Chapter 22: After Ten Years

"(She's staring at Arne as if she has seen a ghost. What's going on?)" Erland kept a neutral expression on the outside while on the inside, he was frowning, making every fiber of his being cautious.

In a moment, Gunhild snapped back to her normal self. She confidently went towards Arne and the children smiling as if nothing has happened.

"Children mustn't be around fire. You all can go now. The steak will be ready in a moment." said Arne.

"But the director said that it will be a bonfire party." said a kid.

"Yes of course. But it will take forever to grill meat at a lower heat. We can't put up such a big fire with kids around. We will grill it a little bit and then everyone will grill it by themselves. And why the low heat you ask? Well, I don't want anything to burn...of course."

"Okay!" the kids yelled with a smile.

He moved away from the middle of the bench and hinted Gunhild to take a seat there.

Gunhild sat on the bench and kept the bag on her lap. She put on a smile and said,

"Long time no see, Arne. It has been ten years."

Arne's calm smile was slowly fading into a menacing one as he spoke. "Mum...Hehehe...HA HA HA. You seemed like you have seen a ghost when you looked at me. Am I really THAT distant now? I bet no one even talks about me now. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't even know that you all are still alive and well." Arne's smile became larger.

"No matter what you do or be, I'm still your mother. Let me tell you one thing- Erland, please go would you? Mommy will call you after I talk to your brother a little."

"Oh...Okay. Why can't I stay?(Something isn't right. I have to hear their conversation at any cost. Arne is a nice guy overall and mommy seems like a nice person as well. But I don't know what hides beneath it.)" said Erland.

"We are going to grill it now. See? I've taken some out already. Now go play with them and be a good boy. I'll buy you something on the way."

"N-no thanks. I'll just go."

Erland nodded his head and walked away. He looked for a tree to hide behind and hear their conversation but the bench was located in a place where eavesdropping would be an almost impossible task.

"So, mum. Did you miss me?" said Arne as his smile got dimmer.

"I don't have any memory of you, excuse me." said Gunhild.

"You don't remember?...How many times do I have to hear this?"

"For the last time. Don't come near me or my family again. No matter what your claims are your deeds aren't forgivable, my child. Or should I call you Hierius since everyone is your 'child'?"

"Hehe. Well I have nothing else to say then. Don't worry about Erland though. I will take really...good care of him."

"So you are the one who did this to him..." Gunhild glared daggers at Arne.

"Me? No, never. I would never do such thing to my brother. Even if he was not my brother, harming him would be a waste."

"Watch your mouth. Or at least tell your superiors to watch it for you."

Arne chuckled. "Do you know what made me like this?..."

"What?..."

"Nothing. It's nothing. I can't blame you if you don't remember anything. It's like those novels where the side character loses their memory and the protagonist has to restore it. I'm no protagonist by the way. I won't restore it even if it ever burns you a little from the hellfire." Arne spoke with a faint laughter.

"I don't understand any of your words."

"You don't have to! May the Lords bless you and my family. Especially my little brother. If it weren't for him, I would have never been able to hear of your ignorance again. I shall be going now."

Arne brushed off his lap and took his hood on. Holding the small black bag, he walked to the gate. Seeing him walking miserably in the middle of the cold day with his calm smile gone, Erland walked to him and asked,

"Arne...Are you okay?"

"Yes, my dear brother." said Arne. His gloomy face turned into a smile.

"Well. That was...confusing. Why does mommy never talk about you?"

Arne kneeled to Erland's level, kept his hand on Erland's head and said,

"You have smooth hair. A good brain too. You see through things that is for sure. Perhaps you will see things more thoroughly than I see...through you."

"Huh?(First Svend and now HIM!?! He looks more dangerous. No, a thousand times more dangerous that Svend. I clearly saw the devil smile he gave to mom.)" Erland was shocked.

"What is it, brother- my child? You don't look very good. Perhaps enjoying a small feast with everyone may bring you joy over your bemused mind."

"I can't always remember those heavy words you say. I nearly got beaten by Randi that day when I asked her about these."

Arne let out a laugh "Why?"

"Because I accidently said a word in some other way which means something dirty probably. I don't know what I said, but she was mad."

