I'M BACK! I'll leave some fic/life updates at the end of the chapter for those interested, but for now, enjoy :)
Astrid took a deep breath of the chilly evening air as she strolled through the woods. She was headed to the meadows on the island. She wanted to see the flowers. She rested her hand on the very large bump in her belly.
The trees began to thin, so she was close. Snow began to fall through the canopy above her. Her feet crunched through the newly fallen snow.
She reached a break in the trees. The long grass blew in the wind as snow fell between the blades. Astrid smiled and leaned her head back, closing her eyes. She cradled her belly in both of her hands. Her baby rolled over inside of her; she must be enjoying the fresh air too.
Astrid opened her eyes and looked straight ahead again. Zephyr raised up out of the grass in the middle of the meadow. Astrid watched her for a moment, but Zephyr only stared back. The snow fell heavier around them.
And then the head of an arrow pierced through the front of Zephyr's chest. A large, black figure shaped like a cloaked man raised out of the grass behind Zephyr. Zephyr didn't move. She stared blankly at Astrid. Astrid felt her blood run cold. She gasped and called out to her daughter.
The figure lifted his head and flashed a nasty grin in Astrid's direction. He lifted a sword above his head. He swung it back down to Zephyr's neck.
"Zephyr, no!" Astrid screamed and tried to step towards her. She tripped on something and fell forward. She reached her arms out as she fell, trying to catch herself, trying to save her daughter-
"Astrid!" She felt a hand on her arm and opened her eyes. "Astrid, it's okay!"
She realized she wasn't outside and focused her eyes on the room around her. She was breathing heavily, arms outstretched in front of her as she sat up in her bed, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Ast, take a deep breath," a gentle voice spoke next to her. A protective arm wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her back. "Zephyr's safe, I've got you."
She obeyed. She laid her hand on her belly, much smaller than it had been moments ago in her dream, as she leaned back into the safe embrace of her husband. He sat up against the headboard and led her shoulders back against his chest, wrapping his hand around her to hold her belly as well. "It was so real…"
"You always did have trouble with that early on in your pregnancies." He kissed her hair and rubbed her arm with his free hand. "What happened?"
She shook her head slowly. "I was… In that meadow again."
Hiccup was quiet for a moment. "It was Zephyr this time? You yelled out her name."
Astrid nodded.
He squeezed her shoulder. "Grimmel's gone now, love. He can't hurt us."
She bit her lip. "It wasn't Grimmel…"
"Then… Who was it?"
"I couldn't tell." Hiccup stayed quiet, and after a moment she slowly whispered, "He killed her the way Eirson described Alvin's death."
Hiccup's hand faltered for a moment. "Oh…"
He said nothing else, but Astrid was okay with that. She hated when he made promises to her that he couldn't keep. Doing it for the tribe was just a part of chiefing sometimes, but they preferred open honesty behind closed doors.
This fear, however, was one they shared. It didn't need to be spoken.
Neither of them knew what to say, so Hiccup eventually just stated the facts. "Zephyr's okay, so are the others. We have patrols from sunup to sunup. If someone was going to make their way on the island, we'll know."
Astrid just nodded her head. She knew if someone was determined to make their way on the island, they'd find a way. But she was sure Hiccup knew that too. And they really did believe that they would know if anyone attempted to breach the island.
But there was always that chance...
