Chapter 3: Toddler Erland!

Out of the blue, Gunhild started breathing heavily. She kept her hands on her chest and dropped the bowl and the spoon. Lucas fell on his mother's lap. She called out the girls from downstairs. They rushed up and saw Gunhild breathing so heavily that it seemed abnormal. Randi took out a small bottle made of ceramic. She took a small blue-red pill and gave it to Gunhild with a glass of water. Hilda took Lucas in her arms so Randi could tuck her in the bed. It took a minute for her to get back at a normal state.

"Thank you dear. Oh Gods from above and below...give me the chance to take care of my children." said Gunhild as tears went down.

"Maybe it was nothing mommy. Daddy often says that it's an episode of the disease you have. You get well after taking the pill!" said Hilda.

"No...her breathing felt a bit too abnormal. I could somehow feel it. Does she have a valve regurgitation? Ah...I'm no doctor, I just saw it on...wait...what did I see it on? Aight it's no time to think about it. I have to help her. But how?...I'm a one day old baby who can't even see things well." thought Lucas.

"Yeah...It's fine maybe." said Gunhild as she was trying to get up from the bed.

"No it is not fine. You should go the fu-" Randi was interrupted as Gunhild stared at her with hawk eyes.

"You have to get back to where you were."

"Hm...?"

"Where you were lying...of course."

"Woah Randi. Your jokes sucks but nice try!" said Hilda.

"Hilda!" said Gunhild with a stern face.

"What is it?"

"Where did you learn that word?"

"Daddy said it once. He was really drunk though, maybe I just said a bad word."

"Never say it again."

"Okay mommy."

"Wow she is a lot like...uh...my...someone...I can't remember of. I can remember more and more things slowly so it shouldn't be a problem." thought Lucas.

"Aunt Gun, want soup or stew?" said Randi.

"Soup would be fine but stew please." said Gunhild.

Randi went downstairs and came back in a while.

"Sorry it took a while, you must be really hungry." said Randi.

"So, mommy...Aren't we gonna go to re-Returnerter?" said Hilda having no idea what the actual word was.

"It's Returnert my dear. Why complicate it?" said Gunhild.

Hilda just shrugged by raising her shoulders.

"And...go with your daddy for this time. I don't feel so well." said Gunhild.

"That's what you said last time...to Arne." said Hilda.

"Honey, don't be stubborn. You know mommy isn't feeling well. Besides, if a woman gives birth, she has to rest for a few days. You are my smart cookie my dear. You'll listen to mommy won't you?"

"Okay...But don't DENY me next time." said Hilda with a raging face.

Gunhild just smiled at her warmly.

"Oh by the way, I thought of a name for the baby. His name will be...Erland." said Gunhild.

"Why that name?" said Randi and blinked her eyes as she looked at Gunhild.

"Erland means an outlander. The baby has been acting as if he is from another world from the beginning. So I name him Erland."

Lucas, who's name is now Erland, looked at his mother with an innocent glimpse. Erland thought in his mind that this new life might be a new chance to him to lead a life without the grave mistakes he had made before.

("I was so naive before. It's my new life...She is my mother...and I'm her son. I asked for a chance if I remember correctly... Mom in that world was right... she would never want this. Who was she?")

While Erland's mind was stormed with thoughts, Gunhild stared at him and wondered what her little creature might be thinking.

"Oh what are you thinking? My baby's gonna be a biiiiiiiig scholars one day." said Gunhild.

"Uh...Aunt, he's only a day old." said Randi.

"So what?"

Randi sighed.

Like this, time passed. Hilda went to Returnert festival with his father and saw the marvelous looking baby prince covered in silk dress on the golden bed. Hilda wondered if she could give Erland a golden bed. Erik laughed and told her that the things the royal family does are sometimes a bit too much. He also told Hilda not to tell others about Erik's thoughts.

Months passed, Erland finally got used to his new life. He was covered by Gunhild's motherly affection and his older sister's. His father however, could not spare him enough time since he was a blacksmith.

Three years passed. Erland has learnt how to speak and walk. His first word when he was five months old was 'mum'. He goes to his mother often and asks her to hold him.

("Man...quiet a day it is...cool breeze is coming towards me, there are corns in the house, dad left the blanket on the couch and it's raining outside! And...we don't have a TV here. I miss watching movies with Sam and Dan.")

Erland in a rainy day was filled with mixed feelings about the weather whilst Randi and Gunhild were talking about something with a stern face.

("Okay...just to seem normal. I have to talk with them as if I can't speak that well.")

"Mommy...what are you and Ran Ran talking about?" said Erland.

Gunhild held him up and said,

"I will tell you but you have to promise me one thing. Keep it as a secret."

"Okay mommy."

"Tomorrow is Hilda's birthday and her day of Heim."

"Heim?"

"Your sister will be able to marry." said Randi.

"Wa-What? Isn't she little? Is it right?"

"Your father and I married right at the day of my Heim." said Gunhild.

