What is a child? A child is a piece of you that lives separately from you. A piece that starts of as a supplement to yourself, entirely dependent on your care, and gradually becomes its own master. A piece you cannot live without, but have to let go of in the end.

Rhea didn't think she'd have to let go of hers so drastically soon.

It was no easy task, getting Dragon to sleep that night. The boy was so eager to go to Berk. If it were up to him, they would have gone right away. Rhea and Valka, however, had decided that postponing the journey until tomorrow was the better alternative. The two mothers understood they were going to need lots and lots of energy for the "family reunion". Also, though neither of them said it, they both had a nagging suspicion that Stoick would be a little more open to the idea of having a second son if they broke the news to him in the morning, when he was well rested (chiefing was, after all, a stressful job). Dragon wasn't happy, but he begrudgingly let his mother tuck him in.

Later, as Rhea tenderly brushed the boy's hair with her hand, she felt a pang of loss.

You are not a son of Valka. You could never pass for a son of Valka. And so Stoick won't love you as much as he loves Hiccup.

A touch to the shoulder diverted her from these thoughts.

Upon her stood Sig. His blue eyes stood out in the darkness, like flames burning beneath a shield of ice. The look he bore was so intense, so much more than usual.

Alarmed, Rhea stood up to face him. "Yes, Sig? What's up?" she asked, keeping her voice low so not to wake the children.

Sig let out no sound, but his body spoke volumes. Eyes darting from side to side. Shoulders pushing against the corpus. One hand running through the hair on his head while the other fiddled with the hair on his chin. His lips parted several times, only to clench into a thin line. Finally, with newfound determination, he lifted his hands to chest level. The right hand he straightened and twisted palm-side in. With the left one he formed a fist and moved it to the outer side of his right.

He was going to speak with his hands.

Sig had this system, in which a hand motion represented a sound. It was understood by a handful of his closest relatives, some of whom apparently preferred it to his 'annoying voice'. Sig himself only ever used it reluctantly, thinking it made his disability even more evident. Fortunately, his late wife had insisted on teaching it to Rhea, just in case, and his daughter demonstrated it often enough for her to remain fluent. On her behalf, Rhea learned diligently, but did not dare use the system unless Raina or Sig initiated the conversation. It was their property and their call to make.

Currently, since the invitation was issued, Rhea gave a nod and focused hard on her friend's strong, hairy hands.

With worry painted on his face, Sig signed thus: [DID… DE… CHIF… FORS… YU…]

Rhea did not understand right away. 'Did the chief force you?' Force? As in forced her out of the island or…

Oh. OH.

It hit her. Sig figured out that Stoick was Dragon's father. What he wanted to know was whether or not Rhea had had anything to say in this matter.

Rhea almost laughed. The idea of Stoick, the gentle and selfless Stoick, forcing himself on anyone was so ridiculous. At the same time, she was touched by Sig's concern for her. Poor guy, he was so respectful of her privacy that the idea of asking such a personal question rendered him completely mute. At the same time, he couldn't ignore the urge to find out if she really was okay, or just pretending. Rhea thought it was charming. With a smile curling her lips, she shook her head for 'No'. Hesitantly, she let her hands convey the additional explanation, one she didn't dare communicate verbally: [AI… LOVD… HIM…]

Sig acknowledged it with a slow, thoughtful nod. He was less tense than before, but not quite at peace.

Rhea produced a couple more gestures. [BAT… HI… LOVD… VALKA… END… SOW… AI… LEFT… HIM…]

This message held the additional meaning of: 'This is why I will never marry you. You will never love me like you did Gerda.'

After a moment of thoughtful silence, Sig signed [AI… SI…]

Looking at his face, Rhea knew he understood. He may have been illiterate, on top of being almost completely mute, but he knew how to read between the lines. She didn't have to waste words or gestures to get a point across – Sig understood her. For that, she treasured him.

Having spared a moment to brush his hair off his forehead, Sig continued the conversation. This time, concluding his friend was not uncomfortable with the topic, he moved his hands with greater confidence. [DOZ… HI… NOW… EBAWT… YOR… SON…]

Rhea shook her head. 'No.' [BAT… AI… WIL… TEL… HIM… NAW…]

[DU… YU… RILI… WANT… TU… GOW… TU… BERK…]

'Yes.' [BERK… IZ… MAI… HOM…]

Sig looked doubtful. [AR… YU… SHOR… ITS… SEIF…]

Rhea nodded vigorously. 'Yes.' [STOIK… WONT… HERT… MI… OR… DRAGON… HI… IZ… E… GUD… MAN…]

Sig still had some doubts. [WOT… EBAWT… VALKA…]

Rhea let out a self-depreciating snort. [KOL… MI… E… FUL… BAT… AI… TRAST… HER… SHI… RILI… IZ… OKEI…]

Having expressed this, Rhea smiled reassuringly. It was bizarre, she had to admit – putting your trust into somebody your barely knew. Yet, she was doing it. Not without reservations, of course, but not without good feelings, either.

And Sig, good old Sig, smiled back at her. [IF… DIS… IZ.. WOT… YU… WANT… DEN… AI… EM… HEPI… FOR… YU…]

This was another reason Rhea treasured Sig as a friend – he trusted her. He may have been worried – and rightfully so – but he still trusted her to make the right choice for herself and her son. The fact filled her heart with warmth.

"You are a good friend," she told him.

"You… too," he managed, the utterance almost unaffected by his quirk.

(…)

AN: Sig's language is not THE sign language. It's a pseudo sign language. A gesture represents a phoneme, not a whole word. Also, since Sig is illiterate, his language reflects it.

A small chapter, but we need all the fanfiction we can get in the times of quarantaine ^_^