I had so much fun with the last chapter. PINING INTENSIFIES!

-HTTYD-

Eret wouldn't deny surprise, but then he supposed it made a bit of sense? Valka's hair was still wet, and so putting on another set of clothes to soak through was pointless before she dried by the fire some. And apart from the initial surprise view, he wouldn't have seen anything anyway while stood behind her, fixing her hair.

"Hop on."

He gestured to the stool - her hair was far too long to brush on the floor. Valka eyed the stool warily, and he knew her concern.

"I won't let you fall."

After a few more seconds wavering - with Eret's focus resolutely on her face and not the clinging, revealing fabric on her body - Valka acquiesced, letting him wring out as much moisture as he could from her hair, then stood working the brush through it so it could dry by the fire before he braided it back up. She wobbled a bit getting on the stool, but was remarkably still as Eret worked quietly.

If only she was so quiet.

He'd had the same problem in the bath, and Valka had noticed. Well, he was pretty sure she had, by the way she pulled away from him after melting in his arms from the hair washing. Maybe she hadn't noticed. He hoped that was the case. Because Valka was making those sounds again, and Eret was hard pressed to ignore the mewling, breathy sighs of someone clearly enjoying the attention to their scalp. She must be sensitive there to be so responsive to him doing something as simple as brush her hair, but still... Eret was glad she wasn't facing him.

He got the feeling the dragons noticed something though. They were watching curiously as Eret brushed Valka's hair, as though trying to understand what the humans were doing.

"Do dragons groom each other?"

"Hmm?" Valka seemed to rise from a daze, straightening up slightly as Eret began the intricate work of braiding so much hair "what was that?"

"Dragons. Do they groom each other?"

"Some species do. Mostly mothers tending their babies. Why?"

"Because Tripfire and Cloudjumper are watching us like I've started doing a funny dance and you joined in."

Valka turned her head slightly, seeing their reptilian audience.

"It's new for them, I suppose."

"True. And they're probably still worried about you, and making sure you don't suddenly fall over."

Her hair was only a little damp by the time he'd finished braiding it, thanks to his towel drying and the roaring fire nearby. He stepped away, circling round in case Valka needed help down. She opened her eyes, seeming surprised.

"You're done?"

"Yeah. Not the exact same as you usually wear it, but I didn't know how to do that, so I did how my grandfather taught me."

Valka slid down from the stool, running her fingers over the braids themselves.

"Your grandfather taught you?"

"Yeah. He had hair about as long as yours when I was a kid, and his hands were getting really stiff. I'd already started learning to tie knots and braid rope, so I learned to do his hair for him too after every bath night."

She smiled softly.

"That's very sweet. Thank you for helping me."

"No problem. Want some dinner?"

He cooked and they chatted, quiet and intermittent while Valka stroked Cloudjumper and Eret tried to keep Tripfire out of the cooking pot before she burned her nose plates. She grumbled until Eret tossed some fish over for her, and both he and Valka watched as Tripfire considered the pile, then picked up one fish and threw it over to Cloudjumper. The male dragon looked like all his birthdays had come at once.

Did dragons celebrate birthdays?

Valka smiled fondly as Cloudjumper took the fish, chewing before he returned to the humans side to continue reassuring himself Valka was still there. Tripfire saw Eret looking at her, huffed and turned back to her food. Cloudjumper's utter panic about Valka's injuries had diluted a lot of tension between the three conscious ones, since even Tripfire wouldn't kick a dragon when he was down, and Cloudjumper needed Eret to take care of Valka with his human hands, something even Cloudjumper's dextrous wing claws could not do.

After eating, Tripfire grabbed her dragon nip bag and seemed content to laze on the ground with it, occasionally rolling around and rubbing her face on it before stilling again. Valka could feed herself again, so their stew and flatbread meal went over well. She still needed more rest though, so he mixed up the medicine for her head again and promised to check on the dragons before he went to bed himself.

Tending dragons in the injury bay took longer and longer now - not because of numbers, but because Eret had a bad habit of getting distracted petting the dragons. They were such affectionate, sweet things and damn he never expected to think such things, but he couldn't imagine never knowing now. Tripfire had followed him out, was making sure Eret didn't seem to be giving any other dragon too much attention instead of her.

"There we go buddy. Rest up. You should be able to move back with the other Hobblegrunts tomorrow."

That got him a happy chitter for his troubles before Eret moved on to the next dragon, scratching under a scaled chin before he checked on a healing broken wing.

"Valka will be back soon, but she got hurt and needs to rest too. I promise she hasn't forgotten you."

Talking really seemed to help keep dragons calm when Eret was messing with wing splints, which could be incredibly painful for them but they seemed to understand well enough that they'd be able to fly again if they allowed it. Eret put a soothing salve on the wing bone, which helped keep pain and swelling down. Refilled water, a couple of folded furs for pillows and a little grass for each dragon that needed help to get to sleep later, Eret saw Tripfire ruffling her wings, head turned toward one of the tunnels that would take them outside.

