Chapter 24: Bitter Truth of the Forgotten Past

Erland suited himself and stood beside Arne. He asked,

"Why did you bring me here? I mean, if you wanted to talk then you could talk to me inside. In front of my family, right?"

"I have something to say to you..." said Arne, looking at the moon's reflection on the water. His voice suddenly seemed rather lifeless and tired.

"What is it?"

"Do you think that mom hates me?" Arne looked at Erland.

"Why are you asking me that? Why would she hate you?" Erland looked confused.

"Okay. Suppose that she hates me. Suppose...What could be the reason behind this?" Arne looked at Erland in the same that makes Erland feel like he's staring into his soul.

"Um...(This conversation is getting weird...) Maybe you or someone else did something which turned it into this?"

"Hm...Try to make it a little bit more specific."

"D-do I have to?"

"You don't have to but still, it would do me a favor." Arne propped his head, resting his elbow on the railings of the bridge.

"Alright. Maybe because some misunderstanding happened?" Erland was keeping himself from sweating at this point. 

"That's a neat answer. Don't stress yourself out about this though. I just want to have a good conversation with you but..."

"But what?" Erland frowned.

"But it's just so hard to say something about the harsh past."

"You can tell me. I won't tell these to mommy."

"Is that a promise?"

"Yes." Erland nodded. He seemed to be more calm now.

"Well then...What I wanted to tell you is that mommy has quiet possibly forgotten about me and maybe she doesn't want to remember it."

Erland's eyes widened. "What?!? How is that possible? So, mommy can forget me too?"

"It's possible. How do you feel after knowing this?" 

"I feel...weird...but, I want to help you fix this. Arne, you've been trying to fix this too right?"

Arne sighed. "Yes and no."

"Why the 'no'?"

"You wouldn't get it. You are still little so I can't tell you everything. Once you grow up, I will tell you every ounce of it if I live long enough. But I can fill you in about some more information."

Erland moved close to Arne and looked up at him. "I'm all ears..."

"I will also reward you with something along with the information but you have to tell me one thing." Arne stayed silent for a while and then looked at Erland by the corner of his eyes. "Do you know anything...about past life?"

Whilst Arne and Erland were having their strange conversation, Erik and Gunhild were arguing in their house. It wasn't any normal lovers quarrel but rather something else.

"Why did you call me here at this time? I left Erland with the priest but it's still worrying me. What's up? Something happened here?" said Erik as if he was displeased.

"He won't do anything to him." said Gunhild, looking down. "I wanted to tell you something that I've been hiding from you for years."

"Is this a prank?" Erik smiled faintly.

"No..." Gunhild hesitated.

"Come on Gun, this isn't like you. Straight up tell me..." Erik held Gunhild's shoulders and pulled her close.

"...Arne is our son."

The moment Erik heard Gunhild's words, he laughed out loud. 

"Seriously? That young priest? This IS a prank!" Erik tried to hold his laugh.

"Why are you laughing this much?" said Gunhild with a downhearted face.

Erik stopped the moment he saw his wife's face. His face looked filled with worry and he took his hand off of Gunhild's shoulder.

"Be a little more specific. What happened? Is that priest trying to make you believe in some superstition or something?"

"No. It's just that I sort of remember it now after I touched the box and...after Erland started to talk about all the things related to draugs that day. I can't remember fully but I can faintly-"

"What do you remember?" Erik frowned.

"I remember faint memories of a boy being drowned in water. He had brown hair. I don't know why I didn't go to save him."

"What else?"

"I didn't pay any heed to this faint memory but when I saw Arne I felt a chill down my spine. He smiled at me like a devil and when I sat beside him...I feel like that he is the boy I saw eight years ago yet I couldn't remember. Then he called me 'mum'...It gave me shivers once again. I didn't say anything to anyone but when he started to approach Erland more I got worried...Every fiber of my being tells me he's my own son...He has your eyes, your hair and my smile-"

"What...what are you talking about? This is NUTS!" Erik looked concerned.

"You don't believe me...No one would believe me...This is why I never told anyone about anything." Gunhild's voice was quavering. 

