úlfheðnar, httyd

xxiii. No Task Is Too Hefty

𖣯 ✹ 🌷(úlfheðnar) ꏍ ！┈─❟
╰───►chapter twenty-two; yrsa
❝ no task is too hefty! ❞

    THE RIDE back to Berk was tense and quiet. Both Yrsa and Hiccup didn't know what to say or were too busy scowling at the horizon line, brooding over what Eret son of Eret had said to even think of saying anything. A dragon army? The words didn't settle well in Yrsa's stomach at all. It seemed ludicrous, but she wasn't naive, she knew it was true ... this Drago something━whoever he was━sounded far fiercer than any hunter, flyer, traitor or crazed lunatic they've faced. This was serious; very serious, and by the look on Hiccup's face as he led the way home back to Berk, she knew he thought similar, too.

    When they reached Berk, the whole village was still on a high from Dragon Racing. Yrsa could hear the cheers of the others flying in━mostly that of Tuffnut and Snotlout━as they swooped their way back down towards the forge.

    As soon as Hiccup touched ground with his Night Fury, there was a small cheer from the residents of Berk. A hero━one of the best Viking heroes, perhaps. Though, Hiccup sure got there the hard way. Yrsa set down beside him, slipping off her saddle and cupping Helrose's snout, checking whether she was okay. She purred, nuzzling against her cheek to say, I'm okay, and Yrsa let her go, off to the watering troughs.

    Behind her, she heard Stoick's laugh before she saw him. "Haha! There he is!" he gestured joyfully to his son who swung his leg off his saddle. Hiccup switched his metal prosthetic around and straightened some of his leather, brows furrowed. "The Pride of Berk!"

    He set off to the forge where Gobber tended to a blue Zippleback. Bronze visor down over his small eyes, he hammered in a fresh tooth for the dragon. Yrsa tried to follow, but was soon swarmed by mothers and wives who were eagerly chatting to her about the upcoming celebrations. Yrsa forced a smile on her face, giving them nods and chuckles before moving on. Ever since the wedding annoucement━no, ever since the betrothal announcement just over a year ago, Yrsa has been surrounded by the women of Berk, giving her tips and praises and love. Now that the date grew so close, just a week from now━oh, gods, was she nervous━Yrsa couldn't escape them!

    She wasn't nervous about marrying Hiccup, of course. That was the last thing she was nervous about. They've been through a lot together, spent time alone at the Edge where they've known each other's living patterns, where they sleep, how they wake up, how they get ready in the mornings. But what really hit Yrsa recently, something she hadn't stopped in a while to think about, was that what marrying Hiccup truly entailed. What role she was taking on. Hiccup was nervous for his father wanting to announce him chief, and of course, while Yrsa dared not show it, desperate to support him the best she could, she was also nervous about the role of chieftess. Hiccup had his father, Yrsa didn't have anyone. Valka was thought to be eaten by dragons twenty years ago, she didn't have someone to look up to, or learn from. She had her mother, who had known Valka, but no one to tell her what it truly was like being a chief's wife. Yrsa was scared she'd disappoint them.

    Yrsa slipped away from the crowd, finally making it through the hanging buckets and weights. She waved at Gobber as she passed, giving the Zippleback heads a scratch as Hiccup took wide strides to catch up with his father━

    "Uh, hey, Dad━" he rushed after the chief, ducking under the swinging lanterns, "━can I have a word?"

    Yrsa picked up some fallen dragon scales from the Zippleback, throwing them into the allocated bucket to the side. The forge had grown in five years. No longer it was the place for Hiccup to ponder and woe to himself in the back and Gobber to tell his Boneknapper stories to passing Vikings as he sharpened their weapons; now, it was a dragon tooth sanctuary as well as a saddle tailor, a blacksmith, and the general hang out for the Dragon Riders. Much bigger, much more space, and plenty of room for Viking and dragon━even Grump, Gobber's lazy and always sleeping Hotburple who snored in the centre of the forge, shaking the hangings and ash circulated on the floor.