The second half of this chapter has two paragraphs that may be triggering to some readers who have suffered sexual assault, if you would like to skip past this just stop reading at the end of the countdown and begin at the number 4!
Chapter 7-
'Foreign Hands'
Ragnarok is coming…
Avrid lay back-to-back on Toothless with one hand perched on his thigh and the other fiddling with the small silver ring he wore on his thumb. The dragon's wings were a lullaby accompanied with the wind's soft serenade. A melody of mediation. Avrid closed his eyes and breathed in a deep breath. If he listened carefully, he could hear the water rush and slice against the slick scales of Liogoo and Tannis. He could hear the deep, gruff of wind under large, strong wings and if he really listened he could hear the thump of his heart. How it beat slow but steady, with precise and automated thumps; like clockwork.
He let his mind fall free and trusted his brother completely as he fell deep into his own thoughts. Thoughts that were plagued with Midgard. He never questioned his own judgment, it would leave room for doubt, but he wondered if he had been rushed in his decision on Tannis. He was curious about the guard's intentions. Although he had said he wanted only for his princess to take up her responsibilities, it seemed something more was at play.
Liogoo and Avrid had a history together and in one of his worst moments Liogoo had accepted him when many did not. Since then, they fought in wars together. She had saved his life as many times as he did hers. She had proven to be able to hold her own ground against some of the best of fighters. Liogoo was a small constant in his hazy life and he knew that he took her loyalty and admiration for granted but it wasn't to be helped. Liogoo was already used to him brushing her off and doing so was best for her, but she was a stubborn fool. Avrid pushed her away and ignored her more often than not, but she refused to be discarded. It was frustrating to say the least, although Avrid secretly admired her for it. He did not, however, admire her newfound companion.
Tannis. He clearly held anger at Liogoo, as she did him and, although Avrid wanted nothing better than to stay out of their childish drama, he felt such feelings of hatred could prove to be quite a predicament. He knew Liogoo was as sharp as any Kohuru, but Tannis didn't have half the training she had, making him a liability. Of course Avrid knew he could have let Tannis carry on, there was no way he could have followed them to Midgard, but he saw something in the guard. A stubborn dedication, or maybe stupid devotion. Either way a surprising oddity.
Avrid knew Tannis would have tried to follow his pursuit and possibly ended up getting in the way so, bringing the Siren along wasn't a hard choice but if he was being honest, Avrid was curious about Tannis' plans to bring Liogoo back to Niflheim. He must have been aware of the many failed attempts of others to bring her back, especially the ones Avrid had a hand in, so what made Tannis different? Whatever it was, it was a story he would love to whiteness but that didn't mean it would be a pleasant one. Avrid had a feeling that neither Liogoo nor Tannis was going to play nice.
Avrid was Liogoo's superior and if he wanted, he could simply tell Liogoo to deal with Tannis, to go with him. She would have resented him for it but that was what he wanted anyway, was it not? For reasons he wasn't quite sure of, Avrid didn't favour the idea of dealing with Midgard by himself, Toothless was more than enough company, he was worth a hundred Liogoos, but he was also a dragon. In Midgard, the humans weren't exactly 'at peace' with the dragons that terrorised their villages and although Toothless would have no qualms with defending himself, it would draw unnecessary attention.
A low grumble broke his train of thought, "We're here," Toothless gurgled.
Avrid opened his eyes and sure enough they were. Grunting, he lifted himself to a stand and rolled his neck. The sky had bargained its cool blue sky for warm oranges, pinks and yellows and over the uneven horizon was a glowing semi-circle. Avrid put two fingers in his mouth and blew out a shrill whistle. He put one foot out and let himself fall down with a graceful thud as he landed on the sea. Before the water could engulf him, Avrid forced the temperature to plummet in an instant; freezing each drop of water where his feet stood.
Hearing his call, Liogoo had surfaced above the water with Tannis in tow. Neither had spoken a word and Liogoo swore she would refuse to acknowledge his presence until he got the message that she did not want him here.
Avrid knelt on one knee and gestured to Tannis's bobbing head, "this is the Edge, the midpoint of this realm but I suppose you knew that if you travelled from Vanaheim to here."
Tannis' eyes flickered sheepishly around him and he gulped before shaking his head.
