Twenty Eight
Iza is not sure what happened when she and Edvard were discussing tentative plans, but when she wakes up slumped over her table with her face scant inches away from his, she her first thought is, This is not what we planned.
She sits up with a sharp inhale, her cheeks burning and her back twinging from sleeping in such an awkward position. Her mind is hazy, trying to recall how she fell asleep at the table, and her last memory of the night before is a vague recollection of she and Edvard discussing possible riders for the dragons. She recalls that he had ruled himself out, apparently having no desire to be in the air when he feels he is more useful on the ground, and she remembers agreeing that with his seidr it was probably a good idea.
None of that explains how they managed to fall asleep talking, however. The stew Carlisle had made the night before had been filling and she supposes that they are both still fatigued from their journey to the mountain – but even still…
Even still, he is not a bad sight to wake up to. With a flush to her cheeks, she notices that she is becoming accustomed to the view, the way his mouth is relaxed and his brow is unfurrowed and the length of his lashes against his cheek.
Iza only stops staring when Eko, who is resting before the hearth, huffs out in bemusement.
Why do you keep looking at him? Eko wonders.
Iza bites her lip. It is a human thing, she settles on saying.
Humans are strange, Eko notes. If you want to mate him then you should just do it.
Iza whips her head around to gape at her dragon in shock. "Where did you hear about that?" she hisses, mindful to keep her voice down lest she wake her guest. Internally, she is caught between bemusement and alarm that her precious, innocent dragon knows anything at all about mating – which even she can acknowledge is an irrational response.
Eko does not seem all too bothered by Iza's bewilderment. I asked Leiptr and Dyngju. Leiptr said that she expressed her interest and that Dyngju returned it. And then they mated. It seems very simple.
It is not that simple for humans, Iza tells her with hot cheeks. But even as she says it, she thinks it might be something of a lie. She certainly has peers who do view marriage that simply. The fact is that it is Iza who does not think it so simple – in fact, the very idea of openly saying anything to Edvard even remotely forward is enough to seal her lips shut. Taking Eko's advice to just do it is beyond the realm of her comprehension.
And it should be the absolute last thing she is thinking of at the moment. Iza has priorities, which she knows that Edvard shares. They have a goal, and oaths and promises of trust aside, the goal must come first.
With that in mind, Iza stands up, stretches out her spine, and quietly moves around the longhouse to prepare herself for the day. Behind the dressings marking the alcove of her personal space, she changes into fresh clothing, brushes her hair, rubs the sleep out of her eyes, and pointedly ignores Eko's palpable confusion about Iza's embarrassment. When Iza collects a hunk of bread left over from the night before, she pauses at the table and wonders if she should wake Edvard or let him sleep.
The decision is taken out of her hands by Carlisle, who opens the door abruptly and says, "Iza you need to meet outside!" His tone is hurried and his blue eyes are a tad too wide and it is just sudden enough that Edvard jerks upright with a wince. To Edvard's credit, comprehension dawns on his face much quicker than it had Iza.
"What is it, Carlisle?" Iza asks, promptly forgetting her hunger and her banked embarrassment in favor of Carlisle's immediate concern. After all, Carlisle has not had that look in his eye for months.
"Many people!" Carlisle says. "Dragons are not happy."
Iza's mind jumps to the worst case scenario, which is the Viking raiders already returning before she has a chance to settle the village, so she is more than a little relieved when her rush out of the longhouse finds her facing not a mob, but a small collection of her peers. She breathes out a quick sigh of relief, observes the way a couple of the dragons seem irritated by one particularly loud man, and presses her lips together.
Róża is the first to notice Iza, which means she is also the first to notice when Edvard ambles out of the longhouse with Eko. Róża's lips twist into an expression nearing salacious, which Iza blithely ignores.
"I did not expect you so soon," Iza says to the group. The sun is still rising so the morning is early and Iza had honestly not expected anyone for several more hours. But knowing the people involved, she should not be too surprised. Although she does not know him too well, she understands that Emebor is not a patient man. Iza steps forward, placing herself between the group and the dragons crawling from their tents. "Quiet down. Dragons have keener ears than we do."
"I told you to keep your mouth shut," Róża says admonishingly to Emebor, who is supremely unbothered by the reprimand.
Instead, Emebor grins widely to show his dimples, claps his hands together, and asks, "Which one is mine?"
