The preparations were already full speed ahead when Ann and Viggo returned to the camp. "Have you given orders already?" She wondered. "No, I haven't." Viggo answered bewildered. "But I have." Ryker walked up to them. "Why would you do that? You hate the festivities." Viggo got his mind blown. "You are not the only one Ann has changed." Ryker smiled at his younger sister.
She just looked back at him with a little blush growing on her cheek. "But there is still lots to do. I better get back on the job and take care of the rest. Ann, why don't you ask Jake and the others to come and celebrate with us?" Ryker suggested. "You know, that is not a bad idea after all! I'll send them a Terror Mail right away." She ran off to Viggo's tent to write Jake the letter.
Dear Jake,
Soon the Winter festivities will be here, snow, music and drinks: Snoggletog! We would love it if you would celebrate it with us here on Hunter Island. Send me a letter with your answer and I will send a ship to get all of you here if you agree.
Love, Ann.
She ran outside and got the first Terrible Terror she could find. Binding the letter to its paw, she released it and it flew off into Muzona's direction. Walking back to the brothers to ask if she could do anything, she bumped into Havòk. "Ow, hey!" "Hey Ann, how were the fights?" He asked enthusiastic. "I know you would love it." "Well, I did but..." She scratched the back of her head.
"But what?" Havòk frowned. "But the fights have been stopped by the Riders. Ryker and I could get out unharmed, but most people were scared off. If the fights will ever come back, I don't know if we will have a crowd again." She looked away from him and folded her arms in slight shame and huge disappointment. "Ow... Well, it's good you two got out of there." He smiled at her. "Yeah, but I feel bad for Viggo. He is going to miss an important way of income." She didn't feel that convinced about it after their defeat. "Viggo is creative, just as you are. If you two are going to think together, you will come up with the best ideas!" Havòk rested his hands on her shoulder to encourage her.
"But what about you? It looks like the festivities have brought a down side of you above to the surface." Ann noticed a sad glimpse in his eyes. "Ow, well. You're right, but now is not the time to think about it." Havòk replied casually, avoiding to answer her. "Maybe it's good to talk about it. I respect it if you don't want to, but maybe it helps lighten up the spirit." She was about to walk away when Havòk called her back. "I would talk to you about it, but then I want to be alone with you. Somewhere private." "I can ask Viggo if we can stay in his tent for a moment so we can talk, if you want that though?" Ann suggested and Havòk nodded to her.
Ann spoke to Viggo, explaining a little what the situation was. He gave them permission and would be left alone for a while for them to talk. "So, what's on your mind?" Ann got him and herself a cup of water. "I just miss my home at these days." He looked down to the table. "Home? What do you mean?" Ann wondered. "I am actually from another island, just as you, remember? Around these days it's getting hard to focus on work and the festivities as you miss certain people" "I know the feeling..." Ann got sad as she was thinking about her family from home. "But who are those certain people?" She asked curiously.
"I had a family of my own once. I was married, had a daughter and had one of the best jobs on the island. But all of that was all gone in an instant when someone set me up and everyone disgusted me, including my own wife. A lie was spread around the island of something I didn't do. That lie came to the chief who banished me from my island, and my family." He explained while Ann took a few sips from her water, which she of course spit out the moment she heard about his horrible past. "What?! You had a child of your own?" "Not so loud! Nobody except you knows about this." Havòk tried to calm her in her volume.
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" "If anyone got to know about it, my family would've been killed. Though in my banishment, my wife ran away from me, saying she didn't want to do anything with me anymore. She just left me standing there, taking my daughter away from me as well. I never got to see them ever again." A tear was welling up in his eye.
Seeing that, Ann got to him to hug him comfortably. "What did you do after you had to leave your island?" Ann asked. "It wasn't long after my banishment that I met some other Hunters. They took me to Viggo and I asked him if I could get refuge in exchange that I would work for him. As soon as he got to know that I am a healer, he let me stay immediately." He explained as Ann noticed he had started to shake a bit.
"If you need to take some air, just go, okay?" Ann whispered to him. "I just want to see my little girl." "I know exactly how you feel. I also want to see my girl again, but for me, there is no way to. Maybe you can send a letter out, hoping she would find it?'" Ann suggested. "You think that would help?" "It is worth the shot." Ann smiled at him. "Viggo surely is lucky he has you in his life. You are an amazing person, Ann." He thanked her in some way.
After leaving Havòk be for a moment, Ann returned to the men who had a hold of a Terror flying in. "You probably have a letter back from Muzona." Viggo smiled. "Already? That's quick!" She said, taking the letter from Viggo.
Reading the letter, Jake had said they would love to come. "The gang is coming." She said a bit down. "Hey, isn't that great? What's the matter?" Viggo held her close. "I'm just worried about Havòk. He told me a part of his past and that's just harsh." She said as she leaned her head on Viggo's shoulder, wrapping her arms around him."What did he tell you?" Ryker asked. "Okay, I'll explain it to you both, but if he gets to hear it then I might be screwed." "We won't say a thing." Viggo reassured her.
