I hope y'all enjoyed the prologue! This story has been a labor of love for the past two years and I'm so happy to start publishing it. Please feel free to leave reviews! You can also find extra lore and visuals on my Insta, which is the same user as on here This will also be posted on Wattpad and AO3, also same username. And now, onward!
A perfect breeze in the sail, the current and waves were steady, and the sun was shining brilliantly overhead, with only a few sparse clouds to shield me from the intense rays of light.
Behind me, the hazy silhouette of Motunui, my home, slowly faded over the edge of the sea. Home was behind me, and the horizon was ahead.
For the first time, I was leading my own crew on a voyage on my own. I grew up waiting for this moment; my beloved mother, Moana, teaching me everything I needed to know. She taught me the signs of the sky, the sea, and everything in between.
And though this was my first independent voyage, it was only intended to be temporary. I was only going to be gone for about six months, with my main intention of finding the long-abandoned former home of my father and aunt. Decades ago, long before my parents even met, my father, aunt, and late grandmother were forced to leave their island alongside the rest of their village in a mass exodus. It led to my father and aunt being separated, and subsequently, my grandmother died of a broken heart in an unfamiliar village.
Ever since then, the island lay abandoned, and Mother Nature allowed to reclaim the remnants of the village. My father and aunt never journeyed back, due to painful memories.
But now, I felt the responsibility of finding that island and getting in touch with that part of my history. My father and aunt didn't have much to share about their childhood outside of the death of my grandfather after my father was born, and then the exodus of their village. So family history was very much mysterious.
So my father's former island was my first intended stop. After that, I would visit other villages which my mother had forged connections with. Being the eldest daughter of the chief, it was an additional responsibility of mine to maintain positive relations with other chieftains and their families.
And while I was out here, finding my own path, my little sister, Aihe, had stepped into the role I'd willingly let go. She was next to become Chief.
I was 18 upon leaving Motunui on my own, and my sister was 14; four years younger than me. So for right now, she wouldn't be immediately stepping into an overwhelming leadership role.
Now, with so much behind me, I had even more ahead.
My senses suddenly surged through my body as I opened my eyes.
Looking directly up, the sky was sort of cloudy, with sun peeking through gray clouds. Swallowing, I slowly sat up, painfully becoming aware of the soreness in my shoulders and thighs. I shook my head, feeling slightly light-headed.
As I refocused my sight and hearing, I heard what sounded like someone talking, a feminine-sounding voice... Blinking, I looked around in confusion. Before I could stand, when I turned my head to my left, I was startled upon seeing a pale face, dashed with freckles across her cheeks, brilliant sky blue eyes, and fiery red hair tied in twin braids.
She seemed equally surprised to see me staring at her.
I immediately became aware of how differently she was dressed; with most of her body completely covered, save for her bare arms. And then I realized how… cold it was. I began to shiver, my teeth chattering together as soon as I became aware of just how chilled I was. The last time I could ever faintly remember being cold was swimming in the ocean in the early morning before the sun rose back home, and that was rare for the water to be that cold.
It was a different kind of cold, though. Breezier, I suppose.
I looked around as I took in my surroundings. A towering cliff of rock and soil covered in moss behind me, and a brown beach beneath me. Wait…
I leaped to my feet instantly. My crew! I had not heard a sound from them. I frantically began calling out their names, ignoring the sharp rocks beneath my feet and the chilling breeze tearing through my hair.
I scrambled through what was left of my canoe. It was completely wrecked, having been violently smashed into the rock. It was frankly a miracle I was even alive. Tears streaming down my face, the fear of being lost without my crew settled into the pit of my stomach.
I weakly turned to face the ocean. The vast expanse of it just felt… so different. It was not the ocean I knew. This was a colder, more violent ocean. Shivering, I wrapped my arms around my torso, rubbing my arms. I… I didn't know what to do.
Looking around, I noticed that the red-haired girl had a fair-haired boy with her, with green eyes instead of blue. They had the same nose, and I had a good reason to believe they were related; siblings perhaps? The girl watched me with concern in her eyes. She hesitantly approached me, holding out her hand. She said something that I couldn't understand, but I had the feeling she wanted to help.
With one last glance at the wreckage of my canoe, I begrudgingly took her hand, joining the fair-haired boys' side. He removed the extra layer of clothing he wore and draped it around my shoulders. They said something to each other as they helped me up a path through the terraced cliffside. I assumed they were leading me to their village.
I did my best to keep my panic hidden. But I was shivering, and being scared didn't help. I didn't know these people, I couldn't understand them, and I was obviously nowhere familiar. I had been prepared to meet different villages to help build relations and trade routes. But that would have been with people that looked like me, and whom I could talk to.
Here, I had no idea where to start.
Oh, gods… would I have to start over? Just like dad when mom first brought him to Motunui. He and my aunt Huihana had to start over completely, which, to be fair, did lead to mom and dad marrying and having me and Aihe.