Iza stares for a moment, dumbfounded, and then glances at Alise questioningly. Alise is herself a few steps further away from the dragons than the rest of the group, cautious and thoughtful as she observes the scene. Noticing Iza's eyes on her, Alise lifts her diminutive shoulders. "My brother is the only other fool eager enough to try to ride a dragon. The rest of the village…"
Iza understands what Alise does not say and accepts it for what it is. Besides, she is confident that Alise is right about there being three other riders in addition to Róża – and unlike Emebor, Iza can be patient enough to find the right person.
Emebor rubs his hands together. "How are we doing this? Do I get to pet them? Do we shake hands, er, claws? Should I roar at them?"
"For Odin's sake," Edvard mutters in irritation. "Shut up, you great oaf. You are giving me a headache already."
"Use kinder words, brother, and I might listen!"
Even without looking at him, Iza knows that Edvard is glowering, a harsh slant over his face indicating his annoyance. It is an expression she has seen him sport several times around Emebor, not that she blames him.
Róża taps the back of Emebor's head as she passes him, moving to crouch in front of Kaldr with her blue eyes narrowed critically. "Do not blow ice at me again," she warns the dragon. Kaldr merely stands up, circles Róża once, and then deliberately puffs icy air in her face again. Róża curls her lip at the dragon.
Jaspar, who has until now been silent, snorts loudly. "Was it not you last night who said that communing with dragons was easy?" Jaspar scoffs at his sister.
Róża glares at him and stands, arms crossed over her chest. "It is easy. Kaldr is just a bane, much like someone I know."
"I am hurt," Jaspar says blandly. "Oh, how you wound me. I may never go on."
"I should have maimed you when we were children," Róża says coldly.
Jaspar merely rolls his eyes, and then much more calmly than Emebor, asks which dragon will be his. At this, Iza falters slightly, because although she and Edvard have discussed possibilities, it really is not up to her. Even Róża and Kaldr would not have been matched if Kaldr had not shown such a quick interest in the blonde. Iza supposes the same will have to be true for the other dragons finding riders.
"I think…We should break our fast together and allow the dragons to choose," Iza says after a moment. She silently asks that Eko relay the instructions to the other dragons, and soon the chittering chatter of dragons fills the yard.
Make sure they know that they do not have to have riders, Iza encourages Eko. Even with Alise's prediction, she is not going to force any dragon to have a rider they do not want, mostly because she knows that riding a dragon requires trust two ways.
And so it is with a sense of calm that the group of humans and dragons fill their stomachs, each group observing the other. Iza finds herself sat next to Edvard, who helps Róża mediate the force that is Emebor with some success. Over the meal, Iza watches as Leiptr and Dyngju show the humans more attention than they had before. Interestingly, Steinn does not seem to care for any of the humans and she watches his grey scales retreat to a tent to sulk well before the sun climbs to the highest point.
The morning passes quickly in this way, with two dragons cautiously circling Jaspar and Emebor, seeming to assess the character of the humans. Edvard and Alise stand in a cluster with Iza, trading speculations while Iza monitors the situation closely. Meanwhile, Róża and Kaldr engage in what seems to be a silent battle of wills, which does not seem to settle at all from what Iza can observe – although, as far as she can tell, the two simply glare at each other for several minutes at a time, reminding her of the staring contests children engage in.
As it happens, when Iza is not paying attention, one of the dragons makes a move. There is a sudden shout of surprise, an aborted curse that draws everyone's attention. Iza watches with wide eyes as Jaspar stumbles backward from Leiptr, who has opened her mouth to spit sparks of lightning at his feet.
"Hey! Stop that!" Jaspar yells, his feet quickly dancing backward to evade the sparks.
Leiptr does not stop, however. Her tail sways back and forth, pale violet eyes alight with something Iza recognizes as playfulness. Each time Jaspar steps out of the way, Leiptr is quick to counter his movement, keeping him in motion as they circle and scramble through the yard. After a while, Jaspar begins laughing, deep from the chest as he catches onto the dragon's game. By that point, he begins his own counter, finding a way to easily avoid Leiptr's sparks and forcing the dragon to take her own steps backward. Whatever playful challenge they dance to comes to a stalemate with the rest of their group staring dumbfounded as Jaspar finally manages to get close enough to tap Leiptr on the nose.
"Well," Iza breathes out.
Beside her, Alise nods. "Two riders left."
Edvard looks at them with a flat stare bordering incredulous, one brow twitching upward. "Is that it? That is how a dragon selects a rider?" He presses his lips together. "If it is this simple, then why have we been laboring for choosing the right riders?"
