Time for the first A Thing of Vikings update of the new thread! (You may applaud by wingling your finger-bones.)
We begin in Gothi's hut on Berk, where Ruffnut consults with the Hooligan priestess on how to rededicate herself to Loki. In the Great Hall of Injustice Evil Clan Murchadh, Toiréasa accepts that certain doors are closed to her, but finds an open window. Back on Berk, in the Chief's hut, Astrid and Wulfhild tell Hiccup he's taking on too much responsibility for Dragon Training, getting through to him just in time to avoid having her attention split. On approach to Berk, two years after his approach brought us into the story, Trader Johann considers everything that's happened since he heard that news... and what may come of the news that greets him this time. Hiccup brings Ruff to the Chief's hut to witness the fulfillment of our epigraph. In the training arena, Cami watches Thug bonding with a sassy Nadder and wonders -- first to herself, then to Jonna -- why thinking about the changes to her family makes her feel a little off. In Constantinople's oldest church, Sigurd participates in a ritual he doesn't fully understand, which he takes as a reminder of how much he needs to understand. In the village of Shonjy, east of Almaty, Drago takes the waters with the Kagan and tells him where they can find more dragons. And we close in Constantinople, in Sophie's room, where she and Inga discuss religion, sexuality, and maybe even a little politics...
https://archiveofourown.org/works/104089...s/59057683 (still members-only)
Quote:Empress Valka Zephyr Haddock II (November 3, AD 1042-December 30, AD 1131): First titled Empress elected to the Imperial Council of the unified North Sea Empire. Firstborn child of Hiccup and Astrid Haddock. Much like the rest of her extended family, the actual details of her life, while well-documented, have been embellished over the centuries to the point of near-absurdity. This is not helped by the fact that her actual accomplishments, much like those of her parents, offer a starting point already suitable for high drama and adventure. For one extremely well-known example, while she was indeed the undisputed leader of her cohort of children, including her future husband Emperor Olaf III, and while it is also true that the Haddock siblings, their cousins and their friends were the first Norse to see the famous Niagagarega Waterfalls of the Vestrilands, the famous and nigh-ubiquitous story of the dragon race down the length of the Ongtupqa Canyon is completely false…
We begin in Gothi's hut on Berk, where Ruffnut consults with the Hooligan priestess on how to rededicate herself to Loki. In the Great Hall of Injustice Evil Clan Murchadh, Toiréasa accepts that certain doors are closed to her, but finds an open window. Back on Berk, in the Chief's hut, Astrid and Wulfhild tell Hiccup he's taking on too much responsibility for Dragon Training, getting through to him just in time to avoid having her attention split. On approach to Berk, two years after his approach brought us into the story, Trader Johann considers everything that's happened since he heard that news... and what may come of the news that greets him this time. Hiccup brings Ruff to the Chief's hut to witness the fulfillment of our epigraph. In the training arena, Cami watches Thug bonding with a sassy Nadder and wonders -- first to herself, then to Jonna -- why thinking about the changes to her family makes her feel a little off. In Constantinople's oldest church, Sigurd participates in a ritual he doesn't fully understand, which he takes as a reminder of how much he needs to understand. In the village of Shonjy, east of Almaty, Drago takes the waters with the Kagan and tells him where they can find more dragons. And we close in Constantinople, in Sophie's room, where she and Inga discuss religion, sexuality, and maybe even a little politics...
https://archiveofourown.org/works/104089...s/59057683 (still members-only)