"If only they could feel it too
The happiness I feel with you
They'd know love will find a way
Anywhere we go, we're home
If we are there together
Like dark, turning into day
Somehow we'll come through
Now that I've found you
Love will find a way"
- "Love Will Find a Way" from "The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride"
Chapter 18
My mind felt hazy when I awoke. Then a sharp pain in my abdomen brought everything into focus. I kept my eyes closed as the previous day flashed in my mind. Honestly, I only remembered half of what happened after I was injured. Somehow, I had escaped. And someway, I was fine.
I finally opened my eyes and took in my surroundings. I did not recognize the bed or the room I was in. I turned my head to the left and saw Ruffrunner, curled up and fast asleep. Why wasn't he with his family? I looked to the left and saw Harald sleeping on his side, facing me. Warmth spread throughout my body at the sight of him. Everything would be fine now that we were together again.
His eyes opened while I watched him. "Brennda," he said softly, "how are you feeling?"
"It hurts," I said honestly, "but I can manage."
"I'll let the healer know you're awake." Harald stood up and started for the exit. He paused at the door and looked back at the bed. "Leopold, will you help me out here?" The Terrible Terror took off from the end of the bed and hovered before Harald. "Go let Allvaldi know we need him." He opened the door for the little dragon. Then he returned to the bed and sat on the edge.
"Harald, will you tell me what happened yesterday? A lot of it is a blur." I attempted to sit up but winced at the pain. Harald immediately helped me, and he put his arm around me to support me. "We saved the dragons, right?"
"Yes. Everyone got out safely. Ruffrunner elected to stay behind. Don't worry, Toothless and Raija were fine with it."
I glanced at the Night Light with a smile. "He wants to help us find the treasure."
Harald smiled slightly in return. "It would appear so. Anyway, we wouldn't have survived if Nikora hadn't shown up in time and distracted Toki and Randel. She took us to Dark Deep where I asked the Prickleboggle to heal you wound."
"Ah, so that was real. That was very brave of you."
"I only did what I had to do."
"That's exactly what a hero would say." I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head on his shoulder. "And you pulled it off because you're amazing."
"You're the amazing one. Going to Nikora for help? That was completely reckless."
"But it worked. I was right about her."
Harald kissed the top of my head. "Yes, you were, love. You were right about a lot of things. And I am grateful for it."
I pulled back to smirk at him. "I'll prove you wrong anytime."
Harald smiled in response. Then his smile faded as a serious look took over. "Brennda, do you remember what happened right after we arrived at Auction Island?"
I scrunched my eyebrows in thought. "I think I threw up, but the healer took care of it." I felt like I was forgetting something though.
Harald nodded slowly, sadness glistening in his eyes. "Yes. You coughed up blood. Allvaldi - our healer - said... he said you were pregnant. The blood was the baby's."
My eyes widened in shock. "W-What?"
"I'm sorry Brennda. But maybe you're relieved. We never talked about this, after all, and I should have-"
"Harald..." I touched his cheek to cut him off. "Of course I'm saddened by this news. It was our child - a part of us." He placed his hand over mine. His mournful expression cut through my heart. "I just - I didn't realize it'd affect you so much." I paused. This was not exactly how I imagined having this conversation, but it seemed I was left with no choice. "Do you want children, Harald?"
"I never thought I did. I assumed children would get in the way of my adventures and goals. Besides, I didn't want them to end up like me. But yesterday, I realized that's changed." Harald dropped his hand and pulled my into his lap. My hands immediately went to his chest while he kept his on my back. "I don't have to worry if I have them with you."
I smiled. "I can see you being an overly protective father who doesn't let the kids do anything. I'll be the fun one."
Harald smirked. "Is that so?"
"Yes, but I don't worry. I'll make sure they know you only do it because you love them so much."
Harald smiled warmly at me. "You do want children then?"
"I don't desire them in general like some women do. I want children with you." My heart sped up at the admission, but it felt right.
"In that case, we can try again as soon as your body has recovered. Allvaldi said it'll take four to six weeks."
I laughed at his sudden enthusiasm. "No need to rush. If it happens, it happens, but it might be better to wait until this whole business with Toki is over."
Harald smiled. "I'll hold you to that, my love."
