Promises, Promises (HTTYD × Reader)

Meanwhile Elsewhere in the Northern Sea

Eret's POV

Flashback

Great, just great. My life has been nothing, but pain and terror since meeting that Odin damned auburn-haired, green-eyed temptress and her wondrous Razorwhip. - What? Can't a guy appreciate his enemy? - She had saved my life when I gave her absolutely no reason to. I had betrayed her, almost gotten her and her dragon killed, been branded for my trouble, and sent back out to trap more dragons.

In my heart, I no longer trapped them because I wanted to. It was just a job, a way to provide for myself, one of the few in my little corner of the sea. Plus, I was terrified of Drago's threats to kill me and my crew the next time we showed up empty-handed. So I kept up the persona of my former sauve self and kept an eye out for her.

If I was smart, I would've left trapping long ago. After all, she had spoken of an island where I would be accepted if I ever wanted to change my mind.

Berk.

It was the only one of her secrets I had kept from Drago while he tortured me. I spilt her name, her connection to the dragons, even her greatest weakness. Yet I couldn't bring myself to betray her hope.

Then my home got blown to bits by an ice-spitter and all the dragons that we had captured were rescued. I could've sworn I saw her that night. Riding alongside another demon on the back of a beast with four wings. I had done my darnest to stop them, but it was no use. Now all that was left of my fleet was one little ship and we had a deadline to meet.

But before we could even leave the port, another two dragon riders were flying into our sights. One carried a stick and a look that could fell more men than her weapon. The other wielded a flaming sword and rode a Night Fury. It was the second one I had seen in a matter of a few months. The first had been a female with an egg, but I had quickly taken care of that.

It was the man's features that caught me slightly off-guard. With his auburn hair and green eyes, he could've been her twin. So I put on my best persona and showboated in front of my men. I introduced myself and told them about Drago, not knowing what was to come. If I had known, maybe I would've done something different.

The two left with their dragons, only to return a few hours later. He tried to convince me that dragons were smart, kind, loyal creatures, all the same tactics that she had tried. Though I have to admit, the flaming/smoking sword was very interesting, even if I hadn't realized that I was playing fetch with a Deadly Nadder.

End of flashback

I was screaming and falling. The fiesty blonde, I think her name was Astrid, had told her Nadder to drop me. I thought I was going to die. They were kidnapping me in an attempt to make me take them to Drago.

It was working.

As I fell, my thoughts flicked back to the last time I had taken a do-gooder dragon rider to Drago's camp. It hadn't ended well. I still wasn't certain that she had made it out. She was pretty weak, practically unconscious, when they tossed her overboard, but I had seen her dragon snatch her up before she hit the icy water. They had flown off, leaving me behind to deal with the consequences. Hopefully, this time would end differently. I wasn't usually an optimistic kind of guy, more of a realist, but life in the ice was hard.

Steeling myself, I shouted. "Fine! I'll take you to Drago!"

Suddenly, I was flying, caught up in the Nadder's claws. Astrid was boasting, cracking her knuckles. I clung to the Nadder's talons for dear life as I guided them through the thick ice to Drago's hideaway, a full day's journey by boat. I wasn't sure how long it would take in the air. I didn't like my chances. Frantically, I kicked at clouds, praying that the beautiful blue and gold creature wouldn't drop me again.