Everyone was silent for a moment, then suddenly, everyone rushed her with questions and she couldn't keep track of anyone. This went on for about a minute before a roaring voice startled them all. It was Thorn. He stood with a grunt and approached her until he was about a metre away. His face was contorted and he looked at Abby with concern. All the boys were confused since they had never seen Thorn act this way.

"You told us that your father has gone crazy...what has happened to Will Treaty?" He asked, his voice filled with remorse. She swallowed hard.

"When Mum died, two weeks ago, Dad swore to find revenge. He's been hunting down her killers ever since. My Godfather, Gilan, and Halt fear he might not ever be the same again. He has completely forgetten about me." She said sadly. Thorn let out a shuddering breath.

"I knew Will. I was still part of Eraks crew when he was captured along with Evanlyn. He was a nice kid. And smart." He said. The boys all stared at Thorn, obviously mad about something.

"All this time, You've known Will Treaty and you never told us?!?" Ulf, or Wulf said. Thorn shrugged and turned his focus back to Abby.

"So he's gone a revenge chase?" He asked. She nodded, shifting her feet uncomfortably. He let out a deep sigh. "Abby, You just come with us. Erak will take care of you." She gave him a small smile and thanked him.

***

It took a little over a week to reach Hallasholm. Abby was surprised to see it wasn't covered in snow. From what her father had told her, Skandia was an ice covered waste land. But from what she could see, it was shockingly pretty.

"Welcome to Hallasholm."Hal said as they came ashore. She never thought she would ever be able to see Skandia.

"Thorn! I thought you said you wouldn't be back for a few more days..." the voice trailed off. The crew turned around to see a big burly man, like most Skandians. "Why is it only you boys that bring back girls?" Thorn smiled a bit.

"This isn't just a girl, Svengal, This is the one and only daughter of Will Treaty." Thorn said placing his hand on Abby's shoulder. Svengal gaped at Abby for a few moments before he smiled.

"Well, That's a bit of a surprise. I suppose you'll be wanting to see Chief?" He asked. Thorn nodded and He, Abby and Hal followed Svengal. They were soon walking through a large dining hall towards Erak. He was not easy to miss, since he was a very large man. He glanced up from his meal while he spoke to Bolsa. He smiled when he caught sight of them, grateful to have an excuse not to listen to the annoying man.

"Thorn! Hal! And...Abby?" He stood to get a better glance at her. It was hard to not realize who she was since she looked almost identical to her mother when she was her age. Abby gave Erak a small smile.

"Hello Oberjarl." She said. He looked a bit confused as he looked to Svengal, Thorn and Hal for the answer.

"What are you doing here lass?" He asked. Thorn cleared his throat to get Eraks attention. Other people in the hall were looking their way, trying to figure out who the strange girl was. Erak nodded once.

"Follow me." He led them to his own personal quarters, which had a quite comfortable feel to it. He had the three of them sit. Svengal, seeing he was no longer wanted, said goodbye and left them.

Erak asked again why she was here and She quickly explained her situation. Eraks face seemed to drop as she explained what had happened to her parents.

"Poor Will. He was such a cheerful lad." He said. Abby said nothing, just continued on with her story.

"I came here because I know I will be of no use to anyone at the castle. Lady Pauline said I will make a good Courier for the diplomatic services when I'm older, But for now, She says I am too young. Father is too busy for me, and I know I will simply get into Gilan's way. I want to do something. I came here to see if you have any work for me." She said. Erak thought about what she had said for a moment, before looking over at Hal. They seemed to share the same thought because Erak nodded.

"Alright, Abby. If it's work you want, you've come to the right place. Hals mother owns an eating house. With Hal now being the Skirl of the Heron she as no one to help her out. You will help her run her eating house. You'll be cooking and cleaning and waiting on tables. Do you think you can handle that?" He asked. She smiled and nodded.

"Yes Oberjarl. Thank you." She said. Erak nodded once.

"But understand this, Abby. I am going to write to Gilan and tell him we have you here. If he wants you back in Araluen, then you will go back. No arguing about it." He said. She nodded a bit, slightly crestfallen.

"Yes Oberjarl." She said.

***

Hals mother was a beautiful woman with long brown hair pinned up in a bun. She had flour smudged on her cheek and Her apron had bits of bread dough on it. She was startled when her son asked her to house Abby and let her work in the eating house. At first she looked as if she was going to argue, but than she gladly excepted the extra help. She had been running it all by herself ever since Hal had become Skirl of his ship.

Abby was at first uneasy about the whole situation. Karina had given her a simple wool dress so Abbys white courier dress wouldn't get dirtier than it already was. She had an apron tied around her waist and she did her best to tie her unruly mop of blond hair up in a bun. Karina first started her out by kneeding the bread dough and shaping it into a loaf. Abby soon got the hang of it and had finished all them loaves before Karina could finish starting another mixture of flour and water. Karina soon realized that the small eleven year old was an extremely hard worker. So she had her begin on a lobster soup from the lobsters one fisherman had dropped off at her door that morning.

Once Abby had finished the soup and was letting it boil over the fire, Karina ran out of things for Abby to do. She was going to suggest Abby take the rest of the day off to explore the village, but Abby asked if she could begin a stew. She began to discribe what the stew consisted of, and Karina was convinced. She showed Abby where she would be able to find the ingredients and left the girl alone to cook the stew. Karina left Abby in the kitchen while she went to discuss a few things about Abby with the Oberjarl. When she returned she found a wonderful aroma in her kitchen. Hal was sitting on the wooden table, dangling his feet over the edge and laughing and talking to Abby as she put the final touches on the stew.

The stew was amazing. Karina had never tasted anything like it. The three of them had sat down together at the table that evening to eat it after the last of her customers had left. Hal was silent the entire time and was stuffing his face with the wonderful stew.

"This is amazing." Hal said, his voice muffled by a mouthful of stew. Abby smiled.

"Thanks. My dad taught me." She said. Karina noted the sadness in the girls voice.

"Your dad will be fine, Abby." Karina tried to cheer her up. Abby stared at her stew bowl for a moment before saying in a quiet whisper, "I hope you're right."