"Realm travel has been a problem for Siren's but we find ways around it."
"Yes, I am aware of your species's lack of knowledge, how did you get here?"
"I… managed to convince an old Dwarf to send me through."
Tannis reeked of guilt and Avrid rolled his eyes. "Convince?" He repeated.
"Blackmailed."
Avrid sighed.
"Tannis, you have decided to come with me meaning you are officially meddling in Radox business. My mission is to do whatever is necessary to get my job done. I can tell you're a smart man and apparently you know an alarming amount about Radox; a very classified order." Avrid narrowed his eyes at Tannis.
"So, you also know that when I say that my mission is to do whatever is necessary, I mean whatever. I will kill, murder, torture, frame whoever gets in my path. I will manipulate, deceive and betray to get what I need. If it hurts your conscience for blackmailing an old goat of a Dwarf, then I will send you back to where you came from. Do you understand? I will not bring a pussy with me."
Tannis cleared his throat and nodded, hoping to save his dignity by staying silent. A cocky smile was plastered on Liogoo's face and she looked up at Avrid.
"The Edge, will you be taking us through?"
Avrid stood up again and glanced behind him at the fading sun, it was now or never.
"Liogoo, explain what Realm travel means," he schooled her.
Happy to show off, she cleared her throat and turned to Tannis; while he glared daggers at her.
"Realm travel: a dangerous and largely beneficial skill. I myself have not mastered such abilities as I am-"
"Only a Graduate in the Radox heiracrchy," Tannis interjected.
Liogoo smiled and nodded bitterly, "Yes."
"But Avrid has. When we go through we will see an exact representation of himself. The entirety of Avrid's mind. What we find in there and whatever dangers present themselves are real. If you die, while in there, you will die here. Understood?"
Tannis raised his eyebrows sarcastically. Satisfied, Liogoo pulled herself out of the water, using the hard surface Avrid had created as leverage and slid herself beside him. Her shimmering tail sparkled like a thousand suns in the late-day glow. Still staring at Tannis, Liogoo reached her hand towards Avrid, palm up.
Avrid ignored Liogoo's gloating and pulled out the small blade from the inside of his arm's armour. He glided the sharp end across her skin and when her greyish blood simmered at the surface he dipped the end of the blade in the liquid.
Tannis watched with both fascination and disgust. There was a reason Sirens knew little to none of essence magic. It was unnatural and dark. Tannis knew how to save a man with an arrow in his limbs but he used the earth around him. What nature provided and offered, not the blood of others. Although he was desperate to follow Liogoo and convince her to come back. So, when Liogoo gestured smugly at him, knowing how much he despised the idea, Tannis put his own palm to his teeth and ripped the skin open.
Avrid looked to Liogoo and smiled at her frustrated expression. He put the tip of the dagger on Tannis' palm and put the flat of the blade in both his own hands. Tannis grimaced in disgust.
"Close your eyes, when you open them you will each be on a tightrope, if you think about it too much you will fall. Trust your instincts to keep you steady, we go in and out, no questions."
Both Sirens nodded and all three closed their eyes. Avrid whispered something intelligible and with a breath of air the strange gathering of human, Dragon and Sirens disappeared from sight.
When he opened his eyes, Tannis indeed stood on a thin, wool like thread. It stretched so far into the distance it was impossible to see where it ended. It took a moment for him to gather enough balance for the thread to at least stop wobbling like a rowboat at sea.
"Put your arms out"
Liogoo stood straight as a statue, only the slight tremble in her feet indicated her struggle to not fall. Her long pale arms were stretched horizontally from her and when he copied the strange position, Tannis found it much easier to not fall. Looking down, he saw absolute darkness and what lay beneath he would rather prefer to be left unknown. On the other side of Liogoo, Avrid stood perfectly balanced.
Tannis rolled his eyes inwardly, 'of course the bastard had no trouble balancing on the thinnest rope ever'. Just as the thought crossed his mind, Avrid began walking with each foot twisted sideways without even the slightest hesitation. The rope barely rippled and he did not falter a single step; it was as if he was walking on flat ground.
Tannis felt horribly stupid with his arms held out and shaking like a nervous tennant without his keep.
"Can't you just think about flat ground?" He murmured quietly.
