Chapter 4: Definitely not the Day of Heim

The day of Hilda's coming of age finally came. She was ready for something that is quiet usual to the land she lives in. Erland could not sleep at night. When his mother went to her son to wake him up, she saw him lying down on the bed with his eyes wide open. Seeing him like this, Gunhild let out a scream.

"Oh Lords... Baby, what's wrong with you?!? Didn't you sleep at night?" said Gunhild as she took Erland in her arms.

"No mom, me was too busy whinking 'bout Hilda's age of coming." said Erland.

"You are spitting nonsense! Oh Lords...It's alright, mommy's with you. Get a hold of yourself. Attaboy!"

"Eh...Oh...I am awake. HA HA. I have always been awake..."

"ERIK...Erik, come here! All of you, what has happened to my boy..."

All the members of the family rushed upstairs to see Erland in that state. Hilda rushed to Erland and took him. With a guilty face, she said,

"It's because of me...I shouldn't have read you that book yesterday."

"WHAT BOOK?" said Erik. Even though he is a calm and gentle man, his mind was restless.

"It's 'kay pops...I'm 'kay...I got too excited for toway...The book Hilda read was a good book! I liked it...It's just that I coulwn't sweep...*yawn*" said Erland with a sleepy face.

"Do you want to sleep now?" said Randi.

"Of course-" Erik couldn't finish his words.

"No...I will wash my face and go out with pops...you promised me..." said Erland.

"Well, he seems just fine to me." said Randi.

"Are you really okay sweetie?" said Gunhild as she slowly stroked her son's hair gently.

"Yeah mommy. See, I can speak fine now!" said Erland.

"Okay then buddy. Get ready in thirty minutes. I'll go outside to handle the event." said Erik and left the room in a hurry.

"What event mommy?" said Hilda.

"Oh it's..." said Gunhild as if she was trying to hide something.

("Little does mom know that Hilda knows about everything and has even made a contract with a sixteen something years old boy.")

Erland's mind got deep in his own thoughts. Randi asked him about his thoughts but he brushed it off saying nothing as he went straight towards the bathroom. Hilda helped him to get ready. Since Erland is now a toddler, he can eat by himself without making anything dirty, which is in fact an uncommon thing.

"So, Erland can eat by himself now." said a woman sitting with Gunhild and Erland in the dining room. The woman had pitch black hair and red lips. She was wearing a light purple dress and had her hair braided as a bun. Her eyes were Azure and she had a scar on her face.

"Yeah, I though he will grow up even faster. It was such a trouble to feed him on the first day. He acted as if he's embarrassed. Thank the gods, he became normal after two months. Oh Frida, you should have seen him acting like that." said Gunhild with a smiley face.

"I wish I could see all that. I was so busy with my boy that I couldn't, you know everything."

"It's fine Frida. How is Frode doing so far? Why didn't you bring him along?"

"He's fine now. Weak as always but yes, fine. He's with grandma Ase. Svend left three days ago and still isn't back yet."

"Why honey? Is your heart getting ripped off because of the distance? HA HA."

"Shut up..."

"Aunty Fwida!" said Erland.

"Hm?" said Frida.

"What are you good at?"

"Sewing?"

"I wanna learn it." said Erland even though he had no interest in it.

"Grow up a little bit more. Sewing is harder that swinging a sword."

"EH? No, I want to learn now!" said Erland.

"If you touch the needles with those baby hands of yours you will somehow wound yourself up or ruin the cloth. Be patient, you have a long time ahead."

"Nooooooo..." Erland acted as if he was really disappointed.

"Hm...Erland, what do you want to be?"

"I don't know...I want to know that's why I'm going with dad today!"

"If you don't know what you want to be you cannot be it, Erland. You are a brave boy, a warrior. You must act like one. A warrior must be patient and vigilant. You must know what you want before doing anything. Now tell me, what do you want?"

("Dang...was she a fighter or something?")

Frida looked at Erland with a face full of false overexaggerating hope.

"I want to...do what I want to do after this...avdenter with pops!(Man...I feel so embarrassed. I wanna grow up so I won't have to keep this baby act anymore.)"

"Such a precise answer. I am impressed. Now go, find your way."

