CHAPTER 30
"Sigrid, put your father's axe down. It's much too large for you." Without lifting her eyes from the small child on the table before her, Tengan raised her voice, allowing it to carry across the room.
"Ma!" The young girl whined back as the heavy handle of the weapon thudded to the floor by her feet. "Da promised!" Her voice pitched higher as one her small feet taped an indignant rhythm on the floor beneath her.
"I heard him. He promised when you turned three he would start to teach you to fight. However, he did not promise to let you drag his axe across the house and damage the floor." Tengan countered calmly as she finished bundling the small boy. Hoisting him onto her hip, she turned and smiled down at her older child. "Patience, Little One. Breakfast just ended. Your Da will be back from the morning patrols soon." Her smile widened at the frustrated glare on the toddler's face. Though Sigrid's skin was a closer color to her own, her fiery hair and personality were all Dagur's.
"Down." The small boy on his mother's hip spoke up as he began to tip his upper body toward the floor. "Down." He repeated, his piercing green eyes locked on his older sister.
"Alright, Oswald." Tengan sighed as she set the smaller boy down. "Sigrid, why don't you practice your words with Oswald until your father gets back. Don't you want to show Nana how much you know when she arrives later?"
"Nana coming home? Today?" Sigrid asked, completely distracted from her campaign to steal the forbidden axe. Her eyes brightened as she glanced around the room,determined to find which piece of furniture her grandmother was hiding behind.
"She's not here yet." Tengan explained calmly as she retrieved the book they had been taking turns reading from the past week or so. It was one of her old journals detailing the missions she had flown with the Dragon Riders back when they were stationed at Berk. Dragons and fighting were the two subjects that always seemed to hold the girl's attention for longer than thirty seconds. "She's coming later for your party."
"Book." Oswald proclaimed as his small legs finally carried him over to his older sister. Grabbing at her hand, he led her over to the soft fur rug placed before the still smoldering hearth of the living room's fireplace and unceremoniously plopped himself down, his inquisitive eyes staring patiently up at Sigrid.
Tengan suppressed a giggle as the older girl gave in and sat next to her brother. As hard-headed and stubborn as she could be, she always had a soft spot for her baby brother. Once Oswald had begun to walk, the two had become nearly inseparable. Opening the book to their last marked passage, she set it down before them before sitting on the rug behind the siblings. "Do you need help remembering where we stopped?"
"No." Sigrid waved her mother off with a flick of her tiny wrist and leaned forward, her face comically close to the page as she studied the written words carefully. "Tooth...less was sad he had to…. av… av…. "
"Avoid." Tengan supplied gently as her eyes flicked to the stone still and silent Oswald. The small boy's eyes were locked onto his older sister as his fists tightened over bunches of fur. Of the pair, he seemed much more enthralled with the worlds hidden behind walls of written word, despite his young age.
"Avoid…" Sigrid continued, her face screwed up in concentration. "...the town. Thor was…. a-angry with him." The young girl's eyes widened as she and her brother looked up at their mother in unison. "Ma?" She asked, her small mouth falling open in surprise.
"If you want to find out why, you should keep reading. That's a very interesting story." Tengan coxed with a gentle smile as she settled in with her children. As Sigrid continued, slowly picking up speed as she worked her way down the pages, the young mother let her mind wander. She took a moment to feel a sense of well deserved pride as she listened to her daughter read with increasing confidence each day despite her young age. If she had half the interest in learning to write, the girl would have been considered advanced by the standards of the Shimmering Shores. She had no doubts her son would be the same, if not a more voracious scholar than his role model, as she watched him glare stubbornly at the pages as if to demand they release their secrets to him. No matter how well or poorly they did, Tengan knew she would always be proud of them.
"Where's the birthday girl?!" Dagur's voice boomed into the cabin as he swung the door open, one arm behind his back.
"DAAAA!" The pair of children shrieked as they scrambled to their feet, the book completely forgotten as they bolted over to their waiting father.
Tengan rolled her eyes softly, marked their new place with a strip of leather, and set the book on a high shelf for later. Turning to face her family, she fought a giggle at the sight. Dagur, clearly hiding something behind his back, was trying, and failing to scoop both wriggling children up off the floor with his remaining arm. Crossing the room in two long strides, she swept Oswald up into her arms, allowing him to gather Sigrid in his. "We missed you." She murmured softly before pressing a sweet kiss to his lips.
"I noticed." Dagur chuckled as he placed alternating kisses on his children's foreheads. Shifting Sigrid higher in his arms, he met the young girl's excited face with a comically serious expression. "Sigrid, we have something very important to do today. Do you remember?"
