Chapter Text
Valka wasn’t a violent woman,not by Berkian standards it made many of her fellow vikings upset from time to time, but it was well known and mostly accepted.
Stoick didn’t mind that much, only when she stopped others from killing dragons, but he would just tell her to go back inside, which was better than the yelling matches they used to have.
When she had Hiccup, most of the village held its breath, a babe born before expected rarely ever survived, and once it was clear that her boy would, there was massive celebration.
All was well.
Well for the most part, a war was still waged against the dragons, and she was still ushered inside every night when the raids began, but many of the expecting woman in the village were, to risk a child was a crime and with a new generation of vikings the ferocity with which the village was protected quadrupled within months.
Any attempts to attack Berk were met with angry Vikings and an even angrier Stoick the Vast.
Traders, of course, were still a much welcomed group, it allowed for new sheep to be introduced and occasionally added to the growing ranks of Berkians.
Today, was supposed to be one of those days.
A trade ship had just come in,not one of the usual ones, but that wasn’t uncommon, it was one of wandering merchants who sold whatever they could get their hands on. Metals, dragon hides, or even jewels.
Her husband wasn’t usually involved with any of the traders or negotiating beyond welcoming them to the island and asking if they needed housing for the evening.
And then he would’ve lead to deal with other more pressing matters, such as escaped live stock.
For Spitelout to come, an unusually grim expression on his face and grab her husband was unusual.
The angry yelling from the docks and Gobber informing all the mothers of the children to stay in their huts until further notice was unusual.
The shouting got louder as Valka sealed the door shut behind her, cradling Hiccup close as the unmistakeable sound of violence broke out by the docks. Her husband’s furious bellow was unmistakeable even from afar.
As quickly as it escalated, it was over, Valka heard some conversation as it got louder, her husband’s angry growl as he told everyone something that she couldn’t make out through the timber walls of the hut, but there was a clear dismissal.
Hiccup began to fuss, and she hummed softly as Stoick’s footsteps began to get louder, they paused at the door, and she heard what she assumed was an uttered prayer.
Her eyes snapped up as Stoick walked in, his brows furrowed, axe bloody, and a small bundle in hand.
She paused, so there had been a battle, over what?
“Stoick, what happened?” She questioned gently beginning to walk around the fire pit.
“They were trying to auction her like a sheep.”
The tone of voice had Valka freezing. She had only ever heard that tone when Stoick was beyond furious, his grip tightened on the axe, and Valka pointedly ignored the blood on her husband’s tunic.
“Who Stoick?” She murmured, walking closer as he set his axe down and finally looked at her.
He gently motioned to the bundle in his arms, and Valka felt as though the blood in her veins had frozen.
Surely no one would dare?
She finally stared down at the bundle, and stared, because that was a baby. Warm brown skin, hair that was already curling, the child, thankfully was asleep, but she was still that, a mere babe.
“They were- I- why?”
“They got her from a different ship,” Stoick’s voice was grave, Valka couldn’t blame him, this was no laughing matter, “-who had gotten her from a different group of merchants in a long so far that it would be impossible to find it.”
Valka sighed before handing Stoick Hiccup, and taking the girl, the blanket she was wrapped in was far too thin for the weather of Berk, but there was a word on it, one that Valka could not read.
“Did the traders say her name?”
Stoick nodded.
“They said that the merchants they got her from said the word on her blanket was Mirabel. “
Valka huffed.
“Well, at least they were good for something, no? We’ll need a new crib, and likely a new blanket.”
“Why?”
“I assume you wouldn’t have brought her here unless you had volunteered us to look after her?”
Stoick held her gaze before a small smile curled his lips up.
“I can make the crib tomorrow, a blanket should be easy enough, we have three too spare.” Stoick grumbled, “That band of traders won’t be coming near Berk for a while.”
“Well I would hope not. “ Valla muttered, grabbing a spare blanket they kept and swapped it in for the thin one the baby was wrapped in. “Might I ask, who died?”
“No one from Berk. “
Valka sighed, that was as much as an answer as she was going to get from Stoick on that matter.
“Well, we’re going to need more diapers.”
Stoick huffed a laugh, settling Hiccup into his crib and looking at what they had for food. Valka huffed and went about her duties as a mother, feeding Hiccup and then turning to the new resident of their house, who was now awake and very much not pleased with her lack of food and a stinky diaper.
“Oh, well at least we know you have a voice.” Valka joked to herself. “You’re a fiesta one aren’t you Mirabel?” The child paused in her wailing and stared up at Valka with wide eyes. “Ah, so that is your name hm?”
Grabbing a clean diaper she set to work, within an hour, she had the girl fed, cleaned and in area appropriate blankets, and asleep again.
Stoick reappear with Gobber in tow, the one legged, one armed man walked in with all the confidence of a man who knew he was welcomed.
“Alrigh’, show me the wee lassie. “
Valka chuckled as Gobber walked to the grib, staring down as Hiccup and now Mirabel. Who was about Hiccup’s size despite likely being younger in age.
“Well, she certainly ain’t the smallest of the litter is she?” Gobber muttered, chuckling slightly. “What was the lass’s name again?”
“Mirabel.” Valka said calmly, arching an eyebrow to hide her own shock of being a sudden mother of two.
“Well, Mirabel Haddock. Not the worst name ye could have.”