"It's my mind's representation, I can hardly change my own thoughts."
The statement made no sense but Tannis was becoming frighteningly left behind. He straightened his posture and tried his best not to fall. Although she wasn't as graceful as Avrid, Liogoo was still doing far better than he was.
"What's with the glass?"
Around them, shaped like a sphere ball enclosing them all in, was glass. Beyond the glass was an almost blinding white light but what was most strange were the large menacing cracks. Some were huge and sliced right across the circumference but others were smaller and more frequent. Through each zigzagged split, shone a dark red light but it moved and changed, like the light beneath a door. It was as if something living was on the other side of the fractures but all that could be seen was a blank whiteness.
Avrid didn't answer and instead ushered Tannis to hurry. He cursed under his breath and carried on.
A few minutes later and in the distance could be seen a small stone platform in which the three ropes conjoined to a wooden pole. It seemed to be floating in midair and there was barely enough room for the three of them on it. Behind the platform was a raging sea, its white foam crashing against a seemingly invisible wall.
"What now?" Liogoo nodded her head at their predicament.
Avrid seemed unbothered by their worries and when he reached the end of his rope he stepped off and reaching down, began fumbling at the stone slab.
Tannis was getting frustrated. This made no sense and was way too confusing for him to even begin to make head or tail of what was happening. On top of that Avrid refused to answer or explain anything.
Suddenly, a loud boom exploded in his ears and everything shook madly. The quake threw Tannis off balance and he only barely caught the rope. His fingers slipping, Tannis swung himself up and clung for dear life.
Furious and terrified for his life, Tannis shouted, "What the Hela was that!?"
No one answered and Tannis put his head back and saw Liogoo and Avrid squished back-to-back and staring behind him, fear marred Liogoo's expression. Tannis fed up, crawled upside down the rest of the way to the platform before looking at what it could be.
He wished he hadn't though. At the top of the glass sphere another crack, bigger than any other, split across the entire sphere.
"Is that bad?" Tannis asked with horror in his voice.
Unsurprisingly, Avrid didn't answer and instead bent down again and ran his hand over the flat surface until he found a small rock. He picked it up and threw it at the invisible wall. He had expected the stone to hit some sort of barrier but it went straight through.
"Jump." Avrid said and without warning he leaped off and dove into the rushing water.
Tannis looked at Liogoo incredulously, there was no way she expected him to blindly leapfrog straight into certain death? As expected Liogoo followed Avrid, leaving Tannis still clutching the rope and upside down. As he dragged himself onto the platform another boom racketed, shaking everything. Tannis stood up and with a deep breath he closed his eyes.
"Onwards I guess." And he stepped off the platform.
...oOo…
Astrid's heels clicked like a symphony to the deeper clacks of Paetons own shoes as they walked through echoing corridors. Although Astrid hadn't exactly been around the castle she knew that it shouldn't be this quiet. When Stoick had had important clan leaders on visit, the entire island seemed bursting with noise and people. Drago's castle was almost silent. Every now and again a guard, dressed similarly to Paeton, minus a gold band around the cuff of his robe, would be stationed against a wall. Every single guard gawked at her as she walked past.
Paeton would thankfully give them a grim stare that would sort them out, but each one was the same, each man. It didn't take as long as she had thought it might, but finally Paeton came to a stop in front of the same pair of magnificent doors she had seen that first day. The two lions looked as impressive as the last time she had seen them.
Astrid stopped behind Paeton and he turned to face her. Behind him Astrid could hear the muffled jumble of voices, glasses clinking and laughter.
"When you go in there, you go in last and bow like this." He indicated by doing a small courteous bow that looked strange when he lifted his arms and crossed one foot over the other.
"Let me see, you cannot mess this up or Drago will make both you and me regret it."
Gulping, Astrid copied Paeton perfectly. He nodded and moved to stand in front of one of the doors, folding his arms behind him, another guard was on the other side. The sound of laughter echoed like a bell throughout the corridor and Astrid pivoted to look behind her.
Three people turned the corner and were walking down the corridor towards Astrid. There was a man at each end and in the middle was a beautiful woman. The man on the right was slender and came to the woman's shoulder. He had dark tanned skin and slicked, tidy black hair.
