"Magic?" Hiccup said again, and Elsa grunted through her nose. She discarded both gloves to wash for later, and also because she had significantly calmed down and didn't need them at the moment, and gave a slight look at Ophelia. She sunk low in her chair, and Elsa knew she wouldn't say anymore.
"She's just joking. Talking about magic." Elsa laughed, then snapped her fingers, "Oh, she must mean my cooking magic! I am great at making desserts!"
Ophelia feeling bad for her slip up, jumped in a little too enthusiastically, "Her food is sooo good that I just can't eat all of it and have to throw most away because it's really good and-,"
Hiccup shook his head. "Cooking magic?" He repeated, unbelieving, slightly frustrated she was back to keeping secrets. Elsa, on her end of thought, knew that she couldn't keep her ice from him forever, but was not ready to unleash this onto Berk. She needed to work on her control anyway. She saw Hiccup come over and reach across her to pick up a caramel, and said quietly at the level of her ears, "You know, we should be honest with each other. We are getting married." The way he spoke made a shiver run up her spine, and he retreated back, biting of a hard edge, staring at her. She narrowed her eyes.
"I am being honest. My caramels are honesty good." She said, and Hiccup noted the way her body was stiff. He wasn't going to press this one. If there was magic, he wouldn't' be surprised. Dragons were pretty much the biggest surprise anyone could every lay on him. And besides, whatever it was, she was clearly uneasy about it. No use fighting this.
"So…how it'd go." He asked in a low voice, hardly tipping his head to Ophelia, who had Hubert on the table now, and was talking to him.
"She…accepts it. For now. I think she'll really understand soon." Elsa frowned, "But, she just wants her own room. Hubert doesn't like to share, I guess." Elsa quirked a smile, "That wouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Not at all. She can have my own room," Valka had agreed with him it would be better for Ophelia to live with her, because soon Hiccup's house would be filled with…babies. The idea gave him an involuntary flinch, "The bed's only a small one anyway."
If there was one thing he was looking forward to, it was a large bed with plenty of space to roll around in. Elsa, on her side, was looking at him curiously.
"But where will you be-," She begun, but then sighed, and tapped her head once, "Silly me, with your wife of course." She gave a forced laugh, "So will I be moving yourself into your parent's room, then?" She asked.
Hiccup shuddered. "No! I mean, this is the chief's house but it's not the chief's house." He realized after a second that meant nothing, because Elsa was still looking confused, "I mean, it's traditional for the future grooms to build houses before the wedding so that we have a stable place for our relationship. We're full of traditions." He said with a little groan.
He'd have to visit Snoutlout, who had just recently gotten married and had made a beautiful and sturdy house. Hiccup literally did not know where to start. His mother had been less worried, and pointed out he was wildly creative and adaptive to problems, but this wasn't a trial and error fire-sword, this was a house.
Elsa was silent. "What sort of traditions?" There was a little trepidation in her voice. Hiccup hesitated.
"In your world, there must be books on…people like us. Have you read any of them?" He asked.
"There were Vikings in Norway too." She said testily, "Of course."
"And...?" He prompted.
"And I've read some horrible things, okay?" She blushed and glared hard at him, "Now, I haven't seen any of that there, but I've been here a week, Hiccup." She said.
"Perhaps my mother should tell you the ins and outs of our traditions?" He offered, backing up. To be honest, he didn't know what of theirs might be considered bad and what would be good. And he would likely muck it up, but here if another girl explained it to her, perhaps it would be more easily swallowed.
Honestly, he didn't think it was bad- except for one part, which he wasn't dreading, but he most certainly didn't want to think about that now.
Ophelia was drowsily blinking at the table. Hiccup instinctively went and picked her up, and her little dragon by a place on the tail mothers carried their young around. "I'll put her to bed and have my mother talk to you." He said.
Elsa glanced at Ophelia, who yawned, then nodded.
He told his mother what he wanted her to do, and she gave a little chuckle, "Oh, if I'd only had someone to do this for me. You'll be okay with her?" Hiccup gave a roll of his eyes.
"I have to get used to it, yeah?" He asked, to which Valka gave a little sound of joy. It seemed every mother in this village was way too excited about their sons giving them grandchildren. They were just babies and clearly they'd all had their own at one point. Hiccup was very confused by it.
Back in the kitchen, Valka sat down to Elsa, who was quite nervous.
