AN: Another short and quick chapter... Hope it can make someone happy :)

. o O o .

Chapter 5

"So, you're really done?" Mrs Ingerman exclaimed. She sounded half excited and half sad – which probably was a valid summary. Hiccup knew that her wishes for them to enjoy their new home were genuine, but she would surely miss the company, miss having people around at any time to chat with, to cook for, and who made small repairs for her every now and then – especially at this time of the year when there were no tourists to speak of.

"We are," Eret confirmed, a broad grin on his face even as he returned her hug. "But we promise to stop by every now and then. Your cooking is just too good to resist."

Laughing, Mrs Ingerman gave him a nudge to the shoulder. "Oh, you're a charmer, are you not? But I'd like that. Just give me a head start so that I can prepare enough for your appetite."

Chuckling, Hiccup and Eret sat down at the table she'd set for the three of them. "We will," Eret promised. "Luckily, our line is sufficient for a simple call like that." Hiccup's lips twitched at the perpetual tone in his boyfriend's voice. Their new home was remote and secluded, just as they'd wanted. But that also meant that they would forgo a working high-speed internet connection. While it was sufficient for sending and receiving simple emails, spontaneous video chats with employers, customers, or family members wouldn't be possible. And while driving to the nearby town to do those at scheduled times was a bit of an effort, it still meant that they would be able to live and work in peace most of the times.

He was just glad that they hadn't gotten rid of their BluRay- and video game collection just yet.

"And in return, you know you can call whenever you need some help, right?" Eret went on in a serious tone that made Hiccup smile. They both had developed a soft spot for their host. Which was good, he supposed. Getting along with their new neighbours would surely be of importance – even as said neighbours lived a couple of kilometres away.

But Mrs Ingerman seemed unperturbed. "Oh, don't you worry about me, Mr Hunter. I can take good care of myself. I'm used to that, after all." She winked good-humouredly, but then became serious again. "But I'm more worried about you two, all alone out there. I know, I know, you don't believe me," she went on as Eret rolled his eyes, preventing him from interjecting. It made Hiccup curious as it seemed to be a topic they'd talked about before. But then, they'd talked about a lot of things during the past weeks. "But I'll say it again, whether you want to hear it or not. Be careful! You wouldn't be the first men who disappear without a trace or get killed without a murderer ever to be convicted. Just saying."

At that, Hiccup's curiosity now got the better of him. "What do you mean?" he asked, amused about Eret's half-mocking groan of despair.

"I mean that you ought to be careful about the undine." She spoke in a serious voice, her expression grave, and she kept that on until Hiccup remembered where he'd heard that word before.

"Oh, you mean the mermaid?" he asked, trying to remember what little he'd gotten about that topic some weeks ago.

But Mrs Ingerman tsked, and gave Eret an indignant look. "She's not a mermaid," she exclaimed. "Seriously, I'd thought you of all people would at least tell the legend correctly.

"I didn't say anything about her at all," Eret tried to defend himself, but she wasn't even listening.

"An undine is not a mermaid, at least not like you folks think about them. Not a pretty girl with a fishtail, swimming around and rescuing castaways." She shook her head, her expressions darkening. "No, that's not what she's doing. She doesn't have a solid form until she chooses so, and even then the legends say that she can decide how she looks. She's a water spirit, and an evil one too. Whenever her kind interacts with humans, death follows her, so you better watch out. She could be the pretty girl you meet at the market or the elderly woman who needs help crossing a street. She could choose to be anyone, so long as it helps her luring in young impressionable men."

"Don't ask her how we're supposed to know that she isn't an undine," Eret murmured, grinning.

"Don't you mock me, young man," Mrs Ingerman glared at him. "I'm serious. She's dangerous. There was this boy once, always gloomy and alone. Then, from one day to the other, he was suddenly smiling all the time and people wondered for which of the village's girls he'd fallen as that was obviously the only sensible explanation for his behaviour. But they never found out, or at least not in time. Because a few days later, he was found on the beach, dead. He'd drowned, they said. Some said he'd done it himself because his love had turned him down, but deep down everybody knew what happened. The undine had stolen his heart, had lured him into the ocean, had drained him of his soul, and then had left him to die. Because that's what an undine does. She kills men – by eating their souls, by drowning them when they resist, or by corrupting their hearts until they kill themselves. So beware of her temptation, of her alluring song, her beauty. She's evil, I'm telling you. Evil!"

. o O o .

So light…

The creature wouldn't admit it even to herself, but being back in her bay was such a relief. It should be just the same as before, coming back to where she belonged, but it felt like more. She felt so light and giddy that she spend nearly the entire day playing with the waves, not caring about any humans. She was still far away from the shore, and she just felt too good to care anyway.

Only when the sun was on its way down to sink into the ocean, she calmed down again. This was where she belonged and this was where she would stay. No human would ever be able to chase her away from here.

With new-found confidence, she swam back toward the coast, to the little building that had caused her so much distress. At first, she was glad to find that it had lost its power over her. She even almost swam past it without noticing. And then she realised… it had lost its appeal. Once again, it was only another space where humans lived, meaningless, cold, and empty.

The disappointment hit her twice in a way. She was disappointed that the strange tugging at her soul was gone – and at the same time, she was disappointed in herself for being disappointed. Wasn't that what she'd wanted? To be free of this weird calling, to be strong enough to resist?

But no, she realised. No, that wasn't what she wanted. She wanted to understand.

With her giddiness gone, she sank down to the ocean's ground where it was dark and cold. Usually, this place helped to calm her mind, but today, it too only felt empty. What had she done? Trying to understand, she listened into herself, to her soul and her thoughts, her wishes. She was so confused.

And then she felt it. It was weak and not where she'd expected, but it was still there. The pulsing warmth that was calling for her, so alluring, irresistible. Her head snapped around into the direction of the call, listening intently, and a second later she was riding the currents faster than in a very long time.

When she reached her goal, a headland with another even smaller building of the humans on it, trilling laughter escaped her and made the waves around her dance with her joy. The warmth was still there. The humans were still there. She could see them standing near the shore, close, their warmth radiating like the sun itself. Humming, she basked in the warm waves that seemed to caress her cold soul like the water caressed her golden hair, and simply watched.

She'd been determined to ignore the strange lure they held on her… But there was no adventure in always doing the same. This was new, interesting, exciting. She felt the warning in her mind, the reminder that humans were dangerous, but she waved it off with an unwilling flick of her head. She wasn't doing anything. Just watching. Watching and learning.

. o O o .

Legends are a weird thing... aren't they?