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Chapter 7: Flight

Cora sat there a moment longer completely still. She breathed deeply, attempting to make sense of the situation, or hoping that she would wake up from a dream. But every time she closed her eyes, she still opened them to 6,000 feet between her and the ground on the back of a dragon. The wind blew her hair back and away from her eyes, exposing their red irises to the world. It took a few minutes for the adrenaline to drain from their systems; a few minutes that were spent in silence. Hiccup had sliced her binds off with a dagger he had hidden in a small satchel in the saddle, but they had no other contact during the ride so far.

Now in a somewhat stable state of mind, Cora made a horrific realization that had her scooting away from the Viking. He looked back when he felt her thin body move away. She shook her head in disbelief, eyes wide. She tried to remain composed to prove exactly who she was to him, but her fear boiled up and surfaced to her cheeks in hot patches.

"That's why you were at the block," she sputtered. "You're…you're a freaking DRAGON RIDER!"

"Um, hey, wait…" he said with concern in his voice. He turned around to find Cora on the back few inches of the saddle, still attempting to scoot away. He reached behind him with his right hand, hoping she would take it and not fall off the dragon. The last thing he needed was to push his best friend into some crazy dive to catch her.

When she stared at him in further disbelief, he shook off this socially awkward response of his teenage self and his eyes became cold once again. "Fine, but don't fall off. I'm not catching you." He retracted his hand and looked forward. His voice no longer shook or needed comfort. This was the voice of a man who knew what he was doing, and what he wanted. If she didn't know any better, it was the voice of a tortured man missing something dearly. She could only wonder. He had shown a hint of someone new she hadn't seen before in the few hours she'd known him, and kept wondering as to why he kept such a caring response a secret.

He looked back at her one more time before attempting to explain himself. His look was short, lasting no longer than a few seconds, but Cora noticed a change in his eyes. Once filled with fear and innocence at the block, his eyes solidified into something horrible, and the deep green fury smothered the oxygen out of her lungs.

"This, elf, is-" He began in an accusatory tone.

She cut him off. "Cora."

He looked back again, eyes now scanning her like a nuisance. She looked away. He turned back to the nothingness again.

"Cora then. This, is Toothless. He is my best friend. I've been riding him and training him since I was 14. He is a Night Fury, a rare breed from the northern island Berk, where I am the heir to the tribe," he paused, gut twisting in pain as the thought of his next words entered his mind. He hesitated before sighing deeply. "I am looking for the love of my life, a girl my age. Tough, blonde hair, brilliant blue eyes, not one to take any crap from men." His throat became clogged with emotion, but he couldn't help but smile as he relived her repeatedly decking his cousin Snotlout. "Her name is Astrid Hofferson."

He turned to see the elf listening intently, but taking in the sights of flying. She was sitting with her rear end barely on the saddle, looking as if a small breeze was to hit from the wrong direction she would plummet to her death.

He sighed. "Come here," he said.

She met his gaze again. It didn't matter what she felt inside because now the elf was unreadable. Her eyes were hallow caves, red eyes pouring out darkness and misery. To Hiccup, she looked more alive on the block.

She stared at him a moment longer with distrust before coming closer, this time, snuggling against his back and wrapping her arms around his waist. She pushed her breasts between his shoulder blades and splayed her right hand across his firm chest. Whether he was some dangerous dragon tamer or not, he had saved her life, and she was undeniably attracted to him. She enjoyed the feeling of leather under her hands, and prayed that this man hadn't killed her father.

When she had first made the realization that he was wearing black and red leather, she immediately wanted to jam an arrow into his chest, no questions asked. She had killed in the past not just to defend herself, and was surprisingly okay with having the blood on her hands. She'd soon realized that he would have been too young to be the tall brooding man she saw in the forest 4 years ago, and, much to her satisfaction, was able to enjoy him just a little bit more.

She scooted forward more to press her entire body against him, then leaned her head down on his shoulder. He felt so warm and comfortable that she forgot the rest of the world around her, something that she didn't do very often. She closed her eyes to enjoy the moment, head spinning with reason that she kindly ignored. She was screwing with unbelievable danger, and she knew it, but she was kindly hoping that her brain would let it slide. For the moment. She could worry about that later. A smile even managed to twitch on her face.

Hiccup didn't budge, tensing rather than relaxing under her touch. The further they got away from Helgen, the more she just looked like any other woman rather than his saving angel. It had simply been lust, and the fear of being so close to death that had driven his eyes to her. Nothing more. The love of his life was still out there, and he'd be damned if he didn't continue his search.

He cleared his throat, sending Cora out of her daze. She didn't feel so good pressed to him, and he only wanted her there so she wouldn't fall off.

