Many thanks to my dear Beta, All About Eric for her patience and support while writing this.
Disclaimer: none of these characters belong to me, they belong to Charlaine Harris.
I was hurrying to get to the dragon's lair. The cave was still far ahead but if I ran all the way there I might get there in time. Garron didn't like to wait. Damn, all that shielding stuff took much longer that I had expected. Professor Ciara had us stay longer because Nala and Diana didn't complete their tasks. I don't know where their heads were, it was really a very simple task, it's not like they were asked to make the earth spin the other way!
And now Garron was going to give me the eye. And to have a dragon give you the eye is not something you should look forward to. He was very temperamental and he liked to keep himself to himself; as a matter of fact, I hadn't even known that there was a dragon on the island until a year ago.
My aunt told me last year after a talk about different supernatural races and their skills that the dragons were famous for their mastery of metalwork, but they were an almost extinct race as they were hunted for hundreds of years for their thick skin and the ivory of their fangs. The remaining dragons retreated to other realms such as Faery and the Britlingen world. I was very surprised to find out that the dragons were intelligent beings, not some kind of animals and I was very curious to know if there were any dragons left on earth, and she told me that there was just one and he lived on a cave at the north end of the island, but he didn't like to have company much.
When I found out that a dragon lived on the island I pleaded for days to be allowed to visit him, so my aunt granted me permission just to have a little peace. The dragon was not very happy at first to be disturbed but as time went on we became friends, sort of, and he taught me how to work metal. Of course it was easier for him because he could breathe fire, but I learned to control the fire with my magic, so I managed to keep up with his lessons.
We had begun a difficult project a week ago. As Erikr's birthday was today I wanted to give him something special, so I had thought of a Thor's hammer necklace made from gold. Today we had to make the final adjustments and tonight I was going to take it in my dream with me so I could give it to him. I hoped he would like it. I had noticed that he was very fond of the God Thor- the Norse God of thunder, lightning, storm, strength, destruction, healing, fertility and the protection of mankind. When I first read about this God in order to understand Erikr's affinity for him better, I had been surprised to see that he was the god of so many things; he must be a very busy God. And how could he be the God of destruction and healing at the same time? Well, the bottom line was that Erikr liked him, so here I was, hurrying to get to Garron's cave in time so he wouldn't get mad at me and not help me finish it.
I reached the cave entrance, panting heavily, and Garron looked at me with his strange, green eyes.
"Your highness, so nice of you to join me today. You must be really busy doing princess's stuff to remember to come in time for a meeting with a very old dragon. Of course, I have nothing better to do than wait for you to decide to show up," he sneered at me.
His white scales were shining from the sunlight blinding me.
"I'm sorry, Garron, I ran all the way here so I would be on time, but the classes today took longer…."
"What makes you think that I care for your excuses?"
"Oh, please! I'm just two minutes late, can't you give it a rest?"
"Snappy today, aren't we?"
"Sorry, Garron. I had a rough morning. So are you going to let me in?"
"Of course, what made you think I would not?"
I smiled widely at him. He was nice actually, at least after you got past his temper. We went into the cave, which was built like a long corridor with big room-like openings on both sides. We entered the third one to the left and we climbed down to the forge.
"So Nala and Diana are kinda stupid aren't they?" he said.
"You knew! You knew and you still had me babble all …"
"Of course I knew, little girl, I know everything that goes on here, on this island."
"They are not stupid, they just didn't… they couldn't… they are just…"
"Stupid."
I burst out laughing.
"Yeah, maybe a little. But it's not very nice to say things like that."
"I call things as I see them. And who said I was nice?"
"Well, yes, that is true indeed, you are not nice."
"And I'm proud of it. Have you ever heard the saying: 'tough like a dragon' or 'fierce like a dragon' or maybe 'brave like a dragon'?"
"Yes I've heard something like that."
"How would it sound, 'nice like a dragon'?"
I laughed harder.
"It wouldn't sound very good."
"And I think the truth is more important than being nice. And it saves a lot of time. I always speak the truth, no matter who it might offend."
"Okay, tell me then, what do you think of me? Am I stupid too?"
I smiled at him while he looked me straight in the eye.
