1 year later
Arvid's POV
It had been a year since Trygve started his journey to find Vera, the Shadow Demon. She was the spawn of all evil in this world, a true demon from Helheim.
It was just after dawn, and Trygve was still fast asleep when I heard laughter coming from the trees. I narrowed my eyes in confusion before following the sound, fully armed.
What I came across stunned me. A woman and a child with wings on their backs were playing. Their wings were black as night and bat-like. The woman made a funny face at the child, which made the child fall to the ground in laughter. The way the woman's auburn hair shone in the first rays of the sun was oddly familiar as if I had met her before.
She stilled, her gaze suddenly meeting mine. Her eyes widened in shock before snarling, "what do you want?" The child followed her gaze before hiding behind the woman.
"I heard laughter, and I found you," I replied. "I'm Arvid."
"I know," she snapped. "As if I could forget you!" she snarled at me.
Realization hit me. "Vera?" I demanded.
"Oh, don't be so shocked! You came to kill me and Aurora, didn't you!" she demanded, holding the child behind her protectively.
I ran a hand through my hair. Why isn't she attacking? "Well... I came to kill you, yes. Didn't know you had a little sister..."
The little girl started tugging at the hem of Vera's shirt. "Mum? Who is he?" she asked. My eyes widened.
"Aurora, stay behind me," Vera said sternly.
"She's your daughter! Isn't it bad enough that you lead my brother to believe that you were human? He had to believe you were single too?" I demanded.
"First of all, I am single. Secondly, why do you care? Not like you want to have me as your sister-in-law anyway," she snapped.
I paled considerably at her statement. "Why aren't you attacking," I countered.
"I don't attack for no reason," she stated.
My eyes narrowed in confusion. "But-"
"Dragons have a simple code. If you attack us, our kind and especially our families, then we feel we have every right to kill you. Just look at what happened to the Meatheads. My siblings thought that they had killed me, so they demolished the tribe," she replied, matter-of-factly.
"That was your siblings?" he asked. "But you said-"
"I have more than one sibling," she deadpanned. "What are you even doing here? This is days away from Lokicrest."
"Trygve got it into his mind that he loves you," I replied.
Her eyes guttered. "I-I can't... He's a threat to my daughter, and I refuse to put her at risk. I'll always choose her," she said.
"You love him," I said accusingly. She bit her lip as she nodded. "But... you're a dragon."
"I know," she said.
"Mum?"
She glanced back at the small girl. "C'mon, Moons," she told her before turning towards me again. "Tell your brother that he shouldn't waste time on me. Do anything to convince him not to come after me. I don't want him anywhere near my own," she said. She turned her back to me as she wrapped her arms around her daughter and took off, leaving me stunned.
When I returned to the camp, I found Trygve and Solfrid sitting around a small fire.
"Where have you been?" Trygve asked.
"We're going home," I stated even as Vera's words rang through my mind.
"What!" Trygve demanded. "Why?"
I turned to face him. "You should move on," I replied.
"No, and where have you been?" he demanded.
"I heard laughter, followed it, found Vera. She told me to tell you to stop wasting time on her."
Trygve's eyes flared with hope. "Where is she?"
"She's gone," I replied. "Look, I get that you don't understand, but she's not good for you!"
"Why not! I love her!" he told me.
Vera's words came back to me. "She has a daughter," I stated.
"Wh-what?" Trygve asked, his eyes flashing with hurt.
"She has a daughter, about four years old. They were playing together," I told him.
He stood there gaping. "B-but... Adopted?"
I shook my head. "The resemblance was undeniable, the same hair and eyes," I replied.
I couldn't read the next emotion the cross over Trygve's face. "Fine, we'll eat and pack up."
Solfrid and I made eye contact as he stalked off.
The Next Day
Trygve's POV
We were a day's sail from Lokicrest. We could've easily gone the day without food or water, but the trading post was in sight.
My hand wrapped around the dagger at my hip as we docked. The dagger's steady weight was a constant reminder of Vera and all her lies. But even though she had lied to me, my heart still ached with longing for her to come back to me.
Solfrid and Arvid had decided to stay behind and guard the ship as I bought enough food for the day.
I exchanged several gold coins for dried yak jerky and bread.
"Where're ye goin'?" the man asked.
"Lokicrest," I replied automatically.
He eyed me with suspicion. "Ye'd be mad ter go there," he stated.
He looked up in confusion. "Why?"
He let out a laugh. "Where've ye been, boy? Under a rock?" he asked.
"What do you mean, I'd be mad to go to Lokicrest?" I demanded.
A man from behind me spoke up, "you can't be serious? Lokicrest's a death trap!"
"Aye! They've made mighty powerful enemies, them, Crests," he stated.
My eyes became more frantic. "What enemies?" I asked.
"Them Visithugs are mad! Them Crests 'ave killed one of their people, they 'ave. The Visithugs's chief is mighty angry at them Crests," the man stated.
I shook my head in denial. "No. No, you have to be lying," I responded.
"I wish that I was," he said mournfully. "They'll be wiped out."
I hardly heard his last words as I ran towards our docked boat.
"Trygve!" Solfrid shouted. "What's wrong?"
"We gotta go!" I said as I untied the boat. I jumped onto the boat with the food. Arvid and Solfrid looked at me expectantly. "It's the Visithugs, they're gonna attack Lokicrest, demolish it all," I said.
They shared a look before Solfrid opened the sails fully. As the wind caught the sails, our small boat launched forward, towards home.
A/N
Dreamchaser and Arvid are 27.
Falcon and Trygve are 24.
Delta's children are 23.
Osmund is 22.
Zephyr and Twilight are 20.
Nuffink is 18.
Aurora is 4.
Blackmoon and Cloudscale are dead.
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