"You wanna go flying before bed?"

Tripfire nodded, warbling happily.

"Alright, alright. Quietly girl, don't wake the sick dragons. You want a gentle flight, or shall I get the saddle?"

Tripfire opted for a gentle flight, and Eret was able to go without the saddle for that - he did tie a rope on her, but only to hold on when she was taking off. Once she levelled out for them to glide together, he could just sit comfortably by then. Tripfire usually preferred a lot of diving and spinning, but sometimes they just... flew. The ocean waves barely visible below, clouds still far above, they middled out where the air was brisk but not freezing, the only sounds a little wind and Tripfire's wingbeats.

"You know Tripfire, if you like Cloudjumper it's ok."

The dragon shifted beneath him, twisting her head to try and appear threatening. Eret rolled his eyes at her, rubbed the back of her head affectionately.

"Alright, alright! I didn't say anything."

Chuckling to himself, Eret indicated they should get back soon - they hadn't told Valka they were going, and he didn't want her worrying. Stretching her wings had done Tripfire some good though, and after several licks to Eret, she gave a little dragon laugh before moving to hang upside down from her usual perch. Eret wiped himself down, took off his tunic and tossed a log on the fire to keep it burning just enough to warm the room. Valka was fast asleep, bundled up under a few furs. She'd drunk her medicine, which was good. Eret curled up with his furs and pillow, stretched out with a yawn and closed his eyes.

"I'll be fine!"

They'd had the same debate three days running now, Valka insistent on going flying and Eret pointing out she still wobbled on stairs. Ultimately, he couldn't stop her, but if Eret asked Tripfire to tell Cloudjumper not to fly while Valka was recovering... it had kept her down so far.

"If you want to go flying, I'll take you flying. But you are not fit to stand on Cloudjumper's back right now."

It had seemed a much more sensible offer before it happened, Eret mused. Valka agreed to being taken flying, itching to get back in the sky. Which meant one thing; them sitting very close together on his saddle. Cloudjumper looked torn between betrayal that Valka was on Tripfire's back, and happiness that she wasn't in any danger.

Eret wasn't sure letting Valka sit at the front of the saddle was wise. She fit against him so well, her back to his chest as he leant around her to hold the saddle. Her hands brushed his on the handles. They were only designed for one person, and so the two gripping was a snug fit. But then she let out a sound of pure joy at being back in the air, and Eret knew he was going to deal with his own discomfort just to let her have the time up there. Even if the scent of soap on her hair lingered just enough to remind him that he'd been the one to wash her...

"How do you feel? Don't faint on me now."

"I'm fine. Oh, I have missed this. There isn't a freedom like it."

They flew for a little while, Cloudjumper close by and Tripfire incredibly patient with them. And then Valka let go of the saddle grip, holding her arms out in that way she did as though she had wings to spread. Probably alright, usually, but Tripfire had to jump to avoid a juvenile Thunderdrum from barreling into them, and Valka very nearly got bucked off the saddle altogether. Eret grabbed her on instinct, one hand on the saddle and the other around her thin waist, feeling her smaller hand against his as she gripped on too.

"You alright?"

"Yes, yes. I concede you were right I try this way first."

Eret nodded, though she couldn't see him.

"Told you. I won't let you fall."

"For a moment, I did not recognise you Eret, son of Eret."

Eret placed his helmet aside, bowed his head to Mala as Valka slid down from Cloudjumper's back.

"Yeah, I finally made some flight gear. Now me and Tripfire match!"

Tripfire roared happily, then pottered toward Mala's outstretched hand for attention. And probably sagefruit. But she did seem to geuinely like Mala - except for the flight ban, that was. That did not sit so well with Tripfire, but now Valka was back at full strength, they needed to start warning her allies, few and far between as they were. The fact Drago had a Bewilderbeast on side was not something to keep to themselves.

Mala had food and drink ready within half an hour, and then she sat listening with her eerie level of focus as Valka tried to explain. The trouble was she'd suffered that head knock, and it ruined her memory of the moments around it. So she had to keep deferring to Eret, who was happy to volunteer the information but still mildly terrified of serious Mala.

"Have you visited with the Wingmaidens?"

"No. Once we leave here we'll check in at the nest, and then the Wingmaidens are our next stop. I haven't even had the chance to introduce them to Eret yet, but by the time we get there the hatching season will be over, and that's the most dangerous for him."

Eret's eyes widened as he looked between the women.

"Why is this dangerous for me?"

"The Maidens live with dragons who do not like males. Cloudjumper and I can only visit at certain times because of it."

He started laughing, confusing Valka at first.

"Man hating dragons is usually a euphemism for nagging wives I hear in taverns. Not that I spend time in taverns anymore."

