Author's Note: I swear I'm done with the complaining.
Next week I will be on vacation. It shouldn't affect the release of the next chapter, thanks to the miracle of Wi-Fi and proper planning, but the possibility always exist that it could get delayed.
Also, the rest of the story is going through editing as we speak, so there won't be any writing-based delays. The totality of the book is one prologue, 19 chapters, and an epilogue. I plan on releasing the final chapter and epilogue together, though that's only a general plan and is subject to change.
Onwards.
Chapter Eight: Four Days
The morning might have been considered slightly brisk to most Mainlanders, but your average Berkian could brush it off and claim it was a good morning for a swim in the ocean… not that swimming was a popular pastime in Berk.
While Hiccup did find the morning air a little nippy today, he compensated by lying on a patch of soft grass with the sunrise at his back, lounging on his stomach with his sketchbook and pencil in hand, ruminating on Possibly Brilliant Idea #142. The idea had infected his thoughts during the night, and had candles been more available out in the sticks he would have gotten out of bed, gone to his desk, and put the Brilliant Idea to paper. Yet another reason why camping all the time bit the icicle. So he had forced himself to wait until daylight. Not much sleep was had, but the idea had gelled more solidly during the night, helping to make his sketches that much more succinct.
He hadn't bothered to don his boot, allowing his right foot the rare enjoyment of going bare. In Berk, where frostbite was a constant threat to the human body all through the winter, it was rare to go light on the clothing. Even in the summertime you'd find yourself with a chronic case of goose bumps. People did it – they're Vikings, it's manly to suffer – but those same people had enough body fat on them to hibernate five years straight.
Toothless had been lying next to him when Nestor nabbed him for a special job somewhere down the hill. A job where Toothless points out his… droppings, and Nestor gets to… examine them. Hiccup grimaced as he thought about it, thankful that Nestor had turned down Hiccup's polite-but-not-eager offer of assistance. Nestor said it was better that he did it alone to keep the number of people who knew what he was doing to a minimum, particularly Qiao. Arc didn't want her getting her hands on the Trail Stone again and causing more mischief down the road.
The sketch wasn't coming along as well as he hoped, smearing more and more as his eraser went to work. He was good at copying things that he could see right in front of him and pretty decent at mechanical schematics. He even had the curve and form of most dragons down pat. But this idea was a departure from all that, and he kept making…
OOF!
Astrid's greeting was more of a running tackle from directly behind him. With a giggle, she landed on his back and already had him in a hug, her arms encircling him and her chin on his right shoulder.
"Morning," she said in his ear, giving him a little kiss on the cheek, warming him right up and making him forget the full-body pounding he'd just received.
"Somebody's in a happy mood," he replied, unable to do much more than talk with Astrid lying on top of him.
"Two days of civilization in a row does wonders for a girl's disposition," she replied.
"Bar fights apparently agree with you, too," he quipped.
"Hey, we finally got some excitement. What's not to like?" She shifted her head slightly so she could see over his shoulder and examine Hiccup's sketchbook. "I thought I saw smoke coming from your ears. Hmm…"
She perused his drawing without bothering to ask for details, Hiccup patiently waiting for the inevitable "Hiccup, what's this?" It was hard to not be distracted with Astrid literally breathing down his neck and her own bare feet absently trapping his foot and playing with his toes. Then again, he didn't mind this kind of distraction at all.
"Hiccup, what's this?"
Here we go. Hiccup made a noncommittal sound and said, "It's me. I'm just not good at self portraits."
"No kidding. Your arms are too long and your legs are too short." She put a finger to the picture. "Is that armor plating?"
"Armor plating," he echoed. "You wanted me safe and sound, so I present to you the myssteel suit of armor." The picture, or more accurately the self-portrait parody, had Hiccup with several lengths of metal strapped onto his torso and limbs. Overlapping bands attached by leather and sealant wax, or so went the design. It wasn't as protective or all encompassing as the suits of armor he'd seen in the Open Museum, but it would protect his important parts. With myssteel, it would be light as his clothes and as impenetrable as a castle… provided he didn't get attacked by myssteel weapons, magic, or dragon fire. Good thing those weren't common battlefield elements.
"So your plan is to turn yourself into a turtle?" said Astrid.
"The plan is to have protection while still being able to move. A while back, I thought about making a suit of plating for Toothless out of the myssteel I brought, but it didn't seem practical. Toothless's strength is in his maneuverability and any armor I add would interfere with that. But there's no reason I can't wear some."
