Had so much fun talking out the plans for this fic with commissioner. So excited for the rest of the story!
Originally this fic was only meant to contain one sexy scene. It now contains a second. So warnings for smuts.
-HTTYD-
Caring for the dragons in her nest was about the only time Valka's life seemed quiet by then. So many battles, so much blood soaked into her armour that the stains were long set in. She'd thought of making more, but what was the point if she was only going to get them bloody again?
Sometimes flying was peaceful too, but she was always a little on edge, unable to help but scan the horizon for sails that made her heart sink and her anger flare.
As she laid down in the nursery that evening, a little baby Sand Wraith fast asleep in her lap letting out funny little snoring sounds, Valka sighed to herself. She wasn't lonely, and when she was, a night in a tavern usually fixed it. But when she held the small, sweet baby dragons, Valka ached for how much she missed her son. He had to be at least fifteen by then, far from a baby anymore, but her only memories of him were of the little babe that nestled in her arms and smiled up at her.
Sensing her low mood, Cloudjumper shuffled as close as he dared without risking waking the sleeping Sand Wraith and cooed softly at her. She reached to pat his side, giving him a sad smile.
"Don't worry Cloudjumper, I'm alright. Just some memories."
He warbled a low, mournful sound, then did his best to lie down near her, eyes closing happily when Valka rubbed his horned head. She remembered the first time she saw him, looming huge and scary over her baby boy.
Except, he wasn't so scary. Hiccup had seen that. Giggled and grasped at the big beast, who fixed curious eyes on the little babe. Cloudjumper had obviously not known much about humans. She'd had to teach him things like privacy when she answered nature's call, and bath water that wasn't an ice cold river, and that she had to cook her meat. And while Valka was pretty cold-resistant, she wasn't a reptile. He knew it all now, but she had had to teach him.
If only she could have taught people about dragons too.
Gods, if only she could have taught her son.
The loneliness was starting to gnaw at her more intently the longer she dwelled on her son. Valka carefully shifted the slumbering Sand Wraith and crept off without waking him, Cloudjumper shuffling along behind her until they were out of the nursery.
"Rrroww?"
"I know. I just miss my son. You remember him? He helped you show me the truth. He was never afraid of you. Not even when you... I know you were only defending yourself, but setting fire to that hut was dangerous."
Cloudjumper gave her a sort of "whoops?" look, and Valka couldn't really stay mad at him - Stoick had come very close to taking off a nose plate or two with that axe he wielded, and part of her knew Cloudjumper was trying to protect her too - so she just patted his side.
"Daft dragon."
He nuzzled Valka until she was giggling, batting him away playfully. It only made Cloudjumper more persistent, wrapping his wings around her and she allowed the cuddle, smiling and feeling less of that awful loneliness again with his warm, scaled belly under her hands. He rumbled happily when she scratched gently, soon flopping down on to the ground so she could give him the belly rubs he denied enjoying.
"Your secret is safe with me."
Valka joked when he jumped up at the sound of other dragons, not wanting to be seen laying belly up to her when he assumed the position of second in command within the Alpha's nest. He ruffled his wings as she laughed, and the two of them continued on with their day. Hiccup lingered on her mind though, Valka picturing him as a toddler playing in the nursery with the dragons, a young boy oooh-ing and aaah-ing over eggs. Sometimes even as a teenager, gangly and thin like her, clumsy on the back of a dragon but joyful up in the air...
Shaking off the thoughts, Valka was just changing her clothes to go tavern hopping and ease the loneliness when a few scouts returned, anxiously squawking and shuffling in that way that said "we need to go!". So instead, Valka turned to get her armour instead, clambering up on Cloudjumper's back with her helmet on and her staff in hand. With a team of the best fighters in the nest behind her - Valka hated to ask it of them, but they were all there by choice to defend themselves, and likely would even if she wasn't there - they were in the air before long, following the trail the scouts led her on.
She recognised the sails, though the first time she saw them Valka hadn't had any idea they were actually hunters sails. Not until that man took off his vest and exposed that brand...
A few shakes of her staff in certain ways signalled the others - go slow, stay out of sight, they have caged dragons - before they dropped down to where the ship was docked for the night. That made it easier - the dragons were always stored in one spot, so the noise of them trying to escape didn't wake the sleeping trappers. There were a couple on guard duty, obviously, because Valka's escapades as a vigilante freeing them was well known.
Their set up was on a small island, a rather large amount of forest behind them. Not the wisest idea for those who captured fire breathing reptiles, but Valka had smashed up a bunch of their old forts before. Perhaps they'd just decided to set up near a supply of building materials - they knew Valka wasn't going to burn down a whole forest. There might have been dragons in it.
There weren't many dragons there, but there also weren't a lot of the crew either. Valka hummed in thought as the dragons burned down the fort, thinking to herself as she unlocked cages. Perhaps they were on the nearest island, taking a break before they went out to fill the ship? It wasn't a big catch, and the crew that sailed under those colours worked for Drago Bludvist himself. Drago was known to be angry with small catches. She could imagine them wanting to take the edge off their worries before they faced him.
