Chapter 8: Asking, one gets to Rome.

No way. It's not the same to keep you frozen for two hundred years as to travel through time. Technology hadn't gotten this far and probably never would. It was unthinkable that a troll could do it.

"What you ask me is very complicated, Anna. I can't send you back to the past," unsurprisingly, replied Grand Pabbie. "But maybe there is someone who can."
"What?! Are you kidding me?!" I exclaimed without thinking earning myself a few smiles from the trolls.
"If he could fulfill a wish of such magnitude, perhaps he can send you to the past."
"Flemmingrad!" Anna said excitedly.
"Exactly." The troll nodded. "But this is undoubtedly a more complicated task. Only the force that reaches its power in the annual celebration can achieve such a feat."
"The December one?" I asked curious.
"That's it."
"December?!" Anna yelled. "But it is July! How am I going to wait until December?"
"I bet there is a young man willing to help you enjoy your stay in the future until then," let out Bulda winking at us.

We both blushed bright red and, after shooting me a sideways glance, Anna responded getting tangled up with her own words.

"Oh no, no no no no no no no no. I couldn't. I don't want to bother him. It's a lot of temp- time! It is a long time."
"Bulda, leave the kids alone," Pabbie said. "I am sure they will find a solution."

Anna and I shared a shy look again and an awkward smile.

"And what should I do when the date arrives?" she asked, getting to the point.
"Just come celebrate with us with everything you want to take with you. Food, tools, company…" They weren't going to stop, were they? "But, above all, take advantage of this time to come up with a good plan. You know what you're up against if you manage to get back to your time."
"Okay. I'll keep it in mind. Thank you very much for your help, both now and then."
"You are always welcome, dear."
"In that case, see you in December."
"We will be waiting for you."

Anna turned and looked up until she met my eyes. I saw in her the uncertainty and the decision. What was about to happen? Without warning, she took my hand and started off in Arendelle's direction.

"Anna? What are you doing?"
"I'm hungry. Will you take me to have a meal?"
"We're almost a day's walk from home. Shouldn't you have thought about it before leaping into the forest?"
"There're many things that I should have thought about before and I didn't. Now, you who knows how this world works, look for a solution before I faint. Use your magic machine or something."
"My magic machine won't feed us. And I'm hungry too, you know?"
"You haven't eaten for a few hours, I've been without eating for a few centuries."
"'kay, you win. I'm going to see if I find anything useful."

I looked at my magic machine- cellphone! I looked at my cellphone and saw that a few kilometers away there was a mountain shop called "Wandering Owen's trading post". Maybe we could find something to eat there.

"Okay, I think I found something. Although we'll still have to walk a little longer."
"Ha! I'm not bad at the 21st century, huh?"
"Yeah… not at all. C'mon, let's go."

We walked for about two hours until we reached that austere shop where a gigantic redhead with a foreign accent sold us some carrots, a couple of loaves of bread, and a bottle of water; food enough to get home. And so, gnawing fresh carrots, we continued down the mountain.

"So…" Anna said casually and full mouth. "you are in love with me?"

The cough that caused that sudden question almost took me to the other side. Once I managed to keep my lungs safe, I gave her an accusing look and she shrugged like it was nothing to do with her.

"Does it matter?"
"But, I don't get it. We just met me and you thought I was crazy. It doesn't seem the most appropriate context for love to be born, does it?"
"Can we stop talking about this?"
"Why does it bother you? Not that it's a bad thing. I just want to understand."
"If I answer you, will you leave the subject?"

"May be."
"The letter."
"What?"
"I fell in love reading your letter."
"Oh… really? That's why the jacket thing worked… And, did you get over that when you thought I was crazy?"
"I wish I could say yes."

Anna was silent and looked at me slightly pink. Much to take to my heart. I turned my face to the path and changed the atmosphere.

"But at no point I've said that you no longer seem crazy to me."
"Hey!"
"You're thinking of traveling to the past to face the woman who killed you because she doesn't control her powers and with the psychopath who actually tried to kill you. I'd say that you are not entirely sane."
"Right, it doesn't seem like the most cautious thing to do, but… what can I do? I can't give her up…"
"And that honors you."

Anna smiled at me again and I picked up my pace while scratching the back of my neck a bit uncomfortably.

"On the other hand…" I added. "strictly speaking, all of that has already passed. If you change the past, will that timeline change as well or just the one you travel to?"
"I don't follow you."
"Yeah... it doesn't matter. I suppose that in the 19th century you didn't think so much about time travels, right? You guys were busier fighting the plague and stuff."
"Oh no, nothing like that. There's no more plague in my time. What worries us is typhus, cholera…"
"Oh… excuse my lack of historical culture…"

She softly giggled and bit her carrot again.

"So, what're you going to do from now on?"
"Now?"
"You know, until December."
"Do you think they will take me into the castle?"
"I don't think it's a good idea. If you don't want to end up locked up, I recommend that you don't go around saying that you are a princess from two hundred years ago."
"Yeah, you have a point. Maybe I can afford some kind of accommodation, I bring a few Speciedalers with me."
"Okay... what if you leave the coins of your century for your century and look for a job with which to earn coins that someone will accept?"
"Is the Speciedaller no longer used? If they just installed it!
"Sorry. Now we use Kroners."
"And… will it be too hard for me to find a job?"
"I have yet to find one for myself. If you want, we can search together."
"That would be nice, thank you. But I think I'm going to need to study a bit about this time before I start talking to people if I don't want them to notice anything weird."
"And maybe look for new clothes too."
"Are these too odd?"
"Not for a period theater or festival."
"I see…"

Anna frowned and her nose wrinkled, probably mentally weighing her few options.

"Listen. If that's okay with you, you can stay with me until you figure out how to go ahead."
"Are you serious?!" she yelled excitedly just before getting serious again. "Nah, I can't. You don't have a job. I would be a burden."
"Don't worry about me. I have my savings, we can survive with them for a spell."
"Would you do that for me?"
"You doubt it? I am the silly who has fallen in love with a stranger…"
"Yes, you are."

Anna laughed heartily and, for the first time in forever, I felt like I had a reason to be in this world.