Erik calmed himself down and took a deep breath. "Okay okay. He is the boy drowning you say, but what does it have to do with him being our son?"

"I always felt like something was missing...I have talked about Arne before but I felt like every time I talked about him something was missing. I remember the time when Erland has just born. Hilda asked me to go with her to the festival of the newborn prince. I denied her because I was sick and then she told me that this is the thing I said last time to Arne..."

"I don't have any memory about that. Honey, are you okay? You look pale." Erik held Gunhild by her arms.

"Who wouldn't look pale after all these?" Gunhild was on the verge of crying.

"I still can't believe these. Maybe you need some rest. It has been a long day." Erik held Gunhild by her waist and started leading her towards the stairs, gently, trying to keep a smile on his face to lighten the mood.

Gunhild fell on the floor coughing in all of a sudden.

"Gunhild!" Erik quickly held Gunhild up. His smile faded away and was replaced with nothing but worry and panic.

Randi saw and heard everything quietly without being noticed. She went to help Gunhild and moved her to her room.

After she got back to her senses and her breathing got normal, Randi sat beside her and whispered into her ears. 

"I will tell you everything later but...please don't think about these again."

"W-why? Tell me now." said Gunhild. Her face as still pale and full of tiredness.

"I figured that these memories are the thing that triggered your sickness that day. Today's sickness was quiet possibly triggered by the memory as well. Evania, the priest woman removed a certain amount of memory from you...nobody told you that. Since Erland has awoken a power of the underworld, some brief information or topical conversation about it triggered your sickness that day. Maybe you already remembered a lot yet didn't want to tell us. It's okay if you think of us as that distant but please don't do anything that might push you to harm."

After that, Randi left. Gunhild stared outside the window waiting for her son to come. She sang a lullaby to sing herself to sleep and to call her son to come home and fill her arms with warmth.

The one hour long conversation between Erland and Arne has ended. He put his head on his father's shoulder as he was walking to their home, being held by Erik. Erik was worried, silent along the way to home. 

"(I barely managed to hide my identity as an outlander...Phew...Good for me. I still don't understand why he said that my mother is doing this on purpose. My mother really can't remember it probably. As far as I know her, she is a cinnamon roll. She wouldn't do such thing. She wouldn't leave someone in danger.)" Erland was having his endearing monologue in his head, not knowing his mother's current condition.

Erland's mind was filled with thoughts. Before he knew it, he has reached his house.

"We're home- Oh, you are asleep." Erik walked inside and kept his son on his bed. He went to sleep as well.

In the middle of the night, Erland woke up and got off his bed. Since he has grown much, it is no problem to get down of his bed anymore. He slowly took his steps and reached Randi's room. He spotted something black on the floor. He looked on it and it moved.

Alas, it was something that made Erland scream. Randi held his mouth and pulled him inside.

"Why are you screaming, huh? Scared of a mouse?!? How manly." said Randi with a mocking tone.

"Sorry. Did you wait for me?" said Erland.

"Well of course I did. Tell me what happened."

They both sat down on the floor mat. There was an intense tension going around Erland's head. He feared what dark secrets he might know after telling Randi about everything.

"So, what happened? What did that pesky Hierius tell you?" said Randi, crossing her arms.

"He told me that mommy once left him alone when he was drowning. He thinks that mommy and others have forgotten about him so he wants to restore their memories about him."

"I knew it...Erland. Don't get too close to that priest anymore. What he wishes to do seems harmless to him but it has been doing a great harm to your mother since the time he has gotten words about us. Being friendly with you might be an excuse to come to us often."

"What is he trying to do?" Erland's voice was filled with worry.

"He is trying to restore our memories. Your mommy's sickness was triggered by the memory. If we can't assure that the memory won't harm Gunhild anymore then I'm afraid that Arne just has to forget about his mother." 

Erland almost stood up. "What? But...he is her son too. He wants a mommy too."

"I know Erland but this doesn't work like this. You have to understand. The reawakening of your power must be his doing as well."

"You mean that he awakened my power again?"

