Annelise sat in her bedroom looking out the window seeing the sun slowly coming up slowly behind the mountains, she had a very hard time sleeping with what Dominic had told her and everyone else the night before. Annelise looked over at her bedside table where she had set her ring down and picked it up rolling it around in her fingers. She decided to head towards the lodge to get some breakfast. Anna quickly got changed into some day clothes along with her coat and boots. Leaving the house Annelise walked through the snow, and entered the lodge, seeing some of the guests were eating before making their runs down the mountain. Annelise spotted Rapunzel sitting by herself and approached her. "Hey, how are you doing?" Annelise asked pulling up a seat across from her.
Rapunzel jumped a little at the sound of Annelise's voice. She hadn't expected anyone to join her this early in the morning. She wrapped her hands tightly around her mug and shrugged, the gesture barely noticeable as her long hair draped over her shoulders. She bit her lip for a moment before looking at Annelise, "Do you think... When we go back we have to go back to our stories?" She took a deep breath, finally vocalizing what had been eating her up since the previous night, "Because... That means I'm going right back to some tower in some forest to wait for some guy to find me... But my hair isn't even long enough to let him into the tower."
She rose her mug to her lips, her hands shaking slightly, "My parents... They might not even be alive anymore... Do I really want to go back to a world to remember eighteen years of living alone in a tower?...."
Annelise watched Rapunzel jump when she spoke and felt slightly bad for doing that looking down for a moment, she knew the same thing was bothering her as well. "Sorry... I didnt mean to scare you." She said softly taking off her winter jacket and drapped it over the chair. "I honestly have no idea what we are going to expect when we go back there..." Annelise answered before leaning forward closer to Rapunzel gently reaching with her right hand to touch Rapunzel's hand to comfort her.
"Listen, a lot of things could have happened since we left. Hell, maybe that tower was destroyed or your parents could still be alive. And you wont be alone we will still have each other."
Ilya liked to eat a large breakfast before important days. He had gotten himself dressed and ready for his security job even if he might have to leave his shift early. It was when he went to the restauraunt that he noticed Anna and Rapunzel sitting together. He felt like talking to them, last night he hadn't gotten much of a chance because Dominic had dominated the discussion. When they paused, he said "Hey, are you two ok? I know you're going through a lot, but if there's anything you want to talk to me about or anything I can help with, let me know."
Rapunzel looked up when a large man approached their table. He had been there last night with the other three men, he had been one of the quiet ones. When he spoke she looked down into her mug again, lowering it back to the table without taking a sip, "We were just... Talking about going back... I don't want to go back if it means I have to go back to living in a tower. I think remembering it will be bad enough..." She shrugged once more, "Last night... I wanted to do it to see my parents because we've never really met but... I don't even know if they are alive anymore..."
It is somewhat harder for a large man to appear friendly, and Ilya's life hadn't given him much time to practice, but he did his best to project that feeling. "You don't have to go back if you don't want to. I made a promise, but the same cannot be said for you all. A man I trust very much wants you to come, but even he is not infallible. Dominic is the only one who goes back and forth, after thirteen years what I know isn't current. I can say only this: I will protect you, in this world and in any other."
Annelise turned her head hearing Igor's voice and smiled slightly and nodded, knowing him for years as the lodge's security. "I'm alright I guess, still just trying to wrap my mind around this whole being a princess from another world thing." Annelise answered turning to look at Rapunzel as she spoke. "And you are not going to go back into some tower, you have me to watch over you." Annelise smiled. "And like Igor said, he will be there to protect us.." Running a hand through her hair before speaking again. "I think you should come to Rapunzel, don't you want to remember where you came from?"
"I want to go back, and learn about where I actually came from. I mean I have a great life here still, I honestly felt like that I didn't belong here." Then she started to think about her job here and her adoptive father who raised her and Eliza together.
"You aren't getting it," Rapunzel said with a small frustrated sigh, "I come from living, trapped, in a tower by a woman who doesn't really love me. What good is there in remembering a life like that?"
"I have you're back Rapunzel, I always will whatever has happened since we left home it could have changed. Maybe that woman who kept you in that tower could be dead." Annelise said
Annelise then she urned her attention back to Igor wondering what it was like before all of the childeren were taken here to Earth to be safe wanting to change the subject a bit. "What can you tell us what it was like before we came here?"
Ilya cracked a small smile when he heard her still call him Igor. "You can call me Ilya if you want, that's who I was back there. I stayed mostly in that world's version of Russia, so I don't know as much about the rest of it. I was a peasent and lived on a farm with my family, people were poor and backwards. I knew Vladimir of Kiev and a few other nobles, but I never spent much time with people of that social class, I don't know what your lives would be like. Things did felt different over there, like we were playing roles in stories, I feel like people have more freedom to shape their own life in this world. It's like a simpler place, smaller and more understandable. You could talk to my friend Funes if you want another perspective, his memory is quite remarkable."
Rapunzel looked up at the man as he spoke, promising to protect her, to keep her safe. He and Annelise both seemed to be keen on keeping her out of the tower... Which was nice. She looked around the room at all the other patrons who were unaware of the conversation the three of them were having... She didn't belong here. She didn't know what cell phones were until recently. She barely understood laptops or cars. Everything that seemed to be so simple to understand for everyone else was a whole ordeal with her. Although she had come to cope with it... She hated being left behind by everyone else... Maybe there... Things would be different. She shook her head a little, "No... It's okay... I'll go," She looked at Annelise, "Find somewhere that I can fit in."
She looked down at her cup and took a sip of her drink, "Thanks... The both of you..."
Annelise smiled slightly at Ilya and shrugged slightly. "I've gotten used to calling you Igor since i've known you working here a year ago." Annelise said listening to Ilya as he answered a bit of her question, maybe she would ask Funes later for more info or talk to Uncle Dom about the other places of Fairy Tale World. Looking down at her family ring and rolled it in her fingers, she hadn't even put it on her finger yet, then she looked up at Rapunzel and smiled. She was really happy that Rapunzel would be returning as well.
"No problem at all and I'm really glad to hear that, I really am." Annelise said with a soft smile reaching out to gently touch her hand.