The Lost Princess

Chapter 18

It was a sunny day outside, so the light flooded my eyes.  It was much brighter out here and it was in the dark dungeon.  I walked back around to the front of the manor and into the town.  The streets were filled with people carrying high class purses and multiple shopping bags.  The people of the Southern Isles must have been really rich.

I kept walking down what must have been the main street because it was lined with many shops and shoppers.  I finally saw a sign pointing towards the station for the monorail. 

The platforms in the station were small and resembled a normal train station.  I read the schedule and found that the next train for Kongelig Island was departing in fifteen minutes.  That should be just the right amount of time to purchase a ticket and board. 

I walked up to the ticket counter.  A man was working at the window.  He must've been in his 50s or 60s because his hair was graying and starting to fall out.  Since it was around noon, not many commuters were boarding, so there was no line in front of the counter. 

“Hello,” I greeting him, stepping up to counter. 

“What can I do for you today?” he responded expressionless.

“I would like to buy a ticket for the upcoming train to Kongelig Island.”

“That’ll be 80 Krones.” 

I reached into my pocket and counted my money.  This ride was very expensive and I didn’t carry around much. 

“Really?  80?  I only have 70.  Will you take that?”

“80.  Take it or leave it.”

“Can you charge it to my back account?” I asked, hoping that he would say yes.

“Do you have the account name and pin?”

“Um, the name is probably under Westergård, it’s the royal family of Arendelle’s bank account.”

“Do you have the pin?  There are five.  Type them in here,” he handed me a small tablet.

Five.  Ok, let’s see if I remember.  The first is 3572, then 2662, 1992, 1995, and the last one, that’s 2736.

Although the numbers might sound like gibberish to anyone else, Anna and Elsa made each stand for something specific.  3572 is Elsa’s name.  2662 is Anna.  1992 and 1995 are Elsa and Anna’s birth years. 2736 spells AREN, the first four letters of Arendelle. 

The screen opened up and I was able to select the amount for withdrawal.  I chose all 80, this way I could save the 70 I already had for something else I may need.  After I was done, I handed the tablet back to the man. 

“The confirmation email just popped up.  You are charged 80 Krones.  Here is your ticket.”

He handed me a slip of paper, showing the departure time of 12:10.  I looked up at the clock that read 12:05.  I had finished just in time.  I made my way over to platform 4 and waited for the monorail. 

It arrived soon after, the brakes screeching to a halt.  I waited for the passengers to get off, then boarded the train. 

Inside, the seats had blue cushions and the walls were painted white.  It was a fairly full train, so I walked into the next car.  The car happened to be the quiet car, and I could hear the difference as soon as I walked in.  The noise and bustle of the train station was gone.  It was silent, and there were less people in this car.  I took a seat and looked out the window.  I didn’t mind the quietness, it gave me some time to think. 

Who was this Justin?  Was he really Elsa’s boyfriend?  Strangely, I never imagined that Elsa would have a love interest.  Everyone knew that Anna and Kristoff were together, and Kristoff came over to the castle for dinner at least once a week.  I had never even heard of Justin before, and I doubted that the rest of Arendelle would know him.  I hoped that he would be nice and agree to help me.  I really needed to save Anna and Elsa, I couldn’t let them down. 

I continued to stare out the window, looking at the vast difference between the Southern Isles and Arendelle.  The skyscrapers reached high into the sky here, where as in Arendelle, the highest building was the 6 story castle.   The Southern Isles almost reminded me of New York City, but Arendelle was far from that.

I saw the highest spire of the castle growing near.  This castle was both bigger and grander than the castle in Arendelle.  There were many more pointy spires that pointed to the sky.  The castle was very wide and painted a white color that reflected the light from the sun.  The spires were pointed and dark gray, contrasting to the white. 

The castle soon disappeared, as the monorail pulled into the station.  The movement slowed, until I felt the train reach a full stop.  An automated voice said something in Norwegian, but the only thing I was able to catch was the word Kongelig, so I knew this was the right stop. 

I walked off the train and stepped into the station.  This was a lot busier than the other station and I had to fight my way through the crowd into the city. 

It didn’t take long to find the castle, because like in Arendelle, the castle was the tallest structure.  With the Southern Isles castle being surrounded by skyscrapers, it was really tall.  I walked up to the front of  the castle.  There were no guards outside, which I thought was really strange.  I walked up the marble steps, which were surrounded by gardens and hedge sculptures.  The Southern Isles must have had a lot of money to be able to get all of this stuff.  When I reached the grand doors, I made my hand into a fist, and prepared to knock.