Chapter 28 Aino Hatcher

It has been so long since he's seen Frostwall. On some level, seeing it now was surreal; eerily serial. Ludwig floated over the valley, shivering as he looked at the place that had given him so much grief. It looked like nothing had changed at all. The buildings were the same, including the grand library Ludwig had visited when he was a child. The atmosphere was the same; chilly, yet warm and inviting. The mountains looming over the city were the same too. Ludwig swallowed a lump when he saw them; they were a giant, silently worded threat, a symbol of the stabbing pain in Ludwig's chest. He tore his eyes away from the mountains. He looked down at the piece of paper that had Aino Hatcher's last address, took a deep breath, and descended down into Frostwall.

Walking down the streets, Ludwig got a better view of the sights and sounds. The people here looked happy, jovial as a matter of fact. They didn't have a care in the world as they went about their daily lives. A couple had smiles on their faces as they walked across the sidewalk, staring deep into each other's eyes. A few kids partook in a snowball fight, pelting each other with the frozen water and laughing all the while. An old man sat on a bench, holding up a cup as a cardboard sign that read "Please help me" rested right by his side. Ludwig went out of his way to give him five golden coins, which made his features light up significantly.

Yes. Frostwall was exactly the same as it had been before, as if frozen in time as well as the frigid temperatures. Because of this, Ludwig felt like an intruder here. The atmosphere, which to some might be comfy cozy, made his guilt go off the charts. Sure, looking at the way these people went about their lives, oblivious to the identity of the murderer walking among them, did make Ludwig a little happy. After all, these people deserved a sense of normalcy. But Ludwig couldn't shake the deep, insidious guilt resting deep within his heart, making his stomach and bowels churn.

It was because of this fact that, when Ludwig passed by Aria Shellcreep's house (the one person who he had formed a significant friendship with when he was last here), he didn't go in. If anything, he hurried past it. He didn't deserve to linger here. He didn't deserve to see how she was doing. He didn't deserve to know her now. She needed better than him. She deserved better than him.

Ludwig rose into the air a couple inches, both because his feet were freezing and because he wanted to hurry up. He needed to get to Aino's as soon as possible, and not just because he didn't want to spend too much time in the city. Aida was in her house, wasting away with no one to take care of her. She needed Aino, and she needed him fast.

So, Ludwig flew past the houses. He paid attention to the numbers on them once he got to Aino's street. There was 107. There was 108. 109, 110, 111….

There it was. 112 Snowflake Drive. Ludwig's breath caught in his throat when he saw it. Constructed out of gray stone, it looked like it could withstand the most vicious of blizzards. The oldest Koopaling landed softly and approached, practically inching toward the house. The churning sensation in his gut returned, as did the guilt. Both of these feelings were accompanied by something else now; the thought please let him be here playing on loop in Ludwig's head.

Please let him be here. Ludwig took in a deep, freezing breath once he stood in front of the door. Oh please Grambi; please let Aino Hatcher still live here. He lifted his hand.

Knock knock knock.

The minute that followed was one of the most stressful of Ludwig's life. Even though it was below the freezing point, Ludwig still sweated. By the time the door opened, he was practically soaked in sweat, which in turn meant he was in even more danger of freezing to death. He looked into the deep green eyes of the koopa who stood in the doorway, looking at him in wonder and curiosity.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

Ludwig took in a deep breath, preparing himself to talk to the koopa with the dark teal hair. "Are you Aino Hatcher?"

"Yes," the koopa said after half a minute of staring. "Yes, I am. Is something wrong?"

Ludwig let out the breath. He was here. Aino was alive and well, and he was standing right in front of Ludwig. This was such a relief.

"I'm Ludwig von Koopa." Ludwig rubbed his hands together; they were starting to feel numb. "May I come in?"

"Sure." Aino graciously allowed Ludwig to enter. The Koopaling couldn't help but relish in the warmth of the house once the door was closed. "I'm surprised you were able to walk out there; this kind of weather could cause a koopa to lose a limb."

Scared, Ludwig looked down at his hands. While numb, they weren't blue, which meant that circulation was still flowing to them. He smiled, grateful that he was able to avoid frostbite.

"Should I get you anything?" Aino asked. "Food? Water? Winter gear so you don't turn into a reptilian popsicle?"

Ludwig shook his head. "No, I'm fine." He thought about that statement. "Actually, that winter gear idea doesn't sound half bad."

Aino chuckled. He went deeper into the house, returning with a blue coat and blue snowpants. "Here. They match your cloak." Aino laughed. "You don't need to worry about returning them; I've got like five pairs of winter clothes already."

"Wow," Ludwig said. "You certainly are generous." He looked down at the gear, trying to gauge whether or not they would fit him. Surprisingly, it appeared that Aino had been spot on in terms of the sizing. Impressive.

