She Do A Little Twirl At You (and Then You Die)

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An Eternal Hope: Summary

The world had ended once in Ragnarok, and was reborn into a beautiful paradise. But peace did not last long, and Vandr, Lord of All Evil, rose with his army of undead and set out to annihilate the lands. Were it not for the nine renowned heroes, the Drakahalr, Naernin would have fallen to darkness and chaos. The heroes lost their lives, and Vandr was prophesied to one day return…

But none of that is Valdyrbjalla’s problem.

At 16, she’s finally reached adulthood alongside her brother and sister, Jarl and Alfhildr, and the triplets long for glory; except, they only recently escaped from a hard life of thralldom and are now pirates, living in the dingy Black Markets of the searing deserts. Their entire life consists of only their small ship, cramped living quarters, and monotonous jobs. But Jarl wants to become an einherjar, and defend his country from orcish invaders. Alfhildr wishes to be a traveling bard, sharing her beautiful tunes in the halls of nobles. And Bjalla, however foolish it may sound, longs to become a dragonrider more than anything in the world.

And finally, their chance has come. The ancient light elf Keifdel Drakonsson and his dragon Vedthrelta, the leaders of the most elite force of warriors in the Æsír’s arsenal, the Drekivorðr, have just announced that they’re hosting a gladiatorial competition, the very first which allows the inclusion of criminals like herself– and the reward is fully-paid acceptance into the prestigious Hyveldirin Academy, plus a full pardon and a grand sum of coin. Elated but terrified to leave the relative safety of the Black Markets, she follows her siblings on an epic quest for freedom– which is where her problems start.

She’s constantly fearful of being taken by einherjerii, plagued with nightmares and reminders of the duke who was her owner. She’s small. She’s clumsy. She’s weak. She can barely lift her sword, let alone swing it. Walking for too long leaves her winded and dazed. And yet, she promised her mother that they wouldn’t compete unless they did it together. Now she’s going to be the end of her familys’ freedom if she doesn’t shape up.

But that’s not all. Her new teammates– Asbjorn and Mufnir (siblings), Reiyr and Ylette (twin elves), Zazyr (Keifdel’s own niece), and especially the rogue daemish dragonrider Hráfnfär make her nervous. Will they betray them? Will they leave them for dead in the arena fights? And gods, does the daemond have to be so interesting? Overcoming her trust issues is her second biggest problem.

The first is that there is required six month training before they can even start the arenas– and despite being stubborn enough to keep going until she drops, a little voice in her head (that sounds suspiciously like the duke’s) keeps insisting that no matter what she does, she will never be strong enough.

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 [Book One] Drakablöð Sögúr: An Eternal Hope

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Hello everyone!

I'm Elaina Pendragon (my penname), and I write fantasy young adult novels! Book one is available on Amazon in all formats, and you can learn more on my TikTok!

Below is a sneak peek (click on the images for better quality), but soon I'll be releasing a couple of chapters as well, probably chapters 1-5, including the prologue. This story is a coming of age story, one about breaking free of the past. It's for fans of fantasy, dragonriders, character growth, semi-slow burn friends-to-lovers, angst, love triangles, "I will always protect you" vs "Touch her, and I will kill you," a dark and dangerous lover vs a gallant and mysterious lover, action, viking lore, foreshadowing, and a commoner-to-hero romance.

Book one is available on Amazon in all formats and may be released on the Tiktok shop as well (link below).

I really want to add gifs to each part of my stories when they're up but??? Who am I supposed to use exactly???

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An Atlas of the Worlds of Valhöll

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An Eternal Hope: Hard Decisions

Summary: Recently freed from thralldom, Valdyrbjalla and her family long for freedom; and now, after two years of hard labor, they may finally have their opportunity in a competition hosted by none other than the legendary elf general Keifdel Drakonsson and his dragon Vedthrelta-- the only issue is getting their mother's blessing...

Rating: 18+

Trigger warnings: Mentions of death, battle, wounds, slavery, dealing with past trauma, fear of torture/capture, let me know if I missed anything!

All rights reserved. This work has been copyrighted. No part of this book may be copied or used in any form. [Don't mind my crappy attempt at quoting my copyright page. I don't think I'm allowed to actually use it here. I don't mind reblogs or anything like that, but please don't repost without my permission and especially without credits to me. Thank you! <3 ]

Refer to the pronunciation guide or send me a message if you have any questions!

As soon as the working part of the day was over, Grandpapa and I headed straight for the shop where Ma and Nana worked, after bidding Byardölf and Myennr goodnight. I was practically skipping; somewhere between a mace and a sword, I had made up my mind, regardless of the risks. I want this. Hel, I’d probably try to go even if Alf and Jarl didn’t want to, which I thought was safe to say that it was highly unlikely they wouldn’t want to. 

