Symphony of Shadows

23. Healer

Astrid's parents burst through the door of Gothi's hut, red-faced and panting from the rushed hike  up the winding peak. It was late in the afternoon and they had just now discovered that their daughter had nearly died sacrificing herself for their village. At least, that was what Gothi had gleaned from the rather strange interaction with the boy they called the Leader of Dragons. His genuine concern for young Astrid's wellbeing made her question whether this feared dragon rider was the enemy he had been portrayed to be. There had to be something else at play. She knew now that he was just a reckless boy trying to play war but rather than anger her, it saddened the village elder. She couldn't help but wonder what the young man's upbringing had been like. Surely amongst barbarians, or perhaps without any parents at all and abandoned to the dragons, but she would likely never know.

On another note, she couldn't believe that it had taken the poor girl's parents so long to realize something had gone very wrong, but she couldn't blame them either. Gothi herself had been initially surprised that Astrid was back at Berk so quickly, Stoick had told everyone she was scouting a new market but she knew it was just a cover for something more important.

Gothi pointed over to where the still unconscious girl lay and her parents walked over cautiously as if the loudest whisper would cause her death. Gothi had never seen Greta, Astrid's mother, so distraught and it wildly unnerved her. Over the years, the village elder had watched the once-spirited young Greta shut herself down after a near-death experience that had occurred shortly after Astrid was born. Asger, Astrid's father, had broken down and became mentally and emotionally unstable after hearing the precarious state his beloved wife was in, causing newborn baby Astrid to be left in the care of Gothi. The Hofferson's had tried to wash away any remembrance of that dark time for fear it would weaken their family name but Gothi would never forget Asger's ashen face and hoarse scream when he heard that the possibility of his wife living to see their daughter grow up was slim. Greta had suffered a range of severe injuries that the healer spent months treating, including a broken hip bone, collarbone, arm, and a nasty head injury. No one at the time knew who or what had caused the traumatic accident and when Greta finally came to, she refused to reveal the nature of her injuries. She was never the same after that. Her once-vibrant blue eyes had dulled to a mute grey as time passed and everyone in the village knew she rarely left the house, yet no one dared to say a thing. However, when Astrid started to show early signs of being a striking warrior and soon all of the attention that surrounded the family turned to her instead. Gothi knew Astrid was oblivious to the fact that her mother suffered such trauma and she suspected that the Hofferson's had never told the girl.

A wide-eyed Greta knelt by Astrid's side and patted her daughter's body, searching for any sign of imminent death such as open wounds or broken bones. Gothi had treated the girl with burn salves after replacing her destroyed clothing with a long nightgown the elder usually kept for patients. She shuffled over to where the family now stood and peeled back the blanket she had placed over the girl in order to shield her from the icy archipelago mornings. Pointing to the girl's most prominent injury, she heard a loud gasp that came from Greta which led to sobbing as she realized the extent of the damage done to her daughter, but that there was still a chance Astrid would make it out alive. Asger shed tears as well and placed a hand on his wife's shoulder to stabilize the both of them as their world came crashing down.

"What did I...miss?"
A heaving Gobber hobbled into the room, clearly winded from the hike. Gothi shot him a look but motioned for him to come over and translate her assessment of Astrid's condition along with what had happened to the young fighter. She had contemplated all morning and afternoon what she would tell the others about Astrid's situation, whether she should tell the truth or lie to conceal the curious actions of the dragon rider so many of the village loathed. She drew what had happened and how the mysterious rider had saved young Astrid from a fiery death and a savage Monstrous Nightmare. Gobber was gobsmacked as he realized what had happened and struggled to put his words together.
"Wha...what? That can't be...are you sure Gothi?"
Gothi slowly nodded her head, letting him take it all in, but pointed at Greta and Asger to let Gobber know he needed to tell them how their daughter was still alive.
The smelly viking gave Gothi a side eye, a silent plea to change her mind but her stare was insistent that he go on.
"Well you see...It happened during the raid last night. Gothi said she was prepping some cures for stomach pains when she heard something land on her deck. She, uh, she said that Astrid was brought her by someone."
An impatient Greta pressed Gobber, "Will you get to it, Gobber! How did she even get up to Gothi's hut? Her leg is clearly burned to the bone, there's no way she could have walked up even with the help of someone else."
Gobber scratched his head nervously, "Heh, well, you're right, Greta. She didn't walk, she was lifted. I'm sure you've heard of the rogue raider the Leader of Dragons that's been amongst the dragon raids who rides a Night Fury..."
Their eyes widened and Greta brought a hand to her mouth to muffle a strangled cry.
Asger sprang up and shouted, "Did he do this!? I swear to Odin I will make that monster pay for what he did to my daughter!"
Gobber shook his head, "Actually, he saved your daughter."

Greta paused her crying while Asger furrowed his brows and both of them looked bewildered at the thought that such an evil man could have saved their daughter.
"No," Asger shook his head and brought his hands to his hips, "Why would he do that? How did Astrid get those burns then?"
"Well he told Gothi that Astrid had ran to the Eastern Woods to escape a giant Monstrous Nightmare when the dragon tried to flush her out using fire, causing the burns. Apparently he found her outside of the forest like that and decided to bring her here."
Greta asked the question that Gothi had been asking herself, "But how did he know to bring her to Gothi's? Plus, why would he want to save Astrid? It makes no sense."
Gobber shrugged, "I've no clue, just what Gothi said."
Letting out a loud exhale, Greta rubbed her temples, "Well, let's focus on Astrid right now. Did Gothi say what injuries she has and how long it will take to recover?"

Gothi quickly told Gobber that the girl had a severe burn on her thigh that would take atleast a month to close up but could take upwards of a year to completely heal. The other injuries were minor like the burns on her hands, however Astrid had been dehydrated and when Gothi checked her breathing, the healer found that the girl had most likely inhaled too much smoke which affected her lungs. Overall, Astrid had a high chance of survival, but she would need to stay at Gothi's to minimize the chance of infection. Gobber related this information to the parents and they nodded solemnly but gripped each other's hands when they were told that Astrid would most likely live. Gothi told Gobber that it was time for them all to go because the hut was getting too stuffy for her to work which they all chuckled at. Both Greta and Asger were hesitant to leave but Gothi promised they could come back every afternoon to check on her, so they kissed Astrid's cheek and left with a promise to return soon.

After they left, Gothi gave Astrid a sponge bath to clean up the remaining bits of ash left from the night before and applied some more burn salve to her wounds. She carefully unbraided the girl's hair and brushed it gently, making sure not to tug her scalp. Astrid looked almost peaceful in her sleep but Gothi knew the moment she woke up, all hells would break loose. Watching her grow up, the elder knew the girl wouldn't take the limitation of her injury well and would want to get right back on the battlefield with an axe in hand. She decided to pass time by replenishing her stock of burn salve and prepared an anti-infection solution she would give Astrid tomorrow to fight off any bacteria residing in her wounds.

The sun had set a while ago and a weary Gothi shuffled off to bed after making sure Astrid had enough blankets for the night. She had just set her stick aside next to her bed when she heard a loud thump that came from outside. Startled, Gothi grabbed her stick and creeped towards the door, hiding on the wall next to it. Glancing at an unconscious Astrid, she knew she had to protect her. Whoever was intruding was in for a nasty surprise because Gothi was not going down without a fight.