renegades, httyd

l. Welcome To The Bog-Burglar Tribe

renegades
chapter fifty

It's been two weeks on the water.

We passed by some islands and tribes to gather some resources on the way. No one suspected like they had somehow at the markets; Harald and I seemed nothing more than fleeing refugees of some war in some faraway place━ragged in peasant clothes and trying our best to look helpless. I felt terrible, but it didn't really seem like Harald was giving me any choice.

Here and there he'd grab something I didn't know━and he wouldn't tell me about. Something in crates, or in boxes, even little bags. I knew that they must be the errands for Viggo, which told me whatever they were, they weren't good. Every time he took one, he wrote a letter to attach to Leopold's leg. He'd fly off and return the next day, which told me whoever was receiving these letters wasn't too far away; maybe they were at a neighbouring island, or even following us behind. Though I didn't see another boat anywhere. They sent back letters, and I had no idea what was said on them, and no time━or space━to steal them and read when Harald wasn't looking.

Sometimes, I'd find myself glancing back up to the clouds, hoping to see a flash of blue, black or ochre, but I never did. I started to stop looking, refusing to let myself lose hope and Harald to win, but if they had followed us from Viggo's outpost, then any of the team should have found me by now.

I tried not to think that maybe they weren't coming. That maybe they had forgotten about me. Which couldn't be true, but after two weeks, I started to wonder that maybe there were more important things. Or maybe they're looking, but will never find me, and I was on my own.

During the days where we were on the ocean and not stopping by one of the islands, Harald taught me the crossbow and decided to help perfect my sword fighting. I didn't like it, but what else was there to do? I have only ever really fought with an axe━and they're great to fight with, and very much looked well upon at Berk since they were so hard and aggressive in battle. But because of this, I've never perfected the finer ways of fighting at long range, or with a slender weapon such as a sword. Hiccup was a great sword fighter, but it worked well with him because that was who he was. If I had used a sword when I was younger, I would've been pushed aside even more. Working on my axe with my sister was what got me power when I was just a little girl running in Astrid's shadow. Though, little it did, considering my sister had an axe herself━in a way, I had just been following in her footsteps like I always did.

I've come to learn that Harald seemed to be a master at everything sly. His moves were unconventional━coming from nowhere out of hte corner of my eye or even behind. He had rarely any battle ettiqute and more than once did I find myself bruised and with his sword-tip against my neck or chest.

I had to remind myself that he was a pirate━stabbing from behind was his best trick.

But as the days went by, things started to change. I hated him, but there was always that bregrudging acknowledgement that we were connected through our past. But now, insults were less, our talks turned more friendly. We joked, I stared to even enjoy some of his sly comments. But what I enjoyed the most was the times at night when the ocean was still and the wind barely moving us, and he told me about our home. He told me about the land, and the forests, and the town square that had their own communal garden where they all grew seasonal vegetables and fruit to eat at the Great Hall. He never mentioned his parents that much. He once told me about how his mother had been the daughter of the town's baker, and that she was beautiful, but that was it. He spoke of festivals for the stinking hot summer, and festivals for the lukewarm winter. Festivals for the fall of the tree leaves and the beginning of blooming flowers. Snow had been rare, and whenever it fell, all the children and adults━everyone━came out to enjoy it with their deep winter clothes they all only had one set off. Harald told me his favourite festival was the Festival of Iðunn, goddess of rejuvination, youth and apples. Harald would climb up the trees to pick apples and win prizes for bringing back the most. I told him we celebrated her during Thawfest with other Spring gods and goddesses, but we always held special days for Thor, Frigga and Odin (and Loki, but that was primarily the Twins. Though the boys and I once joined to prank Speedifist's family ... that hadn't ended well).