The woman in the middle was tall, tanned and brunette. She had a small delicate face and slender, upturned eyes. Her rich, dark brown hair, adorned with delicate white flowers, flowed to her waist. The perfect woman. Despite the gem studded dress she wore, Astrid felt absolutely insignificant compared to such a specimen. Her only downfall was her eyes, they were completely white as if the colour had been removed completely, to curse her with a blank white emptiness. She was blind.
On the woman's left was a great burl of a man the size of the great oak trees from Berk. He was handsome and looked cheery with his plush cheeks and merry grin. All three of them had smiles plastered on their faces and a gold shimmering attire. They looked like Gods.
Astrid felt very out of place as they strode confidently down the corridor. She thought, perhaps they were Drago's children? Ones he had fathered purely for the sake of having an heir? Although she found it hard to fathom such a cruel and grim man like Drago could ever have children of such beauty and grace. Whoever they were, they knew where they were going and what they were doing; not prisoners as Astrid was.
The muscled man looked over Astrid's shoulder and waved. "Paeton, such beauty! I did not know such handsome features were being kept prisoner underneath all the facial hair and horrible grey armour."
Paeton smiled and blushed slightly. "You three" he looked at them all intensely "you give me any grief this evening and I'll bury you myself. I do not want a repeat of last summer."
Yrsa put a hand to her mouth and giggled girlishly.
'Great' Astrid thought, 'she even laughs perfectly'.
The skinnier man put a hand to his forehead and feigned a salute and Paeton shook his head in defeat. The three of them finally reached Astrid and Yrsa's head turned to her. A strange chill spread through her, it felt as if Yrsa could see her despite her being very clearly blind.
"Who is this woman? One of the dancers? Be off with you, stupid girl you'll be lynched if your caught out of place." She frowned at Astrid.
Paeton cleared his throat, "She is Drago's and will enter after you. Take you places."
All three expressions did a one-eighty and their frustration turned to pity and wonder.
"You're Drago's?" The women whispered before the man on her left pulled her away to stand in front of Astrid.
They moved to stand in front of Astrid. Paeton looked at each of them until all four nodded they were ready, although Astrid wasn't sure what there was to be ready for.
It was hard to see past the giant frame of the man and taller one of the women but Astrid saw Paeton nod to the other guard and with white gloved fists, they both knocked the giant doors twice. The sound seemed to reverberate throughout the entire castle and all other noise ceased. Astrid's heart felt as if there was a mad hummingbird trapped in her chest, she focused on her breath and swallowed past the lump in her throat.
Slowly, the doors groaned open and candlelight flooded the hall. When the opening of soft music began playing both men straightened themselves, walked beside each other and then out of Astrid's sight. The music began to pick up its pace and the woman shook out her hair before strutting into the room, swinging her hips as she did. Astrid wondered how the woman knew where to go.
Paeton eyed Astrid signalling her not to move just yet. When the women stopped she bowed and turned to her left.
Suddenly the music hit a crescendo, booming through Astrid's ears and echoing sharply off the hard floor and walls. Finally, Paeton nodded to her. Breathing in deeply, Astrid put one foot in front of the other and begged Thor or even Freyja to keep her steady and not trip over herself.
At the other side of the doors was a small balcony that opened up onto the same magnificent garden where Astrid had first met Drago. The entire garden was rife with beauty and from up high Astrid could see how perfect it was. It was late evening and the sun hung low on the horizon giving a beautiful pinkish glow to the sky. The garden was a large circle and surrounding its circumference were perfectly trimmed rose bushes of the most vibrant pinks, whites, reds, oranges and every other colour imaginable.
A single table had been erected where those same beautiful flowers that lived in the garden, were sown into the very cloth that covered the table. An organised group of men stood in the back of the garden. They held Pan Flutes and Horn Pipes, Lyers and Lurs and the ballads they sang were the most stunning thing Astrid had ever heard.
In front of those men was a flowing water fountain, it's constant falling water was a symphony that matched perfectly to the notes being played. It should have been beautiful, but all Astrid saw was layers upon layers of obstacles, things and people in her way from escape.
