Lukas was a mess by the time Mathias and Berwald managed to drag him back to his cabin. "I-I froze. I-Instead of helping her...I p-panicked and tried to attack Aiyanna...I-It's my fault. I could have saved her. I could have used magic to heal her. I locked up," said Lukas, sobbing as Mathias entered the house and forced Lukas to sit down on the couch. "It wasn't your fault. Lukas, Dagny wouldn't want you to beat yourself up. Tino, could you make him some tea or something...I think he's either going to go numb or freak out soon," said Mathias, adding the last part in a low voice to Tino.
Tino nodded and quickly went to the kitchen to make tea with shaking hands. It wasn't until he turned to set the cup on the counter that he spotted the runes Dagny had left there. He frowned. Lukas usually got mad if they messed with his magic stuff and he didn't want to mess with his stuff in case it was important. Tino swallowed and poked into the kitchen. "Lukas, is it okay to move the rune stones you left on the counter?" he asked.
Lukas just stared into the distance. "Um...Lukas?" asked Tino gently. Berwald gave the Norweigen a concerned look. "What rune stones? I left a bag of rune stones on the table...for Dagny. She kept asking for some...so I finally made her some," he muttered quietly. "Well...They're not on the table. They're spread out on the counter. It looked like someone had used them, but I can just put them away if you want," said Tino. "No! You said it looked like they had been used?" he asked. Tino nodded. Lukas stood up. "Show me. She said she needed help. Maybe she asked the runes for advice," he said.
Lukas rushed into the kitchen, surprising Mathias and Berwald who had to physically lug him back here, and came to a sudden stop at the counter, his face going white. Berwald frowned. "What is it Lukas?" he asked. "She was pregnant…" Lukas said in the smallest voice. Mathias's eyes bulged. "WHAT?!" he asked. "She was pregnant...The third line of the prophecy says something about a dead mother. She was pregnant...That's why she went to Aiyanna for help…," said Lukas, frozen.
"H-How do you know? M-Maybe this is a fluke or something. W-Who would have been with her to-to do...THAT!" said Mathias, stammering. "We're nations. We don't need physical contact to have children. If the child is a nation, they can be born of influence alone...But none of our influence would have done it...our influence is too similar to our mother's for that to be a possibility. We just enabled her discovery...A-Another nation might have been here then...or will be here within the next few centuries…" said Lukas flatly.
"B-But what about the symbols she was writing. They were runes. What was she trying to do?" asked Mathias, beginning to pace back and forth. Lukas leaned against the counter, looking at his feet. "She was trying to save the baby...The runes she put on herself read 'Destiny' and the runes on Native America read 'Rebirth and Protection.' I don't know how well it will work, or if it would at all. If it does, I will fight for the baby to be hours, even if I have to kill Aiyanna. I won't let her hurt my family any further. But the spell won't work. Dagny was incredibly low on magic when she was dying. I could feel it," said Lukas plainly.
Tino swallowed. "Lukas...Are you okay? I shouldn't have called you into the kitchen...Why don't you go sit down? I'm almost done with the tea," he said. "Alright," said Lukas without emotion, leaving the kitchen. They watched him go. "...I don't think he's taking it as well as he's trying to make look…" said Mathias. Tino shook his head. "It just happened...we need to give him...and ourselves some time," he said before finishing the tea. Berwald nodded. "We need to comfort him," was all the Swede could add.
A week or two later, Lukas was still cold and emotionally closed off from the others, enough so that the others had a meeting without him to discuss it. "Guys, he isn't getting any better. He's starting to worry me. Before I could get him to smile a bit but now it's like telling jokes to a scowling wall. He was stoic before but he's gotten a lot worse…" started off Mathias, playing with the glass of water in his hands. Tino wouldn't let him have any mead.
Tino ran a hand through his hair. "I know...I've noticed too. We haven't been able to get anywhere in terms of planning what to do regarding the natives. He shuts down whenever we bring up the subject. The settlers are starting to get a little restless being trapped within the territory lines. I don't think being here is helping Lukas either, especially since the settlers are now connected to him," he said.
Mathias frowned. "What do you think is the best course of action? We just get up and leave? If Dagny's pregnancy proves anything is that someone else is gonna just swoop in on this place," he said. "It proves that either if we leave or stay that someone else is gonna swoop in," said Berwald quietly. Tino sighed. "I think Berwald and I should go and talk to Aiyanna. You can keep Lukas distracted for us. We can see if things have calmed down any between us," he said.