Erland drank his juice with one gulp and ran away to his room. He packed a small bag with a pen and a paper. He took some water and a bread and his allowance.

"You're acting as if you are never gonna come back again." said Randi.

"I will come back. Don't worry." said Erland and smiled at Randi as he rushed off from the room.

"Hm? What's the bag for?" said Erik while sipping a cup of tea.

"It has a pen, a paper, my allowance money, water and some bread." said Erland.

"Why take so many things? It's only a trip for a day."

"You never know what happens!"

"*sigh* Ase must've taught you that."

After Erik finished his cup of tea, they both went outside. They both saw some of their neighbors on the way. Erik told them about the deal he has made with Erland. The neighbors laughed and wished Erland a good luck. Erland handed his father the pen and paper and said,

"Note the things I tell you to note."

"Okay, boss." said Erik.

They both stopped at several shops. Erik noted the things Erland told him to. The sun was shining so bright that it made little Erland exhausted. They both sat under a tree.

"Okay pops. Now it's turn to learn about your job." said Erland.

"I'll show you my stuffs when we get home. Here, take some water. I bet that yours is finished." said Erik and handed him a bottle of water.

"Thanks pops."

Suddenly, there were drums to be heard. They could see a golden carriage far away. Erland, out of curiosity, went towards the carriage with his father.

"Stay away peasants! The prince shall descend upon this filthy land." said a man wearing a white armor. The coachman opened the door. Everyone waited for the prince to come out. But he didn't. The coachman kneeled to see the prince in the small carriage but there was no one. The coachman informed the man who announced the arrival of the prince. He declared,

"The prince has been lost! No one is allowed to move even an inch from this place. Children are allowed to go home. If they cannot, they shall take shelter under the giant oak tree. I repeat..."

A commotion arose in a second. Everyone started to rush away with a guilt and fear for a thing they didn't even do. Erik held Erland's hand and said,

"Erland, get out of this place and head towards the oak tree when I tell you to. Many people are rushing over there. Don't-"

Erland got carried away from the place with the crowd moving.

"Dad!" Erland yelled out. The crowd of children were too busy defending themselves from the stain of a false guilt. The crowed got divided in the middle of the street.

Erland fell on the ground and got injured. He slowly got up from the ground.

He took a look at the place. He couldn't recognize it. The buildings were tall and the oak tree was not to be seen. Being startled, he swallowed his own saliva, trying to calm himself down. 

After calming down, he knocked on the door of several houses. None of them opened their doors.

He was roaming around being helpless. He kept walking having no clue where he was. After a while, he came across a fountain. He sat beside it and spotted something moving in the pile of hay.

He got alert. He went to check it and it stopped moving. He slowly walked towards it and slammed the pile of hay. The hays got spread all over the place and his hand was on the face of a distinguish child wearing a white coat. His hair was golden and his eyes were turquoise. He looked at Erland with an angry glimpse. His ears were like an elf. He seemed to be shorter than Erland and they were about the same age.

"You filthy- How dare you!" said the boy.

"I was just checking out. No matter who you are it doesn't really give you an excuse to act rude does it?" said Erland with a stern glimpse. He acted as if he was the son of a noble.

("His act is distinguish! He dresses like a peasant but he acts like a noble. He looks quiet well too. His eyes, his hair...AND HE'S TALLER THAN ME!?" *sigh* He will be a good pawn of mine. I should be friends with him.")

The boy brainstormed. Erland realized from the boy's reaction that he was thinking something fishy. Despite that, he gave a hand towards the boy to help him get up. The boy took the hand and got up. His act changed.

"I'm Erland Hephaestus, son of Erik Hephaestus. He is known as one of the greatest blacksmiths in this land. May I know your name?" said Erland as he helped the boy get up.

"You do have a way with words my friend. I am the prince of Alfheim, Leif Avery. Pleasure to meet you." said the boy and offered a handshake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Your Highness. Shall I know what you might be doing here?"

"I wanted to explore outside a little. Being a prince is hard. You have to obey every rules. I hate doing it!"

"How did you escape from the carriage?"

"I placed my dolly in the carriage and bribed my butler of course, He he. Ahem..."