  The two older women walked out of the dirty, sandy doors right before we reached them. I meant to have self-control, but I just couldn’t help myself, my legs carrying me over to her before I realized what was happening. “About that competition…” 

  “Wow,” Came a voice, unsurprised and annoyed. I turned to see Alf leaning against the slimy corner of the building in waiting, she and her old clothes covered from head to toe in stable dust. Her work clothes once had been a simple shirt and trousers, but after two years had become a maze of sewn patches and fraying threads. I noticed a new tear in her haphazard boots, and briefly wondered how we’d fix that this time. She tossed a few strands of thick golden hair out of her face as she rebraided it. “You wasted no time with that, did you?” 

   Without question, Alf was in charge of us triplets, even though she was the youngest of us by a few minutes. Her shimmering golden hair fell down to her waist, and her eyes often changed from sapphire blue to a stormy gray. Whereas I was thin and frail, she was athletic and tough, her porcelain skin free of any mars or scars. Maybe she was considered the leader because of her temper, which was tough for anyone to handle when it was fired up– especially if she were challenged. 

   Pointedly, I locked eyes with her and held a very serious, firm expression. “No. No I could not.” 

   Nana slowly shook her head with amusement as she passed me to get to Grandpapa. She was the one who always remained calm, no matter the situation. I don’t think I’d ever seen her angry, even once. The End Times could come again and she’d still be sweet and perfect and calm. Her and Grandpapa were extremely close; as soon as she reached my grandfather, he warmly wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her ruby-haired head; these times were harder on them than the rest of us, I knew. They’d been in retirement when we were taken as thralls. They hadn’t had many days together since. 

   Ma raised her hands as if to brace herself for whatever pleading and begging she thought would inevitably come to pass. “I’ll think about it… I’ll give the three of you my answer in the morning.” Her sea-green eyes were full of concern, voice filled with a melancholy undertone, half-smile clearly forced– for a mother, it would be an easy choice to make. No. But we’d just turned sixteen in the middle of last winter, now considered full-fledged young adults. We could technically make our own decisions… and that was where her worry came in. She knew that we would listen to her word, but she also knew that if we really wanted to, we could leave anyway. She also didn’t want us to follow her wishes and decline to go, because then we would be miserable.  

   Ma had given her answer for the moment, though, so I slumped over and heaved an overly-dramatic sigh. “Fine…”

   The six of us trekked back to the Skídbladnír through the eerily quiet streets of Izana; as soon as night fell, the locals always hid themselves away, leaving the city silent and empty, save for the occasional tavern here and there. Crooked dark alleyways yawned widely on either side of us, where odd sounds echoed from seemingly vacant corridors– only the homeless and rodents, but it still put us on edge. We treaded carefully through the more moonslit streets, warily looking out for anything suspicious that could end with a sword in somebody’s gut. 

   When we reached our ship (a much smaller version of a longship, built to be worked by only a few people), Jarnir was snoring loudly near the aft, while Jarl was trying to practice swordfighting on invisible enemies. His thrusts and swings were powerful, but the sword kept slipping or flying out of his grasp, coming dangerously close to flying off the edge of the ship, or impaling poor Jarnir in his sleep.  

    As soon as he saw us coming, Jarl sheathed the sword and vaulted over the edge of the ship. The rickety dock shook dangerously under the impact of his weight, rocking back and forth violently on its thin stilts in silt and mud as he bolted up to us with a huge dumb smile on his face. He was barely able to come to a halt in front of us without careening over the edge and into the dirty water lapping at the shore. “So–” 

    Alf interrupted him with a rough smack to his chest. “Seriously? You too, Jarl? Give her a minute, would you?”  

   Childishly, Jarl stuck his tongue out at her. Ma patted his arm in reassurance as she walked by him toward the ship. “I’ll give the three of you my answer in the morning.” Grandpapa and Nana watched on with worry and followed Ma around us. Maybe they’d help explain all the reasons we should go, or maybe they’d add to the accompanying reasons of why we most definitely should not. Or maybe both. 

   Jarl, on the other hand, reacted to Ma’s words by throwing his head back and crying out, “Oh, come on!” He went ignored, however; but not by Alf and I, who snickered at him. 

  “What if Ma does say yes?” Alf asked quietly after a moment. Her gold eyebrows were knit together with concern. It wasn’t like her to be so quiet; us triplets hung back as the older family members kept on a steady course for dinner. “Will we even be able to do it? We’re not the healthiest bunch.” 

