The Lost Girl

in which unwelcome guests appear

Valka thought it would be the perfect time for an evening flight - the stars were out, the winds were exciting, and Cloudjumper was itching to get out in the skies. Now, she realizes she couldn't have picked a more inopportune moment if she tried. She missed all the action.

The moment she's back within the city limits before Cloudjumper's talons have even touched solid ground, everyone is asking her about the mystery boy.

Of course, Jötunn gets more than its fair share of visitors - drawing travelers from every corner of Midgard is part of being a city for wandering heroes, brave adventurers, and brilliant scholars. But the mystery boy was something else.

He appeared out of nowhere and, joined by her daughter, no less, tore through the city with two over-excited Furies at their heels. How many times does she have to tell Astrid not to play chase wit twenty-six-foot-long reptiles through the residential district?

Valka has already received countless complaints of broken shingles, spooked dragons, damage to the northern castellations, and four ferrymen stranded in the plaza after somebody swiped their poles. Then, she hears that once the two of them made it to the docks, Astrid helped the boy steal her own boat!

He has no idea what to tell people when they ask what got into Astrid - she simply doesn't know.

Last they spoke, she told her she was going to call on Alruna at the botanical gardens before turning in, and now this? Valka needs answers! ... Okay, fine. Valka wants gossip because she also heard that this mystery boy happened to be very handsome.

She finds Astrid in her quarters - one of the few permanent rooms converted from the original mountain caves, giving her the advantage of a private balcony to come and go as she pleases, partitioned off by heavy drapes to keep out the bitter wind.

Even so, Astrid is shivering and there's a cold puddle forming at her feet.

"Ash - you're soaked! What happened?" she asks, hurrying over and swaddling her in her cloak.

She puffs out her cheeks, probably trying to think of a valid excuse. "Erm... I went for a swim in the canals...?" she says, sheepish.

Valka can't tell if she's being serious or just evasive. "You know that's not what I meant. People are saying you let some boy take the prototype. Is this true?"

Astrid spent months designing that ship, agonizing over every detail until, finally, the hours paid off, birthing The Haddock (or simply The Hiccup). He was easily the prettiest ship Valka had ever seen, and she knows how proud Astrid was of the finished design.

They planned to construct a whole fleet and market them to visiting tradespeople but, without the prototype, they have nothing to show prospective investors. Such a venture would have gone a long way in funding the ongoing war effort, so losing The Hiccup makes for a damaging setback.

But Astrid must have a good reason, right?

"It was Hiccup," she blurts, suddenly.

"I know," says Valka, wondering why she's correcting her and not giving her answers.

"No. No, you don't. I mean the boy was Hiccup."

Hiccup... her son... was here - just when she wasn't. She did choose the worst time possible for a flight. A light pink blush creeps up Astrid's neck. Valka knows that Hiccup hated Astrid when they were young. She knows how Astrid 'saved' him from Starlight, as well as him being Astrid's fiance and childhood crush, not that she ever told her as much (the crush part) - it's just so obvious from how she speaks of him... and the boat thing. Yeah, the boat thing is the real clincher.