I slammed closed the gate of the sheep pen, my feed bucket now empty. Kicking some of the mud and dung from my boots, I tromped over to my home, muttering under my breath about how useless a flock was when it was too cold to shear them. The winter wind seemed to echo my cantankerous mood, tugging at my skirt and yanking my furs every which way until I was safely inside the house.

"Good to see you back, Fostra" Nyr called jovially from the kitchen where she was dutifully combing out Oeska's snarled hair, Bryhilde and Fjardn chasing each other around them.

I nodded to my step mother and younger siblings, trying to push the gloom out of my core. But it was so cold outside, and the frost left me feeling as bitter as the air. I was not a very good north woman. Not at all.

"Do you know when father might be home?" I asked, removing some of my heavy layers, and freeing mylong black hair from my furred hat.

Nyr shook her head, ever-present smile faltering slightly. "He's out on a hunt."

"…dragons?"

"It's not ruled out."

Isighed and sat down to take off my hide boot. Father had been quite busy securing our lands from the dragons ever since mother had passed. Perhaps it helped him with his grief. Then again, wasn't Nyr around for that?

I shook my head at the dry thought. Although it had been rough accepting a new mother at first, Nyr was good for the young ones. She was kind, and she was polite, and she was funny. We could probably end up being friends… eventually. I wasn't quite ready to be so cozy with the woman replacing my murdered mum yet.

Thinking of my father made me sigh. Seggr was a mountain of a man and fairly respected in our village for his hunting prowess. Like me, he had thick mop of shaggy black hair –an oddity among most northmen. Father liked to joke that we had frost giant blood in our family, but Isincerely doubted that considering the icy titans had not been seen in hundreds of years.

There was a sound of nails on wood and a furry mass of dog came bounding over to me. "Glad to see you too, Tik, I-" My greeting trailed off when Inoticed a long, polished length of wood in my pet's mouth. "Drop it, girl."

Tik complied, and a familiar shape fell to the floor.

"Alright," I called, standing. "Who gave my indoor leg to the dog?"

My siblings stilled, and looked wide eyed at each other. Before I could start interrogating them, Nyr was standing, hands on her hips.

"Fjardn? Do you know who did this?" He shook his head emphatically. "Was it Aldenn? Kerling?"

"Never mind," I grumbled, sitting back down and going about removing my outside leg. "It was probably an accident."

"Accident or not, you all need to take care of your sister's things. How do you expect her to tend to the animals, or help your father and I when-"

"It's fine, Nyr. Really."

The brunette woman looked uncertainly from me to the young ones, before sitting back down and returning to Oeska's hair. She tried hard, she really did, but I just wasn't ready to let her in yet.

Slowly, I stretched my leg out, unwrapping the many layers of healer's cloth that kept my outdoor limb bound to me. I had lost my calf from the knee down two years ago, on the same night I lost my mother, and while I had long since learned to walk and function, I was still trying to recover from Svass' passing.

Mother had been pregnant again, but much longer than usual. When the tenth month started to pass, the town healer had thought she was carrying twins. Babies seven and eight. Seggr has been ecstatic. Every day he glowed almost as much as Svass.

Of course the damned dragons had chosen then to attack. Sure, they had always been a threat to the far flung hunters, explorers and sailors, but they had never been a trouble to villages. No one was prepared as they swept down from the sky and laid waste to everything.

I could remember each moment clearly. The terrifying luster of golden scales, and fire licking up the walls while the sheep and livestock screamed as they were flown off. My mother going into labor, and then our house had collapsing. I remembered being pinned by a fallen ceiling rafter, mother breathlessly singing, trying to sooth me while the ruins burned around us.

By the time we had been dug out, Svass and the twins were gone, and I was barely clinging to life. But I could still hear Seggr's desperate screams echoing in myears. Part of him had broken that day. Our whole family had.

I finished removing my leg and went about binding up my indoor one. It had taken months, but I had the changing of my limbs down to routine. It helped that all I had to do was tend to the sheep, and tend to myself. I had been slated to marry before the attack, but Seggr had declared he would not give up his daughter until he felt his family was healed. I would always be eternally grateful of that. Some girls were not so lucky to have a father who loved his children so thoroughly. I couldn't imagine a life without him if he got hur-

I cut that line of thought off. Father would be fine. He had to be. He had Nyr to worry over him and sooth his aches.

Pulling myself to my feet, I found my balance on my wooden leg then hobbled over to the table. "So, what's for dinner, mother?"

Nyr smiled radiantly up at me, she was always so happy when any of her new children acknowledged her. How such kindness could survive a house with six children was a mystery –even if some of us were older.

"Roast bear and potatoes."

"Sounds good." I bent down to plant a kiss on the woman's cheek and could practically feel the glow from Nyr. If only I could be so blissfully happy all the time.

Sighing yet again, I sat myself in an empty seat and called Byrnhilde to my lap. My younger sister, who looked the most like Svess, happily complied, all missing teeth, freckles and auburn hair.

"Sing me a song, Froscha." She hadn't been able to say my name properly since she had lost her front two teeth, but everyone found it more than amusing.

"Which song?" I retorted, used to this routine.

"I dunno. Something with animals."

"Something with animals, huh? That's very descriptive."

She poked my cheek. "You're not funny."