"Yes Da." Sigrid nodded enthusiastically. "You promised." Her smile faded into a deep pout as she pointed backwards into the room behind her. "Ma said no axe." She stated matter-of-factly.
Dagur bit on his bottom lip, his chest bouncing with barely contained laughter as he fought to keep his voice even. "Your Ma is absolutely right. My axe is way too big for you." His stern expression faded into a beaming grin as he finally revealed the object he had been hiding behind his back. The small, ornate axe looked to be just the right size for a small child. It's polished wooden handle was wrapped in soft leather and the blunted head shone brilliantly in the mid-morning sunlight streaming through the still open front door. "That's why your Ma and Da had this one made! Happy Birthday my little warrior!" Bringing the small axe closer to her, he swooped in and pressed a kiss on her cheek, smiling as her face began to squish against his with the pressure.
"Happy Birthday, Sigrid." Tengan added with a small smile as she ran her palm over her daughter's wild tangle of hair. "Little One, can you read what's written on the axe?"
Sigrid, eyes wide in eager anticipation to use her newest and greatest treasure, scrunched her eyes as she peered at the engraving on the flat edge of the metal. "S-Sigrid." She read out slowly, annunciating each of the syllables in her name. "Sigrid! Me! My axe! Just like Da!" She cheered, swinging her arms wildly.
Forseeing the danger, Tengan took half a step back and shifted Oswald on her hip just in time to avoid being clipped with the tiny weapon. Though blunted, she knew a direct hit would still hurt and she had no plans to patch up either herself or their son this early in the day. "Careful now Sigrid! It's not a toy."
"Your Mother's right." Dagur added as he gently set her down. "That is a warrior's weapon and you must learn how to use it properly." His stern, fatherly tone was being completely undermined by his grin. Clearly experiencing a proud papa moment, his eyes glimmered as he beheld his first born clutching at her first weapon.
Sigrid nodded solemnly, her eyes glued to her father as she took his words to heart. "Yes, Da." She glanced over her shoulder, back to where the larger axe sat on the floor. "Training now? Please?" She asked in her patented 'I Can Get Daddy To Do What I Want' voice, her eyes wide and hopeful.
Dagur's grin widened as he reached down to tousle her unkempt hair. "Of course! Anything for the Birthday Girl!" With quick movements, he slipped into the house and shouldered his axe.
"Go, go!" Oswald spoke up as he connected the dots. Typically content to watch and listen, he had only recently begun verbally calling for things he wanted. Lately, he had come to despise being left in the house with Tengan when Dagur took Sigrid out on patrol or to play in the stables.
Tengan shifted the bounding child higher on her hip and smiled at her beloved. "I guess the two of us are heading out as well." She paused outside as Dagur pulled the door shut behind them and instructed Sigrid on how to properly shoulder her axe while walking. Her smile widened as she hastened to copy her father's movements. "You're the spitting image of your Da." She grinned at the pair. "Have a great time and be back by lunch, you hear? I still have to do your hair before the guests arrive."
Sigrid nodded enthusiastically, bouncing on her heels. "Let's go, Da!" She encouraged, pressing her free hand into one of Dagur's calves and pressing all her toddler strength into the motion.
"Alright, alright we're going." Dagur conceded with a chuckle as he allowed the small girl to begin slowly pushing him down the path towards the training grounds. "Where are you two off to?"
"Probably over to the lower stables. I haven't been able to check in on the Auxiliary Riders the past few days." Tengan glanced off towards the center of town. "Any sign of Rumble? Or is he still off hunting on Wild Boar Island?"
"Could have sworn I saw him snoozing in the lower stables when we flew by this morning." Dagur added as Sigrid continued to push him further down the path. "If he's not in, feel free to take Sleuther! We took it easy this morning."
"Rum?" Oswald perked up at the mention of the Skrill's name, his eyes wide. "Ma? Rum?" The small boy gathered tight fistfulls of his mother's shirt as he began to impatiently bounce in her arms.
"Alright you two we're going!" Tengan let out a bark of exasperated laughter as she started off towards the village's center. "Remember! Be back home by lunch!" She called over her shoulder before redoubling her speed. "Yes, Oswald we're going to see Rumble." She murmured in a vain attempt to soothe the excited child.
Thankfully, neither child had ever shown any reluctance or fear when it came to the island's resident dragons but little Oswald seemed particularly drawn to the creatures, especially the Skrill. The moment he began to crawl and walk on his own, they had to start keeping a close eye on him. Once, as Dagur had been distracted by a trader, Oswald had crawled right over to Rumble, grabbed onto his nose spine and pulled himself upright for the first time in his life. The Skrill, for his part, seemed just as taken with the tiny human. He would playfully dangle the tip of his tail above the child or gently lift him by his clothes when he felt the boy was becoming too energetic for his own good.
