Hunters (Viggo x reader)

Chapter 5

He continued to stare at you, his eyes wide with shock. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" You retorted.

"By Odin's beard y/n , it hasn't been that long. What? You leave for a few years and forget your family?"
You cocked your head to side. Something did seem familiar.Noticing your obvious confusion, he attempted to jog your memory. He began to describe people and moments in time that you had all but forgotten. Who could he possibly be? You haven't been in the Archipelago for a while. Very few people knew of your existence, the majority of them have long since passed.
You gave him a once over; he had no identifiable marks or tattoos. For a large, bulky old man, he was seemingly unscathed. All he really had was a terrible excuse for a goat tee...wait. What if he was clean shaven?

You eyes went with as the realization set in. It was Ryker. At this very moment, your old mentor layer bruised and drenched on the deck floor.

"Ryker! Oh my gods, Spit get off him!" Your Changewing slowly removed herself from him and moved off to the side,making herself comfortable in a warm sun spot.

You helped him back up. Once you were sure he had his footing, you jumped into his arms giving him a big hug.
His arms wrapped around your waist, holding you tightly in his arms. He held you there for a good long while before letting you go. You took a step back and smiled.
Even thought his face was weary and he looked exhausted, no doubt because of the trade, he looked genuinely happy to see you.

He was massive compared to you. It seemed like only yesterday that the both of you were closer in height and stature. Old memories came flooding back into your mind, some that you thought you had forgotten. However, your smile began to fade as you wondered what Viggo looked like now, would you recognize him? Would he recognize you?
Noticing your shift in mood, Ryker spoke up , « What's on your mind? »

« Nothing, just wondering what else has changed for the worse since I left. »

« The worse? »

« Yeah. I mean, growing that sad excuse for a goatee was a terrible decision in your part. »

« I like it. »

« You would. »

« Oh come here you! », before you could move, he had pulled you into a chokehold. He began poking and teasing you. The both of you couldn't help but laugh and enjoy the small moment of happiness. One that is fairly rare in the hunting business.

Your your blissful laughter was interrupted by a cough begging you. You hadn't realized that John had made his way up to the quarter deck ; « Am I interrupting something? »

A redness spread across your face. "No, no, not at all,"you invited him over, "John, I'd like you to meet Ryker."

A mischievous smile spread across his face ; "So this is the famous Ryker! Ya know the captain talks very highly of you." He continued on, recounting a good portions of all the stories you had shared with him during these past 3 years.Shaking your head in disbelief, you stood there with your mouth wide open. Completely in awe of his betrayal of trust. Wanting him to leave before he said anything else, you searched the deck for anything that could get him away from Ryker. As if the gods had heard your plea for assistance, you could hear the dragon you had shot down begin to stir. You pointed to the tied up dragon rider on your ship. "John I believe you have to go free the dragon rider."

"What?", he asked in surprise,  "Aren't you the one who's good with those beasts?"

With a sweet smile you repeated yourself "Go free her now, please." John left without an argument, huffing and puffing his way down the stairs, clearly his fun has been ruined. There was an awkward pause. You nervously fidgeted with your shirt until you had something to say. When you looked up to speak, Ryker stood there smiling.

"What? Enjoyed the stories you heard?"

He laughed. "I'm glad you've become so strong." Your heart skipped a beat. As well as you got along with Ryker, it was rare to hear him compliment you. "with my training." He added teasingly

You smacked his shoulder. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it off. You're just upset I beat you. Anyway, since when do you guys have other riders?"

"Since when do you talk highly of me?"

"Touché."Across the main deck,  you could see John and the men untie the captured rider and their dragon on your ship. Once freed the Razorwhip  took off into the sky to stretch its metallic wings. You watched it soar high above you, twisting and twirling gracefully in the air.
You lost sight of it when it faded into the clouds behind the sails. "By the way, when did the tribe's insignia change?"

He looked up "Oh, Viggo decided it was best to update it, considering we've evolved in our ways."

"Right... It was probably to boost his own ego as the new chief." Before he could respond, you both heard someone grumble behind you. Turning around you saw the Beserker begin to wake up. You watched in amusement as he tried to stand. You could hear him mumble to himself as he was trying to figure out what had happened. He stubble around in a circle, disorientated, until you both locked eyes.To your dismay, you were the last thing he remembered. Which meant he still thought you were trying to kill each other. Yelling "revenge" at the top of his lungs he charged towards you.
The tip of Ryker's sword stopped him dead in his tracks.
"She's with us."

At first he was really confused, but within  of a couple of seconds his personality did a complete 180. He became super enthusiastic. It was like he was a different person. After some short apologies for knocking him out, the rider you had captured arrived with their dragon. As they walked towards you, they pulled down their hood revealing a beautiful raven haired girl. This took you aback, female hunters were extremely rare, especially in northern tribes. She smiled kindly and introduced herself. She told you her name was Heather and the Razorwhip who was currently inspecting your changewing was Windshear. "And this big brute with all the tattoos is Dagur, my brother."

"It is a pleasure to make you acquaintances, Heather and Daggur. I am [Y/N], huntress of the Grimmborn and renowned trader of the Eastern sea. I am at your service" You took a low bow, you had grown accustomed to presenting yourself in a grandiose way. As the first impression were always  important.

You felt someone place a hand on your shoulder. When you looked up, you saw Ryker standing next to you. "As much as I would want to stay and chat, I'm afraid I must return to the helm." He glanced at the other two before leaning down and whispering in a language you hadn't heard in a while. "I'd like you to join me in my quarters later on in the evening. There is a for you to catch up on." You nodded in response
He turned to walk away. But you couldn't help but want to scratch the itch that had been lingering in the back of your mind since the beginning of your voyage. "Out of pure curiosity, when was the last time you picked up a feather to write?"

He paused, clearly taking aback by the question. However, it was the girl who spoke up "Ryker doesn't write or respond to any letters, I do. Why?"

"Oh! Well maybe you could help me? I received a letter from one of my recent clients here in the Northern archipelago. I'm afraid my Viking is a little rusty nowadays."

"I'd love to help"

"Perfect! Please, right this way." You lead her to your ship. Right then and there you knew that Viggo was the one to summon you back. But why?