Hiccup was in the forest cutting wood, the winter was ahead and they need as much wood as the can store, winter in Berk was like no other winter in any island, the snow falls non-stop and the sea freeze and all the life in the small island of Berk paralyzes, he held his ax made of the gronckle-iron and after hours of cutting wood he got tired, usually he takes his son vidar with him so he can help him and maybe learn a thing or two from his father but today his wife Astrid insisted on taking him in hunting trip, but for hiccup's luck he had his long life best friend toothless with him, with one plasma plast toothless took care of the tree that hiccup was trying to cut for ages.
"Thanks bud!" hiccup thanked his friend and then got back to cutting wood.
When he was finished, hiccup lifted all the wood he cut on his back and marched back home, hiccup didn't fly for a long time and he is no longer doing that, and no one knew why.
When he reached the town he walked through the streets to his home, and next to him was toothless, he walked by his fallen father's house and he looked to it for a second, for years he didn't enter that house and he isn't planning to do in the near future, he was afraid that it would bring him only bad memories of the dark times when a mad man invaded their island and killed his father and previous chief, but after dark always comes light, and his light was his wife, his Astrid and precious son vidar, he was grateful that he had them.
A huge smile came across hiccup's face and toothless didn't know what it was about, they continued on their way and after a few steps a big red dragon appeared and landed in front of them, he couldn't see who it was though it was only midday, and when the rider got too close hiccup recognized him as snotlout.
Snotlout was a real mess; he used to be one of the finest men in all Berk but that was a long time ago, now he was more like hiccup when he was younger, black rings formed around his eyes which meant he didn't sleep for a long time, and his cloths were really dirty which meant he didn't stay in his home since a long time, when he saw hiccup he smiled a small smile for his chief, hiccup forgot when was the last time he saw Snotlout smiles, hiccup returned the smile and greeted Snotlout.
"Hey, we didn't saw you in a long time, where have you been?" hiccup asked in a friendly tone.
"I was just in the forest. I see you're collecting wood?" snotlout replied doing his best to sound friendly but he field, hiccup could clearly hear the desperation in his voice.
"Yeah you know, winter is ahead and we need wood to worm ourselves." Hiccup said and then continued "why aren't you collecting any wood…oh wait, you have hookfang, never mind." Snotlout didn't say anything, instead he turned and walked back to his house while a sad desperate look came across his face, hiccup felt sorry for the man, after all he was his cousin.
Hiccup continued in his way with toothless, he could see his house up the hill, when he entered his home Astrid and his son were already there, clearly their hunting trip was very quick, and he didn't doubt that because Astrid was a good hunter, better than him actually, when she saw him she walked to him and gave him a long warm kiss.
"It took you so long to cut a few branches?!" Astrid asked him.
"Well, I did my best, but it could take me longer if toothless didn't help me to get it done sooner." Hiccup said.
Astrid went back to what she was doing, she was preparing the lunch for her husband and son, hiccup looked around the house for vidar but he was nowhere to be found, maybe he went on a walk around the town after returning from the hunt, hiccup thought.
Hiccup joined his wife in the kitchen, and he sat on a chair looking to his beautiful Astrid preparing the meal, he helped her to light the fire and then he went back to his seat and asked her how her day was.
"Nice catch by the way, how did vidar do this time?" hiccup asked.
"He did great, though he needs to practice more on his balance while holding a bow, we had to chase it on foot because the shot was far to be deadly." Astrid said while she pointed to the shot on the deer and hiccup nodded in agreement, it was indeed far to be deadly.
"I hope I can say my day was as exciting as yours, I had to cut the wood all morning, and my hands are hurting me very much right now." Hiccup complained, why he have to do the boring work while Astrid and his son have the fun work?
A few minutes of silence passed, only the sound of the fire burns and the wind blows broke that silence, hiccup was just sitting watching his wife work, he really admired her cook, she used to be a bad cook but after she married hiccup she got better, now she could cook for her husband and friend whenever they visit her.
"I met snotlout earlier, he looks miserable!" hiccup didn't stand the silence so he had to bring something up.
"Yeah, miserable than ever." Astrid replied.
"I can't stand seeing him like this, he's always sad and he keeps pushing himself out, I started to miss his presence, what should I do with him?"
"It's not your fault he can't have a job." Astrid said, and hiccup looked unconvinced.
"Do you really think it's because I didn't make him my second in command!"
"No, I don't think so." Astrid turned to look at him "he feels lonely hiccup, he's the only dragon rider who didn't get married, he desperately want a wife for himself, and also he's the last Jorgenson alive, so how you think that makes him feel like?" hiccup though of what she said, and it was true.
"He's under a huge pressure and we didn't support him like we should do, so he will just push himself out." Astrid continued while she turned back to prepare her meal.
Hiccup turned his gaze to the fire, he was lost inside thoughts, only Thor knows what those thought are, as the fire slowly burns the door swung open revealing a young lad covered in snowy, he entered and greeted those who are in the house as he took his coat off, he was vidar, hiccup and Astrid's beloved son and heir to the tribe of the hairy hooligans.
"Dad, you returned! I believe you had hard time cutting the wood without me." Vidar said as he got closer to the fire to warm himself.
"Absolutely, but toothless helped me this time."
"Where's toothless by the way, I didn't see him since that man in the forest last week."
"I don't know, maybe he's outside playing with stormfly, or in a warm place sleeping."
"Enough talk boys, I need you to take the extra wood to the storage place, we don't have enough space here in the house." Astrid ordered the two men she cares the most.