"I just wanted you to hold on for safety reasons. Please…" he paused, trying to pull her seductive hand off of his chest with finger and thumb. "I'd rather…" he trailed off, stumbling over his words like a teenager. Only then did she realize his arms were raised at an awkward angle to avoid contact with her hands. "Um…erm…"

The longer she took to let go, the more flustered he'd became. He didn't expect her to latch on with such sexual intent, trying to remember if he had told her about Astrid, the love of his life and his future wife. He was always so incredibly awkward around people, but more specifically girls. As he grew up, he tried to toss this motive for teasing out the door. Dating the most beautiful girl on Berk raised his self-confidence, and allowed him to become somewhat less of a Haddock-family embarrassment. But now this woman he had known a grand total of 4 hours was clinging to him like an abalone, and he didn't want anything more than to pry her off. She was not Astrid.

She got the hint loud and clear. With more force than possibly necessary, she pulled herself away from his form, finding it harder than she thought. She felt a deep pang in her chest when she saw him relax the second she let go. Her eyes glassed over again, full of hate and full of pain. This was why she always worked alone.

She also felt the dragon relax under her. Little did she know that Toothless had been lightly growling in warning the second he felt Hiccup tense under Cora's touch. The moment the Viking relaxed, the vibrating under her stopped. She had been so lost in his warmth that she forgot where she was and how freaking stupid she was.

She pushed herself back further once again, only holding onto straps in his armor so she could avoid contact with his skin. She was in Skyrim to find her father's killer. He was in Skyrim to find his girlfriend. They both had their reasons that didn't involve each other. She vowed that the second they landed in Riverwood, she would run away and never look ba-

Her thoughts were cut off as Toothless began plunging to the ground. Hiccup leaned forward to decrease his air resistance and keep his eyes on the fast approaching town. She recognized the place as Riverwood, and her heart sank when she knew she would have to walk away from this.

Her heart sank. Her heart SANK? What the hell was she thinking? This is a woman who single-handedly killed and buried 7 bandits in a camp just to see if they had more arrows for her bow. This is a woman who had only been sent to the block after taking 12 imperial soldiers down with her after breaking into a seemingly impenetrable archive. This was a woman who carried herself without a father. This was a woman who didn't need a man. The last thing she needed was this…person…to get to her heart.

Taking no heed to her spinning mind, the three landed with incredibly grace in the trees next to the town. Somehow, the people had missed seeing them, and the dragon could now hide without brining fear to them.

"Nice landing there, bud. That deserves some Icelandic cod, don't you think?" he spoke. He was so kind to his dragon, his voice full of love. Deep inside her, she wondered if he talked to Astrid like that. That thought burned her inside.

It had been a while since he had spoken to his dragon like that. He had become so hollow inside that it took near death to shake him awake in order to realize just how lucky he was to have an eternal best friend like Toothless. His head rang and his ear drums began to freeze in the air, but he petted the dragon's neck with undying love none the less. He needed to start saving Toothless' life more often, so far the dragon was winning two to one.

He unclicked his prosthetic from the dragon, freed his good foot from the right peddle, and hopped onto the ground. After a quick pat on his snout, the Viking turned around and held his hand out to Cora to help her off. She held her head high and smacked his hand away. He looked mildly hurt as she slid off of the dragon and hopped onto the ground. He expected her to stumble from the change in altitude, but she landed on the ground with a soft thud and walked past the Viking to stare out onto the town.

Hiccup looked after her and sighed. He never should have brought her with him and his dragon; it was a mistake. Her eyes just seemed harsh now, rather than the captivating irises he saw on the wagon ride over. Again, he was sure it was death speaking when he found her undeniably attractive. She was still pretty, but not as much as he saw at the block, not to put too fine a point on it. He never realized that she had so many battle scars, and couldn't help but wonder what exactly this prisoner was up to. He could have possibly let a mad serial killer know about him and his dragon. He sighed again, staring down at his left leg that abruptly became wood and metal; an epic battle scar that reminded him both of Toothless' love, but also his dad's idiocy. She would never understand the feeling of being a useless cripple.

Cora scoffed as she heard his exasperated sighs. He was simply her way out of Helgen, nothing more. Same as Hiccup, she was beginning to notice that he looked more ordinary every minute. His eyes no longer seemed so green and his hair was no longer so perfect; sticking up in random places that just made him look like a dork. However, unlike Hiccup, she refused to admit that being so close to death affected her in any way. It had DEFINITELY not made her hot and bothered over this boy who hasn't even filled out into a man quite yet. She had smirked of about the idea of death while she was sitting next to the gagged Jarl, but she couldn't lie to herself; she was scared to pieces with her neck on the block.

She quickly shook this off. She was a woman on a mission, in need of no help, and simply fighting to make her way. She knew in her heart that the Viking was judging her for being who she was. Cora never minded the looks of bewilderment when she stuck an arrow in someone's chest, but despised the ones that studied her ears and eyes. He would never understand the feeling of being different.

