Chapter 10: Farewell Valencia

Berk

April 16

With Hiccup cradled in her arms, Valka stood outside Berk's infirmary. Stoick and Gobber stood on either side of her for support. They were all waiting for Gothi to come out of the infirmary to bring them news. But Valka knew deep down that she was to bring bad news.

She turned slightly and looked out towards the ocean. While the sky over Berk was still blue, dark gray clouds hovered over the very tip of the horizon. Small thin, white lightning bolts were flashing over the water. Even from afar, she could hear the faint rumbling sound that followed.

Yes, Thor was bringing forth a storm. A suitable kind of weather for a tragic day.

Stoick gently placed his hand on her shoulder and they shared a sad gaze. He was trying his best to stay strong for her sake but he looked as though he were about to break down at any minute.

A tiny whimper from their son drew their attention to him. Hiccup looked up at them with a sad expression on his usually cherubic face. Valka could tell that tears were threatening to escape his eyes. Even he seemed to tell that something heartbreaking was about to happen.

Valka briefly looked back up at Stoick then back at Hiccup. "Don't cry, sweetheart," she said, running a hand through the baby's hair. "Mom and Dad are right here for you."

"That's right, son, everything will be all right," Stoick said, holding out his thumb which Hiccup reached out and grasped.

"Yeah," Gobber said, unsuccessfully trying to sound cheerful. "Besides it's not like anyone we know around here is going to…"

"Gobber!" Stoick said warningly.

"Sorry," Gobber replied quickly.

At that moment, the door opened and Gothi stepped out. The group looked at her expectedly but the elder shook her head solemnly. The group's faces fell. Then Gothi met Valka's eyes and gestured inside.

"She says you can go in now, Val," Gobber said.

Valka hesitated then looked down at Hiccup who was still looking up at her with sad green eyes.

"I'll watch him, Val," Stoick offered.

Valka smiled gratefully and carefully placed Hiccup in her husband's strong arms. Even after all these weeks from the time he was born, it still amazed her how her warrior of a husband who had roughly battled against intruding Vikings and dragons would treat a tiny baby so delicately.

Then hesitantly she followed Gothi into the infirmary. It was almost dark inside with a lit fireplace as its only source of light and warmth. The smoke of the fire rose up from the flames and into a small opening at the top of the roof. On either side of the fireplace were rows of beds for sick patients. And in the first bed on the left side of the infirmary was…

…her mother, Valencia.

A few weeks ago, she had come down with pneumonia. Gothi had done everything she could to help her but the sickness had quickly taken over her body and there was not much for Gothi or anyone else to do.

Valka just couldn't believe the irony. Ever since Hiccup's birth, she had been worrying about losing him after being told that he might not survive. And today she was about to lose someone she loved but it wasn't Hiccup. It was her mother.

Valencia smiled weakly and waved as Valka approached her bed. Not even a painful sickness could keep her from looking so cheerful.

"Hello, Valka, dear," Valencia said, her voice a tired rasp.

"Hi, Mom," Valka said sitting down in the stool beside the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I've seen better days," Valencia said. "What about you? Are you, Stoick and Hiccup doing well?"

Valka forced a smile. "Surprisingly well, thanks."

"You must be. Even with Gothi telling you the news?"

Valka nodded still forcing her smile.

Valencia shrugged. "Well, we both know this day would have to come."

"But we didn't expect it to come this soon," Valka said, slipping her mother's hand into her own. "Please don't go Mom."

"I'm afraid I have to," Valencia said, shaking her head sadly. "My life's as good as up." She brushed some stray hairs out of Valka's face. "Besides, you still have your own life to continue. And you can continue it by loving and raising my grandson now that you're a mother yourself."

Valka looked away slightly. "Some mother I am. I couldn't even hold him in long enough until he was ready to be born. Sometimes I think he'd be better off without me."

"Now, now, Valka, you can't keep beating yourself up about it," Valencia said in a fussy sort of tone. "It just happened that's all."

Valka looked back at her mother and smiled again. "That's what Stoick said."

"What else does Stoick say?" Valencia asked with a knowing smile.

"He also says that someday Hiccup will become the strongest of them all. In fact, he says it every day," Valka replied.

"He may be right. In the seven weeks he's been around, as anything awful happened to him?"

"Well, no," Valka said, shaking her head.

"And are you still singing to him to get him to eat?"

"Yes, we're still singing and he's eating so much better now. You know, Mom, he's different than most babes besides the fact that he's smaller than the rest."

"How so?" Valencia asked, looking interested.

"Well, he seems so…intelligent for his age. It's as if he understands everything I say and he can always tell what I feel. When I feel happy, he's happy. When I get sad, he gets sad."

"Of course he understands your words and feelings. He's your son. And if Stoick believes he'll become the strongest of them all, I believe it too."