"Dear, don't worry. It's not that bad." She assured, to which Elsa began rubbing the fabric of her gloves.
"You were born into this tradition. The most we do is drink for three days and all." She said.
"The men take any opportunity to drink, as you can imagine. We drink for at least a week, so perhaps that's not to dissimilar." Valka said with a little chuckle.
Elsa said nothing.
"Well, you've already paid your bride-price, so no worries of having to bother your kingdom for that money. And technically, it comes back to you as Hiccup is your husband and there are no adults to take it. But it is usually used for the city, but controlled by Hiccup, so that's how it will be used."
"Wedding festivities last about a week, to give people time to travel, and food is supplied by us, meaning that we usually must have it near the end of harvest times. Lucky for you, as some would say, we are in the middle of harvest, making almost any date possible. You and hiccup will share a bridal-ale, made from honey, also making the harvest date the best option." As Valka talked, Elsa leaned in, wishing she could write this down.
It was so much more descriptive than any book she'd ever read on such topics, and for a while, she forgot this was the wedding that she'd be attending, instead of just a lesson from a first person source.
"You will share that ale for at least a month after you're married."
"is it any good?" Elsa scrunched up her nose. She wasn't one for drinking. Perhaps a wine here or there, but she'd never had ale. It was so…hard.
"It has an acquired taste, I suppose. But I've had it growing up in tiny sips my whole life, so everyone knows it. For you, you're not required to drink it, it's more of a gift for the pair." She explained, "Leading up to the wedding are many different rituals to signify the transformation from a pair of young people to a man and a women. It will be more traditions for you, as you are not only going from a maiden to a wife, but from a maiden from a mother as well." Those words clenched in Elsa's stomach, and she frowned.
"How many children are created from wedding nights?" She asked. Deep down, she realized in this sort of society, the need for heirs as soon as possible was the main requirement, not something produced from love right away. Valka gave a sympathetic smile.
"Hiccup was." She replied, to which Elsa winced. That wasn't the answer she was looking for; not that it didn't confirm her thoughts, but she didn't need to imagine such things of her future husband.
"Usually there is a krasan involved, which is just a hair ornament that young maidens wear, but since you are not from here, we don't have to worry about that." Valka mused, "It is usually passed down to daughters. Since it is too late for you to begin to wear one, I will save mine for my first granddaughter." She decided.
"That's very kind of you." Elsa didn't understand what it was, exactly, but the thought was very generous.
"A day before the ceremony, you will visit a bathhouse and will be pampered with steam baths." Elsa perked up at this, smiling, "It signifies cleansing you for your new life and the ceremony to follow. There, you will aided by married women which will give you advice on everything from being a homemaker, to a good wife, to a good mother." Elsa begun to nod. This didn't even seem horrific, but actually a tradition that if Elsa ever made her way back, would be sure to reintroduce.
"That sounds…so relaxing." She said, and Valka threw up her hands.
"You have no idea, dear! It really helps the nerves. Although, the next part is a little chilled." She chuckled, "After the warm bath you are doused in a cold pool to complete the cleansing. For you especially, since you are the future chief's wife, there will be oils, herbs, and flowers which, aside from making you smell wonderful, will assure you fertility and luck on having a son." She said. Elsa almost chuckled; she forgot that such superstitions were still upheld. Either way, she may as well smell good before her wedding, and she often had cold baths, so that part wasn't as bad as most wives may remember it.
"Your hair, which I notice you like to keep in a braid, will be spread out because most women traditionally will never wear their hair such ways again, as it is seen as a sign of a child. You also wear a bridal crown, which is a family heirloom. It's with the elders right now, as it is a relic of sorts in the town, and you will most likely see it for the first time on the wedding day.
"Now for Hiccup, he has no signs of being a bachelor. He will have to acquire an ancestral sword. Often, a male will dig into the burial mounds of a dead ancestor to retrieve it, and often are confronted by a friend pretending to be an ancestor, to remind him of his lineage and responsibility."
Elsa recalled that as one of the traditions she had been shocked by. "You dig and disturb your dead that you specifically buried with a sword so that one day a son or grandson could dig it up?" She asked, jaw hanging open.
