Oblivion

Chapter 18

"Wait, Anna, did you just say afternoon?" Elsa asked, scratching her hair.

"Uh huh. You two have slept for so long, mind you. How are you two feeling?" Anna asked.

"Well, sober, I think," Elsa replied.

"I'm on my way," I added, shrugging.

"Do you want some milk? I heard it helps to ease the head," Anna suggested, concern appearing in her expression.

"I think it can wait, you go ahead have some," I gave Elsa a pat by the shoulder and headed to the poop deck to see my mother. She noticed my presence and stopped giving her affection to the Terrible Terror.

"Hey there," she greeted with a smile.

"Hi."

"Sober?"

"I guess. Were you, um, by any chance, also—"

"Oh no. I was not. It takes more than that for me to get drunk. Luckily, I only got drunk once throughout my life, and I heard it was quite the hell. Stoick was there to calm me down, so, props to him," she scoffed.

"Really? You never told me that story," I told her, looking ahead to the horizon of sea.

"And I have a reason why I never did. Not all stories are meant to be shared, you know," she let go of the wheel and locked it with a pull of lever next to it.

"Uh huh," I scoffed.

She sat on the wooden railing in front of the wheel, facing me. "I can't believe how I found you last night when we were about to depart."

Within an instance, worry took over me. "Oh no. What happened?"

"Well, what did you remember from last night?" Mother chuckled.

"Hmm... the dinner? I had multiple refills, pretty sure I was in another realm after that," I crossed my arms, sitting on the railing next to her.

"Ahh... I think I have a change of mind. I won't tell you."

"Mom!" I gave her a push by the arm. She reacted by fixing her balance and laughing. "Tell me!"

"But I'm proud, though..."

"Proud of what?"

"You slept with Anna. But who knows? Maybe you two have been doing it for quite a while? So it's no big deal," she looked ahead with a smile.

I... slept with Anna? Oh no, did we?

"Did we... um..." I made motions with my hand as I tried my best in finding the words that still could describe what I wanted to convey but not as blatantly as possible. "Um... were we..."

"You two still had your clothes on, in case you were wondering. So, no. I don't think you two had a go," she explained. Right away, the heavy feeling inside my chest lifted off.

"Good..."

"Good? I kind of wish for the opposite, to be honest," mother scratched all over my hair in a playful manner.

"Mommm!" I pulled myself off of her grasp, giving her a 'what in the name of Odin' look. Despite being judged, she still smiled along. Perhaps she really meant it, she wanted her son to tie the knot with the Queen of Arendelle.

"He he... By the by, I've heard of the story. From the Vikings who have been there, and from herself," she replied.

"Anna told you about it?!" I asked in disbelief.

She raised her hands in denial. "Oh no, I'm talking about something else. The story of the... 'Great Thaw', I think that's the name for it. You must have been told I assume?"