Family Reunion
"-What about your daughter?" Hiccup asked out of the blue. He had been staying with Ragna and Mörgum for almost five days now. Toothless' wing was healing nicely, and they would be able to leave soon. But Hiccup had made a friend, and he wasn't sure if he was quite ready to go.
Ragna chuckled, putting the last strip of jerky into the nook.
"My little Dragon lover. Ah, she was a lovely little girl. Sometimes I wondered if a passion for Dragons was hereditary. She acted just like her father."
"What was her name?"
"Valka."
xxx
Hiccup stared at Ragna in disbelief.
"Valka?" He said, "Your daughter's name is Valka?"
"Yes," Ragna replied, "... Is there something wrong, Hiccup?"
"My mother's name is Valka!"
There was silence for a long time. Ragna raised her fingers to her lips, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.
"... You look just like him… " She whispered. "... My Erland…'
xxx
It took a few minutes of stunned silence to let the realization sink in. It wasn't a new feeling, especially within the past few days. So much had been learned, but this…
"So, you're my… grandmother?" Hiccup asked, still barely able to believe it.
"... I… I suppose so…" Ragna said quietly, sitting down. She looked back at him, desperation in her eyes.
"Is… is my Valka still alive?"
Hiccup swallowed the lump in his throat, blinking.
"Y-yeah, she is…" He replied quietly.
"Where is she?" Ragna asked, begging for more.
"... Back home," He murmured, "On Berk."
"... Berk…" Ragna breathed. "... Home."
"Wow…" Hiccup sighed, sitting down. Toothless looked up at him from the fat scraps he was sharing with Mörgum.
"... I have a grandson…" Ragna whispered.
xxx
HIccup paused, looking up. Ragna was watching him again. He still couldn't get over the fact that this woman was his grandmother. It didn't seem right to call her that. She was youthful, despite her age. Strong, and, admittedly, beautiful.
Ragna laughed a little.
"Forgive me." She said. "... I suppose I still can't quite grasp all of this." She paused, tilting her head thoughtfully, lost in fond memories.
"You really do look like him, you know." She told him. "...Your grandfather, I mean."
"Erland." Hiccup said. Ragna nodded.
"Erland."
For a minute, there was silence. Hiccup turned back to finish checking Toothless' wing, which was healing quite nicely. Ragna spoke again as he worked;
"... What… what is is like? On Berk."
Hiccup thought for a few moments, tying off the last bandage. Soon, the tear would be completely healed.
"It's not like it was before, if that's what you're thinking." He replied, turning. "... Everyone rides Dragons now. The war is over."
Ragna sighed with relief. "That is news I thought I would never hear. Who is chief?"
Hiccup hesitated, flushing a bit.
"...I am…"
Blinking with surprise, Ragna's expression faded into an impressed smile.
"-Well then, I suppose you are the one responsible for this change, are you not?"
Hiccup nodded.
"And yet you look not a day over twenty. How is this, that you made more progress with the alliance than I or my husband could make in our entire lives?"
Hiccup shrugged. "I never hated the Dragons. My dad…" He paused, remembering how he had come to be chief after it all. "... My dad was the last chief."
"Than you had an influence on him?"
"Not really. It took a lot of persuading, and, a little help from some friends."
Toothless crooned, nudging his rider's hand. Hiccup smiled, scratching the dragon's head.
"It's a beautiful thing." Ragna said quietly. "... Just to hear that things have changed. I can die in peace now."
"Die?" Hiccup scoffed. "You're not going to die."
Ragna shook her head. Hiccup realized she wasn't joking.
"... I am ill, Hiccup. Since before you arrived, I have felt the shadow of death looming at my door. My days are few now, but you have given me hope."
"Ragna, I'm so sorry…"
She smiled. "Don't be sorry for me, Hiccup. I am not afraid of dying. Besides, the disease has not taken me quite yet. Perhaps I will be able to see this paradise you've brought about after all."
"What do you think it is?" Hiccup asked quietly. Ragna sighed, her smile fading.
"I do not know. But I feel it, deep within me. It pricks at my heart and burns in my lungs, and my bones don't work the same way. I am dying, but I am not in much pain. That, I am grateful for."
Grateful. Hiccup thought grimly. How does she think that way?
