Heart of a Berserker: Love (School of Dragons)

Chapter 23

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." – Hellen Keller

Chapter 23

Harald and I spent a week trading off between training with the pirate dragon riders and going on pirating missions. Both were a lot of fun, though they left me exhausted. One day, we were relaxing at the base of a hill in the village when Viggo stormed by, his face contorted in anger.

"That Toki," he growled, more to himself than to us. "He will pay. He will pay for what he did to Nikora."

"What has he done?!" Harald exclaimed, leaping to his feed and reaching for his sword.

Eyes wide, I grasped his arm to stop him. "I'm sure he doesn't mean right now. Right, Viggo?" I shot him a nervous look.

Viggo's eyes were narrowed at the ground. "No, this happened a long time ago. When he lived here."

"I knew he was up to no good," Harald growled, though he appeared calmer than before.

"What happened, Viggo?" I said. "Where's Nikora?"

"Back in her room," Viggo replied. "We were... talking. I learned distressing news and had to get out of there before I took it out on her."

I stared at him. "And you didn't think storming out would give her the wrong impression?"

"He's clouded with anger," Harald said. "He wasn't thinking clearly. Will you please check on her, Brennda? I'll talk to Viggo."

I nodded. "Alright. Good luck."

Luckily, I had been to Nikora's house once before, so I was able to find my way easily. Viggo had left the door open, so I slipped inside. Upon approaching Nikora's room, I elected to knock on the door. I heard her grant permission, so I entered.

I stopped short upon seeing Nikora sitting on her bed. Her normal robes were gone, and the thin tunic revealed a small bump on her belly. I swallowed hard. She was pregnant. By Toki. I would have been horrified if not for the unusual amount of emotion on her face. She seemed to be barely holding back her anguish.

"Brennda," she said softly. "I need to explain something."

I nodded. "Alright." I slowly approached the bed and sat beside her. "Explain away."

Nikora did not look at me as she spoke: "My tribe has what you would call unusual customs. We are warriors, valuing physical strength along with intelligence. Couples are matched for the purpose of producing children with the desired traits. Marriage is not forced, but love factors little into the equation."

"I see." I knew various tribes had different views on marriage, but this was the first I had heard of something like this. As long as no force was involved, I didn't find anything technically wrong with it.

"What is left of my tribe no longer follows those stringent rules, but certain mindsets are hard to shed. Besides, I am growing older, and it would be wise to leave an heir to take over once I am gone." She finally looked at me, though I could not tell much from her expression.

"Okay, I can see that, but why Toki?"

Nikora smiled ruefully. "Men with strength and intelligence are hard to come by. Despite his questionable personality, I did not know if I would ever find someone suitable."

I bit my lip, unsure if I should ask my next question. "What about Harald? Doesn't he qualify?" I noted the surprise on her face and looked away.

"Yes, Harald would be a good match," she said carefully, "but there was never any romantic interest on either side. Though he may have been willing before he met you, a sexual relationship would have damaged the companionship we shared. Where romantic feelings are absent, it is best if there are few emotions involved at all."