As the girl and boy walked with me, I looked around at the village. Houses made of wood, brilliantly painted and decorated with intricate carvings, even on the smallest of homes, or sheds. The craftsmanship was truly remarkable. I noted the carvings were of fearsome creatures with wings and large, pointy teeth. Oh, Te Fiti…
I noticed various villagers abruptly stop doing their daily tasks just to stare at me. Both large men and women, some wearing shiny armor on their shoulders or chests. The bare skin shown was mainly the arms, and the same could be said for all the children running about. And everyone had various shades of hair and eye colors. Everyone looked… different.
It was kind of cool. But it was still a little startling. I didn't know what to make of it.
We walked through a bare patch of grass, and I was pleasantly surprised by how soft and fresh it felt under my feet. Better than that beach, for sure. Soon, we made it down a dirt path up to a much grander house compared to the rest of the village.
I didn't need much to tell me this was the chief's house. Though I was a little surprised by how easily they just went inside. Unless…
I heard their names called out by someone else within the house.
Zephyr… and Nuffink? I think. I couldn't quite tell, but I'm confident that those were their names. I heard someone come down the creaky wooden stairs, and upon turning to see who it was, I saw two women descend the stairs to the first floor. One woman had the same blonde hair as the boy… Nuffink, but she had the same blue eyes as Zephyr. The other woman was older with brown hair and bluish-green eyes.
They greeted Zephyr and Nuffink with smiles on their faces. And then the attention was turned on me, and I suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable. The girl, Zephyr, came to my side, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder as she began to speak. Based on her body language, I assumed she was telling the women about me. As I studied the blonde woman's features, I concluded she must be the mother. And based on her clothing, the detailing, and seemingly nicer fabrics, she could be the chieftess? Or the wife of the chief? I couldn't tell. I did admire the band wrapped around her head, which Zephyr wore as well.
They spoke to each other about something else before the mother gestured for her kids to follow her. Upon that instruction, Zephyr gestured for me to follow as well, her hand hovering over my back.
I was led to the main room of the house. There was a massive pot in the fireplace, and whatever was being cooked, actually smelled quite good. Pork? I think, based on the smell.
Then, I was given a seat and a fresh blanket. I made sure to cover my entire body, toes included. It felt relieving to be wrapped up in something warm. But yet, I still felt uncomfortable not knowing what was happening, and what these people were going to do.
Despite fighting it off, my eyelids fell heavy from stress and exhaustion. I couldn't fight off sleep for much longer, and soon I finally closed my eyes.
I don't remember what I woke up to, but upon opening my eyes, I realized I was in a bed. Covered with furs and other blankets. I was still in my regular clothes, but I noticed a short blue dress laid out on the end of the bed. I looked out the window above me and saw that it was twilight. The stars were just starting to emerge from the inky blue of the sky. And I could hear the sounds of the village settling in.
I slid out of bed and picked up the short dress. I then noticed leggings, socks, and boots for me as well.
I was touched. This family hardly knew me and they were so incredibly generous when they didn't have to be, I was a perfect stranger to them. I put on the clothes given and was surprised at how comfortable they were.
After properly dressing, I made my way downstairs, recalling the layout of the house from before, and made my way to the main living area. I saw the women with Zephyr and Nuffink from before, and now there were two new men there. A tall man with brown hair and a beard, and the same green eyes as Nuffink. Based on his attire, I was confident that he was the chief, and I immediately noticed the missing leg. And next to him, was a very large man missing a leg as well, a hand, and had a very long braided mustache.
The bearded man looked over at the blonde woman with a look on his face, and I overheard her talking to him, assuming she was explaining. Zephyr joined in.
The older brunette woman came to my side and led me to sit down. I could see the look in her eyes, and something told me she understood my awkwardness and validated how uncomfortable everything was right now.
The next few hours consisted of myself and this family attempting to communicate with each other. I found the only way that was easiest to explain was to draw out what I could. I was offered a sheet of parchment and ink. I immediately began to draw little doodles that would be easy to understand. With each doodle I made, I listened to them talking to each other as they deciphered what I was saying.
Zephyr went a step further to explain their words for the drawings and descriptions of objects and words I offered. I soon began piecing together their language. Eventually, I learned the names of the family.
Hiccup, the brown-haired man. He was the chief.
Astrid, the blonde. His wife.
Zephyr and Nuffink; Hiccup and Astrid's kids.
Valka, Hiccup's mother.
And Gobber, a family friend.
I don't remember how long I spent learning Norse and adjusting to their world, but I know it took months. I finally started figuring things out, and on occasion, Hiccup and Zephyr would take me around the village to help me practice speaking to people.
Hiccup introduced me to his closest friends, and they were all very curious about me since apparently, Hiccup hadn't told them much about me.
"She's not from here, though I know you figured that."
"I came from south. Much warmer there." I explained in broken Norse, to the best of my ability. I was still insecure about my pronunciation of some words.
Over the next few months, things slowly began to improve. Even though I was happy it was all working out, I still felt like I didn't fit in. I didn't feel at home. And I didn't know what it would take for that feeling to settle in.