Nothing about this place was welcoming. Every step I took made me feel like I wasn't supposed to be here. Most of the house was the main living area, and various pieces of sitting furniture were scattered about, covered in animal furs and leather hides. Upon closer inspection… some of the hides had scales on them.

The walls were covered with what I could only assume to be more dragon hides, a dragon's foot, claw, and all, various horns, and of course, weapons.

Trophies. Everywhere.

I kept mentally hoping I could find something that had some happiness attached to it. A child's toy, perhaps. But I found nothing. I found a game of Maces and Talons sitting on a small table, the pieces scattered about. As I observed the main room, I started seeing various items that weren't traditionally Norse-made. Some of them were obviously from other cultures.

Against one wall, there was a large chest was full of various richly colored fabrics and other clothing items. On the far right side was a large fireplace and hearth. It seemed somewhat normal, but something about it felt wrong, adding to the unwelcoming vibe of the house.

"Eyarr, what is all of this?" He lit a few candles, providing light. He held a torch in his hand.

"My past. Everything in here, in my parent's old room, and even in the shed in the woods, is filled with stuff that my parents intentionally bought. But they got cocky and began ripping people out of their money. And somehow, that led them into the market for buying, trading, and selling dragons and their body parts," I hesitantly sat down on a chair and took it all in, feeling disgusted with the vibes of this place, "To this day, I don't know what got my parents into it. Still, nothing could convince them to leave."

"I can't even imagine what you were forced to do."

"I never killed anyone, if that's your worry, but I still did many things I regret." He hurriedly assured, and an awkward grimace plastered on his face. He was too quick to assure me on that, and while I was mildly suspicious, I opted to not question him further.

"Okay… final question. What's in the shed you keep mentioning?" He froze.

"Uh… um… I don't think it's time to show you that yet."

"Is whatever is in there that bad?"

"To put it lightly." The conversation ended there, and Eyarr led me to his old room, where he told me he demanded a separate room from the rest of his family. It definitely had different vibes from the rest of the house, it was a bit more comforting. I then took notice of various locks on the inside of his bedroom door, as well as old weapons hidden under furniture.

"What are you comfortable telling me about your family?" I asked, taking a seat on his bed.

"Um… gods, where do I start…" He mumbled, "Well, my parents were the masterminds behind everything. I have an older sister and younger twin brothers. I've always been the black sheep of the family; I never fit in. They always took my sister on their ventures, coming back with all sorts of stuff, mainly dragon parts that they'd use to scam people. But occasionally, they would come back with different 'treasures,' like personal belongings. They once acquired a Sámi drum many years ago. It was… very draining."

I was appalled, having expected his story to be bad, that was a bad start.

"It took me some time to break out of that life. I ran away when I was a teenager, and that first year, I was forced to deal with my parent's old partners just to survive. But eventually, I was able to break free from that. And I've been living on my own with Cliffire ever since."

It wasn't every detail, but I was fine with that. That was enough backstory to know.

"Eyarr…" He shook his head.

"I don't need the "I'm sorry's". It's okay. Coming here has helped me accept that I can't change the past. Whatever the future brings, I'm better prepared for it." I smiled.

"I'm very happy to hear that. But, um… let's not overstay our welcome." He smirked.

"Don't worry, I don't intend to." I decided to stay in the bedroom and let Eyarr do whatever he needed to do in the main room and outside. Throughout the rest of the evening, I could hear the sounds of furniture being moved around. I really didn't care to know what he was doing. If he wanted to tell me, he would.

The moon was at its highest point in the sky by the time I heard Eyarr finally come back. I half expected him to join me in the bed. But when I peeled open an eye, I saw him rolling out his makeshift bed on the floor, on top of various fur rugs. I didn't say anything and fell back asleep.

When I woke the next morning, the main living room was deserted.

"What the Hell did you do?" I asked in my groggy, bewildered state.

"Made some rearrangements." He replied.

"Obviously." He hummed as he stoked the fireplace, which had something cooking.

"What are you planning next?"

"Getting rid of anything that's tainted. And saving what's been stolen."

"Wait, we're… saving stuff?" I replied, taken aback. I had no idea he was planning this.

"Whatever can be returned. But I know some people who can help with the more difficult items from further south." He didn't offer much context, but it did get me thinking.

"If it helps, I know where to start with the Sami items." I offered. He raised an eyebrow.

"Do you?" I nodded.

"One of Chief Hiccup's friends, Zyrah. Her daughter, Hilda, lives on the mainland. It's a long story, but it's a start, at least."

"Do you know how to get there?"

"I know where it is… but I have yet to figure out how. But… I have a method. Just give me a couple of days." He stared at me.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see, I promise." I assured him, "First though, got spare parchment?"

I spent the rest of the day looking at the horizon from shore, asking Riptide to give me a lift for a better view. I just needed to track where the sun set according to our position on our maps. I had convinced Eyarr to give me his most accurate and updated ones for comparison.

I scoured each map to find familiar locations and landmarks to deduct our position according to New Berk, which was my main point of reference. New Berk was far west of Old Berk, which sat in the center of the archipelago. And based on my observations, this little island, with its fjord, sat far to the southeast of New Berk, planting it between the mainland and larger islands to the south.

I waited for the sun to set, knowing it always set in the west. I planned on staying up throughout the night to chart the stars and then wait for sunrise.

As I watched the sky, I relished how much I missed it. Tracking the sky was how I traveled, how I found my way.

I sat there for hours, watching the sky as it changed. I marked the sun's position just as it set and began to prepare for nightfall.

This was my favorite part. I loved stargazing. The celestial bodies of the sky always brought me comfort. I had memorized the star charts of home, and now I could compare them to here. And I knew they were drastically different. I knew the constellations of the south, but now I had to find constellations of the north. I immediately noted three stars in a cluster, I was about to chart them down when it hit me. I took a headstand position, looking at the three stars again.

"Holy fuc-!" I cried out. I was so shocked I fell over. Eyarr came rushing over from bringing in some stuff from Cliffire's saddle.

"Laeli! You okay?" He helped me up, glancing at my charts, "You've been busy." I nodded frantically.

"Eyarr, see those three stars next to each other?" I pointed and made him follow the direction of my hand.

"Yeah, that's Frigg's Distaff. Why?" I quickly scribbled down the constellation before flipping it upside down.

"We call it Na Kao back home. But it's upside down for us." He raised an eyebrow.

"What're you saying?"

"Back home, I know the exact position of this constellation. And now I finally have a point of reference for it here! It's just right-side up! I'm finally seeing the same night sky, just… right side up! Partially at least! We have some of the same constellations back home, but upside down!" His eyes widened with that realization.

"Oh damn… that's, that's incredible! I had no idea your knowledge of the night sky was that extensive."

"It goes beyond just charting the stars. That's how we voyage. We measure the stars and anything in the sky, including the sun and moon. We follow the winds and currents of the sea. We listen to the earth, sea, and sky."

Fascinated, he sat next to me, and we stayed up the whole night charting the stars, and I would share my comparisons. He grabbed a blanket and a couple of pillows and eventually fell asleep. I didn't mind it, though. I stayed up for a little longer, and once the moon touched the top of the mountains, I decided I ought to go to sleep. I smiled at the sight of Eyarr's sleeping figure and lay down next to him.

I kept my eye on Na Kao, finally drifting off to sleep.