The other two were quiet before Berwald simply nodded. Mathais sighed. "I suppose it would be a good idea...that and we can find out if Lukas needs to go steal any kids out of their craddles anytime soon. That sounds so messed up. This whole thing is messed up," said Mathias, running a hand through his hair and sounding defeated for a moment. Berwald poked Denmark's shoulders. "We're Vikings. We can handle it," he said, quoting the Dane. Mathias smiled slightly at that.
"Well...I like your idea. Berwald can be the intimidating muscles and you could be the sweet talkier! I'll force Lukas to come in and make some pastries with me. That should keep him distracted for a good amount of time, especially if I find a way to convince his troll friends to steal some of the pastries in front of him or something. You just be quick and careful. She already killed one of us…I don't need any more casulties," he said. Berwald and Tino nodded before getting up. "C'mon Lukas, we're making cookies!" shouted Mathias, running into the living room.
Aiyanna pulled her face away from the pot she's been throwing up into for the past three days. She put a hand to her stomach, grimmacing. She didn't need to go to the Shaman to figure out what was going on. She's already had plenty of pregnancies with each of the tribes, though she should confirm it with the Shaman. She wondered were the new tribe was from before she started barfing again.
She froze when she felt someone come into her area, or at least cross the boader that she and the Nordics had agreed on. She groaned. This was not the time for an attack. Putting a hand on her stomach, she grabbed her spear wondering if the pregnancy was a sign that her own time was coming. She shook her head. Aiyanna still wasn't completely over Dagny's death if she were to be honest with herself.
Aiyanna walked to the border where she found Tino and Mathias standing a few feet on her side of the border. They didn't appear armed but Aiyanna felt her hand grip the spear a bit more tightly. She opened her senses to the land around her. It didn't seem like there was anyone with them. "Where are the others? What have you come for?" she asked, deciding they were likely not going to exchange plesantries.
"...We have some concerns now that we have learned about new developments," said Berwald in the longest sentence she has ever heard him say. "We come in peace. Promise! Grandmother Earth can vouch for us, right Earth?" said Tino nervously. A wind bringing in white feathers from a dove came between them before dying down. Aiyanna nodded, throwing her spear aside. "Then I will be happy to repay that peace," she said, looking them over.
They looked worse for wear. Tino looked jittery and tired, like a little bit of the spark that made him so perky died. Berwald's lips were pulled in tighter with dark bags around his eyes. She didn't want to know how Lukas and Mathias looked. Aiyanna bowed down her head. "I'm sorry. I know you did not believe me when I first said it and I don't blame you if you still do not, but I am sorry for what happened to Dagny. I-I shouldn't have let everything get out of control the way it did...I truly regret hurting her. She was my friend," said Aiyanna, not looking them in the eye.
Tino sighed. "Thank you for your apology...But we didn't come for one, thought we do appreciate it. It's just that...We found somethings out about why Dagny came here and wanted to ask you some questions about it," he said. Aiyanna nodded, glancing at Berwald before gesturing in the direction of her camp. "If we are to speak of such grave matters, let's at least speak where it's comfortable. It's starting to snow and I doubt either of you want to be made frozen by the wind," said Aiyanna. The two men nodded and followed her back to her tent.
She had them sit down before pouring them something to drink. "What is this?" asked Tino. "It's hot chocolate, something my sister from the south has taught me to make. I hope you like it," she said, handing each of them a cup. "Thank you," said Berwald. Tino echoed this before taking a sip and smiling. "It's nice. Would you like to trade recipes? I have a recipe for a pastry you might enjoy," said Tino. Aiyanna nodded, not eating anything herself because food was making her naseous.
"I would be happy to do that, but could we please get down to business first. What developments did you discover? Did you figure out what those marks meant? Or what she need my help for?" asked Aiyanna. Tino and Berwald exchanged a look before Tino deflated, looking a bit defeated. "Um...I don't know how to put it...but she was pregnant. That's why she was looking for your help. She knew us guys wouldn't know how to help her much," said Tino.
Aiyanna's jaw dropped. "S-She was pregnant? How far along? How did you find out? Do you know who-" Berwald cut her off quickly with a shake of his head. "Don't know," he said. Aiyanna blinked. "You don't know...How could you not know?...The growth spurts...Any weird changes…." she trailed off. "We assumed was because of the latest growth spurt...We don't know how far along she was, but it must not have been very long," said Tino.