"I'm glad you believe it. Not everyone else seems to believe it though. Everyone just looks at him with pity or doubt in their eyes as if they too think he won't make it."

Valencia pressed her free hand against Valka's cheek. "Maybe the real reason they think he won't survive is because he's not their son. They don't know him like you or Stoick or Gobber or I do."

Valka smiled and swelled up importantly. "You're right they don't," she said now sounding indignant. "And they really should."

"And one day they will get to know him," her mother reassured her. "I predict that someday Hiccup will do something incredible – incredible enough to make everyone regret thinking he wouldn't thrive."

"Stoick always talks about the things he'd do when he grows up like becoming chief, exploring new lands and starting a family of his own," Valka said.

Valencia nodded with at every prediction Valka said. "And there you have it. Those are enough to show the world how strong he's destined to grow up to be. Why I believe he already did something incredible that very night he was born."

"What was that?" Valka asked curiously.

"He may have saved his father's life," Valencia replied proudly.

Valka forced a chuckle. "Well, I don't know about Hiccup saving Stoick's life. But Stoick did save his life – holding him, talking or singing to him, playing with him, believing in him."

"That's because he's your son's father and he loves him with all his heart just as much as he loves you," Valencia said, stroking Valka's cheek with her fingers. "He was the first to believe that your child will become the strongest of them all. And I want you to keep believing it too. Promise me you'll keep on believing in your son no matter what."

Valka could feel the tears she had been holding in all day ready to escape her eyes but she smiled and whispered, "I promise."

"That's my girl," Valencia said smiling back with pride.

As Valka squeezed her mother's hand tighter, she could hear Hiccup wailing from outside the door.

….

Night Fury Island

April 16

From their spot deep inside their warm, rocky den, Sapphire and Dusk lay side by side watching the storm outside. Rain poured and lightning flashed against the night sky followed by the rumble of thunder.

In between them, the five Night Fury hatchlings cowered and whined. Before the storm had started, they had been taking a nap (at their age, the baby Night Furies needed lots of naps). And with the sounds of pelting rain hitting the ground and the occasional roars of thunder, it was hard to go back to sleep. Big One was trying her best to look strong for her siblings but anyone could easily see the fear in her dark blue eyes. Toothless looked especially tense.

Sapphire craned her neck over towards her five babies and nuzzled each of their heads soothingly. "It's all right, babies," she crooned. "The storm will be over soon."

The five Night Furies settled down and crooned relaxingly. Noserubber nuzzled her snout against her mother's warm belly. Her siblings mimicked her moves. Sapphire wrapped her tail around her young ones. Biter laid his head down at Sapphire's tail and gently nibbled the spikes aligning them with his gums.

Sapphire looked from her babies to the storm outside the den. Sometimes rainy days like this got her thinking to sad times. Her saddest moment was from sometime before she had met Dusk.

She thought about the home where she had been born. Said home was where her mother had conceived her and her sisters and where they had all grown up, played, fished, learned and of course, flew. By the time she was old enough, she had decided she wanted to go out into the world. Her mother understood but the both of them knew they'd miss each other so much. Her mother assured her that she was welcome to return to her old home anytime. And so she and her sisters went off to find their own separate homes.

Sapphire had had a wonderful time exploring the world and sailing over the seemingly endless ocean, discovering new places and meeting new creatures big and small. Then one day she got homesick and decided to return to her old home. But by the time she had got there, her mother was nowhere to be found. The other Night Furies that had dwelled on their home with weren't there either.

Heartbroken, frightened and confused, Sapphire tried to track down her sisters as well. But no matter how much she searched, she couldn't pick up their scent or find any other sign of them. It was like they had vanished completely.

Sapphire wished her family were here to comfort her on a night like this and more importantly to meet her young ones – the grandchildren to her mother and the nieces and nephews to her sisters.

"Are you all right?" Dusk wondered, snapping her out of her thoughts. "You're not afraid of the storm too, are you?"

Sapphire looked over at her mate with embarrassment in her gaze. "No." She looked over at the baby Furies. "I was just wondering what my mother and sisters would think if they were here to meet our young ones."

"I'm sure they would've loved them," Dusk replied, leaning his cheek against hers. "I know my family would've loved them too."

Sapphire nuzzled her husband's cheek. She knew she could rely on him to understand her feelings.

Just then, Toothless came crawling in between them. The Night Fury mother and father watched as their youngest one climbed over Sapphire's foreleg and curled up in his favorite sleeping spot which was against his mother's chest. Even he seemed to want to cheer his mother up. Sapphire softly licked the top of Toothless' head as he drifted back to sleep. Then she looked over to see if the rest of her brood had fallen back to sleep too.

They had and that made Sapphire very satisfied.

Even though Sapphire and Dusk weren't with the families they had been born into, at least they could be with the family they had started.

….