Feeling a sudden wave of affection for him, I wrapped my arms around his neck and brought his lips to mine. The kiss seemed to invigorate me, and it would have continued if we were not broken apart but a loud cough. I sheepishly looked to the door and saw Allvaldi watching us.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," the healer said.
Harald smirked. "Actually-"
I scrambled off of his lap, which I immediately regretted due to the pain. "It's fine. I'm ready for you now."
Allvaldi nodded. "Good." He gave Harald a sharp look. "You may wait outside. I need to check her wound."
Harald frowned but stood up. "Why? It's nothing I haven't seen before."
Allvaldi did not look impressed. "You'll get in the way. Now shoo!" As soon as he sat on the bed, Ruffrunner got up and yawned.
"Come with me, dragon," Harald said. Ruffrunner hopped to the floor and followed him outside.
"Remove your shirt, please," Allvaldi said once we were alone. I complied, sucking in a sharp breath when he started undoing the bandages. "That man has adopted some crazy ideas. Relying on dragons for help? It's your influence, I suppose."
I smiled weakly. "That's probably right."
"Well, I can't argue with the results." The healer applied an herb mixture to my wound and then wrapped fresh bandaged around my abdomen. "I'll get you something for the pain." He left for a minute and return with an herbal tea. I thanked him as I accepted the drink.
Allvaldi left a little while after that, and Harald returned. The herbs did help with the pain, so I said I was fine with going to see Stormheart. I thought it would be a good idea to understand the situation as soon as possible. Harald kept an arm around me to support me as we walked outside.
It was still dark out, making it impossible to tell the time of day. I really hoped the sun would return soon. We found Stormheart at her throne. She dismissed the pirates she had been talking to and rose when we approached.
"Good morning," she said. "I hope you are feeling well, Brennda."
"I'm better than yesterday, thank you," I said. Something seemed different about her. Her expression was still tightly controlled, but there was a softness to her features that wasn't there before. I moved slightly away from Harald and nodded at him to let him know I was fine on my own. "I do appreciate your help. I wouldn't have survived if you didn't show up."
"It is likely I wouldn't either," Harald said, moving so he stood between the two of us.
Looking from one to the other, I wondered what happened between them. Harald had an easy smile on his face that I had never seen him wear around her. He looked comfortable. I decided to test something. "Anyway, I'm sure we've already caused you enough trouble, so we'll just take off now."
Stormheart's eyebrows rose. "And where will you go?"
"I, uh, don't know..."
"After all the trouble you've caused, you think it's acceptable to just leave?"
I stared at her in surprise. "What?"
"Really, Brennda," Harald said. He turned so he was by Stormheart's side, facing me. "You've uprooted everything we thought we knew and completely turned our lives upside down. You can't leave without showing us the path forward. You need to take some responsibility for your actions."
I almost laughed at his serious expression. Instead, I settled for a grin. "Understood. What do you need?"
"We need to defeat Toki," Stormheart replied. "He has proven himself a menace, and there will never be peace or stability until he is gone."
"Our normal tactics won't work against him," Harald explained. "Brute force will surely fail, and we can't outsmart him - that nearly got you killed, and it lost us the map."
I nodded slowly. "Okay... If we need a new strategy, shouldn't we go to Viggo?"
"Certainly, we should ask Viggo to join us. He works well with both of us, and I imagine the four of us could be an unstoppable team. However, his most successful role seems to be helping you develop a strategy based on your values."
"And that is what we need," Stormheart said. "Your 'values,' as Harald puts it, are responsible for our only victories against Toki."
"He doesn't understand love," Harald added. "He may have a surface level grasp of it, but he can only see it as a weakness. For instance, he expected you to protect me and used that against us, but he did not expect you to go to Nikora for help, allowing us to escape. He cannot comprehend the power of people working together because they choose to - because they are united in purpose."
Stormheart nodded. "I want you to meet with the residents of Auction Island and inspire them to unite against our enemy. Teach them what you have taught us. You have an ability to connect with others. We could use that here."
I smiled. This was unexpected but not unwelcome. "Very well, I accept. I will do my best, Stormheart."
She nodded. "Good. And there is no need for any formalities. If we're going to be working together, we should be on a first name basis."
"Alright... Nikora." Movement on the ground caught my eye, and I looked down to see Ruffrunner and Leopold playing together. "I do have one question. My connection with others includes dragons as well as Vikings. How much of that will you allow?"
