The Voyager and the Rogue

Chapter 46

I stirred at the sound of ropes and metal clasps clanging against each other in a strong gust of wind.

"Wha-" I groggily said, rubbing my eyes. After letting my eyes focus, I saw Eyarr standing near the stern part of the ship, next to the rudder.

"Morning!" He called out, seeing me finally wake up.

"Eyarr? What're you doing?"

"Just watching the sea. Haven't touched anything, just to assure you." I yawned again, joining his side.

"How's the weather look?"

"Doesn't look too bad, some clouds here and there, and the wind is picking up a bit." With another yawn, as I stretched, I went to grab the archipelago map. I tapped my lip with my index finger in thought, trying to visualize the sky from the previous several days.

It took me longer than I wanted, but I eventually figured out our approximate position and how much further the waterfall would be. It would take a week or two to get there. And then from the Hidden World to New Berk on our dragons... if my calculations were correct, that would add another week.

"So, with the remainder of our passage to the waterfall, in addition to getting to New Berk once we get Cliffire and Riptide, that will take a fortnight, plus an additional week for the last leg of the trip."

"Damn, I would not have expected it to take that long." I folded up the map with a shrug.

"Ocean traveling is very different from flying. You have to take into account all the elements that hold you back. The wind and sea are our biggest allies but can also be our greatest enemies. It took me years to master being able to travel in violent storms..." I trailed off, my memory flashing to the storm that brought me to the north. I swallowed hard, anxiously tapping the folded map on the palm of my hand.

"You okay?" He questioned, a tinge of concern lacing his voice.

"Huh? Oh, yeah yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking." I replied, not entirely paying attention.

"Babe?" I eyed him momentarily, contemplating whether I should relay my first independent journey on the sea with my crew. It then occurred to me I hadn't told him everything about my first year on New Berk...

"I'm just... thinking..." I mumbled in reply.

"About?" He leaned on the boat's edge and crossed his arms, his muscles flexing under the sleeves of his wool tunic. I pursed my lips for a second, trying to figure out how to explain it to him cohesively. I wanted to tell him everything, knowing full well that it would result in him worrying more about me. But... he deserved to know.

"I... a lot of things. Mostly reminiscing about my first voyage... my first year on New Berk. So much happened to me within a year, it's still a challenge to comprehend it fully."

"Did you want to talk about it more?" He offered. I gave him a tiny smile.

"... I think so, yeah. I think you deserve to know."

I sat beside him and relayed my memory of leaving Motunui for the first time on my independent voyage. I made sure to mention that was when my mother gave me her necklace.

"I have always wondered about that. I wasn't sure if I should ask about it." I unclipped and removed it from around my neck to show him. I let his finger feel across the iridescent surface of the shell and up to the white carved part where the tiny carved stars and ocean swirl were.

"The white part and the rest of the shell represent the connection between land and sea. It comes from a sea snail that we call pūpū ʻabalone. We harvest them for food and use their shells for ceremonies and decorative purposes. This shell has been in my family for generations, from my great-grandmother to my mother. And now me." He appeared impressed with my knowledge and clipped it around my neck to let me continue.

"And on the day of my voyage, my mother gave this necklace to me."

"That's symbolic! Your mother sounds wonderful."

"She would love you, she encouraged me to come back to you." He lit up at the mention of that. I continued relaying my story to him, explaining the history of voyaging and why it was vital. I made it a point about my intent to pass on my knowledge to my children someday, and then it hit me... I'd pass on that knowledge to our children.

"What's that face?" He commented with a slight chuckle.

"Oh, heh," I blushed at the mere thought of us now on the road to having kids eventually, "It just hit me that I'll be passing on the history of voyaging to our kids," I told him. His eyes widened at the mention of kids, but he had told me first that he wanted children with me.

"Damn, how about that?" He laughed, pulling me in for a hug, "We'll be on our way there eventually." I nodded in agreement. I didn't dwell on it for long, but I sometimes thought about what it would be like to be a mother. Experience the whole journey of pregnancy and then raising children. It was a goal, eventually. But a goal for later.

When I eventually got to the part about the storm that still affected me, I sensed his demeanor change.

"Babe, you're tense. Relax." He whispered in my ear. I didn't fully hear him, though; I kept replaying that memory of the storm and its violence. The thunder and lightning, the enormous waves that threw our canoes around like toys in a tide pool. I flinched at the memory of the sound of the explosion and burst of light.

"Easy, easy... you're here, you're here," he assured, rubbing my arms.

"Gods, it was the worst storm I'd ever seen... ever been through..." I managed to utter.

"I know. But you're here now; you've endured a lot already, but soon we'll be able to settle down." I let out a mostly steady sigh of relief at the thought. And then another memory came back.

"By the way... if you thought caring for me this past winter was rough, my first winter on New Berk was the worst."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I've never been anywhere as cold as New Berk during the winter. I'd never seen snow or ice before. And my body simply isn't built for the extreme cold, and I got really, really sick, as I've mentioned before. Ana and Dustin spent the entire winter keeping me warm and alive until my body finally recovered."

"Makes sense; you come from a warmer climate. Your body wasn't meant for the cold." He affirmed with a nod.

"But every winter, I get sick. So when we return, you can inform Ana you kept me alive during the winter." He chuckled.

"It was just by sheer luck," he told me.

"If you say so."

"I do say so. But you spent the entire winter in Ana's house?"

"Basically. My first, eh... what's the stupid name... Snug-... No no... Ah! Snoggletog! Their winter holiday on New Berk! I spent my first one sick as hell. But they still included me; Hiccup's mother even gifted me my hairpin! Ana even introduced me to her little Terrible Terror, and I mean little." He raised an eyebrow.

"Do tell," I repeated how every Snoggletog, the dragons venture out of the Hidden World under Toothless's guide to New Berk to celebrate the holidays with their riders. And while I spent the entire time inside and was very sick, Ana still let me meet one dragon. Not her boy, Dusk, but a dwarf Terrible Terror named Thundersong.

In my weakened state, I had mistaken him for Maui's iguana form initially, but the wings gave him away. It was the first dragon I'd seen before Cliffire.

And it now occurred to me that I'd missed two Snoggletogs while away from New Berk.

Damn. I didn't expect there to be much waiting for me except a very anxious Viking family awaiting my return.