Astrid took a deep breath of the chilly morning air as she strolled through the woods. Hiccup had been unusually quiet this morning following the discussion of Astrid's dream, though Astrid was admittedly equally as quiet. Especially when Zephyr had walked down the stairs. They had tried to recover quickly, but unfortunately they were sure she noticed; Astrid could tell by Nuffink's suspicious glances that he had noticed something as well. But Zephyr hadn't said anything before grabbing some breakfast and leaving the home. Nuffink hadn't either as he ate in unusual silence, followed by announcing his intent to find Nutmeg Ingerman. Hiccup had left for the forge as he usually did when he was upset or when something caught him off guard or when he needed to think. Astrid had stayed behind at the house with Spero and Willow. She had tried to focus on chores that needed done, pulling weeds and the last of the viable vegetables from the garden, tidying up and sweeping rooms that didn't need to be swept again, organizing and reorganizing the pantry which she knew would annoy Hiccup later tonight (though that wasn't her intent, she was just restless), folding furs and placing them strategically around the house in her favorite spots so she wouldn't have to get up when she got a cold chill (getting up was harder and harder these days with the little one starting to obviously show). But around midday she just couldn't keep herself busy in the house, so she had wrapped her furs around her shoulders, bundled up the littlest Haddocks, took them up the hill to Valka, and headed out into the woods behind their home alone.
She instantly felt a little more settled as the breeze lifted her hair. It felt good despite the chill it sent down her spine, which in turn caused the baby to tremble slightly. She smiled. She wouldn't have noticed such slight movements when she had been pregnant with Zephyr, but being her fifth pregnancy to reach the fourth moon, she knew what she was feeling well.
She sighed. If only Stormfly were here to keep her company. She was always a great listener, and she made Astrid feel safe in a way humans just couldn't. Dragons were more simple than humans; more specifically, the humans who liked to kill the fathers of young heirs to chiefdoms.
Astrid shook her head. We're not thinking about that right now.
She instead decided to focus on the tasks for the day. She wanted to check in with Tuffnut and Snotlout, see how Minden was doing, visit with Atali... Nothing that necessarily needed to be done today unfortunately, just busy work. But busy work was good sometimes, when the alternative was sulking around the house. Busy work could be productive.
What she wanted to do was train. Throw her axe into a few innocent trees, practice her evasive maneuvers, keep her muscles familiar with the feel of combat. But Hiccup always put his foot down when she was pregnant. No weapons once you start to show.
A shiver crept down her spine as she recalled the one caveat he allowed, the first pregnancy he had ever included the phrase: Unless you have no choice.
She cradled her belly in her hands. Gods, please don't let it come to that. Please don't make me endanger my child like that.
Suddenly her heart stopped cold, as if her worst nightmare was coming true. She heard footsteps racing towards her.
She dove as gracefully as she could manage into some tall brush nearby; not her best idea, but the best she could do in the current situation. The footsteps were already so loud, the source couldn't be far off.
She took a few deep breaths to steady her heart rate, crouched as low to the ground as she could, and steadied her breathing. Stay quiet, don't let them find you.
The footsteps began to sound more like the crashing of a startled yak, crushing branches and grass and leaves and everything else in its path as it ran. Whoever it was, they must be large. Which put Astrid at an even worse disadvantage. Were she more agile, she wouldn't be worried, but with the baby...
She held her breath as the crashing came closer, they'll reach her any minute now-
A large, dark-haired figure burst through the trees as it ran closer, and Astrid knew they would run on the path directly next to her hiding spot. She tried to push herself deeper into the brush, hoping the loud crunching of the person's own footsteps would drown out the sound of her moving.
The dark-haired figure approached the brush she hid in. He didn't stop as he ran closer, and suddenly ran right past her.
She let out her breath in a gasp of both exasperation and relief. Standing up, she nearly cried out, "Eirson?!"
"Wha-?" He stopped in his tracks, but tripped over a root sticking up out of the path as he turned to see who had said his name. He fell backwards and rolled thanks to his momentum, smacking back against a tree.
"Oh, gods," Astrid gasped, running towards him. "Eirson, are you okay? What's going on? What are you running from?"
Eirson groaned, pushing himself up. "No, nothing, I was just... I'm fine, it's fine." He rubbed the back of his neck and peered back down the path they had come from, glanced at Astrid, and glanced back down the path. "Where... Where did you come from, Chieftess? I didn't even see you."
Astrid blushed, considered lying, but figured there wasn't much point to that. It was just Eirson, after all. He never was one to tease. "Well, you were bounding up that path so fast, I thought you were someone that wasn't supposed to be here." She offered her hand to him.