("He is a prince but he's too immature. I mean he is a three years old after all.")

In a sudden, Erland could sense that he was in a vulnerable spot. As he noticed a shadow emerging from behind, his guards got up and he slowly looked behind, seeming cautious with a stern glimpse.

"Your Highness, I did not expect you to find here...You have promised your butler not to go too far yet there you are. Shall we go back to the carriage now?" said the man who came from behind. He was wearing a black coat and a black hat. Even in such sunny day, his glimpse was cold as ice. His eyes were not to be seen. He starred at them with the eye of a hawk.

"What are you doing here, may I ask?" said Leif.

"I was merely doing my job, Your Highness."

"Who is this weird guy, Leif. Is he a bad guy?" said Erland with the face of a child.

"HE IS MY SERVANT, MIND YOUR TONGUE!" said Leif as rushed to Erland to grab his collar. ("What was that? He was acting so cool a moment ago. What kind of sarcasm is this?")

The prince's mind got filled with thoughts. He looked away from Erland's baby face and tried to look furious in front of the man.

"Ah, Your Highness. Adorable as always." said the man and chuckled.

"W-What?!? I told you not to call me those things." Leif took a few steps towards the man and started arguing with him.

("I had to let go of my gracious attitude because of that dude...I gotta go from here.") Erland tried getting away from them. The man in an instant, grabbed Erland and questioned him about several things. His eyes were finally to be seen. His eyes looked like a pitch black hole to Erland as if he is sucking everything in, in that void filled with nothingness.

"So little boy. What is your name? Where is your family?" said the man with an irritated glimpse.

"Erland. I came here with my pops to know about things I wanna do but got caught by a weird man." said Erland.

The man laughed and let him go. "Ah, I see...Well then, Mr. Erland. Please be aware of kidnappers." He took Leif under one arm as if he's holding a file.

"OY-" Leif looked irritated.

"We shall head off." said the man and walked away with the prince. Erland saw them walking away for a while and then he too, walked away.

"Oy, Colin. You know, he acted so cool a moment before you came. Don't you think that he-" the prince couldn't finish his words.

"I am sorry Your Highness. You have an awful habit of lying often. Perhaps you should let go of it soon. After all you are destined to be a part of the brightest side. You just want that kid to be with you because you think of your servants as incompetent for you."

"It's not that...I am not lying this time. I just wanted a friend who is like me." the prince frowned.

"He is a peasant, Your Highness." said the man and looked at Leif with a harsh glimpse.

Leif's face became filled with terror. He kept himself silent the whole time, whilst Erland kept searching for his father.

At last after a long search, Erland could see the oak tree. He walked towards it and saw his father standing far away from him, looking anxious. Erland rushed towards his father and yelled. "Dad! Dad!"

"I saw a weird man today!" said Erland the moment he got close to him.

"Erland! I missed you...where were you? Who is the weirdo? Did he do anything to you?" said Erik and rushed towards Erland to pull him close.

Erland filled him in about what happened. 

"Erland...from now on, be careful of the royal people. Thank goodness...the man you met was rather friendly." said Erik with worry all over his face and the anxiety of losing his son still remaining in him.

"Yes dad..." Erland nodded.

They both reached home. He saw Hilda stomping on some fruits on a large wooden tub. He assumed that it is like the so called 'grape stomping' culture from the world he was once a part of. Just to seem like a baby, Erland asked him about what was going on. He listened to them carefully. The day of Heim of Hilda and another neighbor girl ended with joy. They ate simple foods and wines to celebrate the day. They all bid farewell and left with a smile.

In the middle of the night, it started to rain. Gunhild fell asleep whilst Erland stared outside from the window and pondered about the incidents that has happened so far.

("The day didn't feel like how a day of Heim would be...So the people here mainly does small tasks like selling fruits and veggies or working for someone. My father is like a high ranking person among these people then...None of these goes with me quiet well. I will cherish the time with this family this time for sure. I have to take each step slowly and be cautious. If someone knows that I'm quiet different than them, I'm done for. I gotta find a safe spot...")

In the dead of the storming night, Erland noticed a person standing outside under a tree. The person was bleeding and they were spitting blood. The person stared at Erland without blinking even for once.