Thirty One

The kiss changes both nothing and everything. Their mission is still the same, the training is still time-consuming, her quest for some clarity continues – but between it all are touches and glances that linger and a sense of freedom Edvard feels to hover nearer to her space more often.

They tell no one, but if kisses are shared at the end of the day, hidden behind trees and in the stretch of end-day shadows, then it is their secret to keep. Only Eko knows, and that is only by the virtue of their bond. Among all the secrets that Iza has kept, this is perhaps the one she will guard most jealously.

That does not stop Alise from commenting, however. "You will wed in the winter," she says on the next bathing day.

Iza blanches and promptly changes the topic of conversation – because being wed in winter is just about the furthest thing from her mind. Not that she dislikes the idea, but still, she does not think either of them are ready.

Although it does beg the question – will Nidhogg be a concern of the past once the winter months settle in? She takes Alise's words with that in mind, using the stray comment as proof that she is taking the right path.

Because that is something Iza worries about, late into the night while everyone else but she and Eko slumber. Is she taking the right steps? Is she walking the right path? Is the forging the right way? Could she be doing something better – or is there something that she has missed?

She is a Changemaker, but for all the good of the title, she still does not know if what she does is right. And is that not her burden? Usher in the future, but usher in the right future, one that is bright and peaceful and hopeful. Can she do that? Is she already doing it? Or has she made a fatal misstep, something which she thought was right but is actually wrong?

Alise says Iza and Edvard will be wed by winter. Knowing herself, Iza cannot imagine she would wed anyone unless the circumstances were peaceful, so she hopes that Alise has seen that the near-future is bright enough that Iza would feel comfortable with a wedding. She takes it as confirmation that she is doing the right thing and lets that be a comfort to her for her later sleeplessness.

It is easier to think of the prediction that way than in the way Alise had surely intended.

Iza as a wife? The very through makes blood rush up to her face and her hands tremble as she scrubs at the clothes in the cold spring.

Eko, for her part, is very smug about it all.

Eko never seems to have any doubts. Whether this is because Eko is not human or because Eko's personality does not abide doubt, Iza cannot help but envy her dragon. What must it be like, she thinks, to always be so sure footed? Iza might be able to bluff her way to certainty, but even she falters.

But to doubt is to be human. Skuldsdottir or not, Iza is still half-mortal and is still vulnerable to mortal flaws. Admittedly, Iza does not suffer from hubris, but the confidence that she does have in her own mind and her surety guaranteed by the magic in her blood means that she if often more confident than not. That she has any doubts at all is something of a comfort – because she is definitely not the only one in the village who has doubts.

She can see it in their eyes as she walks through the Great Hall for the late meal. She can hear it in the hushed whispers. She can feel it, the weight of expectation on her shoulders. And even the dragon riders show some hesitancy, even as they train their skin in flying and fighting.

Yet Alise has no doubt. Alise has no hesitation.

Later, when the riders have left and Carlisle is occupied and night has fallen, Iza stands with Edvard and gazes up at the mountain that looms in the distance. She does not mention Alise's marriage prediction, but she does bring up how perplexed she is by Alise's certainty.

There is a wry expression on Edvard's face as he considers it. "She has always been like that," he says of his adoptive sister. "It is her way. Has it surprised you so greatly?"

"No," Iza admits. "But it has reminded me of how important all of this is – not that I ever forgot, but I have been so lost in the day to day matters that the bigger goal disappeared."

"The bigger goal? The battle with Nidhogg?"

Iza shakes her head. "Nidhogg is not the end. Nidhogg is just part of the journey. No, the real goal is the peace that will follow. All of these other events, the training and the tension with the village and bartering with the Elders and convincing the Chieftain…these are just steps that we are taking along the way."

Edvard is quiet for a long moment, but she can feel him starting at her. She turns her head to meet his gaze, the quiet stretching between them as the night grows darker. Eventually, Edvard breaks the silence. "You manage to become more wise each day," he says.

"Is that not why you follow me?" she asks, a teasing lilt in her voice.

"It is one of many reasons," he murmurs, leaning toward her just enough that she can catch the seidr flashing in his brilliant green eyes. "Your beauty is another."