Dozens of people, dressed in the most eloquent looking clothes, also happened to be starting up at Astrid. Men and women alike, watching her expectantly. She reminded herself to breathe and as Paeton had instructed she bowed, crossing her feet and raising her arms slightly. She turned to the left as the woman had, where a marble staircase had been constructed. Only one thought went through Astrid's head.
Marble was slippy.
Marble was very slippy.
Heels were very unpredictable.
Astrid put her shaking hand on the smooth banister and held on for dear life before she dared take another step. Her entire body tensed and she stared at the floor, scanning it in case of any flaw in the groundwork she might fall victim to, a crack or something to trip over. When the end of this cruel torture was near, she looked up and standing at the bottom of the stairs, an arm held out towards her and a horrible smile on his face, was non other than Drago himself.
Astrid hated the idea of touching the vile man but she had no choice. She composed any feelings of disgust or fear and mastered them into a weak grin. She lifted out a hand and placed it on his open arm. The last thing she wanted to do was spend a single minute in Drago's company and certainly not wearing a dress he had picked out for her. As she had expected, his eyes looked hungrily at every inch of her.
Drago had also adorned the same black robes as every other man in the castle although they did little to make him more presentable. He was too large and scruffy, his face too wild and menacing to be called anything near handsome.
"You look just ravishing, my dear." He said as he pulled her into a small clearing surrounded by people who were moving to the music.
Those who had begun to dance stopped when Drago passed and bowed. It was clear Drago was a respected man, one of power and influence but Astrid was stumped. She had never heard nor seen any mention of his name in any of the books she read of the clans. It crossed her mind he could have married into power but where was his wife? Was he a son of a powerful chief and if so, why had such a family never been mentioned? Whatever his business was it had little to do with her. Why he felt the need to parade her around left her clueless. She was told to obey and win Drago's favour, but to what cause?
"What do you want with me?" Astrid asked for what felt like the millionth time.
Drago lifted a large tankard from a young man carrying a tray of ale, and took a long swig. The golden liquid fell from his mouth and onto his bushy beard, the drops sticking to it disturbingly. He gulped loudly before wiping a beefy hand across his mouth and pulling Astrid tightly close to him. She had no choice but to fall prey to his every whim. The putrid smell from his breath would put any Viking to shame, it took all Astrid had not to crinkle her nose.
Drago began moving side to side, pulling Astrid with him in what could hardly be called a dance. She felt completely violated by just the mere look of him and fought him subtly at every chance she got. Pulling away from him here and there.
"I believe I have already told you the answer to that, you are the immune to immunes. I would like to figure out why."
"But what does that mean?"
3
"My dear Astrid, this is not dinner talk, keep that beautiful mouth shut and let me have a pleasant dance with you."
"Pleasant!?" Astrid pulled her hand from Drago's and stepped back, anger pulsed through her. He wanted her to obey, wanted her to play his little game but she wouldn't do it.
2
"Nothing about this is pleasant! You-"
Astrid yelped in pain as Drago grabbed her arm violently and forced her back into the dance.
1
"I have been very tolerant of you and your arrogance, but no more."
Drago leant forward and whispered in her ear, "you want to know what I really want with you? I want to strip you down and use your body. I want to take you over and over again until your nothing but a weeping mess of flesh. I want you to scream and beg for me to stop, but I won't."
Drago trailed a finger down the side of her face, "And when I am finished with you, and your body is broken. When you flinch at my very name and cower at the idea of me, then I will have broken your soul. I will have won against Hiccup Haddock."
4
The name made her forget Drago's confession for a moment. Hiccup, she thought he was dead. Did he end up here? Was this where he went? She wanted to ask the questions that would finally give her answers to Hiccup, but she couldn't speak.
Drago went on, "then, I will return you to Dagur. He has expressed how you are rightfully his."
She couldn't breath. This couldn't be her fate. No man in this world could be so cruel, so heartless. Astrid pulled away and was proved wrong by the wicked glint in his eyes. She knew then she was looking into pure evil, the very incarnation of the word. He wasn't to pretend and be anything other than what he was. He enjoyed the fear and the quiver in her bones and helpless, silent begging in her eyes. Whatever Hiccup had done to anger Drago, Astrid knew she was there to pay for his sins; or was it the other way around? Did Hiccup hold resentment at her for not going with him that day, so long ago, and now Drago was here to avenge him?
