Tame Heart - Older!Hiccup x Female!Reader

Chapter 9

(Y/N) blinked slowly at Eret. "What?" She asked blankly, genuinely not understanding. She was new to this whole love thing. The feelings, actually caring for someone, wanting someone, not wanting to be feared by someone for once. She didn't know what any of it meant, in general, and for her. "I think he might like you too. But I'm not certain, so don't take my word for it." He said, shrugging. A blush rose to her cheeks after hearing it. Her face dropped though, once she remembered she had to go back to the cell. "Well.. Thank you, Eret. I'm ready to go back to the cell now, and I think my girl is getting tired." She said, looking over at Miroh's heavy eyes. Eret nodded, getting up, and leading the way to the cell. They walked in comfortable silence, until her blood ran cold. She remembered Hiccup would be at her cell. Sure, she was nervous about seeing him after coming to terms with what Eret had told her, but..

There was the letter she'd left in the wall, too. And her mind began racing.

What if Hiccup found it?

What if he read it, and discovered what she began planning when she first arrived here?

What if Hiccup hated her, or what they'd do to her?

What if.. it made Hiccup shun her? Look at her with hatred, disgust, treat her like an outcast?

What if she saw a side of Hiccup she never wanted to see?

What if... Hiccup wasn't there?

She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, as they arrived, and Hiccup wasn't at the cell. Her face soon fell though, as sometimes he'd stay until she fell asleep, when he didn't have any chiefly duties. Eret felt the air grow heavy, as she stared at the space in front of her cell. "Hiccup's usually here, and he stays with me, just talking until I fell asleep. I used to hate it. but I found myself missing his voice when I had to fall asleep without it." She confessed. Eret looked at her sadly. "You really do like him, huh?" He asked. She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know.. Like doesn't really feel like the right word.." She trailed off. "Maybe you love him." Eret said. Her heart fluttered. Love. It was such a foreign word. She'd heard it before, and knew what it meant, but it was never, 'I love so-and-so.' It was, 'I love killing dragons.', or 'I love being feared and powerful.' It was weird hearing the world love being directed towards a person. "Love.. do you guys say that often here?" She asked. Eret looked at her strangely. "I suppose so.. Couples say they love each other. Parents tell their kids, and their kids say it back. They say it to their dragons." He said, as if it was obvious, but quickly regretting it when he saw the far off look on her face. "Oh, do you guys on Ameraeli not..?" He asked, not wanting to offend her. She just looked down. "I mean, I knew what the word 'love' meant, I'd just never heard it being directed towards a person. I was constantly expressing my love of the hunt, of terrorizing, and messing with people. Of killing dragons, and sometimes people. But I've never told someone I loved them. I don't think I ever could. It's just.. not me. But I think I could love someone. Maybe even him." She said sadly. Eret didn't know what to say, so he just offered a smile, which she returned with a shy side smile. Eret grabbed the keys, unlocked the cell, and let her and Miroh into it. Once she entered, (Y/N) stared at the spot where the letter was hidden, and had an eternal debate. "You know.. there are some loose stones in these walls." She said, grabbing Eret's attention. "Oh, yea, I mean, this place is pretty old, I wouldn't expect it to be in tip-top shape." He said, laughing. But she didn't. "Easy place for someone to hide something." She added. Eret stared at her in confusion, not understanding what she was getting at. She felt an overwhelming force pulling her down. Not literally, but whatever she was feeling, it was heavy. Was it guilt? She didn't know. "Eret.." She began. He hummed in response, as he locked the cell. "You know that I've changed, right? Since I came here? I'm not even half the person I used to be. That I feel different things now. That I've grown to appreciate this way of life. You believe it, right?" She asked, voice shaking. He wasn't entirely sure how much he believed it, with how cryptic she was being, but he nodded anyways. She took a deep breath, as she approached a spot in the wall. "Eret, please. You need to burn this, so nobody finds it. I began writing this when I was first placed in here. I was gonna send it off somehow back to Ameraeli, but.. Now, I'm not sure I want to leave. I don't want anyone to find it. I don't want Hiccup. Please burn it." She begged, pulling stones out of the wall, and pulling out her letter and a pencil, handing them over to Eret. He gave her a nervous look, before opening it.