He looked confused in the direction of the path. "Someone that wasn't...?" Suddenly the realization was clear on his face. "Oh gods, you thought I was- I'm so sorry, I-I-I didn't mean to scare you," he stammered, scrambling to his feet. He held his hands up in surrender rather than accepting Astrid's help.
"Eirson, it's alright. Are you okay?" She resisted the urge to brush off his clothing like she would with Nuffink.
"Yeah, I'm f- I-I'm g- I'm... I'm okay." He blushed and brushed off his clothing himself, shaking his head at the ground.
Astrid pursed her lips in concern. "What were you running from?"
"No one," he quickly responded, still not looking at her.
She considered his words, his frightened and flighty stance, and the red around his eyes that told her he either must have been crying or was about to when she stopped him.
He had understood her correctly, she wanted to know if he was running from someone. But now she could see she had misinterpreted him. She tried to look him in the eyes and gently prodded, "I didn't ask who."
Eirson's eyes flicked up but didn't quite meet hers. He busied himself with brushing off more dirt.
It had been a few days since Zephyr burst into the house ranting about how Eirson wouldn't let anyone help him, about how much she missed him, followed by Eirson bursting into the house demanding she listen to him. But she still clearly remembered the look on his face when he did. She remembered the strange look in his eyes, the desperation and pain in his voice, the weight to his posture. She remembered how much it reminded her of Hiccup so many years ago, weeks after Stoick had died and he had finally given himself a chance to grieve. He was different than Hiccup was back then, but the bones of anguish were still there, the same kind of suffering obviously building off of it. Eirson had that same look on his face now, the same kind of distance in his stare.
Astrid didn't know how to help Hiccup back then, she had no experience helping her soulmate mourn the loss of his father. She felt the same helplessness now; she had no experience helping her son mourn the loss of his father and his tribe.
But she couldn't just stand by and watch either. She couldn't back then, and she wouldn't right now.
"Eirson," she started slowly. She was going to tell him that she knows he experienced some terrible things, that she was here for him if he needed anything, that she cared for him and he could trust her... But he knew those things, it wouldn't help him. So she tried something else instead. "I... Was just headed to the Great Hall for some food. Would you join me?" She smiled and added, "In case any more large scary Vikings come running through the forest towards me."
He smiled sheepishly and waited patiently for Astrid to lead the way.
They walked in silence for a time; Eirson seemed lost in his thoughts and Astrid didn't want to disturb that. But once he seemed a bit too distressed for Astrid's liking, she decided to start telling stories about Zephyr's childhood, speaking as if she had been speaking the whole walk. "I don't know if you knew this, but when Nuffink was little, he had a hard time learning how to talk. When Zephyr was seven years old and he was four, he came home one day really upset, but he went upstairs to his room without saying anything. Zephyr came in right behind him, and when I asked her about it, she said some older boys were making fun of him for the way he talked. I was going to go up and talk to Nuffink, but Zephyr stopped me and asked if she could talk to him insead. I let her go, and a few minutes later they were chasing each other down the stairs laughing and smiling and happy as can be. I still don't know what she said to him, but after that his speaking just kept getting better and better." She laughed. "And come to find out, Zephyr, at seven years old, beat the shit out of this twelve-year-old boy that made fun of Nuffink." She shook her head, still smiling. "She's always been such a spitfire. Always so smart, she definitely got that from Hiccup. He says she got her strength from me. But even when she was little, she refused to give up on anyone she loved." Chuckling, she added, "And she's only grown more stubborn about it with age."
Eirson didn't react much through the story, nor did he really give any indication he was listening to it at all. But that was okay. Astrid was just doing what she could to try to give him some comfort. And since he hadn't seemed annoyed by her storytelling, she didn't stop.