He was hoping for "Cool idea, Hiccup," but he was getting silent skepticism instead. "Astrid, I'm not sensing any wow from you."
"Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad idea at all. It's great for Hiccup the Dragon Rider. But if you're wearing this thing on the ground, it sounds like all it's going to do is allow a bad guy to smack you around forever until he gets in a lucky shot."
"I'm still getting Nestor to train me on his style of fighting, not to worry. But this way, I can actually fight like him."
"I suppose." She still didn't sound convinced, but then most of his ideas weren't all that confidence-building until he showed them in action.
"I am glad you're taking me seriously, though," she added, hugging him a little tighter. "That should keep you and Nestor busy until the Harvest Festival."
"You can help, if you want."
"No, I have to guard Saga."
"You mean Qiao."
"I mean Saga," she insisted. "I'm not worried about Qiao accidentally lopping off Saga's head."
"You're not worried about Qiao at all?"
Hiccup felt her shrug. "Qiao as a person is okay. She obviously has a past to hide, but so did Nestor for a time."
"Kinda my point. We know next to nothing about her."
"True, but I've learned not to expect the worst out of people. Guess whom I learned that from?"
"I'm not sure the lesson applies to career criminals." Hiccup thought about it and added, "But I confess that even criminals have their bright spots. Take that Linebreaker fellow."
"Don't know about Linebreaker. Odd guy, but not a bad kind of odd."
"You still okay with being a fashion contestant?"
Astrid laughed. "It's been a while since I've played dress-up. Might be fun."
One more good squeeze and a long kiss and then Astrid was off to get her boots and find Saga and Qiao, leaving Hiccup with his drawings and a general sense of warmth that goes with the whole being-in-love business.
He barely had time to start back on his sketch when Toothless bounded back over the crest of the hill and greeted him with a tongue to the face. Nestor trailed him, looking like a man who'd just spent a few hours shoveling out the dragon stables.
"The less glamorous parts of our profession," he commented, plopping down next to Hiccup. He held out a little stone that couldn't possibly have been formed by nature, as clear and smooth as ice but without the freezing side effects. He held it out to Hiccup for examination. Hiccup couldn't deduce much about it from a cursory inspection. No inner light or weird vibe suggesting it was anything special, but Hiccup didn't put much stock in benign appearances or positive first impressions these days.
"You washed it, right?" said Hiccup.
"Yes, I washed it! Spent ten minutes washing it." Nestor pocketed the rock and then noticed the open sketchbook. "Ah, yeah, new project. Can I help?"
"It involves a lot of myssteel. Last I checked, your barrier field and myssteel don't get along."
"I can be careful. Besides, what else am I going to do? Arc's on morning patrol and I'm all out of wolves to intimidate. You can consider it recompense for me training you in the art of unarmed combat."
Hiccup agreed. He then asked Toothless if he wanted to help, an important detail since he absolutely needed Toothless's fire breath to make this work. Naturally, Toothless waggled his head. All good.
He had a project and he had a team. Now he had to make sure nothing burnt down in the process.
All jokes aside, when Astrid got close to the training clearing and heard a mixture of triumphant whoops and dull thuds, her first thoughts did revolve around Saga performing her version of wish fulfillment, and it made her sprint the rest of the way to the clearing.
Mock battle, or maybe a drill? Not likely. Not between Qiao and Saga.
Saga had declared that she'd be watching Qiao when Arc wasn't, and she was making good on her declaration. Arc was the best at patrolling due to his Shrouding, so he was keeping to his aerial patrol routes in the morning. That left Saga with Qiao. Astrid hadn't seriously considered the idea that Saga would hurt Qiao unless Qiao deserved it, but with the noises ringing out from the clearing, her certainty all but vanished.
Much to her relief, blood was not adorning the trees when she got there. Much to her surprise, it was a mock battle. No, check that, it was target practice. The solitary wooden bull's eye that Hiccup had put together for their training usage hung on a rotting stump, the red center covered in arrow shafts and dagger hilts.
Qiao and Saga stood at two different points in the clearing, Qiao behind a tree root on the far side of the clearing, making the distance close to seventy-five feet, and Saga next to her mediation boulder, about forty feet. As Astrid watched, Qiao lined up her bow, took a breath, released the string with a snappy thwack, and planted another arrow dead center one eye-blink later. Looked like she had done this five times previously.
Saga then calmly cocked back her right arm and tossed a practice dagger without even looking. It sailed through the air like a butterfly in a whirlwind and stuck into the bull's eye right next to Qiao's newest arrow. It was getting crowded in that spot.