   Jarl crossed his huge arms over his chest and considered her words for a moment. “I read the details of that flier a hundred times over. I guess Drakonsson’s got some kinda training program for people like us.” The implications, we all knew and understood. Ten years of constant stress, starvation, and less than favorable living conditions takes a serious toll on the body. We were out of shape, unable to handle much labor, exertion, or lifting something heavy, or even the simple act of going up stairs was difficult without getting winded. I doubted I’d be able to lift a sword, let alone actually swing it.  

   “Yeah, I read that,” Alf nodded in agreement, and I wondered why I didn’t read the details, “But even if we make it through that, what about… what if we lose? There’s no way to ask questions from here; we can’t know for sure even if there was that they won’t just haul off the rogues and pirates back to their slaveholders.” 

  “No,” Jarl answered, shrugging a bit, “But we should take the risk. Seeing the world, learning to fight, having adventures…” A smile slowly grew on his face as he looked out over the ocean wistfully. “Not many people get to do that. I heard the average human hardly sees anything spectacular but the Worldtrees outside of his hometown. Have any of us ever seen a gryphyn? No. What else would we see on a journey like this? Hel, we’ll get a chance to learn from Keifdel Drakonsson himself. We should do it.” His confidence– and his positive outlook on literally everything– was admirable, but annoying. 

    I shook my head, but it was Alf who responded. “I just don’t know if an adventure like that is worth risking getting imprisoned for the rest of our lives… or worse.” If we went back to the duke, we would surely be tortured… 

   Jarl only scoffed, trying to play off the threat. “Let’s follow Ma’s example: let’s think about it tomorrow.” Following him, we went back to the ship.  

I was dreaming of a beautiful white embrace of light.  

  A gentle voice was lulling me to an even deeper sleep with a song that I couldn’t understand. There was a fresh spring breeze in the air, and I could see the silhouette of a man hovering over me, though I couldn’t see his face.  

   However gently, I was pulled out of the dream by someone shaking my shoulder; I found myself in reality far too soon, and stared at Ma with glazed-over eyes. She hovered over me for a moment, concerned. “You alright?” 

   “Ma,” I croaked, trying to relieve her worry, “I had that dream again.” I’d had this dream for as long as I could remember, and quite often. Ma speculated that it’s a memory of our father. 

  A shadow crossed over her face, one I knew well. She always got that look when we mentioned him. It was grief, we all knew it, but I doubt I’d ever seen her cry longer than a few minutes about it. “Get up; breakfast is ready.” 

   Ma headed for the cooking pot at the fore of the ship without another word, and that was the end of talking about my dream. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, trying to pull myself fully from the warm embrace of sleep. After I noticed, I realized that Grandpapa, Nana, and Jarnir were nowhere in sight. Jarl leaned up against the spine of the figurehead, wolfing down his food like he thought it was going to run away. Beside him, Alf ate more slowly, reading one of the few books we owned; it merely told the ancient stories of the Old Gods. It had been a Yulemas gift– the only one we’d ever gotten– from Byardölf and Myennr last year. It had kept Alf and I from being bored so many times in the last two years; Jarl didn’t really care for it, preferring to spend his time practicing swordsmanship and exercising. 

   I got up at a snail’s pace and rolled up my bedroll before ambling over to join them with my eyes half-open. I tried– really, I did– to keep from asking any questions, but I couldn’t help myself. “So…” I tried desperately to sound casual, clearing my throat softly. “...About the competition…” 

   Ma sighed heavily and handed me my plate before I could grab it. “I’ll be thinking about it over the next three days.” My heart sank. “Whether I say yes or not, we have to go back home and pay the rent. I’ll decide then.” 

   Jarl shrugged, somehow entirely confident she’d say yes. Alf looked a little relieved, actually; I wasn’t sure how I felt– three days to think about it more thoroughly might knock some sense into my head, but I’d already decided.  

    I wanted to see the Worldtree up close and personal. I wanted to get in a rickety basket held by a gryphyn. I wanted to go to Vanaheimr, our birthplace, and see if I remembered how green and calm it was correctly. I wanted to fight a bunch of monsters in the name of glory and freedom. I wanted to meet Keifdel Drakonsson, the light elven general of the Drekivörðr and his huge gray dragon, Vedthrelta– they were my heroes. I can’t remember how many times I’d stayed up reading by a singular candle stories of their bravery, amazed that they were real and true legends come to life; and I’m living in the same age as they are! 

    I imagined myself meeting them– a tall elven warrior clad in red leather armor, and his massive companion who would shake the skies with a roar like thunder. My mind wandered, to far off places meeting far off people… Until Alf quite literally kicked me into the real world, jerking her head toward my plate of uneaten food pointedly. 