"And you're not being very nice to someone you're asking to sing to you." She stuck her tongue out and I couldn't hold back a laugh. If I could count on anyone to raise my normally despondent mood, it was my little siblings. "Well I guess you have swayed me. How about the hawk that chases the rabbit?"

"Yeah. That one."

"Very well then," Drawing in a deep breath, I began the familiar little ditty. Mother had always been quite the songstress, and had taught each of her children them as well. But since Aldenn and I were the only two who had gotten past the terrible voice cracking of growing up, it usually fell to us to sing for the littler ones.

But I didn't mind that much. Although I often struggled not to sink on myself, being with family always helped. They understood me, even if I wasn't quite sure to make of myself.

And that had to be enough for now.

Two more days passed, and I was beginning to wonder if father had met his fate out on the icy plains. I would banish the thoughts as quickly as they came, but it was hard to imagine mere men standing up to the armored beasts that could fly off with a whole horse.

Beasts that could take away a leg.

A mother.

My feed bucket fell to the ground, snapping me from my escalating panic. My hand went to my face to feel tears running down my freezing cheeks. Why was Icrying? I was supposed to be over this. I was a strong, fierce north woman. I did not know pain, Idid not show weakness, and I did most certainly not cry because my father was taking too long on a hunt.

Bending down, I hurried to shove the rest of my feed back in the bucket. It would do no one any good if my flock gorged itself to the point of sickness. And what would Seggr say if-

"Didn't anyone tell you, you look much prettier with a smile?"

I jolted, joy flooding through every bit of my body. Whirling, I practically tripped over my own wooden leg when I saw him standing at the fence. Massively tall, broad and with that telltale raven hair.

"Father!" I squealed, rushing to his large form. I flung herself at him, and was not surprised when he picked me up and swung me over the fence separating us.

"My little Fostra," He echoed, voice deep and full of comforting baritone. "Have you been good while I've been gone?"

"No, I've been terribly wicked," I shot back. "I'm afraid you can never go away again."

"Is that so, little girl?"

"Quite unfortunately."

He let out a raucous laugh and swung me up to his shoulders. I was no wraith, but my hundred and forty pounds of muscle didn't seem to matter much to my mountain of a father. And to be honest, perched on his shoulders it was easy to forget that I was a one legged old maid with a dead mother.

We went bounding through the snow and slush and all too soon Father was setting me down just before our oaken door. With a loud bellow, he threw the entrance open and burst inside. I followed behind, but barely had enough time to find my footing on our wooden floor before we were swamped by the rest of the Mjornn brood. For a few minutes everything was squeals, laughter and hugs, even sullen Aldenn joining in the cacophony.

That night dinner was merry and full of tales. Father was as glib as ever, and I wondered how many of his stories were padded in some places and sugar coated in others. But I refrained from asking Father, lest I dim the smiles on my sibling's faces.

It wasn't until much later, when I was washing dishes by the basin with Nyr, that my mood grew sour.

"Frodleik asked after you this afternoon," She murmured gently, eyes looking sidelong at her me.

I struggled not to snarl at the name. "And what did that soothsayer want?"

"She was wondering if you were going to come back to her shop. You have always been her only apprentice."

Ah that. Of course. "I have told you, and her many times. I am not interested in magik anymore. I was never very good at it anyways. Not like mother."

"Just because your magiks could not save her that night does not mean they are not worthwhile."

"Enough, Nyr. Please do not spoil father's homecoming with these thoughts."

The brunette woman nodded, eyes hooded and sad. If I didn't know better, I never would guess that my step-mother was only a few years my elder.

"When I was your age, I lost my husband and my baby while at sea. I thought it would be the end of me. But I'm still here, and I have a new family full of love. Don't give up, Fostra. For Svess's sake, please."

I dropped the plate I had been cleaning and tromped off to the room I shared with Aldenn. There were times where I welcomed Nyr's optimism, but this was not one of them. I was in one of my moods, and was more than happy to be safe inside my own chambers.

"The dragons are coming closer."

My head turned in the direction of the voice, and I saw Aldenn, my slightly younger brother sitting on his cot. He had the unfortunate reputation of looking like a thinner version of our father, but with sandy blond hair and a permanent air of gloom. However, I was happy that at least one of my siblings was known for being more taciturn than I. It was bad enough to be the child that everyone pitied.

"What makes you say that?"

"I heard it when I tacked some of the hunter's bridles. They say there's a war on, between the dragons of our lands and their mountain counterparts. They're fighting over the territories, food and mates."

"Men and beasts," I muttered. "Always fighting over something."

"You're not wrong. Anyways, they're talking about moving the whole village. Getting us out of the valley since that seems to be what the dragons want so badly."

"But we can't leave!" I snapped, panic bubbling up in me. "This is where mother is!"

"Mother is dead." I jerked my head at my brother's matter of fact retort. How could he be so calm about it? It had been less than three years! "And if you're stupid enough to risk the lives of the rest of our family, then I think she would be very disappointed in you."

"Shut up."

"Sorry, I should know better than to talk to you like this when the sun is down. You're always so much crankier at night."

"And you're just always cranky."

"I never denied this."

We shared a look, and the tension broke. We were never very good at staying mad at each other. We had lost too much to be troubled by such petty things. Even if my little brother was a complete and utter brat.

"Good night, dear brother."

"Good night, terrible sister."

I allowed myself a laugh, and then slid into bed. I could worry about dragons tomorrow. For now, father was safe at home.

And that was all I could ask for.