"Six for six," Qiao called out. "One more step back?"
"You go any further out and the trees will obstruct you," countered Saga.
"So we'll just stay where we are and see who misses first?"
"Works for me. We have hours available to us."
Qiao groaned. "Joy." She then noticed Astrid, giving her a perky wave. "Hey, hey. We've found a way to work out our differences. Whoever wins this contest is right about everything forevermore."
"She was bored and desired practice," explained Saga. "She insisted that having competition improves her aim."
"Nothing makes the time fly by better than friendly competition." Qiao plunked another arrow into the target as she talked, immediately grabbing another arrow from her quiver and readying it. "Not sure I can call this competition friendly, though."
"If this was not friendly, the target would not be made of wood." A seventh dagger found the center almost immediately.
"You should get your axes and join us," said Qiao. "Axe versus dagger versus arrow. Pure skill. None of that mystical weapon mumble-jumble."
Relived as she was that there was no killing going on, Astrid wasn't sure getting in the middle of the competition was a good idea. Saga and Qiao finally had an outlet where their mutual dislike for each other actually worked in their favor and she didn't want to mess it up. "I only have two throwing axes. I'd have to pull them out all the time."
"We'll work out a system," said Qiao. "C'mon, you know you want some of this."
Yeah, she did.
An hour later, they had to stop to fashion another target out of bramble and twigs, as they had chewed up the bull's eye something fierce. The three-way contest was just heating up.
Four days can fly by as fast as a Night Fury conducting a speed trial, and so it was for the group most of the time. The daylight had everyone busy with their respective chores or hobbies, the nighttime had them exchanging stories over open campfires and cooked fish. Anticipation hugged the group in its embrace, the notion of a city-wide festival and the impending sea voyage the day after lifting away the growing malaise that had fallen on them not so long ago.
Riki Poka was off-limits for now. They were going to see plenty of it very shortly, and there was no sense in pushing their luck. No one complained.
Hiccup, Nestor, and Toothless worked on Hiccup's suit of armor, which proved more troublesome than expected. Hiccup didn't have any preset molds for this project and much of it he was winging, so half the time Nestor and Toothless were sitting around while he worked out the bugs or came up with a new technique for keeping the myssteel hot for longer periods. The stuff really did cool too quickly for conventional blacksmithing and since his source of heat only had so much gas in him, Hiccup had to be smart about his approach.
He expected to have the arm guards and most of his torso plating done by the time the festival rolled around. The rest of it would have to wait until after the voyage to the Repository, assuming they found the place.
Hiccup also gave Nestor an hour a day for that all-important combat training. Not very exciting. It entailed practicing defensive moves over and over, specializing on using Hiccup's forearms as shields. Obviously, that would only work if Hiccup had his myssteel arm guards in place, but that had always been Hiccup's plan.
On the fourth day of practice, Hiccup donned his newly minted myssteel arm guards and had Nestor wail away on them with a big stick (not his barrier field, as that would probably destroy all his hard work). Covering the outer half of his forearm, cushioned with softened leather and strapped on by hardened leather, Hiccup barely felt the stick's impact as it broke apart on his arms.
Success – he was no longer utterly defenseless in battle. Now he needed some gauntlets so that he might punch someone without breaking his hand.
Meanwhile, the women folk were busy inventing new ways to enjoy themselves under the guise of training. The long running contest of axe versus dagger versus arrow was on its fourth day with no winner in sight. They'd give the contest two hours a day, which was about as much abuse as their makeshift targets could take before falling apart. Astrid and Saga would then have their daily sparring while Qiao watched or caught a nap.
Three days in, Astrid suddenly expressed an interest in archery and Qiao offered to be a teacher. The lesson ended after Astrid's first shot flew far past the newest jury-rigged target and found a new one.
"One of yours, I assume," said Arc, walking up to Qiao and Astrid and presenting his perforated tail. The dragon had been coming in for a landing after his morning patrol and now had an arrow sticking out of his tail. Thankfully the arrow had found only scales and no flesh, but the dirty look on his face killed Astrid's urge for further lessons.
Saga proved the most resistant to the change in atmosphere. She had essentially taking over guard duty of Qiao, practically insisting that it was her sworn duty and arguing with Arc over it when he came time to relieve her. Arc's intentions weren't just about guard duty, and he had a devil of a time convincing Saga otherwise. She eventually relented and gave him early morning and nighttime duty, which usually consisted of Arc standing vigil while Qiao slept.
