Chapter
After Dagur tamed his own dragon, life got strange on the homestead. They could travel farther to hunt in areas no one ever hunted before thanks to their flying companions. Bringing home prey was no big deal either as both proved to be stronger than they looked. They could have had the dragons hunt themselves but both Iris and Dagur didn't want to lose the chance to hunt.
Hauling goods was easier too as was getting to town. What took a whole day took only a few hours. They could leave in the morning and be home in time for supper. Jon grumbled it was took convenient but Vivian happily took advantage of it. She even rode with Iris a few times to town, a different one than the town her grandparents lived in.
Seeing the look of shock, awe, and a little fear on Dagur's face the first time he saw the town still stuck in Iris' mind. It reinforced the fact this world wasn't his. For a few days afterwards he was quiet, constantly thinking with asking Iris an occasional question. Those nights he held her close as if she would disappear while he was sleeping.
After Vivian's declaration that the dragons would not be sleeping in the house, Jon helped Iris and Dagur plan a type of stable for the two that connected to the house. They could nudge open individual doors to go outside and inside and there was a door connected to the house through the living room that they could access the stable from inside. Her dad always planned for bad weather keeping them from going outside by having majority of the buildings connected to the house.
The poor dogs hated life for the first week. Dagur's dragon, Jager he chose to name him, was obsessed with them. However they wanted nothing to do with him which only enforced his desire to sniff and follow them. Iris felt terrible and managed to get the purple dragon to leave the poor dogs alone. Jager opted to mournfully watch them from the roof of the house.
Winter came with a vengeance. They did all they could to prepare ahead of time with hunting, fishing, canning, harvesting, but Iris always felt they could do more every winter. This time however, she was looking forward to winter. It was a calmer season where more indoor projects were done. She had some leather work she wanted to get done for Enigma and Jager and she looked forward to spending time with just Dagur.
He had tried to convince her that they should live in the stable with their dragons. There was even a smaller upper level they could have their bedroom on. However her dad put the kibosh on that idea. He still didn't like Dagur sleeping with her and absolutely refused to let them live in a whole different building. She tried to get him to see reason but he wouldn't budge.
"My birthday's coming up," she said suddenly as the realization hit her as she sat at the kitchen table. "Mid November, the sixteenth."
"You still have fifteen more days," Vivian said thumbing through a book. "Say, when is Dagur's birthday."
Iris frowned, trying to think. She never asked him, it never came to mind with everything happening, and he never said. The book never said when his birthday was. Her mom stared at her as they both realized neither knew the Viking's birthday.
"Dagur," Vivian called. "Come in the kitchen please." His footsteps thudded across the floor from the living room to the kitchen. "Tell me. What day were you born?"
"In the spring why?" he asked. Iris groaned and face palmed herself. "What?"
"Why didn't you say anything?" she asked. "I feel horrible! I missed your birthday! My own boyfriend!"
"I didn't think it was a big deal," he said with a shrug. "No one's ever really cared about my birthday. Was kinda, still kinda am, crazy and all that."
"That was there this is here," Vivian said. "That's it. We are celebrating your birthday with Iris'. You don't mind do you honey?"
"Nope," she said. "And we are going to make this the best birthday you've ever had!"
"Ok," he laughed. "I'll hold you to it." He placed a kiss on her cheek before heading back into the living room to continue whatever he was doing.
"I hate myself for saying this but you two do make a good couple," Vivian grumbled. "Do not tell your father I said that."
"Only if you help me," Iris bartered. "Cause I know exactly what to get Dagur! We need to head into town!'
At Iris' urging Vivian got dressed for flight while Iris ran to the stable. Enigma perked up as she flung the door open to enter with a backpack in hand. Her saddle hung on the wall. While she was practicing riding Enigma bareback, she always used a saddle for long distances and when someone was riding with her. By the time Vivian came in with Iris' gear she already had Enigma saddled and ready.
"Thanks Mom," Iris said as she checked one of the straps. It was secure so she grabbed her thickly lined coveralls and pulled them on.
Vivian tugged a rabbit skin hat over her black hair and wrapped a thick scarf around the rest of her face. Because the air was so cold while flying, everyone who rode the dragons had to wear goggles to protect their eyes from freezing. By the time Iris was fully dressed she felt like an astronaut.
They had to use the same door as Enigma to avoid going through the house to get out. Politely she waited for the two humans to hurry through before fully exiting. Her hide was its original white with grey spotting. This change confirmed Iris' conspiracy that Enigma changed color like other northern animals. It probably helped her hunt better. Jager was still his usual purple and grey self but he was big enough he could probably just fall on his prey to catch it.
"Let's go!"
Enigma bounded forward, wings flapping, and launched herself into the air. Iris bit back an excited yell and buried her gloved hands deep into her mane instead. She already felt her mom gripping her tightly and her face pressed against her back. Vivian enjoyed to dragons but disliked initial take off.
The town they were headed to was only two hours south on dragon back. There was a small pine grove her and Dagur discovered that they could land in. While in town the dragons could relax from any prying eyes. No one was wiser as the humans walked casually into bustling town.
