Symphony of Shadows

69. Wild

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, but this week has been crazy busy. I can't promise that there will be a chapter next Sunday but there will definitely be one posted by next, next Wednesday, November 5. I apologize for the time in between and will try to get the chapter out sooner:) Thank you for staying with the story, we're almost to the end.

Everyone knew that Stoick's wife, Valka, had been carried away and eaten by dragons shortly after Hiccup was born. A somber mood coated the air whenever someone mentioned her name, and her memory slowly drifted into tribal history. Stoick rarely brought her up but in the rare moment he did, his eyes welled with tears for his long-lost wife. Astrid had always thought that it was a great tragedy for a love that strong to be ripped apart. The gods could be cruel.

But standing in front of them now was a spitting image of the woman Stoick loved so dearly. Only, now she had streaks of gray blended into her auburn hair and a prominent wrinkle in between her brows that emphasized her current confusion. Odin, she was the confused one?

"What has happened here, Stoick?"

The slight shake in her voice betrayed the normalcy of her question and her dragon lurked closer to where she stood, ready to pounce at the first sign of danger. Astrid couldn't help but notice that Valka refused to make any eye contact with her husband—a stark contrast to Stoick's longing stare.

Finally, Stoick made the first move and took a step towards her. Valka immediately stiffened and her hand twitched towards her dragon. The movement seemed skittish, like a feral cat that had never seen a human before. It was just a reminder how long she had been away from civilization.

Like mother, like son.

The smallest part of her was glad that Hiccup was unconscious. He'd faced enough for the day. It was impossible to predict how he'd react to knowing the mother he'd grown up believing was dead was actually very much alive. And she lived with dragons.

Gods, this was a mess.

Stoick slowly offered his hand for her to take—a silent question that hung heavy in the air. Valka's eyes nervously darted from the floor to his outstretched hand. The chief was undeterred by her hesitation as he got down on one knee and gazed up at his wife lovingly.

"You're as beautiful as the day I lost you."

Astrid's heart panged as she watched something in Valka's eyes flicker. A memory of their past perhaps. A hushed silence fell across the tribes until an annoying voice interrupted the moment.

"Come on, people! We have work to do. Our islands aren't going to repair themselves."

Dagur dramatically marched away but stopped when he realized his sister hadn't followed behind. Instead, Heather giggled from where she stood next to...Fishlegs? He was blushing so hard Astrid was worried he'd burst a blood vessel. Heather's blush was far less obvious but her cheeks rosied, nonetheless.

Huh.

Good for Fishlegs. Dagur cleared his throat to catch his sister's attention and she gave him a dirty look before passing some kind of note to Fishlegs. He mumbled something to her that was too low for anyone else to hear, and she winked at him. She turned to face Astrid's direction and her jovial expression quickly sombered. Heather brushed past her brother and approached a confused Astrid.

Did Heather not like her? She thought they'd made a good team on the battlefield, and she admired Heather's technique. Had she read things the wrong way?

Heather stopped right in front of Astrid and retrieved something from the small satchel on her belt. It was a letter that she handed over to Astrid.

"Could you give this to Hiccup when he wakes up? I think he'd like to know, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I said nothing."

The cryptic message made her head spin. What could Heather possibly mean? Did she know something about Hiccup that Astrid didn't? Her fingers itched to tear open the wax seal but she decided against it. She trusted him. She'd find out what Heather was referring to when he roused.

If he wakes up.

Heather gave her a small smile before rounding up the rest of the Berserkers and the Meatheads soon followed behind their chief. The chiefs were respectful enough to keep their distance from Stoick and Valka who seemed to be frozen in time, completely unresponsive to the world around them.

"Where is Hiccup?!"

Valka's demand caught Astrid's attention. It wasn't a polite question, her nervousness was fusing into desperation. Stoick tried to calm her down to no avail.

"Valka-"

"No! Where is he?!"

The disappointment in Stoick's eyes was undeniable. It was like he was slowly realizing that the wife he had mourned was truly dead. The woman in front of them was a shell of a person.

Astrid's stomach roiled. Where had Valka been when Hiccup needed her? Was she away playing dragon while her son and husband mourned her? Cried for her? How many times had Hiccup wished for his mother to comfort him?

How could a mother leave her son behind?

Valka shoved Stoick aside. Even though the chief was a mountain and she lacked the strength to actually move him, the effects of her rejection were plain on his face. Valka paid him no mind and prowled towards Spitelout. The way she moved wasn't human, and it made Astrid uneasy. She was unpredictable, a wild look flashing in her eyes.

Would she hurt Hiccup?

There was no way to tell what Valka's intentions were. Would she abduct her son? Take him away to her secret hideaway like the dragons had done with her? Panic rose in Astrid's chest. There was no way they'd be able to stop her and the massive ice dragon on her side.

Valka pushed her way past Spitelout, her hands shaking and steps becoming unstable until her knees gave out. She fell to the ground and began to hyperventilate. Stoick rushed to her side and cautiously placed a hand on her shoulder. That was enough to break the dam and sobs wracked through Valka's body. She curled into herself there on the grass, mumbling a string of incoherent words.

"Hiccup...sorry...I'm....Stoick."

Stoick's gaze softened as he gently stroked her arm and held her head like he was soothing a distraught child. Valka straightened and Astrid thought she was going to attack her husband for a second. But instead she took his hand and met his surprised eyes.

"Stoick, I'm-I'm sorry. You should hate me. You should wish death upon me. What I did was-it was terrible. I should've never left you and Hiccup. He's my son and I-I'm a terrible mother. I just thought you would do a better job at raising him if I wasn't in the picture but..."

Her shoulders heaved as she began to sob again. A tear ran down Stoick's cheek but he stayed silent. It was a betrayal of sorts to find out that your wife had chosen to let you believe that she was dead instead of returning home to you. To your son.

Astrid couldn't understand why.

Stoick tilted her chin upwards to face him and gave her a tender smile.

"I never stopped loving you, my dear. And I never will."

Valka smiled softly back. The look between them was so full of emotion that Astrid had to look away. It was years of longing and redemption all in one but also a promise to each other.

Astrid could only hope that Hiccup survived to see his parents smiling at each other for the first time in his life.