"That definitely sounds like her. Aren't you gonna go there?"

"Not before I get my answer." Erland spoke with a small frown as he crossed his arms.

"Oh? What do you seek?"

"I seek answers..."

"My my, I made a mistake. What I wanted to say was, what is your question?"

"What happened between you and mommy?"

"It's...not a matter of children to hear- that is too...dark."

"I am grown enough!" 

Arne stood up. "I will tell you everything when the time comes."

"When will it come?" Erland uncrossed his arms and looked up at him.

"Don't ask me so many questions. Just how you can't remember so many heavy words of mine, I cannot take that many questions either."

"But it's one at a time. Also...(I can't ask him if I can cheer him up. He's probably gonna say that 'if you want to then come to me more often something something'...I can't trust him fully.) Can you wait for a while? At least have a bite of steak."

"That was really kind of you. But I'm afraid that I have a lot of work to do." 

"Hmph...Okay. Goodbye then. Don't look sad like that, you look horrible when you are sad."

Arne laughed. "Bless you, Erland. May we meet too often from now on." He walked away.

Erland looked down the whole time as he walked. He was bemused as always.

He enjoyed the time in the orphanage with a fake smile. Deep inside he knew that something hasn't been going right. When he was about to head off to his home, Tove called him from behind.

"Erland. You wanted to see Heba." said Tove with Heba in her arms.

Heba meowed gently.

"Hey, Heba. You look pretty as always." said Erland as he petted on her head.

"I'm her mother so of course she does! So, what did you hear from the priest? You two seem so close! I was watching you two the whole time." Tove got closer to Erland.

"(Does she have a crush on him?) You should have gone to him and personally talked. He is a nice man."

"I'm too scared. He wears dark colored dress like draugs you know. I think that he is one of the coolest men I have met but he is so scary." Heba closed her eyes. "His scariness makes him look so cool..."

"Oh...I see." said Erland with a smile.

"The director is the best though. Hey, Erland." Tove opened her eyes.

"Yeah?"

"You don't look so good today. Did someone yell at you?"

"No. Even if they did, I wouldn't make this face. I am just sad because..."

"Because of what?"

"Leif would've enjoyed it right?(I feel bad for him really. But what's making me like this is something else...that even I don't know of.)"

"Yeah. I miss him too. He'll be back one day though! Don't be sad. I don't want to see a boy of Gaion losing to a boy of Alfheim. They look down on us heh?"

Erland laughed. "You are overthinking things. Bye Tove!" He walked away.

"Bye bye! Heba, say bye!" Tove moved Heba's paws left and right, making her wave towards Erland.

Heba once again meowed. Erland saw them from the carriage as the sun started to set. He fell asleep on his mother's lap, with thousands of thought in his head.

When he woke up, he found himself on the bed.

"Phew...There isn't any black stuff here now." said Erland as he slowly got off the bed and went towards the dining room.

"Erland. Long time no see. I rarely get to see you these days. Mom's at the hospital with Randi and dad's out to work outside this area." said Hilda while wiping the dining table.

"Yeah. Hey, Hilda. Come closer." Erland whispered.

"What is it?" Hilda spoke while washing the napkin.

"Randi's at the hospital with mommy. Dad's at work outside this area. Don't you think that you can meet up with Ceol now?"

"Huh? Hehe. What are you- Fanden the Tempter? Don't tempt me. If I go out alone, those annoying boys will come chase after me again."

"What? Who?"

"No no, not like that. They would come and bother me that is what I said. Many of them are pretty nice though but...it's troublesome when so many people are after you."

"Then how about...I call Ceol here?"

"Seriously?" Hilda blushed.

"Heh, you are blushing. I wouldn't have said it to you but there is something that is bothering me. Ceol is trying so hard yet he isn't really getting a way through. I can't help him, neither can you so...I thought that maybe you will be able to ease him a little."

"...I do want to talk to him a lot."

"How about I go and make a way?" Erland's eyes sparkled.

Hilda hanged the wet napkin to dry and giggled. "If you can then go on. Hehe(He is so optimistic. He won't be able to do anything but it's fine I guess.)"

Hilda went upstairs and looked outside the window. "(...But maybe...he will make a way?...)" She gave a glimmer of hope for herself. "(He will come to me. Won't he?)"