"Some of the other tribes practice that. We are not so." She assured, and Elsa relaxed, "instead, Stoick's friend Gobber has it, and will hand it down to Hiccup and recite his family history. We all hope it is the father that has that honor, but usually that is not so." Valka gave a sad smile, and she glanced down at her hand, where a ring sat. It was a sad gesture, and Elsa recalled that Hiccup had informed her that is mother's marriage had been arranged. Would she look upon Hiccup so fondly one day?
"Hiccup will also visit the bath house and will be also advised how to woo and women and live with her."
"Men really need that from where I come from." Elsa laughed, recalling that Kristoff may have been so much more prepared if he had a guy warning him about things called 'mood swings' and 'pregnancy cravings'.
"Your wedding will be on Frigga's day." Valka continued, and Elsa gave her an odd look. She wondered if Frigga's day was a holiday, but Valka must have seen her confusion.
"It falls two days from now, every seven days?" She said with a laugh of mirth, "You must not use the same terms we do." She composed herself. Elsa nodded.
"Ah, Friday." She said. No doubt, since she knew Frigga to be a goddess, was it something to do with babies and fertility. That would most likely be the case nine out of ten times, as she was beginning to see.
"The ceremony will be outside for everyone to see. You will be escorted there with a man holding a sword which will be a present for your husband." Elsa rolled her eyes.
"You have a thing with swords, I'm getting." Valka nodded.
"We were primarily a battle tribe, until Hiccup introduced dragons and peace. And well, traditions are difficult to drop. But it may come in handy one day!" Valka said, ever prepared.
"Will I be allowed to oversee the design of this sword?" Elsa wondered curiously. She'd read books on sword making, but there was no need in a land where there was little trifles and a Queen spewing ice. No one really bothered to attack them, and they stayed within their own problems. Valka seemed a little surprised at her request.
"Well, it's not traditional, but yes…I think Hiccup would appreciate that. He might not be thrilled with a sword, he's not that sort of Viking, as you might have noticed."
Elsa agreed that often, he didn't seem like a Viking at all.
"Yes he is…particular. Different." She smiled, "I think I'm different too, though, so perhaps we'll be okay." She said optimistically.
"Now, before the ceremony, other tribes sacrifice animals, but," She stopped, noticing Elsa's eyebrows shoot up, "We do not do that either. We will offer an animal as a living token, and that particular animal will become sacred. For my wedding, it was the one black sheep, although it's now tossed around in games. Not very sacred, but the gods seem not to mind." She added with a tap to her chin.
"Now, if we were to do the sacrificial animal, it would be eaten, so not to waste the flesh spared. We would also take the blood and offer most of it. A particular part involves putting some in a little bundle, and making a hammer sign in it while surrounded by flames, and the resultant would be the front row being sprayed with blood. Once again, we don't do that, but if you ever attend a wedding by the Murderous Tribe, for example, don't sit in the front seat." She said with a little laugh. Elsa begun to relax. Seemingly, every bad tradition she'd read about was not preformed here, decided by Hiccup or not, so perhaps she would get lucky with a rumor she'd heard from a couple girls in the village giggle about.
"You will exchange swords. Hiccup will give you the sword that you will one day give to your son, his sword will one day be bequeathed to a far off ancestor on his wedding day. You will exchange finger rings, which reside on the hilt of the sword. They can be simple or extravagant. Mine was simple." Valka put her hand on the table, and it was just a little band. Elsa gave a grin.
"We exchange rings from where I'm from too." The familiar gesture made her feel less homesick.
"Then, holding hands on the hilts of both swords, you both exchange vows. It's rather beautiful, actually." Valka's fingers rubbed along the ridges on her ring, and Elsa returned her look. She seemed to be caught up in her own memories of a wedding. It must be hard, to loose someone you love that isn't just a parent or a sister, but someone that you love with, you cry with, you grow up with in the most mature of ways. A tingle ran down her spine, thinking of the future to come. Perhaps…she could make this work?
"Then, there is the race to the hall. Usually, whatever party from either side is the last there has to serve the ale the rest of the night. Although, you don't have anyone, and it's more for laughs and fun anyway." Vakla said, and Elsa groaned.
"Run in a dress? And shoes?" She muttered.
"The game is only a little fixed." Valka said in a sarcastic tone, breaking a wide grin from Elsa, "Hiccup will guide you over the door, a passage. Then, he will thrust his sword into the wood to see how his marriage will be by how large the scar he makes." She said, then she rolled her eyes, "It may seem like you're marriage will crumble with the tiny scar he makes. Hiccup is inventive, and I love him, but he is not a beefy boy."