It wasn't too surprising to Tengan that her dragon and her son got on so well. Not even taking into consideration Rumble's eagerness in helping raise Sigrid when she was smaller, the Skrill had become quite the accomplished father himself the past few years. A few weeks after Sigrid had been born, while Tengan still found the prospect of riding impossible, the Skrill had disappeared off the island for several days. He returned with a slightly larger female in tow and soon the pair established themselves on the island. Last winter the female, nicknamed Spark, had flown off to the nesting grounds and come back with four babies in tow. While still much too small to ride, the young Skrills were celebrated and often spoiled by all the Berserkers.
With the addition of breeding dragon pairs and the Auxiliary Riders on the island, it seemed only prudent to expand the stables. Seeing as the King of Dragons no longer slept beneath in the cave system, the dragons were now all free to come and go as they pleased. So, right in the center of town, a new stable, feeding station, and practice arena were built. The new facilities attracted a few wild dragons here and there and nowadays, it seemed like almost half of the island's residents had a flying partner of their own. Some, like the female Razorwhips who accompanied Windshear on their yearly pilgrimage to their nesting grounds still preferred the quiet of the clifftop stalls while others, mainly the bonded dragons, seemed quite happy soliciting scratches and treats from any and everyone who walked past the lower stalls.
"Rumble?" Tengan called out softly, mindful of a sleeping Shattermaster in one of the nearby stalls. "Are you here, boy?"
"Rum! Rum!" Oswald cried out before reaching for the ground, throwing his body as far forward as he could. "Down!"
"Alright, hold on!" Tengan fruitlessly requested as she set the child down. "Where's Rumble, Oswald?"
"Rum!" Oswald cried out again as he toddled forward as quickly as his tiny legs could carry him, abruptly waking Shattermaster in the process, who thankfully just huffed and rolled on his back to continue napping. Spotting a familiar purple tail, he redoubled his speed and volume. "Rum!" Rounding the corner, he approached the still somehow sleeping Skrill's head and came to a halt. "Rum!" He called again, his tiny face screwing up in frustration as his best friend simply slept on, oblivious to his visitors.
After the fifth or six cry of his name, the peaceful Skrill let out a long, palliative groan and cracked open one large eye, the pupil taking a second or so to focus on the tiny child standing over him. With a low rumble of greeting, he lifted his head off the ground and exhaled deeply, the fog of his breath nearly knocking the small boy to the ground.
"Rum!" Oswald beamed and flung himself forward across the dragon's snout, laughing as the vibrations of the dragon's humming tickled his stomach. "Up! Up!"
Tengan smiled as the Skrill complied and lifted his head ever so slightly higher so the boy's toes hovered a couple inches off the stone floor of the stable. Sliding past the two, she let her hands trail along the familiar dragon's scales as she retrieved a specialized saddle from a nearby shelf. Built very similarly to her old one, this saddle was made of firm but comfortable leather. The seat stretched farther back and featured a series of loops and straps on the front edge designed to anchor a small child to the seat in front of her. While it had originally been a gift from Gobber and Stoick shortly after Sigrid's birth, the saddle was still in fine condition and saw regular use again now that Oswald had decided Rumble was his second favorite thing in the world behind his older sister.
"Think you're up to checking in on the Auxiliary Team today boy?" Tengan asked as she settled the saddle into place, pausing to adjust the straps wherever they happened to snag on the dragon's scales. "Off Rumble's head now, Oswald. It's time to fly." Plucking the giggling toddler off the Skrill's nose, she slipped him into his straps with relative ease before settling down in the saddle behind him, her arms creating guard rails for the child as she held onto two of Rumble's longest horns.
"Fly! Rum! Fly!" Oswald squealed and patted the dragon's head with both of his tiny palms.
Rolling his shoulders, Rumble shuffled his wings before standing upright. With half a dozen long, loping strides, they cleared the stable and took off, climbing just high enough to avoid the rooftops of the tallest buildings below.
Tengan smiled down as Oswald fearlessly threw his hands into the air, squealing with unrestrained joy. Her heart always seemed to overflow whenever she could take to the skies with the children. It was a privileged sight she was glad to share with them and often daydreamed about what fabulous Riders they would make in their own time. "I think the drills are scheduled to be run out by the sea stacks today. Let's head over and check."