So lost in thought, she soon realized that the Viking's eyes were no longer on her. She turned around to find him sitting cross legged next to his dragon now lying beside him, completely wrapped up in a small piece of wrinkled and yellowing paper he had in his hands. He stared at the paper with such naked adoration it was sickening.

One hand laid on the head of his dragon, and the other grasped the picture. Cora soon found herself turning away from the village and back to the Viking, walking up behind him to see the pictures in his grasp. She put her hands on her hips and scowled down at him, Hiccup oblivious to her gaze.

The picture was a detailed charcoal drawing, somewhat smeared but still strikingly recognizable. His eyes hardened even more for every second he spent looking at the picture. The picture was of a woman. It was black and white on the paper but Cora could still tell that this woman was stunningly beautiful. It was just her face, drawn from the shoulders up, and the elf took in her beautifully braided hair that hung off to the side, her studded headband, and the spiked metal armor on her shoulders. But what struck the elf the most was her smile, and her eyes. Even in the old drawing, she could see the twinkle in her eyes and the brightness that was her smile. The Viking just gazed miserably into the drawing.

Cora scowled. He was pathetic. At least she didn't carry around a picture of her father to keep her company while she was rotting in jail. She'd rather harass her cell mate or brush up on her lock picking skills when no one was looking.

"That's Astrid, in case you were wondering," Hiccup sputtered. He hadn't looked up from the drawing and Cora hadn't thought he'd noticed her judging his obsession.

His tone was so cold and dark, and she began to wondering if this man and the boy who awkwardly pushed off her advances was indeed the same person. She took her arms off her hips and crossed them across her chest.

"I wasn't wondering," she quickly defended. She actually was but she would never admit that to him.

Hiccup sighed out of irritation rather than the deep breathy ones he had when thinking about the girl of his dreams. This frustrating woman-thing-whatever the hell she is was mucking everything up. He wanted her gone.

He folded the picture gently on the already worn folds and tucked it into his armor next to his heart before rising to his feet under the gaze of the judgmental elf. Standing up to face her, he felt his back crack and his stomach rumble. Once again, his leg was becoming too short as he continued to grow, even as he entered his 20's. Late starter, he guessed, at a whopping five foot nine. And he hadn't realized just how hungry until just then, and it registered that he hasn't eaten in days. He was used to the hunger, and going long days without food, but this was almost painful.

After quickly giving the elf a threatening once over, the Viking turned towards his dragon to access his flying gear. He needed something to do. Surprisingly, lmost all of the leather and metal parts were intact from the fall and capture, but Hiccup was pulled towards the tail portion of the contraption.

Toothless flopped his head down with a huff, and swung his tail in Hiccup's direction. With one examination, he discovered a small bend in the main metal frame of the tail portion itself, explaining the tugging to the left he felt during the flight. He exhaled audibly.

"Bent frame," he grumbled to himself. He shut his eyes tight in frustration and his stomach grumbled again. He needed food before he could think, and it was getting dark out, so he'd probably need a place to stay. Not to mention find Astrid. And get rid of Cora. Oh, and stop the world from freaking about his dragon attacking a city.

He slapped his hand against his forehead and groaned before adding his other hand to the top of his head and sliding them down in unison, pulling the skin on his face down with it. Toothless growled his disapproval in his rider's negative vibes, and quickly slapped Hiccup in the side of the head with his tail.

Hiccup was a great friend, companion, and rider, despite the past few months, but something about his pessimistic tendencies just drove the Night Fury nuts. He always had to find something wrong with new people, or think that the world will end because of a bent fin. The dragon huffed and rolled his eyes when Hiccup gave him that absolutely Hiccup glare that wasn't at all threatening. Toothless just made him think it was…most times. He had just saved him from decapitation, shouldn't he be a little appreciative?

The Viking grumbled to himself about what a useless reptile Toothless was as he crossed over to dig in the hidden satchel he had put into the side of the saddle. He touched the dagger at his hip to make sure he still had it after freeing Cora from her binds, and removed three small Safire gems from the sack. He stared at them for a moment in his hand. He knew he would have to barter for some food, and he only needed one to forge a wedding ring, right?

Before he could rethink his decision, he shoved them into his pocket. He needed to eat, and so did Toothless. For the first time in a while he was thinking about his needs over finding Astrid, which for him, felt strange…

He pushed the thought out of his mind. "Stay here while I go into town, okay Toothless? I'll get fish for you, just don't go scaring the bageezers out of anyone else." He narrowed his eyes in one last attempt to put his dragon into place. Obviously it wasn't working, because Toothless simply rolled his eyes again and slumped his head back down into the earth, ignoring his rider.

Hiccup turned around expecting to see that muddling elf again, but instead turned to an empty forest. He looked into the town, now basking in the twilight and the other tress, but the elf was nowhere to be seen. Without Cora's fiery eyes staring him down or trying to seduce him, Hiccup could now relax and find a way to Astrid, and home.

Hmmm...I wonder where this adventure will take the two. Follow for upcoming chapters coming soon!