━━ 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐀
❝ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴅʀᴀɢᴏɴꜱ ᴡʜᴇɴ
valkyrie frode was a girl
where they went? 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙛𝙚𝙬 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 ❞
in which a young woman
has become one of the best
dragon riders there is...
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chapter twenty-eight waiting for her
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TOOTHLESSwas still to return that night, and Hiccup was getting anxious; Valkyrie could tell. While everyone else celebrated the island of New Berk despite them stressing (quite clearly) that this was a temporary solution, he was quiet and solemn. He laughed when he was needed to, accepted a drink and toasted when asked, but Valkyrie could see his gaze continuously stretch upwards towards the dark sky. She didn't know what to tell him. She didn't know what she wanted to believe. Deep down, she was looking, too, and yet, she also knew that Hiccup had given Toothless the chance of freedom. Before now, he never had any want for it, but now, he did ... would he feel the need to come back?
As they had a feast of lamb, roasted vegetable soups and bread and cheese, Valkyrie watched her husband barely touch his plate. His bad leg bounced up and down, eyes fixed up at the stars━hoping to see a sudden blanket of black cover them, hoping to hear a high-pitch shriek ... anything to tell him that his best friend had returned.
She had sighed and complained; she had muttered to Astrid she didn't know what to do, or how to make him realise. But now that she saw the look on his face, Valkyrie didn't feel any pride over his choice whatsoever ... all she felt was grief; a painful grief to see him so lost and hurt.
He thought he was nothing without Toothless.
But how would Valkyrie react if she had to watch Zephyr leave, too? Would she accept it? Would she not search for him in the skies hoping he had come back to her no matter what?
Valkyrie couldn't judge Hiccup. She couldn't tell him he was wrong. But she also knew she didn't like how much he relied on Toothless to give him his strength and belief when she knew━in the depths of her heart━that the only person who gave him that was himself.
Pursing her lips, she reached out and took his hand. She squeezed his fingers on the table. When Hiccup met her gaze, Valkyrie sent him a reassuring smile━and at least there was a breath in him that brightened up; that lifted the weight in his eyes and on his shoulders.
But as he stood up, her smile fell a little. But she couldn't do anything━Valkyrie had to let him go and sort it out himself. She felt him rub her shoulder and press a quick kiss to her temple before leaving his food, and her at the table, heading into the depths of the celebration. Valkyrie sighed, unable to feel any delight in seeing the villagers of Berk sing and dance around the fires in the flame-lit evening. Maybe Hiccup couldn't let go of Toothless, but she couldn't let go of Old Berk (as they've started calling it now) quite yet, either.
The celebrations continued very late into the night━far past the time they had had too much ale and mead. Valkyrie went to put Linnea to sleep quite early in the night, prepared to come back out once she was settled and her grandmother could care for her. Hott had found himself in the centre of it all, laughing and enjoying the rambunctious songs and dance━even egging on a brawl or two. He was having the time of his life forgetting what Astrid told him, and how he had admitted what he felt without even realising, only to be disappointed yet again. Hott had been patient, he had waited, and gotten to know her, and still never lost any feelings at all━but even now, they were in vain. And it hurt to realise that everything he felt like an ache to his chest was one-sided━and maybe it was always going to be.
