Siren
Al woke me up the next day, ready to begin assigning fields of rice to families. There were still quite a few left, though there were also beans, squash, and corn fields for me to assign, so it seemed likely that just about everyone would get a piece of land to cultivate and pass on.
As soon as I finished braiding my hair and changing into a dress I was gifted from Siam on my last Japan trip, I called Al in to pick me up and take me down to the rice fields. There, a huge line of families was standing, carrying babes and bundles of clothing, with mothers and fathers holding the hands of their children.
I recognized the very first family in line that day. It was the family of that little girl who asked me if my father was the Dragon Conqueror.
"Hi," the little girl said, waving her hand as Al and I directed her family to their rice field, "my name is Yanya. I'm six years old." She gave me a toothy smile. I could see a gap in her mouth, indicating her tooth had fallen out recently. "This is my sister, Malina. She's thirteen."
Her parents smiled while her sister scowled, staring out over the rice field. "How are we going to grow all this?!"Malina spat. "We know nothing about it."
Yanya's father glared at Malina while her mother pursed her lips.
"We'll get your house built as soon as possible," Al said, keeping my waist in his grip, "I'll be able to help you, but Siren here can't, because her ankle's been injured."
Yanya and Malina's father nodded. "Good. We need all the help we can get." He looked at me, stern look blazing in his eyes. "You better be doing something that'll be good for us."
"We will," I said, trying to sound as confident as possible.
It was clear he didn't believe that.
Every single family got a field of crops to look after by the end of the afternoon, and now fifteen houses were partially built. Every single man and older boy was helping build them, as well as some of the women and girls. I was weary by the end of the afternoon, and so was Al from carrying me.
"I hope you heal up soon," he said, laying me down and moving my dress up. He removed the shoe on my right foot to see what it looked like and sighed. It was still very swollen, and it looked like it would be that way for a long time. "The sooner you heal up, the sooner we'll be able to get the jobs done and all those people on Meathead Island onto Berk's islands."
I gasped in horror. I'd completely forgotten about the weaker men!
"Look," he put his hands on my shoulders, "I'll send a message to Meathead Island telling everyone they need to wait for sometime before they get a new home. You get rest."
"Al," I said, "you don't need to do this. I can get Toothless to carry me around while you help build houses. I'll be able to get the people to the islands quicker if I'm going on Toothless. In no time, this whole thing will be solved and we won't have to worry about anything."
"I guess you're right," Al said, breathing in deeply. "Valkyrie, Toothless, and I will be sleeping with you for the night. I'll go get them."
"Thanks, Al," I said, as he tucked me into bed, "you're a life saver." I closed my eyes and smiled a little, my heart fluttering. I could feel something contact my forehead, and I opened my eyes. Al's chin was between my eyes, and there was direct skin to skin contact. It was almost like his lips were...
It clicked: He was kissing my forehead. My smile became even wider, and I closed my eyes, allowing myself to sink into a deep sleep.