With the slightest shift in her weight, they trio angled out towards the open ocean. Before long several other shapes came into view. Nearly a dozen dragons, from Nadders and Gronckles, to a couple Razorwhips and even a Typhoomerang, were working with their riders. Today's lesson seemed to be on air defence from a grounded enemy. Half the dragons were desperately darting between the clustered rocks while the others took turns instructing their dragons to fire on their comrades from their stations on the rock. Coaxing Rumble to a halt, Tengan simply sat quietly, watching the drills with interest while absentmindedly playing with Oswald's hair.
After a few minutes, a particularly familiar Razorwhip glanced over at the pair and roared her greeting. Her rider, spotting the dragon's distraction, gave a brief wave before calling the exercise to a halt and beckoning the Skrill closer. "I thought you'd be busy getting Sigrid ready for the party later!" Heather called out warmly in greeting.
"Dagur gave her our gift a little early." Tengan called out over Rumble and Windshear's friendly growls of greeting. "They're practicing in the arena until noon. Figured it was a good time to stretch and check in on this lot." She gestured towards the now approaching group of dragons.
"They're not half bad." Heather admitted with a respectful nod. "Not that it's likely, but if we ever had to face a new threat on dragon back the enemy would be hard pressed to find a weak spot in their formations."
"Rum! Go go!" Oswald, bored with the mundane conversations of the adults, lightly patted the top of the Skrill's head with his open palms as he bounced as much as his restraints would allow.
"Looks like someone's eager to start flight training!" Heather teased lightly, hiding a laugh behind her hand.
Tenagn shifted one hand off of Rumble's headspike to soothe the excited Oswald. "He's been getting bolder every time we fly. If I'm not careful he'll start climbing onto random dragons soon." Looking up, she grinned at the group of riders that were typically under her command. "Heather says you've all been working hard and doing well. Anyone fancy a quick race to the cliffs and back to show me what you've been learning?"
"As long as you're prepared to lose for once!" Kralins called from his Nadder's saddle. The once border guard had been one of Tengan's first picks when she established the Auxiliary Riders soon after Sigrid's birth. Though hesitant at first, he had bonded quickly with his dragon and was arguably the best of the bunch.
"I look forward to seeing you try!" Tengan shot back good-naturedly as she crouched low in Rumble's saddle, her chin brushing against Oswald's locks.
While it was not the most productive session for the Auxiliary Riders, it was certainly the most enjoyable in recent memory. Between races, showing off trick flying, and a couple fire shooting contests, Tengan almost felt as if she were a teen Rider back on Berk. Just before noon, the group disbanded, each flying off in their own direction to rest or help with prep for the evening's party. It seemed every year, the children's birthdays turned into a bigger and bigger event as Dagur seemed desperate to outdo himself in spoiling the youngsters. Not that anyone seemed to mind, the semi-annual village-wide events were the perfect excuse to cut loose, put off a few minor chores, and celebrate in the company of their friends and families.
Just as the sun reached its apex, Tengan landed before her front door, extracted a very windswept Oswald from his seat, and quickly unsaddled Rumble. With a quick pat and a scratch under his chin, she released the dragon to his own devices and shouldered open the door. "Dagur! Sigrid! Are you two home yet? It's time for lunch!"
"MAAA! MAA!" Sigrid's excited, high pitched cries echoed from the back room towards the entryway. The young girl wasn't far behind, her dirty, mildly knotted hair bouncing wildly as she sprinted towards her mother.
Tengan barely had time to set Oswald on the ground before Sigrid latched onto her knees, her tiny arms gripping as tightly as she could. "Ma! Da showed me!" She managed to get her words out through heavy puffs of breath. "Da showed me to fight!" She grinned up at her mother, eyes sparkling.
"Didn't have to teach her much." Dagur added as he emerged from the back room, scooping Oswald up in his arms and planting a kiss on the young boy's cheek. "Our girl's a natural fighter! A real Berserker soldier!"
Tengan smiled down at her eldest child, cupping her cheeks with both hands. "I'm so proud of you! Why don't you tell me all about it while we prep lunch? Then I'll do the braids you like before the party."
Sigrid, still smiling, shook her head. "Da made lunch. And Nana said she braid."
"I hope you don't mind that I offered to do it. Dagur mentioned you've both been working so hard I figured I could take something off your plate." Makara's voice carried down and she and Frewin descended the stairs. "Hello, Little Scribe." She greeted warmly as pulled her daughter in for a hug, mindful not to step on Sigrid who was still clinging to her mother's legs.
"Mother! Father!" Tengan gasped in surprise as she turned to hug both her parents. "When did you two get here?"