"When Zephyr was even younger than that - three, I believe - there was this late-season storm that caught the whole village off guard. It was a pretty bad one too. Bad lightning, loud thunder. Zephyr was with us in the Great Hall, but when it hit one of us had to make sure the village was secured, and one of us had to make sure the house was secured. Since Hiccup has the metal leg, I made him take Zephyr home and I went out to check the village. Boy was he pissed when he found out later that night I was pregnant," Astrid laughed rebelliously. "Anyway, apparently while I was gone, Zephyr had gotten really scared and said she just wanted to be brave like us. Hiccup, being the sweet man he is, told her that he gets scared and Mommy gets scared too and that didn't mean you weren't brave. He told her that even when she was scared, she'd still be his little warrior. And every thunderstorm after that, when she got scared, she'd stand in the middle of the room and stare at the door, and with whatever small play-weapon she was obsessed with at the time in hand, she'd yell, 'I'm brave! I'm a warrior!' Over and over and over again. Hiccup was so proud every time she did it, and she was so proud of herself every time he called her his 'little warrior.' I'd never seen him so happy before." Astrid smiled at the memory of Hiccup's eyes lit up like a bonfire and a smile big enough to touch the edges of Midgard. "So he never stopped. It became the only nickname he ever used for her. He wanted to believe it would give her the confidence she needed growing up as heir, something he never had."
"He's a good man," Eirson said.
Astrid nodded. "He always has been."
She heard Eirson take a breath, but then stop. She gave him time to collect his thoughts.
When Eirson didn't speak, she softly offered, "Your father was too. Maybe not at every point in his life, but he made up for it in his later years. He was always loyal to his people. Would've stayed loyal to Berk had it not been for the... 'Misunderstanding' between him and Stoick."
Eirson half-smiled and chuckled.
Astrid smiled as well. "Let's just say we almost had a repeat of history with Snotlout and Hiccup. That's just Viking nature. But when your father brought his tribal warriors to protect Berk when Stoick was incapacitated, we knew better than ever he was a real ally again. And he stayed true to that, all the way to the end."
Eirson slowly nodded.
Astrid took a breath. "I know you don't feel like he prepared you properly, but that's not his fault. It's not an easy thing for a parent to do, prepare their child for such a job. For such a life, really. You don't get a break from being chief. And we know how hard that is, how stressful and strenuous it can be. And there's never a right way to do it, no. Every chief was raised and preened differently for the job, and every chief will tell you they didn't feel ready when it was their time to take it, no matter how old or young they were. Alvin... Took a more gentle approach, because he didn't want to lose you over it like Stoick almost lost Hiccup." She smiled and gently elbowed Eirson. "Believe me, no one expected Alvin the Treacherous to take the gentle approach."
Eirson smiled a bit bigger this time and nodded his head.
Astrid sombered again. "He did his best at an impossible job. That's all any of us are trying to do. Parents can't help but protect their children."
Eirson nodded, and seemed to be thinking deeply about something. Astrid let him, as it didn't seem to be too distressing for him yet.
After a moment, he said, "Hiccup offered to absorb the remaining Outcasts into New Berk."
Astrid nodded slowly. "I'm not surprised. He offered the same thing to Atali and the Wingmaidens."
Eirson seemed caught off guard by this. "What did Atali say?"
"She hasn't given her decision yet. She's not sure what she wants to do. I'm sure you can understand the feeling," she added more pointedly towards him.
"So... It wasn't just Hiccup trying to protect me? From what happened to him?"
Astrid pursed her lips. She knew she had to answer this carefully. "I can't speak for my husband's intentions. I may have been married to him for sixteen years, but I can't read his mind yet." Eirson smiled. "But... If I had to guess... I'm sure it was a bit of everything. Yes, he obviously sympathizes with you and understands the situation you're in, how difficult it is. But he did also offer Atali the same solution, as would any of us in Council for any of our allied tribes. He also understands that both the Outcasts and Wingmaidens wouldn't be safe returning to their respective islands, not now and possibly not ever again. Now, the difference between your tribe and Atali's is that the Wingmaidens didn't suffer any casualties. Unfortunately your tribe seemed to have suffered both your portion and their's."