The few times Qiao and Arc did interact, Qiao said next to nothing to Arc. She said lots to Saga but no one dared to call it friendship. It was more like two competitors who just couldn't stop competing with each other, Astrid acting as a buffer between them when the insults got too unfriendly. But Qiao clearly thought Arc had overstepped some moral or etiquette-based line concerning "the deal" and was giving him the silent treatment. For a dragon looking for answers, this was not a good development.
The silent treatment was also going on between Nestor and Saga. Even during the campfires, the two of them spoke little. Neither of them wanted to talk about it, so no one did.
The fourth day might have gone the same as the last three, but the thing about "the day before" is that everything is always a little different. Anticipation ramps up, expectations increase, and anxiety manages to make its way into even the calmest of hearts. The side effect of this is that, for better or worse, tongues are often looser than normal.
"Okay, bud, one five-second burst on my mark… go!"
Under the feeble protection of the workshop's roof, Hiccup and Toothless prepared the next batch of myssteel for melting. Toothless had this down pat, letting forth a short controlled jet of blue flame on the hanging net of twine holding up the newest batch of myssteel. By the time the net fell apart into ashes, the metal fragments would be molten and dropping onto the plate mold underneath. Hiccup went through a lot of twine and rope as result of the process, and he breathed in a lot of ash that wasn't good for him, but it was the only way to melt myssteel in a way that didn't melt anything else. That was the trouble with working a metal that had a higher melting point than any other metal available.
"Any more sealing wax hiding around here?" asked Nestor, over at the second workbench and working on the next set of leather straps for the torso plating. Having watched Hiccup in action, Nestor had picked up a few crafting lessons and was handling the non-melting duties. "Seem to recall having one more box somewhere."
"Try under the tool table," Hiccup said, absently waving in the tool table's direction. His focus had to be on the melting so that nothing but the myssteel got melted, especially the workshop or his face. Hiccup liked his face and blacksmiths had a bad habit of getting them burnt at some point in their careers.
Hiccup heard Nestor rummaging about under the tool table for a good minute, about the time Toothless finished his burn and the myssteel had leaked down to the mold. He gave it twenty seconds, then took up his hammer and began to pound on the metal for another minute until it curled in the right places.
"Where?" cried out Nestor. "I'm not seeing it."
"It's there," answered Hiccup, looking over the piece and then pounding it some more. "Might have been shoved into that little nook."
"The nook with all the six-legged abominations?"
"Yeah, watch out for the ants."
Wiping his forehead, he then used a pair of tongs to move the new piece to a bucket of water for a quick cooling. After a rush of sizzle and steam, he moved it to another table, inspecting it for flaws. Toothless sniffed it and did his customary head waggle, approving of the job. He always approved of the job, even if it had to be done over. Hiccup figured Toothless was just happy to be part of the team, even if the part was that of a living smelter.
As Hiccup looked over the plate, once again marveling how myssteel could shine even after all that abuse, he realized that Nestor wasn't banging about under the tool table, but standing next to him with a mysterious smile on his face. Then Hiccup recognized the handkerchief in Nestor's hand, the black one with a round piece of jewelry in the middle.
The myssteel ring that Hiccup had hidden in his workshop two weeks ago.
"Didn't find the sealant wax," remarked Nestor.
"Oh, uh… yeah…" stammered Hiccup. "Must have been the nook under the drafting table. Why don't I take that off your hands?" He reached for it, but the ring moved backward as Nestor's smile widened.
"You're a sly one, Hiccup," said Nestor. "When did you do this? Middle of the night some time?"
Toothless extended his neck and looked the ring over, probably wondering what the big deal was. The mating habits of dragons didn't involve weddings and adornments. Come to think of it, he knew nothing at all about a Night Fury's mating habits. They didn't even have the same mating habits as other dragons, or at least Toothless didn't.
Realizing that he wasn't getting the ring back until Nestor had had his fun, Hiccup sighed and leaned on a nearby table. "Pretty much. A ring's not hard to do, and myssteel's easier to come by than silver or gold."
"More durable, too." Nestor then abruptly gave the ring to Hiccup, looking around as if worried that his taunting might spoil the surprise for the ring's intended bearer. "I'm surprised you haven't asked her already."
Hiccup took the ring, wrapped it carefully back in the handkerchief, and placed it in a vest pocket. A better place was in order, away from the ants and wandering hands. "How is it surprising that a quest to save the world from terrible death doesn't sound like the best time to ask?"
"You obviously thought otherwise at some point or you wouldn't have made it."