Iza hardly has time to appreciate the blistering flush in her cheeks before Edvard is closing the distance between their lips, capturing her in an embrace full of ardor. There is a slow-coiling heat that rises between them, felt in the warmth of their skin as hands pass over rough cotton and breaths are shared between the brief parting of lips. His hand moves to the nape of her neck, supporting the angle of her head as he moves to deepen the kiss, arm tight around the dipping curve of her waist as his teeth nip at her swelling lips. Iza can only surrender herself to his unrelenting affection, letting herself be swept away in his current not unlike how the water pulled her beneath the fjords as a child.

There are worse things to surrender herself to, worse things to be lost in. But all the same, she is glad that by the time she and Eko return home, the Chieftain is already asleep, filling the longhouse with the sound of familiar snores.

Iza beds down for the night, touching her tender lips, and thinks, Yes, there are worse things to be lost in, indeed.

And that is how the days go. The long ending stretch of the hot summer begins to come to a close and as the sun begins to set earlier, the village begins to prepare for the harvest and the winter. It has been several, several weeks since the last dragon battle and the entire village is feeling the anxiety. After all, should Nidhogg's dragons attack now, they will be facing another scant winter with a harvest ruined by dragonfire.

Eyes turn to Iza and Iza begins to wonder.

What is it, exactly, that keeps Nidhogg from attacking? She assumes he learned of someone being on the mountain given that three of his dragons never returned. She suspects he is aware of most, if not all, of Dagmar's activities. Could he be aware of her, specifically? And if he is, what is he waiting for?

What is Iza waiting for?

She considers how well the others are doing and concludes that everyone is as well-trained as they possibly can be. Nobody has fallen, or been bucked, from a dragon for a while. Each rider is comfortable with their long-range weapons, whether they are Emebor's spears, Jaspar's bow, Róża's collection of daggers, or Jakob's rock-loaded slingshot. The dragons themselves have even worked out a way to use their individual talents near each other without injuring their own allies, something that had been tricky to master. Edvard, she knows, has been quietly blending his seidr into his swordplay to create a seamless blend of defensive and offensive technique – and even if he does keep his mastery a secret from the others, Iza has seen enough to understand that he is perfectly lethal, even twice as lethal as before.

Iza is confident in her dragons and riders and allies. She can only assume that Nidhogg is equally as confident, especially seeing as he has been dragon king of that mountain since before Iza was born.

So, what are either of them waiting for? The best time to strike? The most advantageous moment? The most devastating moment? There is something that holds each of them back. For Iza, she has a reluctance to leave the village unattended to storm the mountain with the riders. If she takes the riders from the village, then the village is vulnerable to dragons secretly breaking off from the mountain, which means that Iza's group will end up fighting on two fronts – not ideal since there are so few of them. Going to Nidhogg's door to knock off his crown is not a plan she can entertain for more than a moment for that reason.

Which means, of course, that Nidhogg will be the one to make the first move. But when will he choose to strike malice? It is impossible to know.

Helpless and frustrated, Iza flips through the Eddas. She knows these stories like the back of her own hand, and had in fact written the myths of her people and their Gods by her own hand. She knows these tales, but she still searches through every splotch of ink in search for an answer – a clue – a direction to go in. Her Gods have been on so many journeys, have accomplished so many great feats, that surely there must be some kernel of knowledge she can gain from their splendor.

The only insight she gains is that the Gods themselves know not what they have done until it is over. Although they are not mortal, the Gods are just as human and just as prone to mistakes. The only ones who do know are the Norns, and even they cannot speak without consequence.

Still, a thought Iza had many, many weeks ago, deep in a haven of a mountain, returns to her. Can she, as the daughter of a Norn, not pray to the Norns for a real answer? Surely they will answer her, as she shares their blood. Surely, if she were to pray to her own mother, the Norn who resides over the fate of the future – surely then Iza would know what to do.

But prayers, she thinks, should not be made haphazardly.

And so she turns to the only source she has for all things worship and seidr – Esme, who first taught Iza all she knows about the legends of their people.

A/N: Ah, Alise always is a neat plot device. But look here! Some foreshadowing tucked into one of the previous chapters sees the light of day! More to come!

As always, be brutally honest. I can take it.
~Rae