Eirson winced.
Shit. "That isn't your fault, Eirson. The Wingmaidens were immensely lucky because Toothless and some Light Furies came to their aid. They would have suffered the loss of many lives if they hadn't."
"Toothless?" Eirson asked.
Astrid nodded. "We're not sure where they came from, but Atali and all the Wingmaidens said they were there and led them in the direction of our island before heading back to the Hidden World. We assume, at least. The took the infant Razorwhips with them."
Eirson nodded slowly as he took in this new information.
As they neared a break in the trees near the Great Hall's front entrance, another thought occurred to Astrid that she wanted to make clear before they entered a public space. She reached out and grabbed his arm. "Eirson, I need you to understand something. Yes, Hiccup offered what he did for political and practical reasons. But that doesn't negate the fact that he and I care deeply for you, as we always have. You and Alvin have been and will always be family to us, just like Dagur, Mala, Atali, and Heather. Whatever decision you make, we will support you and do whatever we can to help you. Please don't be afraid to come to us for help or advice or-"
"Thank you, Chieftess," Eirson said. If it weren't for the genuine smile, she would have thought he only said it to make her stop talking.
She smiled. "Astrid, please. I'm sure Hiccup has told you many times we are past those formalities."
"Yes, Chieftess," he said with a smile and a smirk. Humor. Good.
Astrid shook her head while still smiling and waved him ahead of her. But as he opened the door for her, the sound of arguing spilled out of the Hall.
"What in the name of Hel-" Astrid pushed past Eirson to find a group of unruly Berkians practically up in arms against some young Outcast boys standing in front of a group of their elders as if protecting them. One Berkian had his hands locked around the wrists of a young Outcast. She felt her blood boil-
Eirson pushed past her with a hand on her shoulder. "Hey!" he yelled as he stormed across the Hall. He grabbed the Berkian by the shoulders and helped the Outcast boy throw him off. "What is going on here?!" He looked directly at the Berkian he had thrown.
"They're stealing!" The man yelled.
"What exactly did they steal?" Eirson spit back.
"They're taking food!" Another Berkian said.
"Oh, this food?" Eirson pointed angrily to the large cauldron next to them, his face redder than the flames beneath it. "The communal meal? The one for everyone? Is that it?"
"It's for our tribe!" The first man defended. "They're not part of us!"
"I don't give a damn what tribe they're part of!" Eirson spit. He stepped closer to the man, making it evident how much taller he was than the Berkian. "How dare you keep injured and sick elders from eating! They have been through enough as it is, you don't know what they've seen!"
The first Berkian scoffed. "They're not the first ones to see war."
"Then as a fellow warrior, I'd expect a bit more compassion from you. Chief Haddock, your chief, offered us sanctuary of food and shelter and protection, so that cauldron is just as much theirs as it is yours. Or should I alert the Chief that his tribe suddenly finds issue with his orders?" By now, Eirson was close enough that he had to peer down to see the Berkian's face. "Next time you have a problem with my tribe, you come to me first. And next time you have a problem with Chief Haddock's orders and decide to take your own form of justice, you better hope I find you before he does."
Eirson stood his ground until the Berkian began to falter and eventually move back towards his seat. As he turned, though, he met Astrid's eyes. His face drained of color. "I'd give Chief Eirson a bit more respect if I were you," she threatened. His eyes widened a bit more at the title of "Chief," and he proceeded to sit back down at his own bowl of stew without a word or another look in the Outcasts' direction.
Eirson continued to glare at the man as he started to turn back to the Outcasts. "Everyone okay?" he quietly asked. They all nodded, the elders obviously frightened. "It's okay, get some food. I'll wait here until you're done. They won't bother you anymore."