"He may have to practice a bit." Elsa agreed, and felt a little bad about joking about him, yet it was all for fun. She had no doubt that they would make this marriage work, and short of surprise anger problems, there would be no reason for a divorce. Could she get a divorce, if needed? She'd ask Valka another day, because she was still explaining this, with no signs of stopping.
"You must drink the ale, as it is one specification for the validity of a marriage. You will serve him the drink, and often wives will present a traditional saying in our language, but since you are foreign and do not speak our dialect of tradition, we will not make you. He will sign to Odin, you will sign to Freya, and drink. Then they will bless your reproductive organs." She said with a flourish. Elsa held in a scoff.
"Great." She forced a smile.
"Now…the wedding night." Valka suddenly seemed a little apprehensive, and Elsa's stomach dropped, "It can be…awkward."
"Awkward." Elsa repeated, not liking the sound of that at all.
"Well, there must be six witnesses to testify to the validity. And at least a male and a female will stay…to watch…" She said with a sorry look in her eyes. Elsa felt her whole body go red. Her jaw hinged open, and if she'd been drinking something, it would have been spewed on the table. The rumors she'd heard were nothing compared to this!
"To watch the consummation?" She asked, confirming the most horrible scenario she could imagine. Usually, it wasn't the worse, but now Valka gave a slow nod.
"We do not wish to watch it any more than you. We will be hidden, disgusted, so it's like we're not even there." She assured, but this did not make Elsa feel much better. Valka let Elsa think about it, and she got her some cheese and a drink. Elsa downed it in one gulp, without asking what it was, but it burned going down. She had another, and it begun to calm her significantly. Valka gave her a long time to sit with her fingers on her forehead, shaking her head sourly. The most private moment of her life was not ever going to be private, and she'd never get it back.
"The rest is not much. Your dreams are recorded, because they will foretell the future of your children. The next morning, Hiccup hands you keys to the house, and you are now a wife." Vakla quickly plowed through the rest, and she set herself down a drink of the mystery liquid, and Elsa as well.
Elsa now sipped it, which she found to be a mistake because it was even worse in small sips. She downed it, and felt a little lighter.
"Valka." She said softly, which she usually wouldn't be asking such things, but maybe it was the drink or the shock, "Hiccup told me you didn't love him when you married his father, like us. How was it?"
It did not have to be assigned a name, both women knew, "If it's not too much to ask." Elsa added.
"No. You will become my daughter, and I already am beginning to love you, and I would only tell my daughter and give my advice the same way. But…it's been a couple years." She said, thinking, "But it is a night burned in my memory."
Elsa leaned on her elbows, tilting her head. "I did not love him. I did care for him, slightly, like a friend. He was my friend before we were married. Not a best friend, but he'd never been cruel to me, giving me no reason to hate him. Love was just starting, but nowhere near enough for me to want to go through with this sort of ritual. I was scared, but he was kind. I will never know if his older brothers, all deceased now, gave him tips or if he just knew…but he made me not feel afraid." She paused, "mostly, just relax. It will be painful otherwise. Try to not dwell on the ugly details, but focus on things that make you happy about them. The best things that you could love." She said.
Then she gave one last piece of advice, "I suppose I was so excited to be a mother it was bearable. I knew that I would love that child more than anything else in the world- that I already loved them- before they were created." She side-glanced Elsa, "Children are an odd thing, Elsa. From the first moment that they kick inside you, you will love them more than anyone else you've ever loved. Men will never understand how such emotions have quickly switched, but they are your world."
Her fond words almost made Elsa want a child too; it almost made her feel the same that perhaps one good thing would come from this.
It was a lot to take in, and the drink was mixing with her mind, making things start to seem fuzzy.
"I think I'm going to bed." She said to Valka, and Valka looked outside.
"It's late. I agree." Valka said, "I believe that Hubert has commandeered the space where you sleep next to Ophelia, so you can take the extra bedroom Hiccup's been in. The bed is much smaller, and less comfortable, which is why he offered for the pair of you to stay where you are." Valka explained.
Elsa gave a little tilt of her head. That was not what she had expected to hear. She agreed to take the extra bed, and literally fell into her bed, and fell asleep within moments.