"Well, there'll be a better time and I'll know it when it comes." Hiccup felt more relaxed now that the ring was out of sight again. "Just like I know she's the one I want to be with. Just like I know that I don't care if marriages are arranged back home and that I'm not supposed to make decisions like this. If it meant that we had to live in some shack in the woods, maybe this one, because we broke Viking custom… I'd do it. That's how certain I am."
Nestor's smile went from playful to earnest. "Hard not to see that, my friend. A guy can envy that kind of certainty."
"Well, who says it won't happen with you? The Gods know we'll need someone as a neighbor when we're forced to live in a shack in the woods."
Nestor groaned and took a leaning spot next to Hiccup. "My life is better than it has been for a long time, Hiccup… but I'm not sure the Fates mean for me to have anything like that in my life."
"Is this about you and Saga?" Hiccup's curiosity had always been piqued, but Nestor was never in a mood to talk. Now seemed like the time to ask. "What happened there?"
"I said something stupid back in Riki Poka. I got tired of her cold attitude toward everything… or maybe just her attitude toward me. Now she'd rather hang with Qiao, someone she dislikes, than hang with me."
"Try apologizing. Maybe that's what she's waiting for."
"I don't think it'd matter. I think I'm looking for something that's not there."
"Want my two coins worth of experience?" Hiccup asked. Nestor shrugged unenthusiastically, not quite a yes but certainly not a no. "Astrid and I have known each other for years… in the sense that I knew she existed and she knew I was a total failure as a Viking."
"That's a bit harsh."
"You've heard my stories, and those were the less-spectacular incidents."
"Ah…" Nestor didn't have a comeback. "Right, continue."
"As I said, Astrid and I didn't have anything to do with each other, even though we've lived in the same village all our lives. But life's weird, and two years ago everything changed. She went from tolerating my existence to disliking me, then to despising me, maybe even full-on hate at one point. Then it all turned around. We became friends. She became my best friend next to Toothless. And then at some point…"
"Love."
"Yeah, love. I say this because you and Saga have… something. You and her are always finding a way to be around each other. Call it meddling Gods, Fate's Luck, Seer's vision, or a lot of universal randomness. But there is something. The question is… do you care about her?"
Nestor nodded his head. He didn't even hesitate. "Call me nuts, but for all her cold shouldering, I can't help but like her. She has that desire to do what's needed, do what's right, even when it costs her. You don't see that in too many people."
Hiccup smiled at Nestor. "Then I wouldn't give up just yet."
"I appreciate your advice, Hiccup. But it doesn't change the fact that she may not feel the same." Nestor wrinkled his forehead in thought. "Still, I just got done telling Arc to lighten up on Saga. Perhaps I should give her more time, wait for the right moment."
"Warn me when you're about to do that," said Hiccup. "That way, I have time to get under cover in case that 'something' I'm talking about triggers an earthquake."
"I can't believe I'm about to say this," remarked Qiao, "but I'm bored."
Astrid, Saga, and Qiao were two rounds into the next leg of their contest of marksmanship when Qiao made her declaration of boredom. As usual, none of them had missed the bull's eye and today's contest was likely to be a repeat of the previous three days. Their practice weapons were getting bent, gouged, and chipped from repeated use, but everyone had been onboard for continuing the competition.
Astrid didn't say it, but she was thrilled to hear Qiao say those words. This contest had become a grudge match between Qiao and Saga, and the fun factor had faded two days ago. To keep the peace, she had continued the exercise knowing that tomorrow would end it. Their return to Riki Poka and the Harvest Festival would give them plenty to do.
"We have not ascertained a winner yet," said Saga, frowning.
"Like we're going to any time soon," said Qiao, lowering her bow. It was her turn to shoot and no one could skip over a turn, according to their self-made rules. "I thought by now I would triumph over your two, but there's no triumph here."
"This was your idea," said Astrid, instantly regretting saying it. What was she trying to do, start it up again? "I mean, I thought you liked it."
"I did, and now I want it to end. I'm feeling the need to get out and move my legs."
"You are not supposed to leave the confines of the camp," said Saga. "Not without escort."
"Then come with me," Qiao suggested in an irritated tone. "A hike won't kill you."
"I wouldn't mind a hike in the wilderness," said Astrid. "The only reason I didn't go hiking myself was because of all the wolves. The three of us together can handle anything out there."
"Three of us?" said Saga. "I have not consented to this hike."
"Okay, you'll stay here then and we'll go," shot back Astrid. "I'll keep an eye on Qiao."
"See?" said Qiao, smiling smugly at Saga and slinging up her bow as she headed toward the nearest edge of the training clearing. "She has the right attitude."
