Valka's history
November 14, 2023 at 5:25 PM
- Do you really want to hear this? Most of the words may be incomprehensible to you, so… — Valka asked awkwardly. In response, Stormfly only settled herself more comfortably, expressing agreement with her whole appearance.
- Well, — the woman sighed, — I’ve never told anyone this before, so I’m sorry if I get confused in words.
Cloudjumper came up from the side and nudged her with his head, interrupting useless throwing.
— Yes, this story is about you too. Listen up…
Once upon a time there was a little girl. She lived on an island full of people who loved to fight: with dragons, with other tribes, with themselves, with boars in the end. Everyone told her that she needed to be able to fight to protect herself. But the girl didn’t like fighting. She loved to draw and play with her friends, loved to cook for fun (although even so it turned out disgusting for her) and walk in the woods. But most of all she loved to see new places. Her family thought, “She will grow up, learn.” They always supported her, because the little girl was one of the few surviving girls.
One day the little girl became a little bigger — she turned six years old! She had been waiting for her birthday for a very long time, wondering what they would give her. But when the day came, her family seemed to have completely forgotten about it. Even her older brother did not congratulate her, although he always did.
The girl was very upset, and almost cried. She was very hurt and hurt. Sad, she came home and… almost burst into tears again — only now from happiness. They haven’t forgotten! They made her a surprise, invited all her friends.
At the end of the holiday, the family gave the little girl the best gift in the world — a trip. Dad asked a merchant friend, and tomorrow they will travel together to the farthest lands of the Archipelago!
The girl was very happy!
— If you don’t mind, I won’t describe the whole way, it will be too long — the woman asked.
The Deadly Nadder shook her head, saying that she didn’t mind at all.
Their journey was long and difficult, more than a moon passed before they reached the edge of the famous islands. The people here lived unusual and strange — they believed in gods, but worshipped spirits more, lived in huts made of sticks and wool, and how many walruses they had… It was also very cold there — and it was summer!
The family lived together in a hut on the farthest island, continuing to be surprised by the customs of people who were not Vikings. For more than a week they listened to their legends and legends, shared food and shelter with them, shared things.
The little girl enjoyed it all the most. She often ran away with local children to play in the woods and on the shore, not at all like Berks. And what were the sunsets there… Strange people told me that the farther north, the colder it gets, and the nature there is completely, completely different. Some local travelers said that there, in the north, is the edge of the world — because even the sun there is not the same as here, it shines for six months, and not for another six months. My father and brother always laughed at such “nonsense”, but my mother once wondered if it was because the sun did not set every year for a whole week because Berk was so close to the north?
But the strange people were not offended by this at all — on the contrary, they just smiled even wider.
Soon, too soon, it was time to return. The merchant was preparing to sail — after all, he still had to make it south before the imminent storms that would close the sea for a long time. But then trouble came. A little girl, the only daughter in the family, got sick.
They did not suffer from this disease, unlike the locals. It was like a cold, but in a different way. At first it was just a cough and a runny nose, very soon a headache and aching bones came. During a fever, a person faded like a candle until he had no strength left at all. In the end, the infection attacked the lungs, and a long but painless death from suffocation ensued. The man seemed to fall asleep quietly and peacefully, never to wake up again. The locals called it “Ailments”.
But they didn’t have a cure. The weight of the stock came out on the last flash, but there was no new one yet. Then the father took his brother, a small boat — after all, he did not dare to ask the merchant for another favor — and set off to the nearest island. The mother stayed with the patient.
But she was just a little girl, very weak and defenseless in the face of the disease. Not even three days had passed since their departure, and the fever was already coming to an end. There was very little time, and the healer suggested another treatment option— one that my father would never agree to if he were here. But all the mother wanted was to save her daughter’s life. By any means.
The healer took the little girl and her mother to her “hut”. It was a small cave right in the rock. Various creatures and spirits were painted on the walls, bunches of herbs and other things hung everywhere. The healer sat the guests by the fire and explained what she would do:
“I want to turn to the spirits,” she said, pouring a drop of something directly into the fire — this is the only chance. If there is someone in her future who will be a Connection, she will survive.
— But how?
— Very simple. I will, so to speak, borrow a little strength from this someone, and everything will be fine.
She began to move her fingers in the air, half-closing her eyes. Her pupils darted back and forth, as if she was looking at something intently — and then, having found something, she pulled sharply. At that moment, the girl, who was on the verge of consciousness, felt some vague sensation, like a jerk in her heart.
— You’re lucky! Or is it not? Come on… hmm. she was deep in thought.
— What happened? Good news? — the mother was worried.
— Wonderful! There is a connection, which is quite rare for Vikings from villages like yours. But… it’s very curious. The connection is becoming clearer, although it was not visible at all before. Amazing! This moment creates itself — the sorceress muttered — if it were not for the Connection, they would not have met, but without this, the Connection would not have been formed.
And now—here her voice abruptly became louder— everyone will come out, except the patient. This ritual is incredibly complex and requires concentration. The healer of this village had incredible authority, so everyone listened to her the first time.
And then the sacrament began. The girl was very small, so she didn’t remember much. She only remembered the fire, which at times seemed to rise up to the sky, it was so high; she remembered the murmur of water that greeted her every time she regained consciousness, and smoke, a lot of smoke. The sorceress hummed, uttering strange words, moved confidently and clearly, making various passes with her hands. Then the pain came, subtle and sharp, it brought the girl back to consciousness again. She opened her eyes wide, staring at the source of the pain—a thin and long cut on her palm, more like a scratch. At this moment, the elder seemed to exhale something directly into the fire — and then the magic began. The smoke, which had been creeping along the ceiling, suddenly seemed to fall, instantly brightening before it began to change.
This creature looked like an owl — it had big, intelligent eyes, and a beautiful collar around its neck. He cocked his head to the side in a funny way, watching the girl as if with curiosity.
— Who is this — the girl asked with her lips, unable to destroy the charm of the moment.
— You tell me — the sorceress replied in a whisper — I only know that from now on he is half of your soul.
— And what should I do?
— It’s up to you.
And the vision crumbled.
…When the father and brother returned, the mother and the girl were waiting for them there, alive and well. The family reunion was very cordial, but in an extreme hurry — after all, the leader let his father off the island only for a short time. The little girl never told anyone what happened that night in the healer’s hut. Even then, she made a very important decision in her life — never to harm dragons, and she stuck to this for many years. Sometimes she doubted the reality of what happened then, but the truth of what was happening again rose before her eyes, it was only necessary to look at the thin and barely visible scar on her right palm.
But one day, many years later, when there was little left of that little and naive cutie, she almost broke the promise she had made to herself. It happened when her own little child was in danger— but as soon as she looked, everything became clear— the dragon did not want to harm. And then, for some unknown reason, she looked straight into the huge eyes of the beast — and saw there both love and wisdom accumulated over the years. And it was as if something had shifted deep inside her.
He looked like an owl.
- That’s all — Valka said, spreading her hands. Stormfly curiously poked her nose into the rider’s right “paw”, asking her to take off her glove.
The woman obediently pulled off the fabric, exposing a thin, elegant hand, with a whitish thin scar in the middle of the palm.
Notes:
Well, that's all! This is a short drabble expressing my point of view on this topic. All within the framework of the AU, of course.