  Grandpapa, Nana, and Jarnir all returned just as we were finishing our breakfasts, carrying the coin we’d earned over the last two weeks. “We’ve got enough,” Grandpapa said, relieved, “A little more than enough, actually. Byardölf gave us a bonus.” He swung the bag off over his shoulder, heaving as it landed by his feet with a dull thud. 

   There was a collective turn as everyone stared at him in astonishment. It was Ma who spoke, tentatively asking, “How much of a bonus…?” 

   Grandpapa took from his belt a leather purse that I’d never seen before. “Two hundred coin, that’s how much.” Our excitement must have been clearly written in our expressions, because he added as he inclined his head toward us, “Looks like he wants these kids to go win a name for themselves just as much as they do. Says if we decide to go, to stop by the smithy. He’ll have a sandwalker and carriage waiting for us.” 

  Us triplets beamed at each other, but Ma was still undecided, worry clouding her features. I felt bad for her; if it were my children, I would respond with a firm no and leave them on Hneflagi until they came to their senses. Stiffly and silently, she took the coin and put it in the chest we kept under some boards near the aft, and she refused to say another word about it for the rest of the day. 

   It was a three day journey from the docks of Izana to Hneflagi Island, if it was a good day. Thanks to the good weather, we made it there a little earlier than we usually did. We were met by Geirrod, who also lived here; he worked the docks half the time in return for his rent being halved. He was a burly man in iron and leather armor. His beard was long and tattered, matted with dirt– but it wasn’t nearly so bad as his hair, which had become an uncombable dreadlock, or his mangled teeth, which often fell out. Despite appearances, he was friendly, and we had never had any trouble with him. “Aye!” He called, setting down the netting he was repairing as he saw us approach. Jarl and Grandpapa hopped onto the docks to pull the Skídbladnír along, and Geirrod came forward to assist. “Welcome back!” 

  “It’s good to be back,” Grandpapa replied as Geirrod helped us tie the Skídbladnír down. I felt both relief and tension at being back home.  

    Hneflagi Island was one of the smallest, and poorest, communities of the Archipelago. Each island had a landlord, and each landlord had his rules– ours was one of the worst. He bathed in the collective coin his tennants gave him once a month, setting up strict rules: no hunting, no one’s late on their payments, no one uses this or that or goes here or there… And if anyone were to break any of these rules, it’s off to the einherjerii. A bunch of hired mercenaries will show up and drag a person off, and they’d never be seen again.  

    Luckily, judging by Geirrod’s cheerful attitude, he wasn’t around today. With the men taking the heaviest loads of our fresh supplies of food and water, we carried the sacks off the ship and headed inland. A short path, lined with the spare few fish that can be caught in these extremely salty waters hanging out to dry, took us right into the heart of our miniature village, surrounded on all sides by sparse, unhealthy trees. Shaped like a rectangle with one of the ends missing, the halls were set in a clearing and on a hill, overlooking the path. One of them, the end hall, was used for cooking, eating, and celebrating on holidays, while the two longer arms of the building held several small rooms separated by even smaller hallways, thin walls, and creaky doors. 

   There weren’t many people out today; on this island, most families worked as a whole in one Black Market or another, often leaving for months at a time before being seen again. The only people out today were Magnar and Froddur, an elderly couple who lived with their adult children; Himme, the wife of Nolmar and the mother of the two tiny children who played in the courtyard, home alone while her husband worked in the Niflian Black Market; and Agnes, a young woman who was in her final stages of pregnancy. 

  We nodded with quiet greetings on our way to our room, entering the little hallway single-file. Our room, like all the others, was just a ten-by-ten block. On one side of the room were seven little cubbies lined up against the wall to hold what little personal belongings we had, adjacent to seven makeshift beds made up of pelts stacked on the floor. Two haphazard frames of sticks held up thin sheets that squared off a section of the room for private changing and bathing. Closest to the doors was our icebox, concealed under the floorboards and accessible via an old iron handle.  

   It was a tight fit for seven people, but it beats a dank, moldy cell at the bottom of a palace. 

   Ma and Grandpapa dutifully counted out the eight hundred and fifty coin from what we’d earned this month, while Jarnir unloaded the meats, cheeses, and milk into our icebox; the water and bread went into a different cupboard, set alongside it. Nana left to check on Agnes, and like dogs waiting for strips of bacon, us triplets sat across from Ma and Grandpapa and waited to see what was leftover. My stomach was writhing with a combination of anxiety and excitement.  I couldn’t read Grandpapa’s expression as he sat back, once the pile was carefully separated from what was left– about three hundred coin today in total, the most we’d ever made thanks to Byardölf’s bonus. 