"I think you are very smart and very talented, but you have a big and soft heart."
"Thank you."
"That's not a compliment, girl."
"I know. My aunt told me a long time ago that having a big heart is not a good thing in the supernatural world. But I can't change who I am. And I don't think I want to."
"One does not always change because one wants to; there are things that makes you change even if you don't want to, little girl."
"Well, let's hope that I will not have to change, right?" I said smiling.
But he just looked at me with something like… sadness in his eyes and said nothing. We began working on the necklace and soon it looked just as I wanted. I had already made the chain from black leather and the hammer was of massive gold and it had many inlays and it had a layer of ashes from the repeated burning that made it look old. I liked how it came out; it looked beautiful but masculine and on the back I carved Erikr and Sookie in Old Norse runes.
"I hope he likes it."
"Of course he will. He'd be a fool not to."
"Thank you so much, Garron, you are a great teacher."
"Yeah, I know. But we are not over yet. We have merely begun, so tomorrow we will start forging a knife - a proper one, not like the ones that are made these days that can be ripped in half if you breathe a little harder. And after you have learned that, we will make a sword."
"Wow, a sword, really? I would love that! Can you imagine…."
"Only if you prove yourself to be a good enough apprentice and don't talk my ears off."
I laughed happily and hugged him, well, his neck actually. He huffed and puffed but he let me hug him.
"You are the best, Garron. I love you!"
"Didn't I just tell you have too soft a heart? Get tougher, little girl."
"I will, I will, 'bye!" I kept laughing.
I took the necklace and hurried back to the palace because the sun was almost all the way down. I had to eat my dinner with Mary and Erin and then visit my aunt. I couldn't wait to get it over with and go to bed.
The girls were waiting for me at our table chatting about boys- I know, what's new about that? Mary and Jason were a couple now and Jason came every week to visit her, so she had stopped chasing every boy on the island and Erin had a boyfriend from her village. Of course, they had no idea that I had a boyfriend too and they thought I was weird because I was almost fourteen and I had no interest in boys, but I couldn't tell them about Erikr.
Of course I had my aunt, Effy and Garron that I could talk to about Erikr, but I couldn't share everything with them. My aunt was very sad lately and she didn't want to tell me what was wrong with her; and Garron… well, he wasn't exactly the talking type, if you know what I mean. So Effy is the only one that I told everything about him.
I sat at the table and got myself a little rice with pineapple.
"Hi girls, what's up?"
"Hi Sookie, where were you?"
"I had something I had to do."
Garron didn't like many people to know about him living there, so I couldn't tell them. It seemed that I was keeping many secrets from my friends these days.
"Care to share it with us?" Mary asked.
"Ummm, no, not really."
"Oh, come on, Sookie, lately you don't have any time to spend with us, you don't tell us anything anymore, what's wrong? Are you mad at us for some reason?" Erin pleaded.
"Of course not. It's just that…"
"She's envious that we have boyfriends and she doesn't," Mary concluded.
"Yeah right." I rolled my eyes.
We got up as we finished and I left with Effy – who was waiting for me in front of the dining room's door - to go to my aunt for our daily meeting.
"So, did you finish it?" Effy asked.
"Yes, look." I unwrapped the necklace and showed it to her. "What do you think?"
"It looks great, worthy of a Viking prince."
"You think? I hope he likes it."
"Oh, please, Sookie, you could give him an empty box and he would love it."
I laughed a little.
"I guess so."
We reached the big reception room and Effy remained at the doors and I went in. My aunt was already waiting for me in her big wooden chair. She looked ill.
"I̱ theía mou, what's wrong? Are you ill?"
"No, child, just tired. Come here; sit with me for a while."
I went to sit on my usual cushion and took her wrinkled hand in mine.
"You should rest more, I̱ theía mou."
"Yes, child. I will rest more tomorrow. Asukina, I wanted to tell you something."
"Yes aunty."
"Life is full of ups and downs, and sometimes when you expect it the least, it hits you hard. You have to be tough and eventually it will pass. Everything passes, child."
"What are you talking about I̱ theía mou? I don't understand."