Berk

April 16

Night had completely fallen upon Berk as did the thunderstorm. Inside their warm and cozy homestead, Stoick, Valka and Hiccup were all snuggled up together on Stoick's armchair. Stoick had Hiccup cradled in one arm while he kept his other arm around Valka, alternating between stroking her hair and rubbing her back. She had her tear-stained face buried against his shoulder and her arms wrapped around his neck.

Raindrops pelted the rooftop and lightning flashed from behind the window drapes followed by the sounds of deep, rumbling thunder. A fire crackled away in the fireplace in front of them. Stoick had added extra logs to the fire feeling that this was just the occasion for extra warmth and light.

For a long time, the three Haddocks remained quiet unless you counted Stoick whispering "My Valka" once every five or so minutes or Hiccup's occasional quiet moans. Then finally, Valka looked into her husband's eyes and broke the silence.

"I loved her, Stoick."

"I know, Val. I loved her too."

"Why did she have to leave us? And so soon?"

Stoick shrugged sadly. "It's the only price you pay when you love someone. Eventually that loved one has to go away whether it's to a new house or a new world. With love…comes loss. I should know."

Valka nodded.

Then Stoick smiled. "But at least your mom had been given an opportunity to live a good, long, healthy life and raise an equally healthy girl."

Valka smiled at Stoick's compliment.

"And tomorrow we will give her a well-deserved funeral," Stoick continued. "We'll place her on one of our finest ships and decorate it with flowers."

"I think she'd love that. I know I do."

Stoick nodded. "And at least you still have me and Hiccup."

They both looked down at Hiccup who was still looking slightly tearful but lightening up a bit.

"As long as nothing happens to him in the near future," Valka admitted.

"I think I might have something to confess to you, Valka. Something I should've told you from the start," Stoick said.

His gaze was still gentle and kind but there was a hint of seriousness in it.

"What is it?" Valka asked.

"I said I gave Hiccup his name because I believed his lungs were strong but it wasn't just because of that. There was another reason for his name."

"What was the other reason?"

"As I was waking up from being unconscious after fighting the Monstrous Nightmare, the very first sound I heard was our son's hiccups."

Valka's eyes widened in wonder.

"If I had heard someone having the hiccups at any other time, I wouldn't have cared who was having them. But for whatever reasons that day, I was curious to know where they were coming from."

"And they were coming from our son," Valka said, pressing a finger against Hiccup's cheek. His cheek was so soft and smooth, her finger felt as if it was sinking deep into his skin.

The whole time Hiccup looked up at his parents as if he too was as interested in his father's story as she was.

"Aye," Stoick said. "Although I was surrounded by my wife, my mother-in-law and all my friends, it was Hiccup's presence that made me forget about the pain of my bruises. It was spending a whole week in bed with Hiccup that helped me recover from the fight. It was his hiccups that awakened me from unconsciousness."

"So that's what Mom meant when she said he may have saved your life."

"Aye."

Valka held out her hands as she gently transferred Hiccup from Stoick's arms into her own. The tiny baby smiled as she brought him close to her chest. There was no longer a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"Now I know for sure that you'll become the strongest of them all, Hiccup," Valka said proudly. "You will do all the things you're destined to do!"

"That's the spirit, Val," Stoick said proudly.

Then Valka frowned. "However…"

"However…?" Stoick echoed.

"I'm going to have to forbid you from using that tiny axe that Gobber made for you. I don't' care how small it is, you're much too young to be using weapons. Honestly, I oughta feed your father to a pack of hungry boars for this. Why couldn't he have Gobber craft you something more suitable? Like that horn he made for Oswald the Agreeable's daughter?"

As she said all this, Stoick blushed with embarrassment. Then he straightened up.

"Uh, speaking of Oswald the Agreeable, he should be arriving in a few weeks to sign the annual peace treaty with us."

"You know I'm not fond of you changing the subject, Stoick. But you're right, he should be coming here very soon now. You don't suppose he'll bring that crazed son of his do you?"

"Crazed?" Stoick said, raising his eyebrows.

"From what Oswald says about him in all the letters he sends you, he sounds very crazed indeed. I wouldn't want him going near Hiccup. Besides he might set a bad example on him."

"I wouldn't say Oswald's son is crazed, Val. Just a little…rambunctious. And no, he's not bringing him. In the last letter Oswald wrote, he says he'll be leaving young Dagur in the care of his nanny…his fifth one…when he travels here."

"Well, thank Thor for that. Otherwise I'd go berserk myself."

The couple laughed and even Hiccup found himself laughing.

"It's nice to have laughter in this house again after a few tough weeks," Stoick said.

"It certainly is," Valka agreed.

Hiccup babbled.

"You think so too, don't you, Hiccup?" Valka smiled.

Hiccup just babbled again.

"I'll take that as a yes," Stoick said, also smiling.

As if Thor himself could hear the family's laughter, the rumbling thunder outside began to soften and the rain didn't pelt as much.