"About an hour ago." Frewin answered as he reached down to tousle Sigrid's hair. "We settled Wavebreaker and Kelp in at the lower stables and happened to come across Dagur and Sigrid as they were walking back." Smiling, he gently thumped the fiery-haired chief on the shoulder. "I had no idea he could smoke a mutton leg so perfectly."
Somehow, in a whirlwind of activity and endless insisting on Makara and Frewin's part, within half an hour, Oswald was nursed, Tengan was fed, and the small family was sitting in the main room while Frewin fetched a slightly bulging saddlebag.
"Now Sigrid." Frewin began, his voice painfully slow and drawn out as he set the bulgin bag down before the excited children. "Three is a very important age. But you knew that already, right?"
Sigrid, her wide eyes glued to the bag, nearly vibrated with energy as she nodded. "Yeah! Da says I'm a big girl! Can fight now!" Leaping to her feet, she held her small axe aloft over her head, her face scrunched up with all the fierceness the small child could muster.
"Of course it does!" Frewin continued with a booming laugh. "But it also means something more. Your Ma was about your age when she began learning to write her letters." Opening the bag with a small flourish, he extracted a recently rebound leather book and opened it so the two small children could see. Scattered among the pages were line after line of large, messy block letters. Many were smudged or simply faced the wrong direction.
"Those are Ma's letters?" Sigrid asked, setting her axe down as her head tilted in curiosity. "So messy!" She giggled, pointing at a particularly crooked and smudged and backwards P.
"We all are when we first start out." Makara added with a patient smile. Reaching around Frewin, she flipped lowly through the book, showing the slow but steady progress from wiggly lines to neatly structured letters and even a couple sentences. About halfway through the book, the writing completely faded out, leaving a plethora of untouched pages. "These pages are for you to practice in Sigrid. Once you can write all your letters you can start keeping journals just like your Mother."
Tengan shared a warm smile with Dagur before gently placing her hand on Sigrid's tiny shoulder. Her heart melted as her child seemed captivated with the seemingly endless sea of blank pages. While she had tried to encourage her to start practicing writing, up until now, the excitable mini-Dagur had seemed more keen on reading and fighting than struggling through the tedious process of mastering the art of penning her thoughts. "And once you start keeping your own journal, I'll give you a whole shelf in the library for your books."
"Really Ma?!" Sigrid beamed as she tilted her head back to look straight up at her mother. "A shelf for Sigrid books?"
"A whole shelf." Tengan promised with a small nod.
Oswald, wholly unimpressed with the apparent lack of story in the journal, wiggled his way past his older sister and began tugging at the still full saddlebag, standing on his toes to peer inside it. "Book?" He asked the dark contents within.
Frewin chuckled and stuck his hand back in the bag. "No Oswald, no book for you this time. But we figured you'd enjoy this." His hand reappeared, clutching a small, soft wood sword with extremely rounded and expertly sanded edges. "Sigrid had a practice sword much like this one when she was your age."
"My play sword!" Sigrid cried out in excited recognition as she began to reach for the toy.
Dagur was faster, his hand catching his daughter's outstretched arm before she could connect with the toy. "Yours broke last year when you hit that rock, remember? That's Oswald's toy sword. Besides, you have your own big-viking axe."
Sigrid frowned for half a moment before she remembered her newly acquired treasure. Smiling, she backed away from the toy and picked her tiny axe up off the floor. "Oswald has the toy sword!" She proudly announced to the room.
Oswald, totally unperturbed by his sister's interception attempt, gingerly took the toy from his grandfather. He stared at each of the adult's faces in turn, as if confirming no one would dare try to take his prize before holding it proudly in front of him, his determined expression trained on the small sword. "Mine." He stated plainly.
"Yes, that one is yours." Makara confirmed. "Frewin, why don't you take Oswald outside and let him try it out while Sigrid and I get started on her braids?"
As the children happily toddled off with their grandparents, Tengan and Dagur quickly found themselves with nothing to do for the couple of hours preceding the party. With little insistence from Makara, they soon found themselves happily resting in bed and enjoying an all too rare moment of peace. "It's been a long while since we've had a few minutes of quiet to ourselves." She murmured into the darkness as she snuggled into her partner's chest.
Dagur chuckled, the sound filling the room as he drew her in closer. "Too long. Maybe we should ask your parents to come stay with us."
Tengan snorted. "We'd have more luck convincing Hiccup to stop riding Toothless." Shifting in his embrace, she planted a long, tender kiss to his lips. "I will admit, it is nice to have a private moment with you... Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" She asked, a small smile tugging at her lips.
Dagur grinned back and shifted so he laid on his back with Tengan's head propped up on his chest. One arm snaked under her shoulder and came to rest on the small of her back while the other was folded behind his head. "That a nap would be perfect right now?"
