Chapter 16
The group of friends hung out together at the Liberty, the houseboat of the Couffaines. As planned the two friend groups of Juleka and Luka came over to work together on their homework. The group that was hanging out on the outside were the boys, Luka, Wayhem, and Rollan. Wayhem sat beside Rollan, helping him out with his task, that Rollan had promised to do by himself, but didn't seem to come through it.
"You're almost there buddy. Just strain yourself more and you're done with all," Wayhem cheered the friend up, which placed his hand in front of his head.
"Ay mami," Complained Rollan about the issue of the last task.
Luka chuckled, then got up and returned into the houseboat to encounter the girls sitting on the Bar working together on the homework and Luka opened the fridge to look for anything to drink.
"We've got cheese dibbles and mixed nuts remaining packed. Take some up to you and the boys," Offered Rose picking the two closed bags up.
"I'll ask them," Luka commented, then watched Gerda eating chocolate-butter cookies and smiled. "They're great aren't they?" Questioned the older boy making Gerda nod.
"I rarely eat sweets, but this is quite an amazing flavor," Gerda responded.
"You have to try out more sweets and other snacks. We have a lot of options, Rose suggested.
"But too many are unhealthy," Commented Juleka making the blonde French girl nod.
" Juleka is right...oh have you learned about the food pyramid?"
"I've heard something about that," Answered Gerda, then Rose took out her smartphone to search for images about that pyramid.
"Do you girls need any help?" Asked Juleka's older brother, then Juleka shook her head.
"I think most of us are done," Responded Juleka. "I will see the agenda again," Commented Juleka unlocking her smartphone to open the calendar to see the homework due the next day.
"I gotta go out, I've caught bad connection," Rose commented, then got up along with Gerda to walk upstairs to the deck, where they saw Rollan along with Wayhem looking together at the task they were working on.
"The deck somehow needs to get put in order," Mentioned Gerda seeing Rose smile and show the Scandinavian descended girl the image.
"Mrs. Couffaine wants to keep the house that way. You don't have to worry about it," Rose mentioned making Gerda nod, then analyze the image of the pyramid.
"Thanks for your help Wayhem. It actually sounds now easier to me," Commented Rollan, then Gerda looked back at the tall boy, which was putting his utensils back into his backpack. Gerda walked away from Rose and leaned herself on the side of the boat to admire the cathedral above the road.
Rollan placed his backpack beside Wayhem and Luka's which lied on a chair, then he took out from a bowl out salted peanuts and ate them. He noticed Gerda standing on the edge of the ship, then approached the girl curious about her state.
"Are you okay?" Asked the older teen, earning eye contact from the girl, which responded with a nod.
"Yes, I just had a memory of the times I was with Kai on Alfida's boat," Responded Gerda. "It's probably silly to be missing them," Pointed out the blonde, making Rollan roll his eyes away from her feeling down about her state.
"That's not silly. I would feel the same if I knew my family and friends...I mean I am in the same situation as you just the only person I lost probably is my mother,"
"Right...," Commented Gerda pondering about her low knowledge of the Spaniard. "Uh Rollan...about your family...we've known us for a little while, I'm wondering you've never told me anything about you...or not quite much,"
"I guess I did," Responded Rollan scratching his neck. "I've got nothing special to talk about it,"
"It doesn't matter to me. I just want to know how your life used to be before we met," Gerda explained. "But if you don't want to talk about it, I respect your choice,"
Rollan smiled at Gerda's comment, then nodded agreeing to speak to her.
"My family wasn't really big to start with. My parents both were only children. My mother was from the orphanage and met my father when they were around 15 and with 20 they got married and produced me. Our family wasn't wealthy or anything. We were a working family. My mom was a fish vendor and my dad went out with other men out on the ocean to catch fish. Most of the time after school, I was at the fish market near my mom or played all by myself,"
"Did you make any friends at that time?"
"I had a friend named Alberto, which one day moved away to Madrid when we both were young and we used to hang out together after school when our moms worked at the fish market,"
"You weren't able to spend any time with your parents, as well, right?" Questioned the blonde girl making Rollan shake his head.
"In the evenings we used to be together playing cards or my mom or dad would read me a story. Once in a while, I remember when I was still a kid, my dad took me out at the beach and we would go swim together and grill some fish or meat. He promised at least that we could go every second month if it would work out.,"
"Wish I knew how it would have been to have the entire family together during childhood," Commented Gerda sinking her head down thinking about her own life.