Erland stared at her with a surprised face, his mind processing like a computer which is rebooting itself.

"He he. What is it dear? You seem like you have heard about something unusual you have never heard in your life before."

"You overthink about him." said Randi.

"Oh...I wanna play with Hilda." said Erland and rushed off from his mother's arms.

The house Erland used to live in was a small wooden house. There was a small space in the backyard. There were only three rooms. Whenever Hilda felt upset, she would rush to the backyard and lie down on the grass. Erland knew that Hilda might be lying down on the grass being upset so he rushed to the backyard to find his sister. Though, he did not find her. He got upset instead.

He called out for Hilda. He was about to go out of the backyard. Right when he was about to open the door slowly, Grandma Ase saw him and took him back to his mother. Gunhild gave him an earful after what happened. Afterwards, Erland was put to sleep by his mother. Little did Gunhild know that her son was faking it. As soon as she got downstairs, Erland went down to the small main door and was about to leave until he saw something.

He saw his sister chatting with a boy wearing a white shirt and a brown vest. His dark brown hair was moving with the cool breeze. His eyes were like a pond of honey. Even though Erland could not hear their conversation, he could totally assume that his sister was already so much of a fond of his words that she did not look anywhere else while talking to him.

"Yeah...just regular teenage girl stuff I guess.." thought Lucas as he looked at Hilda with a keen eye. Soon, he could hear their conversation as they were coming towards their house.

"So you'll come of age tomorrow. Mind if I write a song for you?" said the boy.

"Oh? For me? Well, that would be my pleasure." said Hilda.

"No Hilda don't! Lily was smarter than her. Wait, when did she meet the boy again?" thought Erland.

"Remember when we first met? There were roses blooming in the bushes, your hair touched my face like flower petals. The butterflies from six months ago still fly in my stomach as they were." said the boy as he gently stroked Hilda's hair.

"SIX MONTHS!?!? Everything happens so fast in this world. When do people die here, when they hit their 30s?!?" thought Erland with a disgusted face.

"That was a distinguish way of words I have to say." said Hilda with a stern glimpse.

"Hilda..." said the boy as he looked at Hilda again after looking down for a while slowly.

"Is there anything you want to say to me?"

"You know what I am about to say and you still ignore me like this. Your silence is like blades piercing through my heart, Hilda."

"I apologize for it then."

"Hilda, I love you."

Meanwhile in Erland's mind,

("Wow what a chad. I couldn't confess to the girl I love even after years...It took me some time...I think...I don't remember so well.")

"Oh?...Really?...well, we have only met six months ago. My mom and dad doesn't even know about this. Are you sure that you are not rushing things?" said Hilda.

"Yes I am sure that I'm not rushing things. I will go tell Aunt Gunhild and Uncle Erik by myself if you permit me." said the boy.

"Look Ceol, I understand what you want to say and that your intentions are pure. But...we are from different nations and...I have a little brother. My mommy is sick so I have to take care of him. You will go out of this nation in the next seven or eight months. I cannot just abandon my duties like this."

In Ceol's mind, he could think about nothing but sorrow of the rejection. He was falling even more after hearing every words of Hilda.

"Then..." said Ceol.

Hilda looked at him with a glimpse of expectation.

"Then I will stay here. Have a stable job and a life. I will get a good position here and then marry you, is that okay with you?" said Ceol with a gloomy voice.

There was a brief silence...Hilda spoke with a faint smile with her index finger on her lips-"I will wait for you. Don't tell my mommy or daddy about this now though." Hilda walked towards the house. She slowly closed the door as she kept looking at Ceol.

Ceol took a deep breath of relief and ran away with joy. Erland took a breath of relief as well. Soon, he realized that the door has been locked from inside and that his family will know about his disappearance soon since he cannot go back to the bed again in any way. He sat beside the gate on a clean brick. Soon, his mother found him and once again he got another earful in one day. Hilda then gave him an earful as well. He dodged every question with a cry and his childlike words.

On the same day, in the middle of the night, Erland suddenly thought about ways he can improve himself.

"*sigh*It has been three years yet I haven't made any progress at all. I'm a toddler now, I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!" thought Erland lying on the ground of the kitchen.

"Er, you're gonna catch a cold. Get up." said Randi while pouring some soup.

He rushed to his blacksmith father and with pumped up chest he yelled out,

"Dad!"

"What is it, son?!? said Erik while working.

"I want to improve myself!" said Erland with raised arms.

Erik stopped his work for a moment and held Erland high up. Erland smiled brightly at his father. Unfortunately, Erland's dress was covered in coal of his father's hands. He could not oversee it in excitement of his son's words.

"It's fine dad. I wanna learn things! Like...swinging a sword...singing...making thingies...reading and a lots! Can I learn to whoosh too?" said Erland with the act of a child.

"I don't know what 'whoosh' is but we will surely see what you can learn. We'll begin tomorrow. I promise!" said Erik.

"Weally?" said Erik.

"Oh...that baby talk of yours. I've missed that...yes, weally!"