"No, but you will. I'm sorry, my dear, I wish I could spare you all the suffering, but I can not. It is not in my power. Just have faith, child."
"You sound like Erikr."
She smiled a little with her toothless mouth.
"He is right you know, your Viking. Faith is very important."
"Okay, then I will have faith, but in what? Or in whom?"
"In your destiny my dear."
It kept getting weirder and weirder.
"Now go, my child, go and give him your present."
"Thank you I̱ theía mou, I will come tomorrow morning to see how you're doing, please have some rest and feed well."
I kissed her on the cheek and a red tear dropped on my hand.
"I̱ theía mou?"
"All is good, child, now go."
I went to my room feeling a little scared for my aunt's health. She looked like she was really sick.
"What's wrong?" Effy asked me on our way to our chamber.
"I don't know, my aunt is not feeling well."
"Maybe she had a bad day, tomorrow might be better."
"Yes, maybe," I responded, not really believing it."
We entered our room and I got ready really quickly, dressing myself in a red silk gown - red was Erikr's favorite color and I had had this dress ordered especially for his birthday. I kept the necklace in my hand, holding it tightly so I wouldn't leave it behind when I entered my dream.
The snow was covering the trees and the ground, making everything look so pure and clean. Erikr was waiting for me with Snö, playing with a stick. Snö noticed me first and abandoned the stick and ran towards me, barking happily.
"Hallo, Snö, did you miss me?"
"He might have, but I missed you even more." He covered the distance between us in a few strides and hugged me to his chest.
"Happy birthday, Erikr," I opened my hand and gave him the necklace.
"This is very beautiful Sookie, thank you," he said without letting me go from his tight hug.
"I made it myself."
"You did? How? "
"I learned from a very good teacher. He said I'm talented and he will teach me to make a sword."
"I could use a sword made by such a fine master blacksmith."
"You might get one for your next birthday," I replied, smiling.
"I love you, Sookie," he said looking me straight in the eye.
I felt so happy and light, as if I could just fly at that moment.
"I love you too, Erikr," I told him, happy tears pouring from my eyes.
He bent his head and lowered it until our lips touched lightly, like a butterfly, then again, a little harder and then his lips parted and the kiss went deeper. I felt my head spinning and, the next thing I knew, I was laying on the snow with a very concerned Erikr hovering above me.
"What is wrong Sookie? Are you ill?"
"No," I blushed looking at him. "You never kissed me like that before."
He smiled at me brushing a hair strand from my face.
"Are you going to faint every time I kiss you?"
"I don't know, I hope not" I smiled back. "Come on, let me help you put this necklace on." I fastened the necklace behind his neck and looked at it. It was exactly the right length - it reached the top of his chest and the Thor hammer rested on his heart.
"See, this way you will always have me close to your heart," I said.
"I don't need a necklace to help me keep you close to my heart, min söta."
"I know. I carved our names on it, see?" I turned the hammer and showed him.
He placed his hands on top of mine.
"Min ängel, I have something to tell you."
"Okay…"
"Tomorrow I have to go with my father to a neighboring village, where a friend of his has invited us to talk about me marrying his daughter."
"What?" I jumped up. "What do you mean; you want to marry another girl?"
I felt my heart really heavy, like suddenly it had changed to lead.
"No, Sookie, I will not marry her. But I have to go there. It would be very rude to refuse his invitation."
"But you will not marry her?"
"No, I won't."
"Promise?"
"I promise, my beautiful Sookie, I will never marry another. Just you."
Immediately I felt better and I started to throw the stick for Snö to bring it back.
"Erikr, do you ever wonder how are we going to be together?"
"I do, min kärlek, I wonder it all the time, but I have no answer for it. Unknown are the ways of the Gods."
"I wish I could see it … see you. It drives me crazy that I can see every little thing that will happen to others but I can't see anything about you."
"Maybe its better that you can't see me, maybe you would get bored with me if you could."
I laughed at that.
"Yeah, like that would ever happen."
I felt him going away.
"Wait… it's too soon."
"I'll se you tonight min kärlek," he said and with that he and Snö disappeared and I woke up.
Snö- snow
min kärlek- my love
min söta angel- my sweet angel
i̱ theía mou- my aunt
TBC