"But you got the biggest house in all Berk." Hiccup complained while Astrid shot him glares, and he finely obeyed.
"I can't feel my hands and she wants me to get out in this cold." Hiccup complained even more while he was walking out the house followed by his son and holding the wood he can carry.
Next to their home was the storage place, a small room to keep stuff they don't need or stuff they need but they have no place for inside, it took them a while to store all the wood in a good dry place, and as soon as they finished they returned back inside, and before they could enter they smelled a good delicious smell and it made them hungrier than ever.
When they entered Astrid was already finished and she was sitting in a chair around the table, and the table was full with plates Astrid had mastered making them after a long time practicing, hiccup smiled while he walked to his wife and kissed her in front their son.
"DAD! MOM! COME ON, REALLY!" Vidar shouted at his parents while he looked away.
"I'm sorry, someday you will have a wife and a complaining son just like you, and then you will understand." Hiccup joked while they all sat around the table.
The snow kept falling outside the haddock's house while hiccup was having lunch with his beautiful wife and beloved son; it was one of best days hiccup had in a long time.
Volva woke in the infirmary in a comfortable bed, weird because the last thing she remember that she was laying in the middle of the forest at the edge of death after the dark souls attacked her, she would be dead right now if that human didn't show up, she looked around her and the room she was staying in was empty, from the first sight to the room it looked like an infirmary room, she looked down her body, and black bruises were starting to form, and it was also weird, because the dark souls causes a spiritual and a mental damage, not a physical damage, it was a real mystery and maybe someone will come and explain to her what happened.
Minutes passed and no one came, she started to feel scared in the emptiness of the room, it reminded her of the shadows.
"Hello! Is someone there…hello! Answer me please." Volva called but no one answered.
She sat straight as she pulled her legs tightly to her chest, she tried to remember anything she could remember about her savior, she will do everything, anything just to see him again clearly in the lights, but that won't be possible considering what happened in Midgard, Odin would never let her go again.
Suddenly the door opened and a nurse entered, as soon as she saw that Volva was awake she left before Volva could say anything and closed the door behind her, Volva was left again in the empty room but that didn't last long, the nurse came back and now with a doctor, Volva knew the doctor from somewhere, he used to treat the wounded from the wars that Thor started all over the nine worlds, the doctor came closer to her and checked on the bruises all over her body.
"How are you today Miss Volva?" the doctor asked smiling.
"I'm fine I guess…what happened?" Volva asked.
"Well, as far as you can remember is that you were attacked by the dark souls in the shadows." Volva just nodded and the doctor continued "and what you don't remember is what happened after you passed out." Volva nodded again "Heimdall was there right in time to save you; he brought you back and gave you some of his light to keep you alive."
For Volva the human was the one who saved her, he was the reason that she held on life and refused to let go, but she had to give Heimdall some credit.
"And what about the bruises?" Volva asked finely.
"We don't know, the dark souls never hurt anyone physically, but we think it's because you traveled through two worlds in a very weak state."
When the doctor finished his explanation he left with the nurse, and moments and two blonde twins rushed through the room's door running to Volva, they were brother and sister, they were Freyja and her brother Freyr, they are Volva's best friends since they were children, a huge smile came spread through Volva's face, the twins sat around Volva and Freyja hugged Volva tightly until Volva couldn't breathe.
"I'm very glad you're ok, we thought we lost you when we first time heard what happened." Freyja said worried but happy that Volva was alright.
"We have been told that you fought a thousand dark souls, and you nearly beaten them all." Freyr said but volva didn't know if he was just teasing her or not.
"No, that didn't happen, Heimdall was the one who fought them and beaten them all actually." Volva replied.
"Come on Volva, just say you did, all the Vanir think so, and it won't hurt if you took advantage of the situation…I have business to do since we are in Asgard, excuse me ladies!" Freyr said and then he went out leaving both girls alone.
"Now we are alone, tell me everything, who is he?" Freyja asked excited.
"Who is who? What you're talking about Freyja?" Volva said confused.
"Don't play ignorant with me; I'm the goddess of love, so I know everything!"
"I still didn't know what you're talking about." Volva said again confused.
"Your face is shining more than the moon in the darkest nights; you're in love…or still falling in love from your face expression you're showing now."
"No, I can't I don't have time, I'm the gods oracle I'm not allowed to love or have an emotional or physical relationship."
"That's the first sign that you're falling in love, but the question is falling for whom?"
"The first sign? What do you mean by the first sign?"
"You're acting very defensive about it, that the first sign…answer my question, did you meet anyone in the past days, from the prophecy to the present day?"
Vovla remembered the human she met in the forest, the human who saved her, she started to blush and Freyja noticed.
"Oh you're deeply in love sister! And in this short time?! I'm impressed, now tell me about him, is he handsome, brave, a warrior?" Volva kept silence, was she really falling for him? Freyja knows better these feelings such as love, so it must be true.
"Ok, I know you don't want to talk, so I have to figure out by myself who's the lucky man." Freyja said and then stood and walked out, and before she go she said "and I forgot, Thor came here with Sif to check on you and he said he's sorry for threatening you and he's sorry for anything he made you go through…you keep surprising me every time, first you're in love and now you made Thor apologize, THOR of all the gods."
Freyja left to track the man she says Volva fell for, and Volva though that will be impossible for her to find him because she don't love him, maybe she likes him but not love, definitely not love him.
...
~Algerian from the moon.!