"You know me so well." Tengan murmured sleepily as she quickly drifted off into the love of her life's arms.
That evening the small clan emerged from the hut and began down the gently sloping path to the open air hall used for everything from council meetings to celebrations. Tengan walked arm in arm with Dagur as she chatted idly with Makara, who was holding a still lightly dozing Oswald on her hip. On Dagur's opposite side, Sigrid, suspended in the air between Dagur and Frewin, shook her head continuously to show off the detailed braiding Makara had done for her earlier, her tiny axe attached to her narrow leather belt.
As the group rounded the corner into the decorated arena, an explosion of "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" and various punctuating roars filled the air. Dozens upon dozens of smiling faces and several excitable dragons, both bonded and wild intermingled with the celebrating vikings. Poor Oswald jolted in his grandmother's arms and nearly toppled to the ground in his panic.
Sigrid wasted no time in diving into the festivities. Tearing off into the fray, she hardly noticed Dagur lightly jogging behind her to keep up as she tackled Heather, her tiny arms clinging around her aunt's legs. "Look! Look!" She hollered up at the raven haired viking as she unsheathed her axe, holding it aloft for all the gathered warriors to "ooh" and "ahh" over.
Tengan, with a quick glance over to make sure Dagur still had half an eye on Sigrid, gathered Oswald from Makara and set him gently down on the ground, one hand encasing nearly half of his forearm as she allowed him to lead them into the fray. "Why don't you two go and get something to drink?" She suggested to her parents as they approached the first wave of people. "I should make a quick circuit and greet everyone. It looks like Hiccup brought half of Berk along with him."
The first couple hours of the party melded together in a lovely chaotic blend of greetings. Nearly every Berserker wished to pass on their praise of the fine young warriors both her children were shaping up to be. Twice, Oswald was coaxed into flexing his non-existent muscles to the delight of the crowd.
"There you are!" Astrid's voice carried over the crowd as she shuffled her way past several men. "Hey little man!" She smiled down at Oswald and tousled his hair.
Grinning up at the blond, who he always seemed particularly fond of, Oswald raised both arms and grasped at the air. "Up!" He all but commanded of the Nadder trainer.
Laughing, Astrid quickly complied and settled the small boy on his hip. "Glad to see he still remembers me!"
Tengan rolled her eyes playfully. "Please. You know your stories are some of his favorites. Although I think he's just now started connecting the Astrid in the books to you." With a quirk of her head, she began to lead the other woman over to a nearby plate of food. "So, how has everything been on Berk? Is Valka settling in well?"
Astrid nodded and passed a large honey treat to Oswald on to nibble at before grabbing one for herself. "She's is. Has already been a great help with the new crop of Riders. Even Gustav listens to her without question. As for Berk, it's looking more and more like a dragon sanctuary each day. No one would ever guess we used to hunt them. It all seems like a distant, fuzzy dream now….." She paused to toss a mutton leg over to a lurking Monstrous Nightmare. "Although, I'm sure Heather's told you all about this already."
"Actually no." Tengan shook her head mildly as the pair began to walk the party once more, their treats on tow. "She's been keeping information about her frequent visits to herself lately. Dagur and I have a friendly bet on when she'll announce Fishlegs makes their betrothal official."
"I hope you chose sometime sooner rather than later." Astrid added with a smile. "He's been seen out by the field where your hut is more days than not. Personally, I think he and Mealug have been building a new hut. Hiccup goes out to help him sometimes but his lips are sealed. I've only flown over it once but it looks big enough for at least two people and has an attached stable big enough for a couple dragons."
Tengan let out a long, low whistle, sincerely impressed with his efforts. "No matter when it happens, it'll be bittersweet for us here. She deserves to go off and enjoy her life but she'll be sorely missed. I wouldn't be surprised if Dagur ends up walking around with a kicked puppy expression for a couple weeks after."
"Did I hear my name?" Dagur greeted cheerfully as he approached the pair and planted a sweet kiss on Tengan's lips as his arms wound around her waist.
"Maybe… Where's Sigrid?" Tengan asked mildly as she scanned the crowd for their daughter.
"With Heather and Girlnut. She insisted on showing them all the forms we went over this morning." Grinning, he held his arms out to Oswald. "Come here, Little Man."
"No!" Oswald pouted and grabbed fistfulls of Astrid's shirt as he leaned his head against her shoulder.
Laughing, Astrid shifted her grip on the boy. "Guess I'm on babysitting duty for a while." She turned slightly to smile as the child. "Hey Oswald, do you want to come with me and say hi to Stormfly?"