   “Alright…” Ma pushed the pile of savings toward us. “Put that in the chest.” When we didn’t move and just stared at her in waiting, she added with a barely-concealed roll of her eyes, “We’ll talk later.” They hurriedly put the coin for the rent in a sack and left the room, headed to the designated lean-to where rent was marked and laid out for the landlord’s inevitable return. The size of the piles of coin-sacks in there was absurdly ridiculous.  

   Jarl locked the door behind them, and we pried up the floorboards. Everybody hid their savings this way; if the landlord got word of us having more than we needed, he’d take it for himself forcibly. He’d done it to poor Himme and Nolmar just a couple of months ago, and after finding theirs hidden in a mattress made of sheepskin and goosefeathers, ransacked everyone else’s quarters; luckily, he was too stupid to check beneath the floorboards. Everyone had donated to them a bit in secret to help with what we could, but nobody could do much for them. We stuffed the coin inside the old chest and replaced the floorboards, padded on the underside so that it didn’t sound so different from the rest of the floor when inspection time came around– just in case. 

   When it was all said and done, I went to my own personal cupboard, taking the key from its place around my neck to unlock it. Inside wasn’t a lot: a couple of dragon figurines I’d made shifted out of driftwood and one old book about Keifdel Drakonsson and Vedthrelta on their numerous heroic exploits. Out of habit, I immediately grabbed it. “I’ll be at my spot if anyone needs me.” 

   “Guess what?” Jarl scoffed with laughter, “Absolutely no one cares.” 

     Alf gave me a shove out the door. “Get out, idiot.” 

   With a snort, I went down the hall and outside. My spot was really just a place a little away from the halls, hidden behind some underbrush and perched on the huge arching root of an oak where I could hear only the cry of the seabirds and the crash of the ocean against the shore down below a couple of sandy ridges. It wasn’t exactly private, or mine, but no one really invaded anyone’s space on this island, so I felt comfortable reading there, knowing I wouldn’t be bothered. 

   The root was a little higher than my hips, so it took me a bit of effort to climb on top of it, but once I did, I sat down with my back against it, treating it like a hammock. I flipped the book over carefully in my hands for a moment, just admiring it; it was old, and battered. It had been Myennr’s once, but she had given it to me when she realized how much I loved dragons and how fascinated I was with the elves; and I couldn’t be more grateful. 

   Before it, I’d only known about Drakonsson and Vedthrelta through Ma’s stories, which she had heard from Grandpapa. With this book– meant for children, between the ages of ten and twelve, unfortunately– I’d gotten my first glimpse of what they really looked like, and more tales of adventures than I could ever dream of. The pictures showcased lovingly-painted landscapes of his homeland, Alfheimr, the Sky Isle which looms so high overhead; they depicted scenes where Drakonsson fought his way out of a goblin stronghold, where he and Vedthrelta battled basilisks in some far-off lands, or when both dragon and rider opted for diplomacy rather than violence when orc troops had been trying to invade Valhöll. 

   The images showed me full-color portraits of Drakonsson and Vedthrelta: the former, a noble light elf with striking orange eyes, features like a hawk, and long dark hair, unusual for a light elf; the latter, a sixty-foot tall, one-hundred-foot long reptile with a crown of bony frill decorated with horns framing a great head like that of a rhinoceros, which sat upon a long, thick neck. Both were scarred from a long life of battles and skirmishes, and over six hundred years old. Drakonsson utilized astounding magic spells that glowed like yellow lightning and used a long, elvish blade of pure silver, while Vedthrelta’s roar was said to be able to bring whole armies to their knees. 

   “Valdyrbjalla,” Ma’s voice broke into my admiration of my heroes, and I almost fell off the root when I jumped. I made a surprisingly quick save and turned to face her as she approached, clearly worried. 

  “Hi!” I chirped cheerfully, hoping to curb her concerns with some eagerness on my part, “Come to any final decision about the competition yet?” 

   She came closer without answering me. After just staring over the ocean like she was debating on what to say, her eyes landed on the book about Drakonsson. Slowly, she took it from my hands, carefully flipping through it so as not to crack the old pages. She lingered on a picture where Drakonsson stood consulting with an orc chieftain, wearing his full red leather armor and peacefully attempting to negotiate while the threat of Vedthrelta loomed overhead, less than pleased. It was one of my favorites. “...You do realize what they’re asking you to do, right?” 

   “Huh?”     Her sharp sea eyes met mine. “The competition. You realize you’re going to have to go into those arenas, to fight and kill, right? Injure, maim, and end the lives of living creatures caught from the wild, sometimes innocent, solely for this purpose?” 