"No...She wasn't even showing...but that explains why she came back despite the warning I gave her. I'm the only female personification she knows...knew, wasn't I?" asked Aiyanna quietly. Berwald simply nodded. Aiyanna swallowed. "What were the symbols on her stomach then? They were a magic of some sort, though I don't know what her intention with them was. Did Lukas figure that out?" she asked.
"They're runes...symbols from our homes. The symbols on her read 'Destiny' and the ones she put on you meant 'Rebirth and Protetion...She was trying to magically pass on the pregnancy to you," said Tino hesitantly. Aiyanna stared them at them, her stomach churning dangerously. The boys stared at her for a few seconds before Tino cleared his throat, cheeks turning pink from embarassment. "So, um, a-are you pregnant? I mean did it work…" asked Tino.
Aiyanna glared at them. "That is quite a question to ask a woman. I understand that you're not from around here but you don't ask a woman that question unless you're her husband or you're looking to get slapped," she said. Tino's face got redder, even Berwald was blushing and not looking at her. "W-Well we needed to know...L-Lukas said that if he can't have his sister around he wants any nephews and nieces to come home with us," said Tino.
Aiyanna raised her eyebrow. "Home? To the settlement?" she asked. Tino shook his head. "...To our lands. I think. I know he was...very upset at the announcement," he said. Aiyanna frowned. "Well...wouldn't the father want the kids if she had them?" she asked. "Don't know who he is. If anything, Lukas would probably kill the guy," said Berwald. Aiyanna spotted a girl shake her head at her through the crack of her tent before leaving.
"Well, as far as I know it did not work. I haven't felt any different since she placed the...runes you say? Since she placed them on my stomach. Tell Lukas that I'm sorry to tell him that. I'm sure having her bring him relatives would have eased the grief a little for him. How is he doing?...How are you all doing?" asked Aiyanna, asking the last part a bit quietly as she tried to figure out what she just saw.
"He's taking it hard..we all are. It's a lot to take in. Lukas has kind of...sinked inside himself. But he'll be fine in a few more weeks. We all will," said Tino, looking uncomfortable. Aiayanna sighed and quickly told him her recipe and bid him goodbye, escorting the two men back to the border and retreiving her spear. Who was that girl that stopped and warned her of telling the men she was pregnant? Aiyanna frowned and put a hand on her belly. "...Did the spell work? Is that why I'm pregnant?" muttered Aiyanna.
"Yes and yes. I'm sorry Aiyanna...but it was the only way to save them…" muttered a voice behind her. Aiyanna jumped and spun around, spotting a girl standing in the spot where Dagny had died weeks earlier. Aiyanna squinted and slowly approached the spot. "Dagny….Is that you?" asked Aiyanna in disbelief. The ghostly figure nodded, a hole going through her chest. "It's me. Don't worry, I didn't come back to haunt or hurt you. I'm your protection," said Dagny.
Aiyanna frowned. "What do you mean by that?" she asked. "The rune...the one that said protection. It was my attempt to protect my children. Because you carry them, I need to keep you safe as well and help you find ways to keep them on their land here. If they leave while they're too young...Europe isn't safe. It isn't safe for them and they won't be connected to their land properly. They shouldn't have to suffere from the propehcy. I won't let my brothers or you mess up their fate," said Dagny with an edge Aiyanna has never heard from her before.
"They? Dagny, I've already done this pregnancy several times for my own kids. This is the first and last time I'm doing it for you. Once is enough to make up for your death. This is incredibly crazy and you should have asked first!" said Aiyanna, stammering as she tried to wrap her head around it. Dagny put a hand on Aiyanna's stomach, sending a chill through Native America.
"You didn't ask any questions before setting up the prophecy or killing me. Like you said, it will make up for my death. And yes, 'they.' Twins," said Dagny. Aiyanna blinked before her eyes widened. "Twins?! Nononono...One birth per death. It's a lot harder to have a baby than it is to stab someone. And I didn't mean to! I-I didn't realize it was you. I'm so sorry Dagny. I'm sorry for everything," said Aiyanna, starting to tear up.
Dagny gave her a hug, her form going through Aiyanna momentairly. Dagny giggled. "Sorry. You should get home. You look a bit green. Get something to eat. I know you've been throwing up but the babies need food. I'll be checking up on you every now and again. Kuma should be coming to the camp once he gets big enough. But Aiyanna, promise me you won't let my brothers take my babies away...If they leave this land I won't be able to see them again," she said sadly.