She knew Drago would do as he said, knew she would become a toy for him to play and do what he wanted with. He would break her. He would try but he had picked the wrong girl. Astrid Hofferson was a Viking. She wasn't going to live in this kind of a life. She wasn't going to lie down and surrender. Tonight she would endure, for the sake of her own pride, but Drago would never be able to do what he wanted with her, she would make sure of it.
When the music finally ended, Drago held out a hand to Astrid. She smiled, took his hand and let him lead her to the round table. As soon as they sat down she let go and finally took a moment to breathe properly. Drago sat at the head with her at his right and soon other people began to fill the seats until there was no one standing.
On her right, the same two men that Astrid had met in the corridor, the tall tanned man and large jolly one, bowed at Drago before taking seats beside her; It was the tallest one that sat in the seat next to her. The blind women however, came up on Drago's left and sat down without any hassle. Astrid was starting to think that maybe the women weren't blind at all. Chatter began as people began talking to each other.
"My name is Frode."
The tall man beside her held out his hand and smiled sweetly. Astrid had absolutely no idea what he wanted her to do with his hand but she put out her own and copied him. The man chuckled and reached out to her other hand and shook it up and down before letting go again. Astrid sat confused but she didn't question the gesture.
"Astrid" she replied.
Frode gestured to the tree like man beside him, "this is Bjorn." Although Bjorn was engaged in conversation with another person beside him and didn't hear Frode. Astrid nodded and looked away. If Frode was who she thought he was, then Astrid didn't want anything to do with him.
The other people who sat around the table were some of the strangest people she had ever seen in her life. Some spoke in tongues she couldn't even begin to understand. Some were dressed in nothing but leaves and sticks to cover their chests and bottom half. Others were completely covered in jewels and finery that looked like it weighed a ton. And then there was Dagur.
A few down from the blind women, staring at Astrid, was none other than the evil bastard himself. He noticed her eyes on him and winked. It took all the self control she had not to flip him off right there but she supposed Drago wouldn't take too kindly to such a rude gesture at his dinner.
"Do you know Dagur?" Frode asked, sensing her obvious mood as soon as she lay eyes on him.
Astrid ignored him and looked down at the silver platter and shining assortment of utensils she had absolutely no idea what to do with.
"I agree. This is a lot of finery only to be used for food." Frode went on.
"What do you want?"
"Ahh, so she does have a voice. I was beginning to think you didn't speak Danish."
Astrid rolled her eyes, "what do you want?"
"I want to know you. You should know by now that you're an Immune and we stick together. Me Bjorn, Yrsa and now you."
Astrid furrowed her brows, "What is an immune? I've heard it so many times but what does it mean?"
"It's very complicated to explain," he shook his head, " but think of it as a gift and a curse. Sometime I will explain fully, just not now."
Astrid sighed, "sure."
Frode looked at Astrid sadly. Suddenly, he stood up amongst the entire crowd, walked over and whispered to Drago. Drago looked over at Astrid and after a moment of silence he waved and continued his conversation with the other men around the table.
Frode smiled and held out his hand to Astrid, "Would you like to go for a refreshing walk?"
Confused, Astrid took his hand and he looped it over his arm before leading her away. They walked towards the fountain and past the band of singing men to the rose bushes. Fear began creeping up Astrid's spine and she cursed herself for being so foolish but Frode simply put his hand through the bush. It opened easily as if the branches were used to being pulled sideways and Frode stepped through. She could see now that she looked properly, that this part was bent compared to the rest of the bush. Astrid followed him, curious as to where he might be taking her.
When she stepped through a gasp escaped her lips. In front of her was the sea, but before it, land and on that land, was a Nightfury. She would never forget the first time Astrid had ever seen one, it was Hiccup's and he was the most magnificent dragon she had ever laid eyes on. Before her now, sleeping, lay a Nightfury.
"Is that…"
"No. It's only a wooden statue."
Astrid's heart dropped but she couldn't tear her eyes from it. It looked so real, so detailed and so much like Hiccup's dragon.
"Why?" Was the only question she could think of.
Frode led Astrid to the statue and sat down, pulling her with him. He stared at her for a while until she looked back. He smiled that same sad smile.
