A/N: Sorry I didn't upload this earlier. This week has been crazy, and I found time to upload it as you can see.
On with our story!
After two months of finding out about Valka expecting, a wedding was about to start. The Hoffersons' youngest son, Asmund was marrying Ingrid Nori. While the family was preparing for the wedding, Valka noticed the-bride-to-be sneaking around and walking into the woods.
Valka decided to follow the young girl one day and watched her sit down by a tree. Ingrid brushed her blonde hair away from her face. The teen put her knees by her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. Valka could tell something was going through her head. She figured Ingrid was getting cold feet, most young girls Ingrid's age did.
Valka cleared her throat to get Ingrid's attention. The teen jumped and turned her head to see her chief's wife standing by her. Ingrid breathed threw her nose and gave the young woman a week smile. "Hi Mrs. Haddock, is there anything I can help you with?"
"You don't have to speak formal to me, just call me Valka."
Ingrid's smile grew a little, "okay, Valka. Is there anything I can help you with?"
"I was about to ask you the same question." Valka said as she tried to sit down next to her. Valka leaned on the tree trunk and placed her hands on her bump. "Now, what are you doing here, in the middle of the woods, a day before your wedding?"
Ingrid's smile faded. She placed her forehead on her knees and let out a deep sigh. "I can't do this."
"By this you mean getting married?"
Ingrid lifted her head up and shrugged. "Not really, if I tell you, I know you'll shun me."
"Ingrid, for as long as I can remember, I've been shunned my whole life. All because I believe dragons aren't the beasts we think they are. I know you don't agree with me, heck my husband used to train the children how to kill dragons when he was a teen. What I'm trying to say is, no matter what you did, I won't look at you differently."
Ingrid looked down at the ground. She nodded and mumbled, "I'm a harlot."
Valka gasped at her comment. "Ingrid! You are not a harlot! What makes you think you are one?"
"A-Asmund and I….w-we…" Ingrid's voice shook as she tried to finish her sentence. She just couldn't say the words. Valka knew what she was trying to say, she put her arm around Ingrid's shoulder and rubbed her hand up and down her arm.
"Oh Ingrid, that doesn't make you a harlot. So you didn't wait until marriage, it happens more than you think."
"Does having child before marriage happen too?"
Valka's shoulders fell, now she understood why Ingrid was so worried about tomorrow. "Does Asmund know about the baby?"
Ingrid shook her head in response while trying to avoid eye contact with Valka. "I'm afraid to tell him. I think he would call off the wedding leaving me to raise the child alone."
"Oh don't think like that. I don't know Asmund very well, but I know he wouldn't leave you alone just because you two created a child." Valka placed her hand on Ingrid, but she rolled her shoulder to get away from her touch.
"You don't know that."
"You have to tell him, he's going to find out sooner or later."
Ingrid let out a groan. "You're right, you're right. I have to tell him….after the wedding, I'll tell him after we're married. That way it won't look bad."
"Ingrid, you know what you should do."
The teen sighed and stood up, and then helped Valka off the ground. "I know you're right, but what about the baby? What if someone finds out my child was made out of wedlock? What if-"
"Ingrid, just calm down, we'll worry about that later. Right now you need to tell Asmund, he has the right to know about his baby."
"Yeah, thanks Valka." Ingrid said with a smile and started to walk off.
"Hey Ingrid!" Valka called out and saw her turn her head towards her. "Unn and I are going to shop for our children tonight, do you want to come?" Valka saw Ingrid beaming.
"Yeah, I would like that."
~oOo~
"Why would you invite Ingrid to go shopping with us?" Unn asked seeing the young blonde teen walking towards them.
"She asked for marriage advice so I invited her to come with us. You know, just multi-tasking." Valka explained with a nervous smile. Unn raised a brow up and shrugged.
"Okay then…..that makes since…I guess." Unn mumbled then saw Ingrid smiling at them and waved. Unn felt uncomfortable about Valka's plan for two reasons. One, she didn't ask her if she was okay if Ingrid came with them, and two, she didn't know Ingrid very well. Ingrid is younger than the both of them and wasn't very social either. So having Ingrid join them was something Unn never thought of.
"Hello ladies, how is your evening?" Ingrid asked with a genuine smile.
"I'm doing just fine. So why don't we get shopping?" Valka asked the two women. After that, the women walked away together and went around the village to do their plans for the night.
~oOo~
Stoick was entering The Great Hall for supper. Many of the people were there for the same reason, but Stoick noticed a group of people in the corner. He recognized two of them to be Mr. Hofferson and his son, but he couldn't recognize the others because their backs were facing him.
He saw a look of distress on the teen's face. Stoick walked over to the group and saw Mr. Nori scowling at the boy. "What's going on here?" The Chief asked in a low voice.
"My daughter has been missing all day! I'm pretty sure this kid has something to do with it!" Mr. Nori growled as he pointed his finger at Asmund.
"I had nothing to do with it! The last time I saw her was this morning. I mean, we're getting married tomorrow, why would she go missing?"
"Maybe she realized who she was marrying," Mr. Nori snapped.
"You don't talk about my son like that! You should be grateful to have Asmund in your family!" Mr. Hofferson shouted back.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Stoick roared at the men. "Now, I don't care about your family problems, but if Ingrid is truly missing then stop with your bickering and go find her!" Suddenly, the door was opened and three female voices entered the hall. The men saw Ingrid smiling and laughing with Valka and Unn. The young blonde saw the group of men staring at her.
"What's going on?" she asked, and then her father walked up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Ingrid, where have you been?"
"I was with Valka and Unn all day." She explained to her father. Mr. Nori looked up to only see the two women nodding in agreement.
"What were you doing all day? You went missing this morning." Ingrid wasn't completely sure what to say. Before she should speak, Valka spoke up.
"She was just having a little bit of cold feet. I found her this morning and we talked, I invited her to spend the day with Unn and me."
Mr. Nori turned to look at his future son-in-law and his father. "I'm sorry I accused you for the reason my daughter wasn't around me. I guess I'm just not ready to give her up just yet." Mr. Hofferson sighed and walked away. Asmund walked up to his fiancée and her father. He forgave him for accusing him, and then Ingrid asked to be alone with her fiancé. Valka watched the two walk out of the hall when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Ingrid Nori uh? When did the two of you get close?" Stoick asked her. Valka shrugged and turned around to face him.
"I was just helping her out. She's a young girl getting married and she doesn't have a mother to talk to."
"Why do I feel like that's not the whole story?"
"Because I promised not to say anything until she was ready."
"Fair enough, now how about we get something to eat? I know our child must be hungry." He said wrapping his arm around her. Valka let out a light chuckle at her husband's comment.
"Yeah, he's starving alright," She joked as they walked to the back.
Stock stopped walking after repeating her remark in his head, "He?"
Valka smiled and placed a hand on her bump. "Yeah, we're having a son."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I just know." She said with a smile. Valka turned her eyes away from him and saw Ingrid and Asmund walking back in with their heads held high. "Just like I know Ingrid and Asmund will be okay."
A/N: I plan to complete this fanfic before I start school in the summer (Yes I'm going to college in June). So I'm planning to upload more than just once a week soon.