"I know this might not make you feel better,but when I was around 11, my father passed away," Stated Rollan. "He and his crew got lost during a storm on the ocean and pieces of their ship were found spread all over the ocean," Told Rollan making Gerda drop her mouth in surprise then placed her hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Oh...I shouldn't have asked," Commented Gerda shocked, then Rollan shook his head and took Gerda's hand gently.
"It's okay. You couldn't know that," Responded Rollan. "But sometimes it feels good to talk to someone about it. Your issue is twice as big as mine, but I feel glad when someone can understand how this feels like."
"How have you been feeling so far at the Hemming's house? Are you treated well?"
"Si. They are making sure I'm able to do the works I've gotta do all on my own as planned. Until 6 I can be out with friends or anywhere else but after the 6, I should be able to get ready and make dinner or anything else before it,"
"Depending on if I have any special tasks today or not, I'm able to be out until 7 pm. I feel like we're freer than the usual time I had back in St. Peter's orphanage,"
"You've got a better chance to met up with any of your friends and do something," Commented Rollan. "Michael suggested Kim, Wayhem and me in go to a place they call Cinema and it would be like watching TV but on a very large screen,"
"Rose had promised to show a few places of Paris, but we haven't gotten closer to that. The only thing I've seen so far was the...uhm...I forgot the name but it had water fountains in front of a large building," Stated Gerda, then she heard along with Rollan a noise and recognized Ladybug swinging by with her yo-yo, followed by Cat Noir, which leaped over the houses with his staff.
"The superheroes..." Rollan pointed out making Gerda nod.
"Must be something again," Gerda stated, then Rollan took his smartphone and showed it to Gerda.
"I know somehow you can find out, what's going on," Commented Rollan then Gerda pressed the Home button to activate its AI.
"Lyra, what kind of akuma is active?" Asked Gerda then waited for the AI to answer the question.
"Akuma alert at rue de San Martin. Beware of flying empanadas,"
"Empanadas?" Questioned Rollan confused, then Gerda gave Rollan the smartphone back.
"Maybe we need a lesson or two in using it,"
"Si, but I should get home at some point," Rollan pointed out, then Luka appeared to check on the two.
"I know that you two have times to be home, but there's a free akuma and the best is for you two to stay here until it's over," Explained the raven-haired boy making the two new friends nod. "Come, what about we play all a game? Rose and Wayhem love games,"
"Is it possible to ask something about smartphone usage?"
"Sure I can do that as well" Responded Luka accompanying the duo into the ship's cabin.
Alfida and Kai had boarded a train on the middle of the connected wagons, together the two sat on top of a pile of wood sharing a bucket of Chicken wings.
"I think it was a better idea to take those wet napkins they had displayed at the counter, I feel like one napkin won't clean all the fat off," Commented Kai, which was looking at the bone of the wing he had eaten.
"You can just lick your fingers before you clean the rest with it. I won't mind if you do that as well,"
"Eh, I don't know. The last time I had my hands on the wood, the iron of the wagon, and myself, this will leave an odd taste in my mouth,"
"You wouldn't be suitable to be around us pirates like this. We barely washed our hands on board,"
"But you did, right? You seem so clean"
"I'm a girl who needed to take care of the hygiene at some parts of myself. I mostly focused on that,"
"That's good to know" Kai commented unpleased about that knowledge, then threw the bone out of their ride and opened the pack with the tissue so he could clean his hands as well as possible.
"Let me guess...lost your appetite?" Questioned the pirate girl, then watched Kai shake his head, making the girl cackle.
"What's funny? I just stopped eating cause I did want to leave you more for you,"
"How you want it. Twelve wings were sufficient for both sides.
"You don't need to worry about me. I'm able to hold on a week without eating. Drinking that's what matters the most,"
"Good, good, alright, alright. You starting to sound like Gerda when I didn't eat enough for her eyes,"
"I'm not even scolding you. I just commented that,"
"Sorry...you're right... God, when I see Gerda back I hope she will forgive me for having lost my mind,"
"Of course she will. You're the only family member she has since your parents were frozen," Alfida commented. "You both will be together again. The one good thing about this is, that she's not alone there,"'
"Are you telling me, that it is good that Gerda is there together with that Hispanic moron?" Questioned Kai annoyed. "He's the one that led all of us into this and if it wasn't for him we wouldn't have been in this mess,"
"Kai..."