Aiyanna sighed. "I promise. I won't let your brothers take your babies away. I'll take care of them. You should go on to the next life or whatever is waiting for you. It isn't healthy for you to just hang around. I'm sure your brother Lukas will eventually figure out that you're still here if you don't leave as well. If that happens, he'll probably find out about the babies too," said Aiyanna sternly. Dagny shook her head. "I'll leave...once I know my kids will be alright. I promise I won't be a nuisance!" said Dagny.
Aiyanna felt something in her twist at the last sentence. She had treated Dagny like a nuisance all the time that she new her...at least to the point that Dagny had to clarify that she was going to try not to pester her. "...Fine. Fine. I guess it's only fair that you be around your kids for their sake...That and what kind of person would I be to deny you the right to be there during the pregnancy. But you have to promise to leave once you are sure they're fine. Dagny, I wasn't kidding when I said you shouldn't delay moving on," warned Aiyanna.
Dagny smiled at her. "I'll move on once I know they're safe...Once this is all over. I promise that Aiyanna," said Dagny, glowing a little once she did that. Aiyanna shuddered. Dagny didn't seem to realize that she had just made a vow. Looks like they were stuck with each other for a good while. "But how is it that I can see you? I'm not normally able to see ghosts without spells," said Aiyanna. "The runes...That and you carry my children. One or both of them must be able to see spirits," said Dagny, patting Aiyanna's belly.
"Don't do that. Your hand is cold," muttered Aiyanna before turning around and continuing back home with the ghost beside her. "Sorry. What's it been like so far? You don't look round," said Dagny. Aiyanna sighed. "That won't happen for about a month yet. I've just have been getting sick very often, especially when I smell food. Food tastes weird. The usual. I have had plenty of other children. The nine months will past quickly compared to the decades I've already been through," huffed Aiyanna.
"Well...Hopefully you can hide it from my brothers. How are they by the way? I can't seem to go on my own settlement...I guess it's because it's still going on even though I'm dead," mumbled Dagny. "That is odd. From what I heard, Norway isn't doing very good. Tino and Berwald seem to be trying to pull through it. They didn't say anything about Mathias. I assume they left him behind because he was either too annoying, taking care of Lukas, or both. I assume both is probably the most correct," said Aiyanna.
Dagny smiled slightly. "That's probably the real reason….I should find a way to check up on Lukas. He's got to be upset with me. I didn't tell him or anyone about any of this….I can't see them but when I get to the outskirts of the settlement I can hear them speak. They're worried about him, especially after the funeral," she said. "Funeral? And how was that for you? It must have been...surreal," said Aiyanna. Dagny shook her head.
"They're having it tomorrow. They had to delay it because Lukas was in denial for a few days. He thought I was going to come back…" she said, swallowing when she remembered hearing Mathias snap at Lukas two nights ago. Lukas had locked himself in his room and started sobbing. Mathias managed to comfort him but it broke her heart to hear him become so upset.
"Maybe after they bury you you will be able to walk in your town once more. Perhaps your brother will even see you," said Aiyanna, trying to cheer her up. She felt guilty to hear all of this and see how it hurt Dagny as well. Dagny perked up. "You think so? But is that only if I get buried..I mean they don't have anything to bury really. They'll probably burn a boat instead. Do you think that still counts?" she asked eagerly, looking at Aiyanna for confirmation.
Aiyanna blinks. "You burn boats? So that's why I've seen fire floating out over the ocean?" she said. Dagny nodded. "It's how we show respect toward the dead. Usually we put the dead on their own boat, set it afloat, and then burn it. Well, some of my brothers do it differently. Some of them set the boat on fire first then shove it into the ocean while others prefer to set the boat afloat and shoot at it with arrows that are on fire. We use it most often with warriors," she said.
Aiyanna nodded. "I don't see why it wouldn't count. Are you going to try to go to your funeral then?" she asked. Dagny hesitated before nodding. "I think I will. It might be the last time I see my brothers all togehter. Tino and Berwald have mentioned possibly going back home for Lukas's sake. That...and I haven't seen them in a long time and I'm curious about what it would be like. Maybe you're right and I can walk through town again," she said.
Anyone still reading this? Great. We're nearing the end folks...of this chapter of the story (not punny). I'm already working on the first few chapters of the sequel.