  I thought about that for a second. Ma– and everyone else, actually– knew how unfortunately gentle I am. I feel bad for even smashing the occasional bug that snuck into our room. I knew these monsters were probably mostly caught after causing damage and harm, but some were probably just examples of how monstrous the species could be.  

   But, I also knew how Drakonsson and Vedthrelta were, if anything from the books was correct. They detested needless violence and sought to make peaceful arrangements even in the worst of situations. I’m sure he wouldn’t throw a bunch of kids into an arena to kill an innocent creature. I also knew that, if I were fighting for my freedom, and my family’s freedom… I knew I could do what needed to be done. A chance to live instead of survive. A chance to be free. A chance to become someone great. A chance to become a dragonrider. A chance to have even just my own room, all to myself. We’ve had enough of this life. We deserve better. Or at least, we deserve what was taken from us.  

     So with steel resolve, I looked up to meet her eyes again. “...Yeah, Ma. I understand.”  

     She frowned. “And you think you’ll be able to do it?” 

    My vote toward our uncertain fate would be counted right here, right now. This could mean everything. A heavy weight seemed to sit on my shoulders as I nodded firmly, as if to convince myself that my actions were just. “Yes. I do.” 

   She held my gaze for a moment, probably searching for some scrap of doubt or worry that she could latch onto and expose in the hopes of keeping us from this reckless danger. I gave her nothing, keeping my will steady. “You’ve thought this through carefully? You’re sure you want to do this?” 

   After a deep breath, I released it with a breezy, “Yeah.” I hurriedly added, “This is what I want. I know we’re fine as we are, but it’s a chance to see the world, and be completely free, even if just for a little while. We’ll win honor, that way even if we spend the rest of our lives here, we might go to Valhalla when we die. We’ll see and do so many things we wouldn’t otherwise be able to… This is a chance we’ll never have again.” 

   Tears pricked at her eyes as she looked back down at the book’s pages. “...You know what will happen if you lose, right? They could send you straight back to the duke’s. You think you’ll escape a second time?” 

   My spine stiffened. She was right; there was a very good possibility of that, and there was no doubt that we would be locked away. I still had nightmares about being captured again. But… “I don’t think Drakonsson would let that happen. He doesn’t agree with slaves; I’m sure he’d send us all back here rather than to our former captors.” I hope…  

   Ma smiled softly, eyes clouded as she regarded me with a frown that clearly stated she was thinking of how young and naive I still am. “You put an awful lot of faith in words on a page, Valdyrbjalla.” She waved the book around for emphasis. “Even if it is a supposed hero.” 

 “I didn’t say he was a hero,” I countered, grinning, “You did. You raised me to believe in Drakonsson and Vedthrelta more than anything else.” 

   Her frown deepened, and as she squeezed her eyes shut I realized that she was fighting back sobs. “So I did…” 

    I abandoned the comfort of the root and came to give her a tight embrace. “Whatever happens, it’s meant to happen. I feel like we should do this; like we can do this. I know we probably won’t win, but we’ll make names for ourselves in any case. This is something I know we can do; and… If we are captured, and the worst does happen… I’m sure we could escape, and find our way back here. By that point, we’ll have been trained by Drakonsson himself. We’ll be fine.” 

   Actually, I wasn’t so sure about that myself, but I had to assure her otherwise. I want to go to this competition. I wasn’t thinking about the prize– or, maybe I was, a little. On the off chance that we did win, we’d get to go to the most prestigious, well-known academy in all the Eight Worlds of Valhöll. We’d be trained and educated on whatever subject we wanted– I’d get my dragon. The mysterious outline of a dragon had been in my daydreams for as long as I could remember, an unattainable fantasy. 

   But most importantly, we’d be free. Free to go and do whatever we wanted to without living in constant fear of being recaptured or sent to prison. I think, once we actually got in the arenas, we’d be so determined to win our freedom that even without Drakonsson’s training, we’d fight pretty damn hard for it.  

   She pulled back, wiping tears from her cheeks with the palms of her hands. “You don’t know that…” 

  “No, I don’t,” My admittance was met by an already-grieving sea-green gaze sharply locking on mine. I swung back on my heels, trying to act as nonchalant as possible for her sake. “...But I’m willing to try.” 

    Ma started crying harder, and I hugged her again, unsure of what else to do. Her grip was tight enough to leave me breathless– I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I couldn’t breathe. “You have to listen to me; do you understand? You stay with your brother and sister. And if you’re not going to be kept together, you don’t go anyway. Do you understand?”  

    Relief flooded through me, but also guilt; how could we leave her like this? How could we willingly hurl ourselves into danger when we knew it would worry her nearly to death? Because… If we win… We’ll free us all. “Yeah, Ma; I understand.” 

