The Calm Before the Storm

Forgiven

Brynhild was starting to get a little tired of the strange routine that her adopted father and his friend had in the mornings. If she got up in time, she was able to catch Storm stagger out of her room and lean onto Eret who had also came out at the same and sit her chin on his shoulder and just lean close to him. And then there were the close hugs that lasted a little too long that she or Smokey would interrupt.

Pretty much Smokey didn't really seem to understand why his owner was always attached to Eret and always went along with Brynhild to move hem apart. They did have this strange sweaty smell on them, the same one that the boy Storm called Finn had when he was around her. And the tanner's son, and some of the fishermen's sons as well. But this was the first time he smelled that on Storm when she was around Eret.

One morning, Brynhild didn't see her father in his room or downstairs at the table or in the kitchen or even in the dragon stable. She was wondering where he was when she realized she hadn't looked in Storm's room. As she ran back inside and headed to the room, she was getting that strange and queasy feeling in her stomach. The last time she went into that room, she caught Torunn, her father's girlfriend, with her father and they... Brynhild shook her head trying to forget the disturbing memory and what happened after she ran from the house after seeing that.

She poked her head in carefully to see Smokey asleep on the floor and...her father asleep next to Storm in her bed. He was propped up against the headboard of the bed with one leg hanging off and touching the floor while Storm was asleep down on the pillows.

"Papa I'm hungry!" She yelled loudly.

Eret gave a snort and his eyes fluttered open. He gave a yawn and stretched before leaning back in his original spot.

"Brynhild it's too early, go back to sleep." She heard him mumble and patted the spot between him and Storm. "Come on, you can sleep here if you want."

"I don't want to." Brynhild snapped and curled her hands into fists. "I hate this room and everything in it!"

"Whut?" Storm asked sitting up and pushing her bangs from her face. "Brynhild what are you shouting about?"

"You're trying to take my daddy away from me the way Torunn did!" Brynhild screamed, waking Smokey up. "I hate you! I don't want you to be in my life ever! I hate you!"

"Brynhild!" Eret yelled, now fully awake. "Apologize this instant!"

"No! I'll never apologize!" And with that, she ran out of the room.

"Brynhild!" Eret yelled, jumping out of the bed and rushing out after her. The doorway was blocked by Storm and she put herself between him and the doorway.

"Eret let her blow some steam off, I've seen this sort of thing before." She begged. "Just...give her some time, she's mad and you do not want to deal with a mad little kid."

"I just don't get why she hates you so much! You're my friend, not my girlfriend and you're trying to help her!" Eret groaned and rubbed his face with one hand. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, i should have thought this through."

"Hey you were the one who fell asleep in my bed, that's what set her off. Astrid told me that her dad and his girlfriend used to sleep in here and Brynhild walked in on them once by accident." Storm pointed out. "And apparently afterwards she came running to the late chief Stoick because that woman punished her for walking in on them. No warning or time out, lashes and the father had no acknowledgement of this at all.

"So what I'm gonna do, is get my boots on and go out after her with your dragon." Storm said pushing past Eret and walking to her bed.

"In your nightgown?" Eret asked gesturing to her current attire.

"Yes in my nightgown. And you mister get back to bed, gods know how much sleep you've been getting since you joined those trappers." Storm said as she finished pulling her boots on and hurried out the door. "I'll be back in maybe an hour or less."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"This is daddy with Torunn all over again, only Storm will probably give me a different punishment." Brynhild muttered as she tossed another stone into the pond. "And probably get Eret to kick me out of the house as well."

She heard the sound of wings and looked up to see Skull Crusher flying into the cove she was hiding in. But to her disappointment, Storm was the one riding him not Eret.

"Gods help me." Brynhild murmured as Storm dismounted Skull Crusher and walked over to her.

"Brynhild? Are you feeling okay?" Storm asked when she got close.

"No."

Storm got closer and sat down next to her.

"Listen, I don't want you getting the wrong idea about me and Eret, but we are still friends." Storm began and plucked a blade of grass from the ground. "It's just that he and I haven't seen each other in years and we both started to get back into the old habits we had when we were kids."

"Then why was he in your bed?" Brynhild asked and grabbed another rock.

"Your father heard me having a nightmare in the early mornings so he went to calm me down." Storm explained. "Something he'd do when he would stay at my place when we were younger."

"I notice sometimes that you look at him funny when he's not looking, it's the way my old daddy used to look at the old portrait of my mum before Torunn made him throw it out." Brynhild said after a moment of silence. "But Hiccup was nice to draw me a picture of my mum to keep away from Torunn."

"Sounds like a real female dog." Storm said with a nod.

"So do you like my daddy?"

Storm looked out at the pond for a while before looking back at Brynhild with an embarrassed smile. "Yes, I do have a crush on Eret, but I don't even know whether I should tell him."

"Well...you can...if you want." Brynhild said quietly. "But will you promise not to be like Torunn?"

"Brynhild, while I stay in that house I will never lay a hand on you no matter how angry I get." Storm said reaching forward and pulling the young girl onto her lap and gave her a hug. "And I will do my best to be an even better mother than Torunn. I won't replace your mother, but I will do everything she can't do anymore to make you feel safe and loved so you can become someone great."

Storm felt Brynhild turn in her arms and bury her face into Storm's hair before Storm felt her little arms wrap around her chest and return the hug. And then she heard her say:

"Thank you."