"(She is legit thinking of Ceol right now. I have to go now. I will have an excuse to research on some stuffs.)" Erland walked away, stretching his arms.

He looked for books in every single corner of the house. One by one, he brought every book in the house in his room. Hilda noticed it but she thought of it as something minor and unnecessary to notice.

"(This books will make them think that I am 'optimistic' for now. Okay now the main part...)" Erland lied down on the floor, doing absolutely nothing to let Hilda and Ceol meet but instead using it as a show for his brother who is possibly still spectating him.

"(I have no idea what mommy and Arne talked about but I feel like it was something about the past. Arne looked really gloomy after the conversation so I think that I can somehow bluff and trigger some stuffs with this much. Ugh...I'm getting distracted...Hm...)"

He got his nose on the book the whole time. He turned a page after three minutes or less when it had a picture.

"(I see shadows sometimes. The Hierius sometimes turn into shadow. Arne can turn into a shadow. Arne is my brother and quiet possibly has some sort of...enmity with mom perhaps...)"

Erland got up from the floor and asked himself,

"(Why did it take me so long to figure it out? The one causing all these recent black substance stuff was Arne or someone with him. They might be the Naos and Randi might overthink several things but she is rational at most points. Maybe the Naos has something wrong with them. Maybe this is why mom and dad almost never goes to pray whilst others go sometimes.)"

Whilst Erland was pondering with his all, Arne spied on him from the window. He stroked his chin and wondered,

"(Hm...Have I overestimated him? He seems to be a little bit too much into books today, which is not something a naturally cunning person would do. Or is he tricking me with that? Not only that, he's only looking at the pictures...which is what kids do because that's the only thing they find interesting. My my, it's getting interesting...Anyway, I'll leave my brother for now then. I don't want to disturb him while he is having such a good time.)"

Arne jumped off the tree and disappeared.

"(Arne was quiet possibly here. He saw me in a sudden over-nerdy mood. I don't know if it was enough to deceive him. I have to be careful.)"

Erland closed the book and picked another one. He had no idea that Arne has already left. He somehow got too much into a matter written on a book and started to read it with all his heart instead of pondering about the incidents.

Time flied away. Spring came, so did the day of Erland's birthday. It was the first day of the year.

Erland woke up in an excellent mood. The ray of sunshine touched his skin as he looked outside and looked forward to the big day. He wore new clothes and combed his hair. Even though he seemed excited enough, nobody in the house was as excited as him. Out of the blue he asked,

"When will we be having my birthday party?" Erland's eyes sparkled.

"What? You remember? Shucks...We thought that we would surprise you." said Erik and bit his tongue while scratching his nape.

"Sorry. I must have ruined your plans..."

"No it's okay. Since you already know about your birthday, here is my little gift." said Gunhild and held him up.

"Mom, you are gonna drop me. I'm big now." said Erland and looked away, feeling embarrassed to be picked up by his mother.

"To mommy, you are always little." Gunhild smiled.

His mother gave him a soft kiss on his forehead and put him down. Erland was flustered, still looking away.

"Are you gonna do the same even when I fully grow up?"

Gunhild giggled with fingers covering her lips. "Yes. As long as I'm alive, hehe."

Randi came in the room out of the blue with a letter. "Oh, there's a letter...What the- Why are they gonna come?!? Who invited them?!?" 

"What is it?" said Hilda, with a worried expression.

"Remember THOSE people who came. The one with a very big moustache? He is gonna come because of Erland's birthday. How the hell did they get to know about his birthday? Why did they make up their mind to come when we didn't even send an invitation?"

"Calm down. *sigh* Since they are our guest we can't just make them leave the house without enjoying the party. Ugh...I wish my mom and dad never taught me etiquette..." said Hilda, looking annoyed.

"(The moustache guy? Oh the one I saw when I did the trash sorting thing.)" Erland took a gulp of his own saliva as he remembered what he has done that day.

"Can I send Erland to Svend's house and have a party there?" said Erik.

"No way! We invited so many people to come here." said Gunhild with a frown.

Erland took a deep breath and thought,

"(Welp let's see what waits for me today. Probably better than anything that has happened to me last month.)"