"The first thing I will do when I see him is take one of your knives and stab him down,"
"Hey calm down, we have to listen to their stories first, afterward if you want you can do that with him," Commented the raven-haired girl. "I'm familiar with the situation and I can teach you how to make it clean,"
"Thanks for the info, I'll be happy to know that," Thanked the boy making the girl laugh.,which placed her hand behind the boy's neck and gazed at the boy, which copied the girl's facial expression as well. The girl, then rolled her eyes down shyly followed by the boy, whose cheeks turned slightly pink and held the eye contact away at the direction of the fields the train passed by.
Orm's group remained locked up inside the living room of the palace. Queen Maribel and the triplets sat on the couch watching the dog Finn chase his tail. King Arrog along with Orm and Hendrick stood by the window looking at the main entrance, where a few staff members stood and two men arrived, one older than the other, by the looks they seemed to be related with the other and they were received by the staff, which began to explain what was going on.
"Those two must be the legal owners of the palace. Legal in like after the current law" Stated Hendrick. "Have you anything that shows how the palace is or was in your name in those years?"
"There are still portraits hanging of my family and my wife's ancestors. We even have a library where besides books we've got the monarchy's history. Easier it cant get for us all,"
"Yes, that's good. I just think the problem could be later on the fact that your family is supposed to be dead, but now after 100 years you appear again,"
"Are they able to have a conversation and reach together an agreement with us?" Questioned the king and looked out at the window to see a white car with lime-green stripes on the side and blue siren light on its head.
"What does Politi stand for?" Questioned Orm squinting his eyes seeing a uniformed man leave the car along with a woman.
"Oh that's the police," Responded Hendrick making Orm sigh.
"Oh, and what shall we do about this?" Questioned the young troll looking at the king and the senior. The two looked down to see the owners of the museum head along with the cops to the entrance, then King Arrog moved his arm calling the two me n at the door Of the room, then stopped there waiting for the humans to cone up.
The dog approached the trio, then Hendrick pointed at the chair, so Finn made his way to it and sat down wagging his tail, then the senior placed his hand on the doorknob to open it back slowly to see if the quartet was coming up.
Moments later the human race showed up and Orm opened the door along with Arrog, then stood there seeing the four stop and stare at the two trolls.
"Edrick was right, those are odd-looking creatures," Commented the young man, which made Orm frown.
"We're trolls," Corrected Orm. "We...our species used to be way more advanced than your kind as we were around in the 1900s," Told Orm then watched the two police agents take out their gun to make Orm lift up his hands, except for King Arrog.
"I know this is all strange and not only to you, but also for us. Can we at least explain what's going on?" Questioned the King, then the four humans exchanged looks and the woman nodded, then took the gun down Along with the partner,"
King Arrog took a step forward to approach the current owners of the palace.
"I'm not sure if any of you have any idea of who I am of you're aware of who I am, but I was the last king to be alive in the 1900s before I along with other people of my kingdom were frozen by the Snow Queen during the war.
"Some of the statues around the palace, which are made of ice are in fact other trolls, that were frozen by the Snow Queen just like us," Orm added. "I cant explain exactly who was responsible for freeing me from ice, just for the majesty,"
"According to Mr. Hendrick here, we knew where we were in this current time and we want to come to an agreement. Back in our time, if any family member of the monarchy is alive, they are subscribed back into the throne. I'm not sure how things are handled here,"
"This is quite an interesting question., The young man commented. "Father, maybe we should take a bit of time and first speak a little with each other?" Suggested the son. "I think we could come to another conclusion that would be profitable for both sides?"
"We would need to know what their wants are first. These creatures have far more life and intelligence inside them than it looks in my opinion," The older man explained to the trolls.
"We want to solve this in a harmful way. No wars, no fights, no nagging. No injuries or blood," Commented Arrog watching the father and son exchange looks. The young man nodded and held out his hand.
"The name is Hans Björgman and this is my dad, Marco Björgman," Introduced the man, making the King smile.
"Arrog and this is my right hand, Orm," Introduced the King surprising Orm at the comment.
"I think a walk through the entire palace would be a good start for all of us," Commented Marco Björgman walking past their corridor and the two trolls followed the long corridor into another hall.