"When I was a babe, my mother used to tell me all kinds of stories; she was fond of them. She used to tell me this one story, a magnificent tale of a man and the dragon he tamed. The dragon was a Nightfury and the man was a simple human, but when he tamed the Nightfury he became known across the whole of the Archipelago." Frode paused, took his long golden cloak off and put it over Astrid. She looked at him gratefully, he couldn't know how much she appreciated it.
He went on, "Such fame got to the man's head and he reaped the kind people, who looked up to him, for all they would give. He was a selfish man. Soon, the man stole away the heart of a fair maiden, a princess at that. He didn't love her but all the less he led her on because he enjoyed her obsession with him."
"When the maiden would ask if the man would ever propose to her, he would smile and say, 'some day, my bonnie lass'. The day came when the man proposed to the maiden and of course she said yes but because the man still did not love the girl he left her. He left on his Nightfury and never came home. Little did he know that the maiden was with child and as she wept the loss of her love she became ill. The babe died and the maiden became so sad, she didn't want to live or love anymore or ever again. The mother threw herself from a cliff the night before she was to be married."
Astrid tilted her head quizzically, "I thought you said this was a good story?"
"I said it was a magnificent tale. It's sad but it's reality. It shows the power of love and hate and sadness. It's beautiful is it not?"
He looked at the sea, it's wind disturbed the ends of his hair, "how we can feel so much. Human emotions. You can have joy, hope, awe, desire. All the good ones, but what would you be if you didn't feel hurt, or pain, or despair? You can't have the good without the bad. There is no light without darkness. No need for hope before despair. The trick, the real skill is to balance them, so the bad doesn't seem so terrible, and you can truly appreciate the good."
Frode went silent for a while, both staring out at the sea.
"What happened? To the mother?" Astrid said after some time.
"The man came back. He had forgotten all about her and moved on. He died alone with not a soul but his dragon."
Astrid closed her eyes and let herself feel the wind on her face.
"Selfishness was the man's downfall. It was meant to be a story to teach kindness and love but I see something else, do you Astrid?"
He turned to face her but she had fallen asleep. With her chin perched on her hand her eyes fluttered and her breath became even. Frode smiled and brushed away a stray hair.
"You'll suffer here, Astrid. You will suffer more pain than you think you can bear, but soon you'll see. We all must be a little selfish to survive but then we must find love and let them fix our broken hearts." He whispered.
...oOo...
This chapter taps on some of the most horrible experiences some people face and I want everyone to know that the purpose of including such acts in the story is not in anyway to make it more exciting, dramatic or anything like that. I did think very hard on my decision to include it and I assure you readers it is not intended to offend anyone but simply because I want to use my story as an educational purpose. As a trained student in phycology, I simply wish to help and do my part to remove the stigma and stereotypes from all sorts of mental health issues as well as well as acts that seriously affect people and their wellbeing. That being said, if a reader tells me that they are uncomfortable with the way I have written or described these issues do not hesitate to pm me and I can do my best to sort it out. I would like to point out that the rating on this story is mature so if you are under the age of 18, do not continue reading please.
If anyone is suffering NEVER hesitate to tell someone your pain, and if you can't tell family or friends then tell a stranger and let them help. Below is a list of some platforms that have trained specialists to help anyone,
-Anxiety UK. A charity providing support if you have been diagnosed with an anxiety condition. Phone: 03444775774 Website: .
-Mental Health Foundation. Provides help for anyone with mental health problems. Website: .
-RAINN. The nations largest anti-sex hotline, free and confidential. Call: 800. (4673)
My pm is always open as well.
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Other than this, I have to say I am quite proud of the last part of this chapter, not to toot my own horn or anything. Also, I have a bone to pick. Shirzadym, where'd you go! I miss your intricate criticism!
Also, what do yous think of the new cover image? I made it myself, i know, i know i'm very talented you don't have to tell me- actually you can if you want. Vey proud. Of ma'self. Oh! I almost forgot, from now on I have decided to dedicate the name of every chapter to a song that I feel represents either the mood of the chapter or the actual chapter itself. This one is Foreign hands by... George something... Anyway, I ask you to listen to the song and then read the chapter or the other way about. I just think it puts you in a nice mood.
Until next time, Crystal.