They seemed at least a little comforted by this, enough so that they found the courage to gather up their bowls again and spoon themselves out some stew. Once they did, Eirson looked to the Outcast boy who had fought the Berkian. He was wringing his hands around his wrists. "You alright there, Halvor?"
Halvor nodded, still watching the Berkian across the room.
"Tuffnut might have something to help that. Go see him, I'll keep watch here."
Halvor met Eirson's eyes quickly before looking back at the Berkian. He must have been satisfied, because he nodded to Eirson again before slowly leaving the Hall.
Astrid walked up to Eirson. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," he said quietly. "Sorry about that."
"Don't apologize." She matched his tone, not keen on letting the Berkian mob hear them. "You did great. But if you're okay here then I want to tell Hiccup what happened before it becomes an issue again, okay?"
"I'm alright," Eirson assured her. "I just want to stay and make sure they get their fill."
Astrid nodded and smiled supportively. "Come find me or send someone if you need anything." As soon as Eirson nodded in agreement, she turned on her heels and stalked out the door. These unruled Berkians were getting to be too much of an issue lately.
Astrid took a deep, long, tired sigh. After leaving Hiccup a furious mess over the Berkian-Outcast fight earlier, she wasn't sure if she was ready for the discussion she planned to have with Atali tonight.
But, whether she was ready or not, she knew it needed to be done. They had both pushed it off for so long now, and the Wingmaidens were beginning to grow restless not knowing their own fates.
And so Astrid all too quickly found herself sitting with Atali in front of the fire in Atali's temporary home (one of a few that had become vacant over the last few years and hadn't found new occupants due to the unusually small size) sipping a nausea-combatting tea.
"Rough day?" Atali asked.
Astrid scoffed. "Sometimes I think I expect too much of our tribe."
"I know what you mean," Atali agreed, taking a large swig of ale. Astrid hadn't known Atali to drink until recently.
Which also meant Astrid needed to get this conversation done while Atali was still sober. "Alright, neither of us are good at small talk, so let's dive right into it. Where is your head at with your tribe? Have you thought about our offer anymore?"
Atali sighed. "I had a feeling you were going to do that."
"It needs to be done, Atali. A decision has to be made. If not for your sake, then for your women."
"I know, I know, you don't have to lecture me, Astrid." Atali took another big swig. Astrid silently wondered how many pints she had before she got here.
So she tried a kinder approach. "I know it's not an easy decision to make, Atali. We're just trying to help. And to help you be realistic."
"I don't think I have much of a choice, do I, Astrid! We don't have a home, our island has been reduced to ashes! We have nowhere else to go!" Atali sunk deep into her chair. "We can never go back to the way we were. Our Razorwhips are gone. Our island is gone. Our culture is gone. We have nothing."
Astrid nodded before quietly and gently teasing, "How long have you been holding that in?"
Atali glared at her over her pint.
Astrid sighed. "I'm not trying to be an ass. I just want to help."
"You can help by getting me another drink," Atali said half-sarcastically.
Astrid rolled her eyes, but when she saw Atali's drink was nearly gone, she figured she'd need another one. After all, this was unfortunately the most she'd gotten Atali to say since the shock wore off after the attack.
As Astrid stood and took her mug, Atali stared into the fire and said, "Do you think they'll be okay?"
"Who?"
"The Razorwhips. The babies."
Astrid filled Atali's mug and handed it back to her. "Yes," she said confidently as she sat back down and picked up her tea again.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Toothless." Astrid shrugged. "I know Toothless will make sure they're safe and cared for. He knows it's an important job. If he didn't, he wouldn't have come to your aid and taken them to safety."
Atali nodded slowly, still staring into the fire. Astrid began to wonder what she saw in it.
"And what about my Wingmaidens?" Atali asked quietly.
Astrid considered before she spoke. "It'll be an adjustment, whatever the next step for your tribe is. But they will be alright in time. They'll find a new purpose. They'll heal in their own ways."
Astrid watched Atali's face carefully, but she showed no emotion. She no longer gulped down her ale, but instead held it gingerly against her stomach.