Iris made a beeline for the market that was held daily in town. Bartering was common here since most folks were off griders, homesteaders, or just simply wanting to live simple life and cash wasn't as usable except for the more expensive necessities. So she could easily use her tanned hides and handmade crafts to trade with.
She stopped at a stand that held different types of axes, knives, hatchets, and other blacksmithed goods. The man there looked absolutely bored. Business was probably slow thanks to the cold and snow. That increased her chances he might want to barter.
"Hello," she said cheerfully. "I was wondering if you had a pair of throwing hatchets?"
"I have more than a pair," he drawled. With a grunt he pushed away from the counter and wandered to the back of the stall.
"Really?" Vivian asked as she walked up. Iris was studying the different pairs of hatchets. "You really think he needs a hatchet?"
"Throwing hatchet," Iris said in Norse with a grin. "Berserker weapon!"
"You're accent is terrible," Vivian replied in Norse.
Since Dagur was already fluent in English, Iris agreed to learn Norse from him. It was harder for her, languages were never her thing, but between him and her mom she was learning better than when she was little. In her opinion it was easier to understand what they were saying than to speak it.
She already chose a pair. They were beautiful. On the larger side, both hatchets were made with a dark steel that looked almost black. The hefts were shorter than a normal hatchet of their size so they were more comfortable to throw. Both had a wide spike on the back. Red leather wrapped the curved heft that looked to be made with a dark cherry wood. Over all they were masterpieces in her eyes.
"What will you trade for this pair?" she asked as she held the pair.
"A pair like this would run two hundred or more," he answered. "What do you have that can compare?"
Iris shrugged off her backpack and opened it. She pulled over some various items, setting them on the stall counter. A few pairs of antler carved necklaces, a stack of tanned rabbit skins, polished moose teeth and bear claws, and a piece of moose antler with a forest skyline carved into it sat on the counter. The man clicked his tongue, poking at a few of the items. He took all the bear claws Iris had, a couple of rabbit skins, and was currently studying the moose antler piece.
"Anything else?"
She hesitated. There was something else but if he found out her age she could get in trouble. She glanced at her mom, who was a few stands away bartering over a few things. She set the backpack on the counter and opened a side pocket.
At her gesture the man peeked inside and broke out in a grin. Inside was a mason jar with a crystal clear liquid that had some apples floating in it. He also glanced around before quickly taking it out. With a turn of his heel, he put his back to Iris. However she heard the jar open and him taking a big sniff. The jar was sealed and he turned around but it didn't appear on the counter.
"This, the bear claws, and this piece of moose antler. I'll throw in a pair of belt holders for the hatchet. Deal?"
"Toss in a sharpening stone and it's a deal."
"Deal." Briskly they shook hands.
"Do come back if you need anything else," he said eagerly. "Especially if you have anymore apples."
"Maybe," she said as she repacked her backpack. She strapped the hatchets to the outside of it before slinging it back on her back. "Thank you again!"
Wandering around, Iris traded a few rabbit skins for some homemade fudge and rock candy. She broke a piece of rock candy off and popped it in her mouth to suck on as she continued walking. There was a lot to see and the locals weren't letting the snow stop them from selling and buying. She was looking at a collection of shark teeth an elderly woman had when something caught her eye.
A pair of teeth sat at the edge of the cluster of shark teeth. However Iris knew they weren't shark teeth. They looked exactly like Enigma and Jager's teeth only older. She picked them up and studied them.
"Those are teeth of a sea serpent," the elderly woman joked. "I've had them since I was a boy. Found them in the forest by a lake that fed into the ocean. There were other bones there but I only took the teeth. Felt wrong to be there. Over the years only these two have remained out of them all."
"Will you take some rabbit skins for them?" she asked.
"Sure."
She headed towards her mom, studying the teeth. They were definitely dragon teeth. Now she wondered what the bones had looked like. By now they were long gone but it would have been interesting to see them. It would have given her a better understanding of how Enigma was built. It would give her an edge in treating any future injuries.
"Thank you," Vivian said cheerfully as she placed something in her backpack. "Ah Iris. I was just going to go look for you."
"Good thing I found you instead," Iris joked. She tucked the teeth in her pocket. "Then you wouldn't be tempted to do more shopping!" Her mom's backpack was bulging.
"Just some goodies," she said drily. Iris just giggled. "Let's head home. Your father is probably fretting."
"Dagur too probably."
In a comfortable silence they headed out of town. The moment they stepped through the pine trees Enigma was bouncing. It was obvious the dragon was ready to go. She had paced all the snow down and was making a trail. Iris laughed, wrapping her arms around Enigma in a hug.
"You missed me," Iris cooed. Enigma cooed back, rubbing her chin all over her. "Alright alright. Let's go home."
Eagerly Enigma crouched so both could get on easily. Iris turned her backpack around so it sat on her front like before. She looked at the hatchets eagerly. Hopefully Dagur would love his present. She couldn't wait for her birthday but for a different reason now.
