Left In The Night

Chapter 62: The End

Please enjoy the final chapter of Left in the Night, and stick around to the end for some special words from me.

Stubborn and driven, Zyrah spent months regaining as much of her former capabilities with her sword. She had been unsteady initially, which was to be expected. She stumbled around, tripping over her feet, and miscalculating distances whenever she walked around the village. She struggled to get used to using the sight stick Rurik had given her; and not to mention, her eyes were still quite sensitive.

Astrid had offered to walk her through the process of handling weapons overall, but Zyrah had declined, obsessive with being able to wield her swords again.

She had maintained the title of "The finest swordswoman in the Archipelago" for nearly two decades, and she was not about to lose that. Her stubbornness did unfortunately lead to various arguments between her and Konall, who did not understand what she was trying to prove.

However, upon facing intense pushback and a reality check from her husband and her brother, Zyrah felt her fuse cool down, but not extinguished. Remaining persistent, she returned to her training but with a clearer mind, eager to try again.

With patience and constructive encouragement from those around her, Zyrah defied the odds and managed to learn how to safely wield her swords once more, with nearly all of her former capabilities. She focused on using her other senses in fighting, especially in hearing, as she had noticed that her hearing sensitivity had increased just slightly, but enough to make a difference.

She was able to figure out whose footsteps belonged to whom, though very specific individuals, based on the sound of how heavy or light their feet hit the ground. Hiccup was the easiest to identify with the squeak from his leg. Any time he came up to her, even if he was several yards away, she always heard him coming.

As her recovery was coming to a close and she essentially returned to a mostly normal life, her daughter made quite the shocking announcement.

"I'm leaving for the mainland," Hilda had informed her family one evening during dinner. There was a momentary pause with only the sound of the fire crackling nearby.

"You're- you're what?" Nyr replied, almost dropping his spoon, turning to his twin.

"You heard me. I've made a few plans."

"Hold on, what spurred this decision?" Konall questioned.

"I've been doing some reading at the library, and I've always wondered about mom's necklace." Zyrah perked up, her clouded eyes shifting slightly.

"My... necklace? What does that have to do with anything?" Hilda sighed and began explaining her reasons, which were her insatiable curiosity about her mother's heritage, and where her maternal line came from.

"Uncle Fishlegs gave me some books that have stuff about the mainland... and I've been thinking about this for a while." Zyrah was understandably surprised. While she had never hidden anything from her children, especially their heritage, she had been honest that she didn't know much about her own bloodline.

"Hilda, while I have no problem with you searching for answers, I'm worried about you not having much to go on. Where would you even start?"

"Uncle Eret can give me some clues." Konall glanced at Zyrah, and she turned to 'look' in his direction.

"Hilda, don't get too ahead of yourself. Let's discuss this." Zyrah attempted.

"I know what I want to do, Mom."

"You're not trying to hold her back from adventure, are you?" Tannr finally spoke up, attempting to figure out what his mother's reason was.

"Not at all! You all know the adventures your father, uncle, and I had when were your age. I'm just worried about you going in blind and not knowing what you're looking for, especially by yourself."