about the mysterious creature being over him.
„Corre!," Shouted Enrico making Gerda flinch her teeth and raise her hand up putting out her claws shrieking Enrico and Rollan at the same time and she scratched beside Enrico the wooden floor, causing Rollan to sigh in relief while Enrico had his eyes closed shivering in fear from the dragon-themed creature. Enrico opened his eyes, then noticed Gerda had her hand clawed on the ground, then she removed it from there and watched Enrico slowly get calmer from the situation, afterward she packed him again and flew out of the bedroom to drop the boy on the road. Enrico looked back at her, then she raised her hand again and moved it forward to pretend to scratch him and watched him ran away and disappear in the corner of the next house. From the other side Alfida and Kai looked out to see Gerda, then Gerda gave the two a thumb up and flew up into the bedroom of her boyfriend again to spot him together with the cubs, which were in his arms.
„Are you all okay?" Gerda asked approaching her boyfriend and the triplets. The cubs came into Gerda's arms again, then she hugged them tight making them happy. „Everything is fine, I'm here for you,"
„How did you get so fast here to save us?" Rollan asked getting closer to Gerda, followed by Luta, which jumped up on his shoulder to fly into Gerda's arms to cuddle.
„Alfida and I heard them at the docks talk about climbing into a house with a window near the roof and the closest house here was yours and I followed them to make sure you all were safe," Gerda explained making Rollan nod.
„Wow if you didn't notice that before I would have gotten suffocated here," Rollan pointed out making Gerda nod and pat his back.
„I think the cubs or Luta could have helped you at least out of the bed," Gerda commented earning a nod from Rollan, which looked down at Luta and Rollan patted the weasel on the head.
„You know….it kind of was risky to break into my house like that as a dragon," Rollan commented. „People could find out who you are, people like Enrico,"
„I know, I made sure no one saw me," Gerda stated earning a nod from Rollan, then Gerda let the cubs move to the end of Rollan's bed, then she patted them on their heads making Rollan smile and observed them slowly trying to close their eyes. Rollan got up to look around his room if something was missing, then he remembered about the book his girlfriend had obtained on the same day and ran to the commode to notice it had disappeared.
„I think the reason Enrico got here was because of the book," Rollan commented. „It's gone,"
„I have noticed it. I'm sorry I have let him go," Gerda apologized, then Rollan placed his hand on her shoulder.
„It's okay, at least we're fine. We can get it another time. Tomorrow I will think about it,"
„No, no, no. Tomorrow we're all going to have fun. You promised it to me, remember?" Gerda asked tipping with her finger on Rollan's lips. "After all that we see about that,"
„Si," Responded Rollan, then he lied down on his bed and looked at Gerda, which was about to leave, then she gazed back at her boyfriend which waved at the girl, then she returned to give him a short hug. Gerda got up and flew out of the bedroom leaving Rollan back with a smile, then he sighed amorously and lied down on his back again, closing his eyes so he could soon fall asleep again.