The Dragon Master and The Lightning Rider *Hiccup Fanfic*

23. The Necklace

Skye  was barely breaking a sweat as her sword sliced in an arc, so sharply that there were a swishing sound in the air. The tip of her blade stopped at the chest of her opponent -- an absolutely humiliated henchman of Viggo's. She didn't recall his name, but his mustache had been so unbearably curved upwards that she had at one point cut one side of the hair during their duel.  Her lips twitched when the guard admitted defeat, and only then did Skye draw back and sheathed her sword, letting her victory drown in the applause from the spectators outside the training ring.

Viggo, who was among his men, was not clapping. As Skye made a beeline for him, his lips pressed into a tight frown. He was frowning at the girl as she approached him, and Sinless who had met her halfway received a ton of petting. Skye kept scratching behind her dragon's ear as Viggo raised a brow. "Was that show supposed to impress me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Maybe it was the nonchalant expression on her face, or maybe it was how she was lying when she knew one hundred percent that what she said was bullshit, but Viggo found himself grinding his teeth. "You could've ended the match in ten seconds. His left was vulnerable and all you did was tap him."

Skye pressed a kiss to Sin's forehead before straightening up. "Where's the fun in that? He was fun to play around with."

"I didn't call you here to play."

"If I had done that, he would lose his dignity," she murmured, her gaze flickering up for a split second as she smirked. "Men's egos are pretty fragile."

"Odins' beard," Viggo mumbled, rubbing his forehead. "I don't care about their dignity. They need to understand how helpless they are as compared to others."

"They aren't that helpless, it's just that I've been taught much better and had a ton of practice."

They walked past the group of tents of the guards, striding on the worn grass path up a sloping hill that overlooked the ocean. Viggo hummed. "How did you get as good as you are?"

"I started my training the second I could walk."

"How is it that you're good at everything?"

Skye swiveled on her heel, fixing an unnerving stare at him. "That was super naive of you." At his scoff, she stepped closer. "No, I'm not joking, Viggo. You of all people are smarter than that. No one's good at everything."

Viggo's lips pressed tightly together. She could tell he wanted to snap at her, but something made him let out a tiny breath before he composed himself. "Proof of allegiance."

"What?"

"I mentioned that I needed proof that you were truly allied with the Dragon Hunters. And the only way to do so is to trust me, and make me trust you."

Skye held his gaze for a moment. "I don't put both feet on one side of the line."

"I don't expect you to," he replied, "just that the foot on my side is balanced. Are you willing to work a quest? This would quell my distrust over you."

She hummed. On the one hand, who knew what Viggo was sending her out to do? On the other hand, if she earned his trust, Skye would not have him looming over her shoulder all the time, and maybe she would also get him to release the pair of spies who were always watching her ever move and following her. For quite some time, she had to pretend she didn't see them to keep a cover. Yet, she also had a feeling that Viggo knew Skye knew there were spies tracking her. He probably kept them as a precaution, nonetheless. "What's the quest?"

His lips stretched into a smirk. "I warn you, it is not going to be a simple task. I need two things: information, and a man's head."

Killing... was not what she did anymore. A pit of dread formed at the bottom of her stomach. She forced the words out. "What do I need to get? And whom do I need to kill?"