    She stepped back, trying to regain control over herself. She took a deep, difficult breath. “I think… I think you’re right. I… A part of me trusts Drakonsson to get you back here safely– if the stories are true about him. Another part is terrified of what might happen anyway, out of his control.” Her eyes seemed to pierce through me. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. If you don’t go, you’ll never get this chance again, and I can’t let that happen. You have to go; I’ve already talked to Alfhildr and Jarl, and they both said the same thing. That you’re confident, and that you all want this. You’re all sixteen now… You have the right to make this decision yourself. But…” She stuck her tongue into the back corner of her mouth, shifting her jaw as she struggled to keep from bawling. “I’ve already made them promise– now you have to, too. Promise me, Valdyrbjalla, the first wind you get of anyone being sent back to their captors or to the dungeons, you three take. Off. I don’t care where you are or how deep into the competition you’ve gotten, I want you out of there at the first sign of it. Do you understand?” 

  It was the least any of us could do with where we were going. That terrifying uncertainty that persisted in looming over everything obsessively suddenly seemed a lot more real and dangerous than ever before. “I promise, Ma.” 

   Regret and relief clashed almost painfully in her eyes, and she turned away before I could see more. “Then… if you keep those two promises… if you really want to go, you can.” The words were difficult for her to stomach. She sounded almost ill.  

   For a minute, we just stood there, staring out over the endless blue-green seas that seemed to merge with the sky at the horizon. With a mind of their own, they tickled the white sands of the shore before retreating in on themselves with a laugh lost to time. The shore remained blind to its efforts, though little by little, was stripped away of itself and taken somewhere far off. Seabirds cawed lazily overhead, blind to our conflicts, carried on the same wind that stirred the branches into their own kind of music. As a kind of security, I held onto Ma’s arm with one hand and my book with the other, holding it to my chest. What will we do without her? Without this comfort or security? That unknowable lingering overhead? What will we do? 

    “...Thank you, Ma.”  

   I was simply glad we were going with her blessing, rather than against her wishes. Stiffly, she nodded and turned away, back to the halls. “We’ll set off for Izana tomorrow; you should sign the contract on the way to the Worldtree, it will give you more time.” 

    I tugged on her arm, making her look at me. Despite the tears pricking the corners of her eyes, I still said what I needed to, although I was sure it would only make her cry more. “...You know we’ll always come back to you, right? No matter what happens?” 

   She all but burst into tears. “Oh, Valdyrbjalla…” Her arms locked around me in a bone-breaking mother’s hold, and after a moment of sobbing into my shoulder, she composed herself and stepped back, wiping her face. “Let’s hurry back. Dinner’s nearly ready.” 

     I linked arms with her, and we went back up the hill together.

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Pronunciation Guide:

