I was later informed that what I dubbed as the "calling of the council" was actually informally called the Gathering of Chieftains; a meeting that had not occurred in many, many decades. Marking Zephyr's reign with the Gathering of Chieftains was a huge deal, as the forefathers of all the current chieftains had perished in the great fire caused by Drago Bludvist all those years ago.
Chieftains from the farthest reaches of the Archipelago were attending this gathering, as well as their councils.
Gobber, who, even in his frail state, was adamant of attending alongside Hiccup, Astrid, me, and Ana in support of Zephyr and Tannr. Hiccup informed me that while Zephyr was not the first female chieftain in the Archipelago, referencing the Bog-Burglar tribe, she was the first female chieftain in the Haddock line, and never had a chieftain brought their spouse to this meeting. So Zephyr was truly making history, and in a way, so was I.
Oswald II, the son of Dagur the Deranged and Queen Mala of the Defenders, was also attending. He and Zephyr were close friends growing up, and she was excited to see him. Additionally, Oddný, daughter of Camicazi of the Bog-Burglars would also be there; another close friend of Zephyr and Oswald, Oddný would be shadowing her mother, as she was not yet Chieftess.
In the days following the wedding and partying, the Gathering finally came together. I was impressed with how many representatives gathered in the Great Hall at the large table specifically crafted to handle all the people there.
Tannr was excited to see the chief of Firewind, the island that his parents and his uncles came from.
So the chiefs of the Berserker and Defenders of the Wing, the Wingmaidens, the Bog-Burglars, the Outcasts, Northlanders, Meatheads Thunderheads, and Firewind tribes were all in attendance.
The meeting commenced with the blow of a horn, and each chieftain sat in their respective seats, with Zephyr and Tannr at the head. It began with the new generations of chiefs formally introducing themselves to the older chiefs and introducing those who had accompanied them. Once all the others had finished, it was Zephyr's turn to speak. Tannr was sat to her left, and I to her right, as she insisted I sit with them.
With introductions finally out of the way, the topics discussed included what had changed on each island over the past few years, with trade, population, and wide-scale challenges they were facing. It soon became apparent that the majority of the tribes were dealing with an influx of new, foreign traders from the mainland who were stirring up trouble and bringing it with them, leading to skirmishes out at sea.
"The Byzantine Empire has expanded greatly, and we are seeing their influence spread. But the biggest problem the tribes closest to the mainland have been facing is this new religion. "Christianity", they call it. Worship of a "one, true God," that we've heard," Camicazi remarked, resisting the urge to scoff. I raised an eyebrow, as I was familiar with the term, yet I remained silent.
"Yes, I've heard of the followers going wherever they can to spread this new belief of theirs. It has not been received well in many parts of the continent. Yet there is still much we don't know."
"I've heard that the Byzantines are the Christians," the Outcast chief mentioned.
"It seems that there's a lot we don't know quite yet," Tannr spoke up, "perhaps we can look further into it." He offered. A few murmurs of agreement circled the table, which led to Zephyr turning to me.
"Laeli, you've done a great deal of traveling around that area, anything you'd like to add?" All eyes suddenly on me, and I swallowed nervously. I sat up straighter, glancing at the table of faces studying me closely.
"Yes, it is true I have heard word of… Christianity spread throughout the mainland. I didn't hear much, as those I heard it from had fled their homelands. But I can say without a doubt, that the world as we know it is changing, and we must anticipate whatever is coming. We don't know what consequences there will be, but being ready for it is better than nothing." I offered, resisting the urge to shrug to not seem indifferent or uncertain
"You seem very familiar with all of this. You are Zephyr's aid?"
"My second-in-command, actually," Zephyr corrected, "Laeli comes from a long line of chiefs herself, in a different part of the world we are not familiar with, but she lends her insight and expertise, and she is an incredibly experienced traveler, and has seen a great deal of the world that I have not."