Dagur perked up at the mention of the Nadder. "Actually, I've been meaning to ask you a few questions if you have a minute. A couple of the Berserkers here have started working with this one really stubborn Nadder. Think you could help us out?"
Astrid nodded, a spark of interest in her eyes. "Dagur, you've come to the right dragon trainer. Tell me about it on the walk over to the stable?"
Tengan smiled at the pair and pressed a kiss on Dagur's cheek. "You three go on ahead. I'm going to stay back and make sure Sigrid doesn't cut anyone's ankles." With a small wave towards Oswald, who scarcely seemed to notice anyone other than Astrid, she began to meander back towards the throng of the party, stopping briefly to thank her guests for coming.
Spotting Sigrid performing her basic stances and swings for the very captivated Heather and Ruffnut, she waved at the trio before settling down on a nearby bench, content to watch the party unfold around her. As Sigrid completed her lengthy demonstration, she called out gently, holding her arm aloft so the child could see her clearly.
Chest heaving from exertion and a board grin firmly in place, the girl bounded over to her mother, careful to keep the blade of her axe away from her legs. "Another party tomorrow?" She asked as she finally closed the distance between them, her wide eyes sparkling in the firelight of the torches.
Tengan smiled warmly, scooping her daughter up into her lap. "Not tomorrow. We can have another party for Oswald's second birthday but that won't be for a few months." She gave the child a quick hug. Glancing up, she smiled as she noticed Astrid and Dagur, now holding a squirming Oswald, rejoin the party. "Why don't you go show off your new axe to Astrid? Remember, she's one of the strongest warriors on Berk. I'm sure she'll be impressed with everything you learned from your Father today."
As the newly invigorated child ran off to find the Nadder trainer, Hiccup collapsed into the empty seat next to her, smiling wearily. Never one to be far from his boy, Toothless greeted Tengan with a gentle nudge before lying comfortably behind the pair, his head resting on his front legs.
"Don't tell me you two are tired already?" Tengan teased. "Are you going to let the three year old birthday girl outpace you?"
"Happily." Hiccup sighed as he smiled out over the festivities. "Sleep is getting harder to come by now that I'm chief and Toothless is the alpha. This is the first day 'off' we've had in a couple months."
Tengan nodded thoughtfully. "How are you doing?" She asked quietly after a moment.
Hiccup sighed, his smile taking on a more bittersweet edge. "Some days are better than others. It's been great having my mother back but…. I still miss him. Every day. Sometimes things get so out of hand and I wish I had him for advice…. for help. Gobber's been great but…" He trailed off.
"It's not the same." Tengan finished gently. "And it never will be. You and Dagur should talk more. He's been missing his father a lot more lately. Especially with all the milestones the children are reaching. He explains it almost as if he forgets what he's missing sometimes. Then Sigrid or Oswald will have a first. A first word, their first steps, their first ride on dragon-back and he says in those moments his first thought is 'I can't wait to tell Dad.'... And then he remembers."
Hiccup swallowed heavily and nodded once. After a long moment he found his voice once more. "Yeah… yeah it feels something like that."
The pair sat in a comfortable silence for a couple more minutes, watching the festivities unfold around them. Several times Sigrid's flaming hair would come into view as she darted between the legs of guests or managed to convince one to hoist her on their shoulders.
"There you two are!" Dagur boomed as approached the table, a fussy Oswald on his hip. "Hey T, good to see you." He greeted Toothless with a rough scratch under the chin, smiling as the Night Fury responded with a small rumble of appreciation. Sitting down, he struggled to contain the wriggling toddler. "Was looking for you baby. He seems exhausted but won't settle down for me at all."
"Come here, you." She gently collected her now whining child and gently began to rock her body back and forth, one hand coming up to lightly thump Oswald's back as she angled his face away from the bright lights and dancing people. "It is way past your bed-time, huh Oswald?" She murmured as he slowly began to settle in her arms.
"Isn't she the best?" Dagur asked Hiccup with a smile and small gesture towards Tengan. "Training babies is WAY different than dragons but she always seems to know what to do." He sighed in relief before roughly slapping his thigh. "That reminds me! I saw Astrid was wearing her betrothal necklace. When exactly are we going to see an invitation for the ceremony, Brother? Sigrid and Oswald deserve to have some cousins by now."
Hiccup, who had just begun a long drought from a mug of hot cider nearly choked as he lunged forward, his eyes wide. "Wha-wha kids? For me and Astrid! No-no no no we're nowhere NEAR ready for that yet. B-Besides don't you have a sister? Why don't you ask her for some cousins?"