They got to a private place, the beach where barely any Viking came, and Ann explained the whole situation to them. "Wow, even I didn't know that. When he asked me to join us, he said the exact same thing as you did. He couldn't go back to where he came from." Viggo was bewildered about it. "Is that why you knew something was wrong with me when I came here?" Ann wondered about it. "I did, but I also didn't want to let you go because I immediately fell in love with you the first moment I looked you in the eyes." Viggo smiled at her. Talking a bit more about how to approach this problem, the three of them went back to the camp. Ann and Ryker grabbed their bows to go hunting on boars once again.
Returning with loads of boars, even Luna and Sky were having a hold on to one or two, they got the boars ready to be prepared for the meals of the festivities. The gang had arrived in the days that followed and the preparations were full speed ahead, almost done. The band had been rehearsing, as well as Ann for her traditional Muzonian Snoggletog Celebration Dance.
Seeing her practice with Jake, Viggo watched from a distance and asked Leonora what they were practicing for. She explained it all and Viggo wanted to surprise his lover by dancing with her for the celebration. "Can you teach me? I hope I can surprise her if I'm going to offer her to dance with me." He looked at his love, who seems to have many laughs with her little brother. "She really means a lot to you, doesn't she?" Leonora stood beside him. "She means the world to me." Viggo spoke with love. "Come on then, I'll teach you." Leonora grabbed his hand and dragged him to a place where they could practice without being seen.
Once Viggo had the dance mastered, he asked Leonora if Ann would dance the exact same way as they practiced. "Yes, the dance is always the same. I know she is going to be so happy once you have shown her what you did for her." Leonora smiled widely and Viggo returned the favor.
The evening of Snoggletog was finally there and people were getting drunk on the ale already. Having a laugh, sharing hunting stories, wrestling arms and loud talking were the main things the Vikings did. Viggo was still waiting for his love to arrive, Ryker stood by his side watching the men on their behavior.
Then they saw them coming, Ann in a beautiful dress and escorted by Havòk, who seemed to be in a very good mood. "Wow." Viggo could get it barely out of his mouth when Ann stood in front of him. Ann chuckled before taking his hands in hers. "Come on, now. Let's go." Viggo lend her his arm and they left for their places at the table. Sharing a good laughter and listening to some great music the gang made, Jake came forward to ask Ann for the Muzonian Snoggletog Dance.
They went to the front, but Ann's dance partner was called in injured. "What? How?" "He bruised his ankle during some last warming ups with Leonora." Jake said and left Ann completely heartbroken. Viggo walked up to her and looked at him. "Ai, that doesn't look good. Are you alright?" He asked concerned.
Though this was put into scene, it looked like he really had bruised it badly. "I don't know. It really hurts, I don't think I can stand on it." Ann's original dance partner said, acting like he was in huge pain. "Great. Just great." Ann was on the verge of crying her heart out when Viggo held her close to him again. "Maybe I can dance with you?" "What? No, you don't know the choreography. You don't know the steps!" Ann jumped out of his arms totally flabbergasted. "Let me try. Please?" Viggo held her hands and looked her in the eyes.
She sighed before answering. "Fine, I guess we will do something then. I guess I don't have another choice right now." Ann mocked to herself. "You just do what you have practiced for and I shall adjust to it." He reassured her with a kiss. "Now go, the people here are waiting." Jake pushed them forward.
(Play song, optional)
There they stood, in front of all the people waiting in great anticipation for the dance to start. "Gentlemen of the Hunter tribe, I bring you Viggo and Ann dancing our traditional Muzonian Snoggletog Celebration Dance! The Flow of the Winter!" Jake called out to everyone around.
The first steps were so nerve wrecking for Ann, but she decided to stick to her traditional dance. Moving from left to right without looking at Viggo for the first few seconds, she danced her heart out and into those of the tough Hunters. Viggo surprisingly knew every step what had to be made. Wait? How on Earth?!
They continued their dance and the Hunters were getting pumped up with excitement. Once in the final position, Ann kissed Viggo deeply for the surprise. "How did you..." "I asked Leonora to teach me so I could surprise you, my beautiful blossom." She embraced him tight after he said that.
The night went on with more dancing, laughs and music. The gang was thanked many times for the great atmosphere. The night wasn't over before Ann could dance with one other person. "What's wrong with Ryker?" She asked Viggo about his brother. She noticed he hasn't put a single step onto the dancefloor. "He doesn't like to go dancing. He has been like this for years." Viggo answered to her. She pulled his ears closer and whispered something. "Can I go dance with him?" Viggo laughed and nodded yes.
Ann rushed to the other side to grab Ryker's hand and drag him to the dancefloor. "What do you want to do?" Ryker got himself free. "What do you think, silly? Where are we heading?" "I'm not going to dance." Ryker snorted. "Even not with your little sister?" She looked mischievously at him. Ryker grunted and looked at Viggo, who gave him the sign that he is allowed to dance with her. Viggo watched as he enjoyed seeing his brother celebrating something again, and then by dance. His brother was actually enjoying himself! The night went by fast as everyone enjoyed the festivities of the winter. It wasn't early before the first went to bed, including Ann and Viggo.
A/N: hey guys, hope you enjoyed this chapter.
What did you think about Havòk's past? And how Ann got Ryker to dance with her?
This is me in my Christmas dress. I had something similar in mind for Ann.