"It's strange," Atali finally said in a distant voice. "No one knew about the Wingmaidens before. We were always a tribe that hid from the rest of the world, knowing that our sacred duty was to protect the Razorwhips and their young. We were always comfortable with that. Happy, even, knowing that no one else in the world knew that we existed. Even after our tribe was made known to the Archipelago, our allies worked to ensure our existence was made into a legend, a bedtime story, so that we may once again work in peace without the world knowing our existence. But now, now that our island is destroyed, now that our mission is one we will never be able to return to... The world is none the wiser, because to them we never existed in the first place." She shook her head sadly, but had nothing more to say.
The weight of her words settled heavily on Astrid's chest. She had never quite thought about it in that way. "But those legends still exist," Astrid offered. "That legacy could still live on. Just like the legends of the dragons."
Atali scoffed. "The dragons are not present to watch their existence reduced to mere legends." She took a deep swig of ale.
Astrid wasn't sure how to comfort her about that.
"I believe I will accept your husband's offer. I am not ignorant enough to ignore the fact that my tribe of women cannot survive on our own. We may be able to support ourselves, but we cannot produce the offspring needed to keep our tribe alive alone. I can only pray to the gods that my women find a way to keep together as a whole."
Astrid wasn't sure she completely understood what Atali meant, but her sentiment rang clear regardless: "New Berk will happily help you and your tribe in any way we can."
Atali nodded. "Thank you." After continuing to stare into the fire for a few moments, she asked, "Has Hiccup extended the same offer to young Eirson?"
Astrid sipped her tea. Apparently he had, per Eirson's comment in the woods earlier. Astrid had known that was Hiccup's plan, but she hadn't known he was going to ask him so soon. She didn't know exactly what happened or how the conversation went, and she didn't feel like trying to explain all of that. She glanced at Atali, whose eyes seemed clouded over from the ale. A little white lie wouldn't hurt. "If he hasn't already, I'm sure he will soon. Why?"
If Atali heard her, she didn't answer the question directly. "I'm sure it is a difficult situation for him. How is he handling it?"
Astrid sighed. "Not well. You've seen as much of him as we have. Zephyr is helping him, I think." She shook her head. "It was hard enough, watching Hiccup go through that. Trying to figure out how to run a tribe and grieve the untimely loss of his father and all that. But Hiccup at least had Valka and me. Sure, Eirson has Zephyr, but they don't have the history that Hiccup and I did. And Eirson doesn't even have his mother. I just... I can't imagine what he's thinking. He must feel so alone."
Atali took a long drink of her ale. "Do you think he wonders? About his mother?"
"I'm sure he does. I know Hiccup did until he found Valka."
"Has anyone told him about her?"
"Um..." Astrid sipped her tea while she thought back. "I don't think so. No one really knew anything about her. Except for Alvin, of course. Maybe Keldon, but he didn't survive the raid. As far as I know, no one else knew who she was." She shook her head sadly and sipped some more of her tea.
Atali's grip seemed to loosen on her mug; it fell sadly into her lap, still held upright by the limp grasp of her fingers. "I knew her."
Astrid nearly dropped her tea. Some spilled down the front of her tunic before she managed to set her cup upright again. Wiping her mouth with her sleeve, she coughed, "What did you just say?"
"I knew her," Atali whispered, tears in her eyes as she stared into the fire. "I knew Eira. She was my dearest friend."
Okay, updates! I have officially graduated, and as of this week I found out that I passed my licensure board exam (so excited!). So with that being said, I should be able to post much more often now that I am completely done with school. My plan is to get back to the every-other-week schedule, however I'm not going to guarantee that right now just because I am starting a new job in the next few weeks. But I'm hoping that as I adjust to my new schedule and settle into my new job, I'll be able to find a lot more time to write. If you want more detailed updates as I have them or want to discuss the chapters with some other readers, I still have my discord server open! Invite link can be found in my bio.