"Yes. You have been taking those herbs whenever you felt like it's gonna take over you, didn't you? Then why would it act up again? Only if a brainy like him does something."

Erland bit his lips and looked away with a frown. "Randi..."

"Hm?"

"Since you have known many things I would like to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"I often see a shadow crossing my room. Or like something is watching me."

Randi widened her eyes out of a small shock. "(That man...he escaped my sight and has been spying on my brother...) Well, then there is no doubt that it's your brother. Be careful around him. Even though he won't do anything to you, he might do something to mom without even knowing it."

"Did you just call 'mom' mom?" Erland smiled faintly as if he felt a sense of relief in the middle of thousands of problems.

"Uhm...N-no. You didn't hear it right. A-anyway, did he tell you anything else?"

"(He did but I can't tell her...I promised him after all.) No."

Erland didn't put his hands close to his chin this time. Randi couldn't guess his lie and told him to go to sleep.

When he woke up the next day, he saw a baby Jamthund woofing at him, wagging its tail, waiting for Erland to approach it. There was a paper attached with him which said, "I thought it would be too late to give you this puppy. By the time you would join, he would turn into a big boy. Take care of him. I wish you two become best friends.

-Aunty Frida."

"(I was thinking the same thing. Welp, since he is already here, dad wouldn't mind. After all he is a dad, he's gonna adore him.)" Erland smiled and confronted his family about it.

After a long quarrel, his father accepted it. Later on, he even made a small house for the puppy outside and brought high quality foods for the dog. Truly a fatherly moment.

Another year has passed. Erland saw the victorious match of Halfdan and his team. Him and Arne became distant all of a sudden after that night. Ase got a rare illness and got appointed to a hospital. Ceol's financial crisis was no more. Everything has got back to normal in the Hephaestus family. For some reason, Gunhild no longer remembers about Arne. Neither does anyone in the family except Randi and Erland.

On a sunny day, Erland was in his house. He was washing dishes with Randi because Hilda was sick and so was his mother. Erik was at work as always.

"Oy, Erland." said Randi with an indifferent face as usual but this time, it was filled with tiredness.

"Yeah?" said Erland, looking at Randi with the same endearing face.

"How do they wash dishes?"

"Exactly how you are doing it." 

"I hate doing it. How do they do it and still keep themselves sane?"

"Me too but what to do..." Erland blinked as if he remembered something. "Hey, Randi. Hilda seems gloomier each day right?"

"Yeah. Lady has to go out more often. She doesn't even have many friends because of those annoying boys. I can't go out with her either. Only if she had made an influence in her life like me, boys wouldn't dare to bother her."

"What about the girls?"

"Ah. You have to tackle them by yourself. The ones who harm you are mostly the people from your gender, know that." 

"Okay...Since Hilda isn't good at fighting, can't she do something else? She slacks off in the backyard when she has nothing to do..." Erland now washed his hands knowing that the last dish is getting washed by Randi.

"Yeah. She's going insane. Ah-" 

"Ah?"

"She can start a business. She's good at math and tactics." Randi looked down and pondered.

"Who's gonna support her though?" Erland tilted his head with disbelief.

"Me." Randi held her head high, feeling proud.

"What? You already handle so many dismantling errands and now you are gonna be her business partner?"

"I'll just stop taking too much errands and focus on her and my business."

"Well then, let's talk about it with her. Then we can call Ceol to join as well and then great granny Ase-" Erland's face suddenly became gloomy as he realized something.

Randi let out a sigh. "You are a fond of them aren't you? Let's visit great granny Ase this weekend."

Out of the blue, a black and white Jamthund dog who was about two years old, rushed towards Erland. It jumped on him and started to lick him with a pleased face, wagging its tail.

"Woof!"

"Okay okay that's enough.(I thought of making him a hunting dog...And now he is turning into a puppy dog...this won't do. I want my doggo to be strong!) RANDI!!"

"What?"

"We've got two works in our list now." said Erland with pumped chest as if he was proud to state his words.

"Huh? Oh. Okay. I mean I was thinking of training the dog anyway." said Randi as she finished washing the dishes.