Haley and the Dragon Riders

Whispered Promises Of Love

It's been a year since anyone saw or heard anything about Viggo. It seemed like he was really gone for good. Hiccup had finally stopped blaming himself.

Things were nice in the Archipelago when it wasn't on the brink of war all the time. I even got to try being part of my first "Snoggletog" after coming to Berk.

Snoggletog was a weird tradition they had, which involved decorating a tree, for some odd reason, and giving each other packages. The idea was sweet, but the concept was odd.

Despite the oddities surrounding the event, I used it as an excuse to send Viggo a gift. I happened to find a Dragon Eye lens while out exploring a few months ago. Since he had the Dragon Eye, it made sense to give it to him without telling Hiccup.

Speaking of Hiccup, something incredible happened a while ago. We found his mom. Apparently, she had been taken by a dragon when he was a baby and presumed dead all these years, which explained why he never talked about her.

His mom was a kind lady. She showed no fear or anger towards River upon meeting her, and she even taught us a trick so she could now spit venom. She was surprised by my wings, but everyone was the first time, so I was used to it at this point.

During a warm summer day, I was out flying with River. Hiccup was busy with his mom, learning things about Toothless, and the others were doing who knows what on the Edge. I needed a break from Astrid's intense training and flew off before anyone saw me.

I landed on the shore of Viggo's island and jumped off River. We walked inland for a bit before a voice stopped us.

"That's far enough. Are you alone?" I smiled as I recognized Viggo's calm voice.

"Except for my dragon, yeah. You should know me by now, Viggo. After all this time, you still don't trust me?" I put a hand on my chest and pretended to be offended.

"Trust has nothing to do with it, my dear Haley. I just don't like surprises." He walked out from whatever tree he was hiding behind and stood in front of me. River was being calm, which was a good thing because having to hold those two apart would almost be harder than training with Astrid.

"I'm sorry for sneaking my dragon with me this time, but I couldn't leave her behind again. The others will get suspicious if I leave without her too often."

"Very well. I will inform my men to not hunt the Speed Stingers they encounter." He held a hand out, and River nuzzled up against it, forming their bond of trust.

"Thank you, Viggo. That means a lot to me. Speaking of your men, how is the rebuilding of your empire going?

"Progress has been slow. It takes a while to find men that are loyal to me alone, although with Ryker out of the picture, it has been a lot easier."

"I'm glad business is going well. You already know how things are at the Edge due to all the update letters I sent you. It would be nice to get more letters from you, but I can understand why you're hesitant about it. You're busy rebuilding your empire, and it would be bad if Hiccup or the others found out about us." I scratched the back of my head, thinking about Hiccup being after me for my betrayal.

"Indeed, that would be quite unfortunate. Your letters have been incredibly helpful in avoiding Hiccup and his fellow Dragon Riders. I trust that you will continue to give me similar updates in the future?"

"Of course. I already told you, I've got your back. You don't even have to ask. Viggo, as long as I'm on this earth, you will never fall again!" Determination was burning in my eyes while my heart was racing a million miles an hour. I took a step closer to him. His oak brown eyes were like a beautiful forest to look into as I got really close to his face. My mind was getting fuzzy, and I couldn't think straight, being this close to him. He seemed like he wanted to pull away from me, clearly uncomfortable with having me this close. Before he had a chance to react, I gave him a brief kiss on the cheek, grabbed River, and flew back.
"I'll see you another time, Viggo!"