The Viking's thing

Chapter 7

 "Excuse me?" Valka said with her eyes open wide.

"What does this mean to be, Valka?" Astrid said tightening her husband's hand in support.

"Valka?" Valka repeated meditatively.

"Oh, my godness! Do you know her?" Anna said surprised.

"Since she's my mother I think so, yeah..." Hiccup said in a hurt voice.

"What?! She is your mother?!" Anna gasped.

"Is it that true? Am I your mother?" Valka said in a low voice approaching him and analyzing the details of his face.

"You... you don't know me?" Hiccup asked seeing the vacuum in her eyes.

Kristoff bit his lip. "Okay, calm down. Maybe we should talk in a more comfortable place. There is something serious you should know."

All they walked through the castle until getting seating in the drawing-room. Valka looked guilty and Hiccup didn't know what to think. Elsa took her sister's hand seeing the concern in her and her husband. Even Olaf seemed disturbed. Then she looked to Hallan. She was relaxed. Thinking on it, of course, she could know what was happening.

Hallan saw Elsa looking at her so she sat at her side and whispered in her ear "Everything it's gonna be alright." and put her hand on her thigh. Elsa nodded trusting her and trying not to draw attention to her goosebump.

"Like eight weeks ago," Kristoff began "one of the Arendelle ships found a woman floating on a board over the sea. She was unconscious so, they helped her and brought her to the kingdom. Knowing the report by a guard, Anna insisted on bringing her to the castle to offer our help. She was still unconscious so we put her in a room to rest and a doctor visited her. Two days later she woke up and seemed physically healthy but she couldn't remember absolutely nothing of her or her life."

Hiccup looked at his mother. He combed his hair back with a little desperation.

"So... she was my mother?"

Anna nodded. "Olaf picked up an appropriate name for her and she's living with us by now. She still doesn't remember anything. The doctor said maybe time will restore her memories but... there is the chance to her to stay that way... forever."

Hiccup got up and knelt in front of his mother. He took her hand delicately, smiled, and looked into her eyes as the tears ran down his cheeks. "I was deadly worried about you." She stroked his head not knowing what to say. "Don't worry. We'll fix it up. I don't know how, but... we'll figure something. Ok?"

"Maybe you could commit it to someone capable of remembering everything like, I don't know... the spirit of memories?" Hallan said smirking.

"Can you restore her memories?!" Astrid exclaimed.

"See... I can give her her memories like new memories. I can't heal her head, but I can show her all her past so she knows herself back again."

"Oh, Thor! Would you do that?!" Hiccup said hope growing inside him.

"As long as she wants," Hallan replied happy to seeing Hiccup so happy.

"Ok, I think I'm missing something," Kristoff said.

"Oh, honey. She is the memories' spirit. The Ahtohallan's spirit," Anna reported.

"Why are these things no longer impressing me?" he answered with a grimace. "So... are you human?"

"Mostly I guess..."

"Aha... And were you a female iceberg or..."

"I had no gender. I chose this one because I thought it would make things easier for me."

He glanced at Elsa. "I think I understand."

"Fairly intuitive guy," she said feeling exposed.

"And how it works?" Astrid asked getting to the point.

"Easy. I take her hands and let her memories get inside her. Not painful, but quite tiring process to her."

"It's a lot to take in," Valka mumbled. "I... I just... Until this morning I was nobody and now I'm going to have a family, friends, a home, hobbies, maybe regrets things I don't even remember doing... What if I don't like the life I had? What if being Ondina was better? I... I have to think about it. Sorry."

Valka left the room and the air became dense.

"She's right," Hiccup said.

"What are you saying, Hiccup?" Astrid replied.

"She abandoned her son and her husband, lived by and for dragons for twenty years, then regained her husband and lost him on the same day, and a year later even dragons disappeared from her life. All she has left is a son she hasn't seen grow up and who reminds her of her guilt... Maybe being Ondina is the best for her. We don't even know why she left. Perhaps she was running away from her life..."

"She loves you, you know?" Astrid said rubbing his back.

"I know..."

"Hallan," Anna called "Is there a possibility of showing us her memories? Maybe we could find out why she left and what happened."

"Oh, of course I can, but you will freeze forever."

"What? Why?"

"Too far."

"Like in the glacier?" Elsa answered.

"The magic is the same. See, you can see your memories. You are its owner. But regarding the memories of others, you only can see those that they didn't need to hide. Their secrets are private, and to see them has a high cost."

"So there is nothing we can do, huh." Hiccup said sorrowfully.

"Just respect her will," Hallan said solemnly.

The afternoon passed slowly and, when night fell on them, each one went to his room accompanied by the uncertainty of tomorrow.