Perhaps unconsciously, Saga did a pretty good Arc impression by rolling her eyes in annoyance and groaning. She caught up to Qiao and said, "Fine, I will come as well. But only because the idea of you encountering a pack of wolves and being devoured by said pack of wolves fills me with a morbid fascination."
"This doesn't sound as fun as it did a second ago," commented Astrid, following behind.
Turns out, Qiao and Saga didn't ruin anything. They walked mostly in silence, Qiao watching the bounty of flora and fauna around them and Saga watching Qiao watch the bounty. Astrid would have enjoyed the hike more had the forest not been all up-and-downhill with precious flat spots. Her legs weren't used to this kind of endurance activity, and her feet grew sore after a few hours of wandering amongst the trees.
It then occurred to her that two years of riding dragons might have had a consequence or two on her body. Odd, since she was still in trim shape from her sparring. Or maybe these leather boots of hers weren't good for lengthy walks. They were kinda cheap.
Saga showed no discomfort (did she ever?), but Qiao apparently had similar issues as Astrid, steering them to the stream they used for water and cleaning and suggesting a break. Iron-willed and iron-bodied Saga's objection was overruled, again, and soon Astrid and Qiao had their boots off and their feet in the babbling brook.
Saga must not have thought it a bad idea (other than the fact the Qiao suggested it), because a minute later she was sitting between Qiao and Astrid with her feet in the water and trying hard not to let the mild frown on her face slip away. Relaxation was clearly not practiced in Gunnarr culture.
The mood slowly slipped from the tense atmosphere that marked Qiao and Saga's interactions to actual tranquility. Listening to the brook talk while it flowed over your toes. Watching the squirrels dance about the trees like furry acrobats. Having nothing important to worry about, even if only for a few hours. Astrid liked it.
Most of the time she was a girl of action and liked keeping busy, whether it was riding Beatrix in the morning or trying not to burn dinner in the evening. Whether combat or chores, staying occupied meant that something was happening in your life, which meant that things weren't too bad. Be active, be positive. That's how you got through life, in both rough and smooth times.
But there was something to be said about standing still and letting the world move around you. Places like this, out of the way with no expectation other than just existing, had a way of getting you to stop and smell the pine pollen.
No one said anything for some time. Saga and Qiao seemed to be happy to let things be; probably believing that conversation could only make things worse. But mouths can't stay shut forever.
"I don't get you guys," said Qiao, bravely breaking the silence. "This troop of yours. With all your collective talents, you could build an army and conquer a kingdom or three. If I had Arc's invisibility power alone, I could take thieving to a whole new level."
"You think we're wasting our abilities?" asked Astrid, hoping to intercept Saga's predicable rebuttal about the dishonor of theft. Saga had her eyes closed, most likely in a state of meditation, and Astrid didn't want her disturbed.
"No… not really," replied Qiao. "You've all told me the stories about big dragons exploding and wars averted and evil-as-they-get necromancers and war machines from some ancient empire. War machines…" Qiao adopted a wistful look. "We always take something amazing and turn it into something that kills, don't we? That never seems to change. Must be a human quality."
Astrid noticed the odd look on Qiao's face as she talked. Almost seemed like nostalgia, a remembrance of different times. But then Qiao snapped back to her perkier persona and the look disappeared instantly. "Ah… point being, you guys are going against the grain. You don't operate on the might-makes-right approach. And that weirds me out."
"I don't think it's so weird," said Astrid. "I've seen war and I've seen peace. I like peace more. I also like challenges, and it turns out that peace is a lot more challenging."
"Funny, that's what I think. Peace is harder because everyone has a different idea of what peace means. And most people's idea of peace doesn't include strangers with no family."
"Is that how you got into being a thief? No one wanted a stranger around?"
Qiao did a half-nod, half-shrug gesture. "Partly. It's easier to become a thief when people dismiss you as unwanted and the people who don't dismiss you pay well for stolen goods. I know that's not noble, but then a lot of so-called 'nobility' have nothing in common with the word."
"Do you enjoy being a thief?"
"I enjoy the excitement. The stealing is just what I'm good at."
"Would you give it up if you found something to replace it?" Astrid dared to ask.
Qiao leaned in toward Astrid and gave her a sly smile. "Replace it? Is this a subtle invitation to…?" She suddenly glanced at Saga's face and said, "Is she asleep? She hasn't insulted me at all since this conversation started."
"Meditation, I think," Astrid answered. "I'd enjoy it while it lasts."