Valka couldn't help but roll her eyes as Mala raised an eyebrow, neither approving of his joke but it was so very Eret. He was unashamed, taking a swallow of wine with his usual grin. She couldn't truly fault his behaviour - Eret had been incredible the last few weeks. Valka genuinely wasn't sure what she'd have done without him, on those days she couldn't even stand, tending to the dragons and checking on scouts, taking them for lunch flights and still keeping on top of nursing Valka back to health.

"You will spend the night, yes?"

They both agreed; it was a long enough flight that overnight made sense, the dragons needed rest before they flew back anyway. Perched around the fire that night with a handful of Defenders, Mala and Throk, Valka allowed herself a minute to relax. Eret had brought along a barrel of wine they'd salvaged from a ship, and it was turning out to be a lot stronger than she'd anticipated. A few drinks in, she felt pleasantly warm and fuzzy inside, giggling to herself at the way Cloudjumper was simultaneously lazy with sagefruit and giving Tripfire a longing look.

"He has such a crush, bless his heart!"

Eret was not as tipsy and giggly as Valka felt yet, but he was working on a fresh glass of wine so he ought not to be far behind her. Valka looked at her mostly-empty cup, opting not to refill it lest she get truly drunk. Because the more inebriated she felt, the more Valka seemed to notice how firelight complimented Eret's features very well. And that was a dangerous thought to follow. They'd already pushed boundaries Valka hadn't expected them to - he'd had to help her bathe, carried her injured body, slept next to her when he worried she wouldn't wake. He'd held her on the saddle in a way that was intensely intimate at one point, after Valka had forgotten how bad her balance was while her head healed.

So she ought not to be letting thoughts of how nice he looked right now grow. And wine seemed to feed them... Valka put her cup aside, moving away from Eret's warmth as she rose from the log they'd been sharing to sit on. A glass of water ought to help.

When she returned to her perch, Eret had finished his next cup and began... dancing was a strong word for his strange little movements to the instruments the Defenders had begun playing.

"Valka! Dance with me!"

"Absolutely not."

Eret ignored her, jumping up and grabbing hold of her with a drunken smile and laughing as she tried to wriggle free of him.

"Let me go you ridiculous man."

"Nope! Tripfire is too sleepy to dance, so you have to dance with me!"

Neither of them could actually dance, Eret a little graceless with wine and Valka laughing so hard she couldn't catch her breath enough to wrestle Eret off her. She heard stifled giggles around them, watching Valka attempt to fend Eret off as he danced her around anyway. After nightfall or during celebrations were the only times the island was so relaxed, really - every adult was a well trained warrior, and Mala could be serious to the point of severe, iron-fisted. The children had more lee-way for behaviour, but they were still expected to adhere to a training schedule.

So the visiting dragon riders who got drunk and danced like idiots rather stood out, and Valka liked that the Defenders felt free to enjoy such a time even with outsiders. Though Mala had referred to Valka as an honourary Defender for her work protecting dragons...

Speaking of Mala, Eret spun her and Valka caught sight of the Queen herself watching the two of them. She wasn't laughing aloud, but there was a hand to her smiling mouth and a few twitches of the shoulder.

Eret finally let her go when the music stopped, still grinning like an idiot as he lowered his arms before heading over to check on Tripfire, who was still fast asleep with a half-eaten sagefruit next to her head.

Valka excused herself to go in search of the outhouse, navigating the small pathways between the wooden homes until she came across an outhouse at last. The cool evening air was pleasant to walk through, quieter as the sounds of the group around the fire struggled to reach through all the twists and turns.

"-hurt her, you will answer to me."

Valka frowned. That was Mala's voice. Who was she threatening? The voice that answered surprised her too.

"There isn't anything-" Valka recognised the growl that interrupted Eret - she'd seen the Queen angry a few times and Eret changed tack immediately "yes ma'am."

She rounded the corner a few steps later, saw Eret between Mala and the wall of a hut but nobody else around.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"Not at all. Enjoy your evening Valka, I am retiring for the night."

"Oh. Goodnight Mala."

Eret watched the matriarch leave, swallowing thickly before he looked back to Valka with his usual smile.

"Everything alright Eret?"

"Yep. Fine. Coming back?"

She let him walk alongside her as they rejoined the campfire group, smiling when she saw Cloudjumper laid on his side to feel the warmth of the fire on his belly. Mala reappeared to bid her citizens a good night, then disappeared off toward her home leaving them to finish out the evening for themselves.

Eret was acting no differently, but Valka was still curious about what they'd been talking about. Had Mala been warning Eret off of her? That was ridiculous, she reasoned. There was nothing going on between she and Eret that needed warning about.

-HTTYD-

Honestly, the Titanic-esque scene on Tripfire was an accident but when I mentioned it to someone their response said it definitely had to stay in.