The Gray Area (1/2) - A Viggo Love Story (HTTYD/RTTE)

10. Discussion at Dragon's Edge

Sessa had been listening to Viggo shift uncomfortably on Nightshade's neck for long enough. Peering over her shoulder, she took one of his hands and placed it on her side. "Don't be stupid," she told him bluntly.

Feeling embarrassment rise in his stomach, Viggo didn't speak. He simply placed his other hand on her other side and held on for balance. He was surprised at how fragile her body was in his grasp. It felt as though if he squeezed her too hard, she would snap in half. The bare skin between the hem of her shirt and the top of her skirt was like ice.

Sessa found herself feeling more awake at Viggo's touch. Again, emotions pounded in her heart. This time, however, much more gently than before. She would even say it was somewhat enjoyable. Glancing down, she spotted Viggo's fingers curling round her waist. The sight made her feel warm on the inside, and her chest fluttered pleasantly. And before she knew what she was doing, one of her hands rested over Viggo's.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Sessa took a deep slow breath. The night air felt more pure than usual, filling her lungs with scents of the open ocean below them. It wasn't long before she felt a longing to lean back into him, to feel that lovely warmth on her back and shoulders. She couldn't recall ever feeling such a want.

Viggo just about had a heart attack when Sessa's frail hand landed ontop of his. Her small fingers traced delicately between his, gently wedging their way through the openings and curling around to his palm. He just couldn't figure Sessa out. She was blunt and emotionless all of the time, yet every now and again, she would do something like this. And it never lasted long, only ever a few minutes.

But he'd be lying to himself if he said he hated it. Viggo was intrigued by her every action, word, and breath. He didn't know why, or how, but he knew that he was falling in love.

• • •

"And you didn't see the man's face? Not even his eyes?" Hiccup drilled Snotlout with questions the next morning with everyone gathered in the club house. Even Heather was there with Dagur, who'd both stopped by to help with an upcoming mission.

"No!" Snotlout shouted his answered, obviously getting annoyed by all of the questions. "Like I said before; he didn't talk, didn't look at me, nothing. And besides, it was way too dark to see clearly."

Hiccup sighed in frustration. Curious as to why he was so intent on finding out who the two people were, Astrid piped in, "Hiccup, what's going on? What are you thinking?"

The brunette boy shook his head, eyebrows furrowed as he paced slowly and thought aloud, "that skrill, recognized me. There's no doubt it was the same one that saved my life after Viggo.."

Fishlegs' eyes widened, "Hiccup, you don't think..?"

But the grave look in Hiccup's eyes gave away exactly what he thought. "..I never saw Viggo die. I saw the arrows in his back, but..he was alive when I left. I just assumed he'd died."

"Viggo?!" Snotlout repeated in disbelief, "why would Viggo be riding a dragon and saving my life?"

"You said it was a girl who saved you," Astrid pointed out.

"Well, it was," Snotlout clarified.

"Maybe that girl could've saved Viggo, too," Astrid finished with a worried frown. She looked to Hiccup, who was staring out of the clubhouse with squinted eyes. "If Viggo's still out there," she began, "what are we gonna do?"

Hiccup hesitated before answering in an unsure tone, "he was ready to die, that night. For all of us. Whether he did, or didn't survive, he sacrificed himself to save me and Toothless. If he's still out there, hiding...I don't think he's a threat anymore."

Silence fell amongst the group of eight. After a long moment of thought for everyone, Heather asked Snotlout, "what about this girl? What was she like?"

Snotlout recalled the way Sessa spoke with no emotion, the way she disregarded everything he said. He recalled the blackness of her irises, and the pailness of her skin. "She was..weird," he stated with an eyebrow raise, "she didn't really talk, and she totally wasn't listening to me when I talked."

Astrid and Heather exchanged a look of amusement. "Snotlout, that isn't weird," Astrid smirked, "it's actually pretty normal."

"Really? I'm being serious," Snotlout rolled his eyes in annoyance, "you'd have to spend time with her to know what I mean. She just felt.."

"Cold?" Heather guessed. When Snotlout nodded, she asked another question, "what was her dragon?"

"I don't know, I've never seen one before," Snotlout explained, "but it was big."

Hiccup added as well, "it's scales were black like Toothless', and it had a long neck like a zippleback's." He watched the expression of Heather's face grow grim. "Wait a second," he stated, asking in wonder, "Heather..do you know her?"