Drakabloð Sögur: DRAK-ah-BLODTH SOH-gur

Valhöll: VAL-holl

Alfheimr: ALV-hey-MUR

Ljósalfar: LYOS-al-VAR

Dökkalfar: DOCK-al-VAR

Svartalfheimr: SVART-alv-hey-MUR

Svartalfar: SVART-al-VAR

Íssalfar: EES-al-VAR

Jötúnheimr: YOET-oon-hey-MUR

Hýrralfar: HYEER-al-VAR

Múspellheimr: MOOS-pell-hey-MUR

Skögralfar: SKO-gur-al-VAR

Grœnnfell: GROEN-vell

Vanír: VAN-eer

Vanaheimr: VAN-a-hey-MUR

Þokalfar: THOK-al-VAR

Nídavellír: NEE-da-VELL-eer

Nærnin: NAYR-nin

Seiðberendr: SAYDTH-ba-REN-dur

Seiðragaldr: SAYDTH-ra-GAL-dur

Fafnir: FOV-neer

Vaeryn Téhlladen: VAY-rin TAY-la-DEN

Zephysus: ZEH-fi-SUS

Höddgardr: HOD-gar-DUR

Kuningaz Xekaara: KOO-ning-GAHZ za-KAR-ah

Raameshaz: rah-MEH-shaz

Hemaara: HEY-mar-AH

Zou’maal: zoo-MAHL

Ne’daag: NAY-dahg

Tal’mar: tal-MAR

Friðrs: fridth-THURS

Iilr: EEL-urs

Bilfjord Beast: bil-FYORD beest

Skjelkii: SKYEL-key

Fjorlagforað: fyor-LAG-vor-ADTHS

Nornadäg: NORN-uh-DAHG

Súnadäg: SOON-uh-DAHG

Múnadäg: MOON-uh-DAHG

Týrsadäg: TEERS-uh-DAHG

Wodensdäg: WO-dens-DAHG

Thorsadäg: THORS-uh-DAHG

Friggsadäg: FREEGS-uh-DAHG

Niflheimr: NIFL-hey-MUR

Hvergelmír: HVER-gel-MEER

Elivagar: EL-iv-AH-gar

Svöll: SVOL

Gúnnthra: GOON-thra

Fjörm: FYORM

Fimbulthúl: fim-BUL-thool

Slíd: SLEED

Hríd: HREED

Sylg: SILG

Ylg: ILG

Vid: VEED

Leipt: LAYPT

Gjöll: GYOLL

Ginnúngagap: GI-noon-GA-gahp

Ymir: EE-meer

Aurgelmír: ARE-gel-MEER

Audhumla: ODD-hum-LAH

Buri: BUR-ee

Börr: BOR

Bergelmir: BER-gel-MEER

Ask: OSK

Embla: em-BLAH

Sol: SOL

Mani: MAHN-ee

Bil: BEEL

Hjuki: HYOO-kee

Hati: HAH-tee

Sköll: SKOLL

Yggdrasíl: IGG-dra-SEEL

Hraesvelg: HRAYS-velg

Nídhöggr: NEED-hog-UR

Ratatösk: RAT-at-OSK

Modsognir: MOD-sog-NIR

Durin: DUR-in

Æsír: AY-seer

Frey: FRAY

Valfreyja: VAL-frey-YAH

Heimdallr: HEYM-dall-UR

Bïfröst: BIE-frost

Baldr: BAL-dur

Nänna: NAHN-nah

Ragnarök: RAG-nah-ROHK

Fimbulvetr: FIM-bul-VEYTR

Fenrisúlfr: FEN-ris-OOL-fur

Jörmúngandr: YORE-moon-GAHN-dar

Naglfar: NAHGL-var

Vígrid: VEE-grid

Gjállarhorn: GYAE-lar-HORN

Einherjar/Einherjerii: AIN-her-YAR/AIN-her-YAER-ee

Valhalla: VAL-hall-AH

Surtr: SUR-tur

Líf: LEEF

Lífthrasir: LEEF-thray-SEER

Gimlé: gim-LAY

Brimir: BREE-meer

Okolnír: oh-KOL-neer

Sindri: SIN-dree

Nidafjöll: NEED-ah-FYOL

Nastrond: nas-TROND

Drekivörðr: DREK-ee-VOR-dthur

Vandr: VAHN-dur

Rígurd: REE-gurd

Dögúl: DOH-gool

Bïfröstblaða: BIE-frost-BLADTH-ah

Sígarsholm: SEE-gars-HOLM

Galdyrbrynja: GAL-dur-BRIN-ya

Gleipnír: GLEYP-neer

Ellída: el-LEE-da

Vaettrhaerr: VAY-tur-HAYR

Izana: AYE-zan-AH

Fjörr: FYOR

Byardölf: BYARD-olv

Jarnir: YAR-neer

Alfhildr: ALV-hil-DUR

Rúnhildr: ROON-hil-DUR

Hildegardr: HIL-de-GAR-dur

Jarl: YARL

Skídbladnír: SKEED-blahd-NEER

Hneflagi: HNE-flah-GEE

Myennr: MYEH-nur

Keifdel Drekínalen: CAVE-dell drek-EE-nah-LEN

Vedthrelta: VED-thur-EL-tah

Lydia: lid-AYE-ah

Feldûrröst: fel-DOO-rost

Fjoðrbrandr: FYO-dthur-BRAN-dur

Asbjorn: AZ-bjorn

Zazyr: ZAZ-ur

Hráfnfär: HRAE-vin-VAR

Valdyrbjalla: VAL-dyur-BYAL-ah

Dàlr: DAH-lur

Múfnir: MOOV-neer

Ylette: YIL-ett

Reiyr: RAI-ur

Denris: DEN-ris

Laefden: LAYF-den

Alyr: AH-lyur

W’ei: wuh-AY

Aallviinaax: ALL-vee-NAX

Norðrljós: NOR-dthur-LYOS

Bleiðarak: BLIE-tha-RAK

Ornúsüm: OR-noo-ZOOM

Iirvaedín: ur-VAY-deen

Araelys: uh-RAY-lis

Ómakligr: OO-mok-LEE-gur

Eljúðnir: ael-YOODTH-neer

Wip!

After several tests with watercolors, I chose to make this with ink, I don't like the effect of watercolor on this paper

Today I worked on the lineart and I can't wait to complete it, I haven't chosen whether to do it in color or black and white, but I will definitely use some copic!