Dagur, biting his lip as he smiled at Hiccup's stuttering panic, burst into roaring laughter, only settling when he noticed Oswad start to stir at the noise. "Sorry, Little Man." He whispered to his son as he straightened. "I'm just messing with you, Brother. You're much too easy. But do tell me, what's been happening on Berk lately. Your letters are teasingly sparse on details."
"Sorry about that." Hiccup responded as he attempted, in vain, to wipe the dribbled cider off his shirt. "We've heard reports of rouge dragon trapper factions and don't want to risk too much information in easily intercepted letters." With a deep breath he began to describe all the efforts the Berkians had made to incorporate the now exponentially growing dragon population on their island. Apparently, word travels fast among dragons and when many had heard Toothless had defeated a Bewilderbeast, many had come seeking protection on Berk. They had tunneled into the cliff side to expand their stables, incorporated perpetually moving perches so dragons could take off and land without needing a runway, and countless other minor improvements.
"You know, it might do you two some good to come check it out." Hiccup concluded, his smile and posture much more relaxed. "I've seen the improvements you've made on the stables here and with a little tweaking we could make them even better. Even with the small factions of trappers here and there, I don't think any would try to take down two riders with a Skrill and Triple Stryke. It's a great time to visit."
"There you are!" Astrid's cool voice carried over the din as she stormed over to the table. "Let me guess, he's been filing you in on all of his latest dragon inventions and from Berk?" Glancing between Tengan and Dagur's matching smiles and Hiccup's guilty shrug gave her all the answer she needed. "That ends now mister. You can always talk about dragons tomorrow. Right now we're dancing. It's been months since we last had a chance!" With a small wave to the couple, she roughly yanked a stammering Hiccup to his feet and quite literally dragged him along to the dance floor. After a moment, Toothless stood and with an exaggerated stretch and yawn, trotted off to join the party as well.
"Brother makes some strong arguments." Dagur commented after a long moment of silence, his eyes lazily tracking Hiccup and Astrid as they danced among the other guests. "It has been a couple years since we've traveled off our shores."
"You make a good point." Tengan agreed as she rubbed small, soothing circles on Oswald's back as she idly rocked back and forth to the benefit of the sleeping babe. "The Auxiliary Riders are doing exceptionally well. They could easily defend the island if something were to happen."
"You make it sound as if they won't obey Heather." Dagur added lightly as his gaze shifted to watch his sister laugh and dance arm in arm with Fishlegs.
Tengan followed his gaze, her smile softening at the sight. "You and I both know she's not going to stick around here for much longer. As much as this will always be her home, she's clearly ready to move on and start a family."
A comfortable smile stretched between the pair for a long while as they watched the festivities. Sigrid seemed to thrive on all the attention. She stopped every guest she ran into to show off her braids and axe. "You know, I've got him." Tengan spoke up after a while. "You can rejoin the party if you'd like."
"And miss out on the opportunity to sit next to the most beautiful warrior on the island? No way." Dagur teased as he leaned over to plant a soft kiss on her lips, mindful of their sleeping son.
Tenagn smiled in spite of herself, rolling her eyes playfully. "As you wish." A long, content sigh escaped her lips as she glanced over towards the party goers once more. "Before we visit Hiccup, we need to go to the Shimmering Shores first. My parents have flown up several times to see the children but we haven't made the journey south with them yet. It will be good for them to see where their mother comes from."
"Of course." Dagur agreed quickly as he carefully slipped an arm behind her back, resting his hand on her hip. "Spring is in full swing and all the crops are growing. There won't be much for us to do until fall. We could spend a week or so down there, head home to make sure no one burned anything down while we were gone, and head to Berk after. As long as we check in now and again and are back before harvest, we could take the whole summer to explore with the kids. Show them all the places you've been having them read about."
Tengan slowly leaned against his side and smiled, lost in the fantasy of traveling the archipelago once more, her entire family in tow. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, my love."
A/N: And that's all folks! Thanks again for sticking with Tengan through her journey. This was a story that has been slowly developing and evolving in my brain for several years. I'm so glad others found enjoyment in it as well. I've decided to do a mini series continuing with this tiny family through the events of HTTYD3 and a little beyond, if anyone is interested in seeing more of Dagur, Tengan, Sigrid, and little Oswald. However, it will be a few weeks before I dive into that story line. I need a break from writing on a set schedule. Also, I recently found out I'm expecting a little one of my own and pregnancy has not been kind to me so far. I've also been binging a lot of Star Trek TNG as the TV with Netflix is closest to the bathroom so I may also dip my toes into a OC/Data fic. Either way, I love you all, thank you again for all the encouragement and I'll see you all in the future!