Iza shoots him a look. "This was not simple at all. Leiptr was testing Jaspar, just like Kaldr continues to test Róża. Even Eko did something similar when she was newly hatched. It is about trust – and there is nothing simple about that."
"As to the riders, it is always wise to be cautious," Alise adds. She looks at Iza thoughtfully. "Cautious when we can be, that is."
Iza truly does not like that undertone of Alise's. That's a tone that always feels more than a little foreboding, always makes her wonder what exactly Alise has seen.
For the most part, she does not want to know. Better to be surprised, sometimes.
"Alright," Edvard sighs then, seeming to accept it all at face value. He jerks his chin to the other side of the yard where Emebor and Dyngju are decidedly keeping their distance. "What about them?"
Iza tilts her head. "It may not be a match," she says quietly, a furrow to her brow. "Unfortunate for Emebor, considering his enthusiasm, but if Dyngju does not take to him then there is nothing that can be done. Dragons choose a rider or they have no rider at all."
Iza is resolute in this, firm and unwavering. She will not be moved by any opinion other than her own and Eko's – not in this. Dragons are not beasts or creatures. They are complex beings, every bit as deserving of dignity as humans and Gods. And no matter what Iza is or who her mother may be or what she is destined to do, she will not compromise her promise that the dragons are treated fairly and with respect.
If Dyngju does not want a rider, than so be it. She says as much to Emebor, calling across the yard to snag his attention. Emebor's friendly face hardens for a moment, but surely enough his easy temperament melts the defiance away. Emebor glances at Dyngju with a frown, then looks to where Steinn is lazing in a tent, and then back to Dyngju.
"Could I have just a bit more time?" he asks, and his tone is so plaintive that Iza agrees he will have until the sun sets to gain Dyngju's trust.
Part of her hopes that Dyngju will see how his mate fairs will Jaspar and then he will change his mind. But she does not know if that hope is a false one, or not. Even Eko is uncertain, gathering from Dyngju that the dragon is not as free-feeling as Leiptr nor as strong-headed as Kaldr. Of all the dragons with them, Dyngju is perhaps the dragon with the most caution – which Iza finds interesting simply because he is a fire dragon. Even Eko, who has a similar ability, does not express as much caution. She wonders what is in Dyngju's past that makes him this way, and then decides that it is probably better to not know.
Although none of them are particularly hungry, the healer in Carlisle insists they all eat something during mid-day. They sit around outside with some of the ripe fruits Alise brought from her family's farm and water that Carlisle has collected diligently from the river even in the hottest heat of the summer. While Dyngju and Steinn keep some of their distance, Eko, Kaldr, and Leiptr linger near enough to the humans that even Alise relaxes in their proximity.
Iza sips at her water and watches as Emebor does his best to cloak his envy when he sees Kaldr and Leiptr interacting with their riders. He clearly wants to ride a dragon, has the kind of boyish enthusiasm that frankly baffles her, but he also does his best to reign in his impulse to hassle the dragons. Looking at him, Iza thinks it will be a real shame if Dyngju and Steinn continue to ignore him.
Edvard apparently agrees, because he leans over and says wryly, "I have not seen Emebor pout this much since Róża first rejected him."
Iza arches a brow. "I did not know Emebor had been rejected," she says, mostly to herself. Of course, Iza does not keep up with most gossip in the village, so it is not any wonder if she had not heard of something like that – but she still finds it surprising, noting how close and comfortable Róża and Emebor are to each other. As far as she knew, they had been a couple for the past few years and plan to marry come fall.
Even a happy pairing had a rocky start. Looking at Emebor, she wonders if that is simply a pattern for most of his relationships – if perhaps he is too enthusiastic and comes on too strongly, ultimately creating distance between himself and others. If this is true, then could it be the same for Dyngju, who is cautious in everything?
Maybe. Maybe her hope is not a false one.
Róża, apparently having overheard some of their conversation, lets out an inelegant amused snort. "Oh, by Frigg, he was not rejected just the once."
Emebor grins cheekily. "My Róża made me work for her hand."
"It was entertaining," Jaspar adds.
"Nauseating," Edvard disagrees.
"Expected," Alise finishes sagely. And of course she would say as much.
Not for the first time, Iza notices the closeness of this group and recognizes how on the fringes she has been. She knows them, but she does not know them. Yet even as she acknowledges this truth, she sees that perhaps not all of this group is as close as she assumes. Like her, Edvard seems to hold himself away, as does Alise.