The other chiefs began a barrage of questions about my experience and the things I had seen, and I was careful to exclude my interactions with the gods. I was then asked if the Celtic people could be trusted, a question that caught me off guard.
"I- yes, I have no reason to think otherwise. My husband and I only stayed with a small village, but they're good people." I mustered a smile as I reminisced about Eir, Siobhan, and Morgan, hoping that they were doing well.
Food was then passed around, as well as mead and wine. At just the smell of the drinks, I became nauseous and dizzy.
"Laeli? You alright over there?" Came Tannr's concerned voice.
"You look a little green." I hurriedly excused myself and rushed off, making my way outside and emptying my stomach into a trash barrel. The fresh air did help, but I truly felt ill. Suddenly my head hurt and I couldn't focus. I sat down on a bench near the great hall to rest and collect myself, feeling dazed.
"Laeli? You okay?" I looked up, surprised to see Minden and Snotlout walking by.
"You don't look too good," Snotlout commented. I couldn't muster the energy to verbally reply but I just shook my head.
"Come on, let's get you to Ana." Minden offered, helping me up.
"She's… inside… with Zephyr," I said slowly. Minden told Snotlout to go get Ana as she walked me to the healer's house, helping me onto a bed, getting some clean water to drink, and staying with me until Snotlout and Ana caught up.
Minden and I chatted about Nora, hers, and Snotlout's daughter for a bit until Snotlout and Ana finally joined us.
"Oh, Laeli! What happened? I was told you left the meeting?" Ana asked, and I nodded.
"I don't know what happened, the smell of the mead and wine made me sick," I explained as Minden comforted me, rubbing my back.
"Hmm," she mused softly, "well, let's have you rest in the meantime. Do you want me to get Eyarr?" I shook my head.
"Not right now, I don't want to worry him while he's working. He took some kids into the woods for target practice."
Ana thanked Minden and Snotlout, gently shooing them out as she made things comfortable for me. She tried to offer some food to see if that would help, but it only made me sick again. She sat by as I unfortunately emptied my stomach into a small bucket. She fetched some crushed ginger and had me smell it as she boiled the rest of it with water, making some ginger tea.
"I can give you some of the ginger to make your own tea at home," she offered, which I accepted. I took a cup of the tea, slowly sipping it and feeling its soothing effects. I took a quick nap once I was finished, and afterward, she offered a small loaf of bread, another quick remedy.
I soon began to feel better, feeling a bit more energized, though still worn down.
"Let me take a quick look at you, just in case you're not coming down with something," I followed her instructions, and lay back down in the bed in just my underwear, and was surprised when I noticed my stomach looked different. A look crossed Ana's face but vanished as she did her exam. She softly hummed to herself but said nothing.
Once it was finished, she did remark that after eating my stomach was a bit distended, but she didn't have much to say beyond that. Though she did say she wanted to keep an eye on me just in case.
"Eyarr did say it could be the stress from helping Zephyr with the wedding." Ana made a face in agreement.
"I can see that. The body does some strange things when under a lot of stress. That said, try to take it easy, don't overdo it, and continue taking the tea for the nausea. If it gets worse we can try something new." I thanked her, and she walked me home once I felt ready. Luckily, Eyarr was already home, and he thanked his mother for walking me home. Not too long after Eyarr and I were married, Ana formally claimed Eyarr as her adoptive son, knowing he needed a positive maternal figure in his life, and he gratefully accepted it, as they had a tight-knit bond, and she adored him.
"Take care of her, she's feeling a little ill today."
"I will." He assured, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek and then helping me upstairs to bed, "what's wrong?" He asked gently.
"I don't know what came over me, but at the meeting when they were serving food and drinks to everyone, just the smell of the drinks made me feel sick. I'm so embarrassed for leaving Zephyr like that, but I felt so awful." He brought me in for a hug, rubbing my back.
"I'm sure she understands. You've been under a lot of stress lately. What did Ana say?" I told him she had said the same, and had told me to rest.
"And that you will." He assured with a kiss.