Nikora appeared to consider the question. "Trained dragons belong to you or trusted allies are welcome here. Speak to me if you desire anything further."
"Okay, fair enough."
"I advise you to be careful for the sake of your dragons. This is not the most hospitable place for them. As for you, everyone here should know not to bother you, but just in case..." She held out a small item to me. "This should offer you some protection."
I examined the object. It was circular with Stormheart's insignia on it, and I pinned it to my coat. "Thank you."
"That is all for now. I suggest you take it easy until your wound heals. Harald will look after you, but do let me know if you need anything."
I beamed at Harald. "Are you finally going to show me around this place?"
Harald chuckled lightly. "What do you want to see?"
"Everything!"
"Very well." Harald nodded at Nikora and then started down the hill. "Come, Leopold, Ruffrunner." Leopold flew to his shoulder while Ruffrunner bounded after him. First, we visited the trading center. "I'm sure you are familiar with this place."
I looked around at the pirates and dragon traders at their stalls. "Yes, of course. Everyone seems to be getting along much better."
"Naturally. We do have some sense of law and order. Hey, where are you going?" His eyes were on Ruffrunner, who ran straight for the stall in the back.
"Come back!" I called as I ran after him. I skidded to a halt right before the stall. "You can't just run off like that." I looked up and was surprised to see the shifty storekeeper. "Oh, hello."
"It's you," the storekeeper said. "I didn't think I'd see you back here again. Or him." He looked past me at Harald, who came to stand beside me.
"You better get used to us," Harald said. "We're here to stay." He looked from the storekeeper to me. "You two know each other?"
"That's your fault," I said. "I came here to get a lead on you during your magic dragon bones scheme. This guy was very helpful, even though it turned out you purposefully led us right where you wanted us."
The storekeeper frowned. "What do you mean 'purposefully?'"
"Never mind that," Harald said quickly. "It's in the past."
The storekeeper shook his head. "In any case, she came here looking for you a lot. I never thought she'd catch up to you for good, but it seems I was wrong."
I smirked. "I knew what I was doing."
"Then why did it take you two years?" Harald teased.
I rolled my eyes. "I was just wearing you out."
"And who is this?" the storekeeper said. His eyes were on Ruffrunner, who had flown onto his table and began sniffing all the objects. "I've never seen a dragon like this before."
"Ruffrunner is one of a kind!" Harald said. "Well, three of a kind. He has two siblings."
"He's a Night Light," I explained, "the offspring of a Night Fury and Light Fury."
Ruffrunner looked up at the storekeeper and wagged his tail. The storekeeper smiled. "He is quite cute. You better make sure nothing happens to him."
"Oh, I'm sure we can manage."
"Let's continue on, Brennda," Harald said. "There is much to see."
I waved at the storekeeper. "Goodbye!" Thankfully, Ruffrunner flew after us with no prodding.
Next, Harald brought me to a part of the island I had never seen before: the village. We walked down a path with houses littered on either side. I noticed children playing and women watching them.
"I didn't know you had women and children here," I mused.
"Of course we do," said Harald. "We're not just an army. We're building a thriving community."
"I guess I couldn't imagine it because I never saw any signs of them."
"You saw only what we wanted you to see. We do not want outsiders to know about our most vulnerable. Berk is more than the dragon riders, is it not?"
"I guess that makes sense." And, really, I should have known better. I should have thought to ask.
We passed by a group of little kids about five or six years old. One of them spotted us, and the whole group ran to block our path, shouting Harald's name in excitement. I was perplexed, but Harald simply smiled at them.
"Harald, can we play with Leopold?" a little girl asked.
"If Leopold wants to play," Harald said. In response, Leopold chirped and flew to the ground. Ruffrunner glided down to greet him.
"Oh, who is this?" said a little boy, pointing at the Night Light.
"That's Ruffrunner," I replied.
"Can we play with him too?"
"Go right ahead." It certainly seemed like Ruffrunner wanted to play. The children cheered and ran off with the dragons. Once we were alone, I slipped my arm through Harald's and leaned against his shoulder. He was so cute with children, and it was obvious he has a relationship with these ones.
"What?" he said.
"Nothing."