Qiao laughed and turned back to Astrid with an impish grin. "Thanks, Astrid. Maybe I will stay on and fight evil with you." She waited a few seconds for a reaction from Saga and was disappointed that Saga's face didn't wrinkle or twitch once.
Defeated, Qiao relaxed again and said, "Funny thing, Astrid. I thought you were out here for your boyfriend."
"Well, yeah, there's that," said Astrid, smiling.
"Hey, don't get me wrong. He seems like a good guy. Treats me better than Sourpuss here or Mr. Uptight." She glanced at Saga. Nothing. "I hope you beat the odds."
"Beat the odds?" echoed Astrid. As well wishing went, it was only slighty better than saying I'm betting on the two of you breaking up before spring.
"Astrid, I need an honest answer," blurted out Saga, the act of opening her eyes and speaking making the thief recoil and Astrid jump in her seat.
"Uh… sure," said Astrid. "You sure you want to ask me this now?"
Saga responded by twisting to face Qiao and saying, "Do you intend on ever misusing my intimate thoughts, knowing that the Gunnarr word for revenge is the same as slow death?"
Qiao got the point and shook her head.
Saga twisted to Astrid and said, "Honest answer – am I difficult?"
Not wanting to court Gunnarr "revenge," Qiao had to bite hard on her knuckles to stifle the laughter that almost escaped her. Good thing Saga's back was to her or she wouldn't have hidden it.
Astrid was used to Saga's bluntness, but even she was stunned by the question. "I… never thought you were particularly difficult."
"That is a yes, then," said Saga, not happy with the answer.
"You can be," said Astrid, going with full honesty. "But we all can be. Hiccup could tell you stories about my difficult moments."
"Except you have no trouble making friends. The only person I can count as a friend currently is you."
Qiao clamped down harder on her mouth. Astrid really hoped Qiao could keep it together… for her sake.
"That's not true," replied Astrid. "You and Nestor are friends."
Mentioning Nestor made Saga's face fall further. "I am no longer sure of that. I may have convinced him to think otherwise." She looked away to the stream, her voice laced with a sad inflection that even Qiao no longer found gut busting. Qiao found the resolve to calm down and sincerely listen. Good on her.
"Most of my life, I found friendship to be a liability," continued Saga, "and that was only when it was not actively discouraged by my father. As the daughter of the chief and as the Seer, there were many wishing to use me as a stepping-stone to power. Even my father and brother saw me as a tool to their continued influence within the clan and not as family. A chance at friendship was a chance at abuse. So I guarded myself… and it is very easy to be on guard."
"I understand, Saga," spoke Astrid tenderly. "It's hard growing up in a world like that. Even in the best of times, it's scary letting other people in. But you did let me in, and I don't have any regrets." She put a hand on Saga's shoulder. "Not so long ago, you told me about embracing our humanity, how it's not easy for people like you and me to do that."
"Well, me personally…" started Qiao, but one dirty look from Astrid ended her comment.
"Well, you were right," continued Astrid. "It's not easy and sometimes I catch myself falling into old patterns. It takes time to change. But you also have to want it. Do you want a friendship with Nestor?"
"I do," said Saga. "But I fear it would not stop there." She looked at Astrid once more. "I would not want it to stop there."
"Oohhhhh," said Qiao, a new revelation in her life. "Wow, you learn a new thing each day. You two don't seem real warm to each other, though."
"Qiao!" warned Astrid.
"Qiao is right," said Saga morosely. "By the Gods, I hope to never utter those three words again."
"No, she isn't," said Astrid, warning Qiao with another look. "You two had a fight, and that happens. Nothing is broken. Call it warrior's intuition, but I know there's something between you two."
Less morose now, but far from convinced, Saga said, "How can you see something that I cannot?"
Astrid laughed. "I don't see anything, Saga. I'm just hopeful. I need someone to double-date with."
"So how do I fix it?" asked Saga
"Be a friend to him like you are with me. That's a good place to start."
Saga's moroseness faded and she appeared to be mulling over Astrid's advice. On the other hand, Qiao had had enough, proceeding to stand up and reach for her boots with an exasperated groan.
"Can we go now?" she said. "This stream is way too touchy-feely for my tastes."
The trip back was more pleasant now that feelings had been shared. Saga and Qiao managed the rest of the hike without a single insult, a feat thought impossible mere hours ago. Astrid might have even called it a great outing… if Saga hadn't collapsed.
The three of them had reached the cabin clearing just after sundown, in time to watch Hiccup, Nestor, and Toothless franticly containing a small fire that had claimed the life of Hiccup's drafting desk. They couldn't help but snicker at the boys as they noisily argued over who had left a pile of dirty rags too close to the hot anvil.
