Chapter 13 – One World

[I wonder what the Americans will say to this?]

[It makes about as much sense as everything else we've seen—which is to say, not much!]

Images of a Norwegian seaside village, now almost completely pulled back to the 19th century, zipped over the main trans-Atlantic fiber-optic internet cable.

The Arendelle sisters were moved to an unspecified private residence, but it only took a few hours for their location to be given away. Consequently, they stayed in a hotel near Disney World instead, shepherded by the Jamisons. Though people now knew where they were, it was easier to keep the public at bay, never mind avoiding having a poor homeowner's yard covered in costumed children.

"Look at this email!" shouted Sasha. "Does this look familiar?"

Liz squinted at it. Meanwhile, Sasha found herself forced to answer her damaged phone.

"Yes, Amber, I'm not in today. Or yesterday. I'm sorry—I got caught up in something. Yes, it had to do with Anna."

She snapped a few photos of the two—Elsa reading a newspaper and Anna flipping through channels on the wall-mounted HDTV (someone anonymously ponied up for a high-end suite for the quartet).

"Well then" sighed Amber. "I guess I'll just deal with the hordes of angry parents myself…"

Anna practically shattered everyone's eardrums.

"ELSA!"

Fixed on the TV: a photograph from Norway.

"Why did you lie to us?" Elsa sounded more sad than anything. "Arendelle is right there, and you said it didn't exist…"

"But it didn't" protested Liz. "See?"

She grabbed the remote away from Anna and unpaused the newscast.

"CNN Newsroom obtained both these current images and what used to be present. It doesn't take an expert in 'Eye Spy' to see a lot has changed…"

The slideshow continued until the anchorman spoke again.

"This man claims he parked his car, stepped into the shop, but when he returned it was gone."

"And I just paid it off!" fumed the man in question.

A panning shot made it very clear what passed for city hall no longer resembled anything modern.

"Hey! I can see my room!" squealed Anna, pointing at a window on the castle's tower.

Elsa squinted, leaning closer to the TV. "Is that…"

In the background, what looked like a faint but very distinct blue could be seen against the otherwise gray-brown of the mountain behind the town.

[…]

[If any other part of my country forgets what year it is, I am going to have to dig up the old Norse mythology…] fumed the Prime Minister. [And no one else seems to have this problem. Even though the two people most related to this insanity appeared in the United States!]

Though impromptu tourism through what now became a throwback in time brought many to a transformed village, it was a simple fact that modern life could not continue without power lines, refrigeration, internet, or infrastructure meeting 20th century standards. Thus, the residents of this small seaside town evacuated to nearby localities.

Those who remained were scientists of all stripes, trying to understand how a 19th-century villa could simply appear in place of a modern town. No amount of Geiger counters, electron scanners, and materials analysis could make heads or tails of it.

"Darn."

Liz felt disappointment. There'd been a rumor (that lasted all of twenty delicious minutes) that the US Air Force would supply four supersonic fighter jets ("F-15 Strike Eagles," they said) to ferry the Arendelle sisters and their erstwhile guardians from the United States to Norway in a fraction of the usual half-day or more required by commercial planes.

"Bet they're wishing we had the Concorde still" she'd smirked afterward. However, Liz wasn't complaining as a black VIP SUV delivered them to Orlando International Airport where a Learjet awaited. It was a special military model capable of refueling in-flight, which it would have to do in order to reach Norway without setting down.

"So this is an airplane?" asked an eager Anna. "Cool!" It took some reassuring from Anna to convince Elsa to board the small craft. As "ICE-001" shot down its runway, Liz could see two military-looking jets taking off on parallel courses.

"Not to worry you, miss, but there have been threats against these two—particularly the one who apparently has ice powers" said the pilot in response to her look of concern.

"Waaaa, whoah, whee!"

"You never forget the first time" chuckled Sasha. "Some people hate it, but it seems Anna isn't one of them."

"Well, I do like fast" clarified the younger Princess as wheels left the ground.

"Welcome aboard Liz, Sasha, and royalty of Arendelle. This will be an eight-hour nonstop flight from the United States to Norway. As a reminder, no smoking is permitted, and the air sickness bags can be found in front of you."

"Lucky" griped Liz an hour in, noticing everyone except her managed to nod off. Anna pulled the incredible feat of sleeping across a chair, armrests and all. Elsa, having discovered her seat's recliner, kicked back, quite amenable to the comforts despite being from a society that operated in the equivalent of the 19th century.

"At least there aren't any screaming babies on this flight…"