Alise she figures has a natural disinclination to being social, being as gifted as she is. Her long-standing crush on Jaspar notwithstanding, Alise does not make a habit of interacting with people more than she absolutely has to – mostly due to how unnerved people are of her.
For Edvard, she does not quite understand his slight separation. He is popular in the village, well respected and admired. He does not lack for companionship should he seek it, but the fact is that he does not seek it. He spends his time hunting and training and lending a helping hand where he can, steadfast and true. If she did not know about his parentage, she would think that Edvard had some other reason for being close – but not too close – to people.
Knowing his secret, though, puts it all in a different light. Like her, Edvard is different enough that being close to others is a challenge in one way or another.
Is this perhaps the plight of Halflings? Not fully mortal and so not fully accepted?
Something to ponder later.
For now, it is enough to keep a watchful eye on the situation and engage in the conversation around them. Carlisle is convinced to sit with them and he quickly looses the nerves that keep him anxiously running around, talking in low tones with Jaspar about the Saxon lands and the like. When it becomes known that Carlisle is trained in medicine and that Iza has taught him as much of their language as she can to help with their studies, Alise has the bright – and highly convenient – idea to bring up Esme, a woman in the village who acts as teacher for most of the young children. Alise insists that Carlisle go meet Esme when he next has a free day, as she is certain that Esme will be able to help Carlisle more fully integrate.
Iza suppresses her amusement, wondering what Alise is up to trying to make a match with a Saxon slave and a widowed woman.
Better to leave it, Iza decides. Alise's machinations are rarely without cause. Maybe Esme truly does have some knowledge that would benefit Carlisle. Iza does not have any issue with letting Carlisle find out – he is more friend than slave, and slave in name only because of the protection it offers him. Eventually she will free him, when she can be confident that the village has accepted his presence as much as they have accepted Wilhelm's before he was freed. If Alise can help that become a reality, then Iza will be grateful.
Just as Iza turns to offer her gratitude to Alise in low tones, a commotion from the other side of the yard breaks through the quiet.
There is a yell and a thump, followed by a clamor, a distinctive snap, and a fluttering of loose material – and immediately following that is the dangerous rumble of an irate dragon.
Edvard is on his feet before Iza, already dashing toward the noise in stride with Eko by the time Iza scrambles to her feet. Thankfully the disruption is not to far away, so even before she gets there she can see that Jakob is responsible for managing to knock over a stack of firewood and break a tent over a sleeping dragon.
"Eko!" Iza shouts and soon the sound of Eko's chittering fills the air, driving Steinn away from a cowering Jakob and leaving enough room for Edvard to drag Jakob away by the scruff of his neck. The young teenager is wide-eyed, gaping at the dragon who is glaring right back at him. Iza sighs through her nose. "Jakob. What are you doing here?"
Jakob is perhaps too dim or too shocked to recognize the warning in her tone, so he merely answers, "I was curious."
"Curious enough to lose a limb," Edvard mutters, shoving Jakob toward the group and leaving Iza to calm the dragons down.
If she's lucky, maybe Edvard will be able to knock some sense into her young cousin, since she clearly has not been able to. Although Steinn is a largely unmoved dragon, he clearly has a temper when his sleep is interrupted – and the last thing Iza needs is jakob managing to actually lose a limb from irritating a dragon. Better Edvard dealing with Jakob than Iza, because she is stressed enough she might truly slap the little fool.
It takes Eko and Iza several minutes to calm Steinn, who has gone from silent to incredibly grumpy. And yet even that whole time, Steinn's eyes are trained on Jakob – not in anger, exactly, but in something.
Will he eat Jakob? Iza asks Eko, a tinge of worry corded around her stomach.
Not today, Eko replies, much to Iza's concertation. Her dragon is picking up cheek of all things.
The one good thing about Jakob's untimely arrival is that it has apparently inspired Dyngju into action. By the time Iza eases back into conversation, most of which is admonishing Jakob, she notices that Dyngju has allowed Emebor close to him. And Emebor, for his own part, seems delighted that the standoffish dragon seems to have accepted him. She is not sure what swayed Dyngju, but for now the dragon seems to think Emebor is the best way to keep Jakob away from him.
Iza looks at Alise, and they seem to share the same thought. One rider left.
Or maybe all the riders have been found, she amends as Jakob and Steinn continue to stare at each other curiously.
Could it truly be that easy?
A/N: Hmmm, is it that easy? Well, something has to be!
Happy New Year, everyone! Hopefully this decade is going to be good for everyone!
As always, be brutally honest. I can take it.
~Rae