We continued our tour of the village. I was surprised at how many people greeted Harald. The Vikings here were a lot friendlier than I imagined. Perhaps what I knew about Auction Island had not come simply from what Harald wanted me to see but what he saw himself. Clearly, he was blinded to the good all around him. I vowed to point it out to him whenever possible.
We collected Ruffrunner and Leopold on our way back. When we returned to the center of the village, we were in for a surprise. Viggo stood there with Sanna, Bolt, and Elska.
"Bolt!" I cried. I ran to the Skrill and hugged him while Harald did the same with Elska. I pulled back and grinned at Viggo. "How did you free them?"
"It did not take much convincing after Hiccup was reunited with Toothless," Viggo replied. "He felt guilty about keeping these dragons away from their trainers. He also removed his restrictions on me, though he said if I left and came here, I wouldn't be welcomed back."
"You can stay here with us," Harald said. "This is where the action is, anyway. We're developing a plan to defeat Toki."
Viggo nodded. "Excellent."
"By the way, how did you know we would be here?"
"Viggo is the one who told me to come here for help when you went after Toki," I said. "He knew Nikora would help. He probably had everything figured out from the beginning."
Viggo smirked. "That's right."
"Well, we should officially ask permission for you to stay here," Harald said.
"There is no need to look for me," Nikora said as she approached. She stopped a good distance from the dragons and eyed them carefully. Bolt gave her a suspicious look in return, and I rubbed his neck to reassure him.
Harald smiled. "Perfect. Viggo, I would like you to meet Nikora Stormheart."
Viggo smiled at her and gave her a small bow. "It is my honor to finally meet you. I have heard a lot about you."
"And I have heard a lot about you, Viggo Grimborn," Nikora said. "I understand we will work well together."
"If you will have me."
"Of course. Come with me, and we can discuss these matters in private."
Viggo nodded. "As you wish." He looked form Harald to me. "Watch Sanna, will you?" He walked off after Nikora without giving us a chance to respond.
"That went well," Harald said.
"Yes," I agreed. I glanced at each of the dragons in turn. "I don't suppose you have a place for dragons to stay around here."
***
Nikora authorized construction of dragon stables once it became light enough to work. For now, the dragons elected to sleep outside and keep watch over us. I stayed with Harald while Viggo took over an abandoned hut. Leopold and Ruffrunner followed Harald and I inside his small house.
"So, this is where you live," I said. I looked around but only noticed a chair and a few items scattered about. There was also a door that led to the bedroom. "You don't have a lot of stuff for a professional thief."
"I do have a couple of chests in my room," Harald said, heading in that direction, "but, no, I don't own much. Until I arrived here, I never had a permanent place to stay and store everything. Besides, objects have value if because of their usefulness or for trade. There is no point keeping a bunch of junk."
I shrugged. "Fair enough." Once inside the room, I immediately worked to remove my outer garments, wincing at the strain it put on my wound.
Harald quickly undressed and then approached me to check on my bandages. "Does it hurt? I can have Allvaldi get something for you."
I shook my head. "It hurts, but I'll be fine. I just want to rest." I moved in close to him and rested my hands on his chest.
"Alright." Harald softly stroked my cheek. "I'm sorry this happened to you. I'm sorry you had to leave New Berk because of me."
"It was because of Hiccup, not you. He left me with no choice. And it's not the first time I've had to leave home because a chief overstepped his boundaries."
"True, but are you sure you can be happy here?"
I smiled at him. "Staying here sounds like an adventure. Plus, it gives me a chance to learn more about you. And I'm happy as long as you're with me." I wrapped my arms around his neck and carefully leaned against him. "I was so worried about you. Cason said Toki wanted to kill you, but Hiccup thought I would put New Berk in danger by going after you. I didn't care. I just needed to save you."
Harald gently held my body to his. "I was worried about you. I thought you were going to die. I've never been so scared in my life. But I think that gave me the strength to do what needed to be done... not unlike you." He paused for a moment to breathe in deeply. The sound of his breath and heartbeat made me feel relaxed despite the pain. "I love you so much, Brennda. I can't imagine my life without you."
His words sent warmth through me, and I smiled against his chest. "I love you too, Harald. And we don't need to worry anymore. We'll get through this... together." Nothing and no one, not even Toki, could break us apart.