That's when Saga felt the inklings of a vision coming on. That stabbing pressure in her head that slowly built into a troll-grip on her skull, the pain coalescing into an image, a set of images, or just a powerful impulsive emotion. Not all her visions were like that – just the important ones, the life-changing ones.
Rarely did she welcome them, but this time she was practically giddy to have it happen. Too many days of vision drought had disturbed her calm. Now she had a sign, a possibility, of things to come.
But instead of the pressure, she felt the strength in her body leave all at once, her eyes rolling upward and his limbs growing heavy and useless. The last thing she remembered was the sensation of her limp body flopping to the grass, her mouth tasting dirt.
Awaiting her was nothing. Soundless, unending nothing.
When she came back to the realm of consciousness, she found that opening her eyes didn't dispel the darkness at all. Panic tried to get a foothold in her mind before she realized that all that had happened was the ending of the day, nothing more. She'd been moved to her bedroll, the glow of a fire off to the side outlining the trees surrounding the clearing.
Her arms and legs felt like they didn't belong to her. Not numb – she knew much about numbness after all her arctic survival training – but weakened, as if drained of all her blood. Sensation returned slowly, her fingers responding as fingers should when she raised a hand to her eyes and rubbed them.
"Please don't do that again," said a voice at her side, a sigh of relief following. She swiveled her head to see Nestor sitting next to her, holding her other hand. She hadn't felt his touch until now. "How are you feeling?"
"Alive, at the very least," she answered, sitting up with a little help from Nestor. She was glad to see his face. It was a reassuring face. "How long?"
"It's close to bedtime, if that gives you an idea," said Nestor. "We were taking turns watching over you. If you're hungry, I saved some dinner…"
"Not so hungry right now," she said, feeling discombobulated and not liking the feeling. Her earlier conversation with Astrid came back to her and she added, "Thank you for the consideration."
Nestor nodded. "I should tell the others."
"Wait, please," she asked. "I do not want them hovering over me. Give me a minute."
Knowing better than to argue, he agreed to wait with her. "Never seen you have a vision like that before. It completely took you out."
"I am not sure this was a vision."
Nestor stared at her with heightened anxiety. "What was it, then?"
Nestor's anxiety was catching, though she kept it from showing. She'd had a thousand prior visions and hundreds of headaches. Never once had a vision taken her down. Never once had she failed to remember one. Yet both had now occurred, and that was frightening.
"Whatever it was, there was no vision," she said, adhering to her deeply rooted no-lying principle, despite an urge to cover it up with a made-up vision to hide her fear.
"That worries me more than if you'd just had the whopper of all Armageddon dreams."
"It was different," explained Saga, "like my spirit had just taken a massive blow. I have never felt such a thing. There was no vision."
"Yeah, you said that. We should see a healer. They have them in Riki Poka."
She looked at him impatiently. "A healer? As if one could heal what I have."
"We can't ignore this."
"We will not." She strained to get to her feet, Nestor helping her stand when it was clear that she would not stay lying down. "But it could just be a one-time thing. If it happens again…"
"Then I can panic?" said Nestor.
"You have my permission," said Saga with a light amount of mirth.
"Anyone ever mention you're too stubborn sometimes?"
"I have been told this."
Nestor still held her up even though her legs had regained her strength, and she didn't mind it. Then he realized what he was doing and released her, saying, "While I have you here, I need to apologize."
"Yes, you do," she agreed, "but so do I."
"Ah… yeah, confused," said Nestor. "You didn't do anything wrong back in Riki Poka."
"No, but I should apologize just the same," said Saga. "You try with me, Nestor, and your efforts do not go unnoticed."
"Good to know," he said. "I just want you to know that I think you're plenty human. I only hope that you'll…"
Right then, Astrid noticed Saga standing up and the rest of the group got up from their seats around the fire to greet her and ask countless questions she couldn't answer. Nestor moved away to give room to the others, the rest of his statement abandoned. For the first time in her life, she would have rather kept talking with Nestor and skipped the Seer-duty part of her life.
Arc didn't harass or belittle her, which was an adequate improvement in behavior. Qiao dared to offer a polite statement of glad you didn't die and force us to spend all night digging a grave, which was also an adequate improvement.
But none of it made her feel better. Seers didn't die from their visions – many lived into their elderly years, granting wisdom from wrinkled and gnarled bodies – but there was a first time for everything. Hopefully this was a fluke, and not in and of itself a portent of her future.