"So…" Aino said, looking at Ludwig. "Are you going to explain to me why you're here? Or, for that matter, how you know my name?"

Ludwig nodded. "It's…it's complicated." He paused. "I came her because I need to take you back to…"

"Wait," Aino interrupted. He pointed down the hall. "Let's go into the living room; it's much warmer in there."

So, Ludwig followed Aino. As he did, he tried to decided what would be the best way to phrase the news to him. Hearing that your mother had lost most if not all of her memory due to an incompetent magikoopa would certainly be a bitter pill to swallow. Was there anyway to make the news more palatable?

When they got to the living room, and Ludwig took a seat on the soft blue couch, Aino looked at Ludwig with the same generous air he had when he handed over the winter gear. "Would you like me to get you a snack?"

"Oh," Ludwig said. "No, it's fine Aino. I'm not that hungry. And besides, it's very important that I talk to you as soon as possible."

Aino blinked and took a seat in a chair in front of the couch. "Wow. It's that urgent, huh?" He furrowed his brow. "What's the matter?"

Ludwig cleared his throat. "It's about your mother."

Aino blinked. "My mother?" He leaned forward a little. "Gosh, I haven't seen my mother in four years. Is she okay?"

Ludwig cringed. "Not exactly…"

With that, he jumped right into the explanation. When he told Aino about how he originally came to know about Aida, Aino's eyes grew wide. They grew even wider still when he heard that Aida had acquired two sets of memories when Ludwig went back in time to save Frostwall. By the time Ludwig told him about Aida developing earlier onset dementia thanks to Magnus, Aino appeared frozen. He didn't move a muscle; just stared at Ludwig with a dropped jaw and eyes wider than the sun.

Ludwig sighed once he finished with the explanation. "I…I understand if you blame me for this whole debacle. After all, I'm partially responsible." His lower lip trembled. "But, I just want you to know. I am very sorry. I know that it doesn't make up for this whole incident but…" Ludwig hung his head. "I'm sorry."

Aino did a double take, shaking his head as he tried to gather his bearings. "Wait, wait. You destroyed Frostwall eleven years ago?" He leaned forward, perching his fingers on the edge of his seat. "And you went back in time to save it?"

"Y…yes."

Aino's jaw dropped even lower. "That's insane!" He looked a little frightened; he even started to shake. "That…that means I should be dead!" He looked down at his hands, which shook a lot. "I died in that alternate timeline you described!" He gave Ludwig a raised eyebrow. "Wait, you have to be making this up. This is just too crazy to have actually happened!"

Ludwig shook his head. "It's the truth." He rose into the air a little, shocking Aino all the more.

"You…you really are a special." Aino shook. "Oh man…"

Ludwig sat back down. "I really am sorry, Aino."

Aino didn't speak for the better part of forty five seconds. He kept his hand on his forehead, shaking like an abused puppy. "Oh man. How…how? Why? How did…how is this…"

Ludwig didn't say anything. He knew that it would take a while for Aino to digest all that information (heck, Ludwig himself had trouble digesting it and he was responsible for it), and that it would be wise not to rush him. So he just sat there, giving Aino the space needed to come to terms with the fact that, by all logic and all accounts, he shouldn't be here. The house he was in, the life he knew…none of it would exist of reality was the way it had originally been.

"I…really can't believe this." Aino took a deep breath, sitting up straight. He took multiple deep breaths as he looked at Ludwig. His expression contained so many different layers and shades of disbelief, but surprisingly, there was no anger. He didn't look enraged or even hateful towards Ludwig. All he looked was completely and utterly dumbfounded.

"I understand it's a lot to take in," Ludwig said.

"I'll say!" Suddenly, Aino gasped. "Wait! You said my mom…." he shook some more. "My mom was affected by all of this…'

Ludwig pressed his lips together. He had a feeling that this would be the saddest part of the story for Aino. Even though hearing that someone saved your life by going back in time was unbelievable, hearing that your mom was suffering from dementia when you previously had no idea was bound to shake Aino to his core.

And it did. Aino looked at Ludwig with misty, watery eyes. "I should have visited her. I..I became too focused on work and stuff. I didn't even send her any letters anymore." Aino sniffed. "I should have done something. Anything to let her know I was still alive, that I could come visit her at any time…"

Ludwig bit his lip. "It wasn't your fault, Aino. You couldn't have known."

Aino sighed. "I know…" He lifted his eyes toward Ludwig as a tear streamed down his face. "Do you…can you take me to her? Please?" He stood up. "I can care for her now that that magikoopa you talked about is in jail. I can be there for her. I can…I can help her through this." He looked desperate now as the tears flowed harder. "Even though her memories are not coming back, I still want her to know that I'm okay, that everything is going to be okay." He stepped closer to Ludwig. "Can you take me to her?"

For the first time since arriving, Ludwig put on a tiny smile. "Of course I can."