He'd been known to kill those who displeased him, after all.
They didn't have any seriously wounded dragons, and so Valka sent them back to the nest alone. Cloudjumper was confused as she turned him toward the next island, probably an hour by sail but only minutes on dragon back.
Valka landed down out of the way, taking off her armour and wrapping it up in a large animal skin she'd taken from the fort they'd destroyed. Cloudjumper was not impressed when he saw what she had on underneath, though it was by luck really - she'd been dressing in her 'normal' clothes when the scouts appeared.
"I'm just going to see if they're here. It would be a wasted opportunity otherwise."
He rolled his eyes, but brushed aside some foliage to set up and wait. Valka tucked her things under a bush to retrieve later, patting her dragon reassuringly. She smelled a little of the smoke from the fight, but that couldn't be helped and she was still likely to smell better than half the people in the tavern. Her legs ached a little after all the running and jumping around in the fight, but the walk wasn't a rush and the ground was quite forgiving, so by the time Valka reached the tavern, the pain was pretty much gone.
She saw what she was looking for right away - the fur lined vests and armbands, tattooed chests and the strange language. Several were looking forlorn, the others pretty drunk.
One looked very familiar.
Dragon hunting must run in the family.
Valka approached the bar and ordered herself a drink, ignoring a few unsubtle looks from other patrons as she eyed the dead ringer, wracking her brains for the name of who she strongly suspected was his father.
After she took a long swallow of ale, Valka lowered her cup and noticed she'd caught his eye. The same eyes too, an interesting shade of amber. The son was much younger, face less weathered though his hands and arms were littered with scars all the same.
Well, she'd been planning on coming out to a tavern to assuage her loneliness anyway...
Valka gave him the usual 'shy' look over her drink, looking away for a minute to feign feeling flustered. When she turned back, he was watching her openly. A small smile, and less than a minute later he was making his way over.
"Mind if I sit here?"
Your father asked me that.
"Not at all."
His accent wasn't as thick, and Norse didn't sound so unpracticed on his tongue. Valka supposed this one had spent longer out at sea, travelling further from his homelands. He also smiled more. Valka wasn't sure why she noticed that.
"I'm Eret, son of Eret."
Yep. Definitely the son.
"I'm Rona."
It was the same name she'd used with his father - he was the first one she'd killed when it wasn't a fire fight, and so that night was one of the few that really lingered in her mind. The rest had started to blur together in her mind by then. Some she didn't bother finishing undressing with before they were dead on the floor. Others that had become violent behind closed doors, and forced her hand sooner rather than later.
"So, what brings you out here?"
"I travel. You?"
"I'm a sailor. So... I guess I travel too."
And a dragon trapper.
"Seems so."
He took a sip of his drink, still looking her over.
"Not much of a talker?"
"My people skills are a little rusty."
Despite the down mood most of his crew mates seemed afflicted by, this Eret was surprisingly jovial, and didn't seem overly concerned that Valka wasn't especially chatty. He seemed happy to carry on the conversation for her, until both were two drinks down and, to her great surprise, he actually made her laugh. When had another human done that for her? It was always dragons she laughed and joked with.
Valka almost told him he was better company than his father had been, but that would have been an awkward explanation to make.
He was warm, Valka couldn't keep from noticing. Where she sat next to him, she could feel the heat of his skin even through her clothes. Eret drained the rest of his drink, then laid his cup down on the bar.
"Well, I came here to drink my sorrows, but you've certainly brightened my night."
Valka raised an eyebrow.
"Leaving so soon?"
"Well..." go on, ask "you're welcome to come up with me, if you don't want it to end yet."
Valka pretended to think about it. He was definitely attractive (for a hunter), in much the same way his father had been, though not quite as rough around the edges. Not that she'd gotten to that with his father, what with the sudden death and all.
"How old are you?"
He faltered, seeming surprised by the question.
"Twenty. I think. Maybe twenty one. You lose track a bit at sea, but I started sailing at fifteen when my father died and I know I've seen five summers since. Why?"
"Just didn't want to be taking a boy to bed."
Eret frowned, looking her up and down.
"You don't look that old to me."
Valka was probably fifteen years his senior by then. She lost track a little herself, mostly measured years in the hatching cycles of dragons. Still, he wasn't a child, and he approached her willingly.
"Quite the charmer. Lead the way."
Seeming very pleased, Eret hopped up from his stool and gestured for her to follow him upstairs. Valka finished her drink and followed him, noticing he waved to his crew before they disappeared. That was unfortunate, as it meant they saw her - if she left Eret in the same state she had his father, suspicions would definitely have fallen upon her.
For the first time in a while, Valka pushed that thought aside. She'd worry about that later; she'd been wanting to go out for the night anyway.
Valka excused herself to the bathroom once Eret showed her which room was his, needing a minute to brace herself. As she fumbled around in the half-lit room - one of the flames in there had gone out, casting half the room in to shadow - Valka noted the strange flutter in her belly. He was a trapper, but Valka's raw emotions were a little vulnerable after letting herself dwell on her son for so long and honestly she just wanted a few minutes where everything was simple.
He'd be about fifteen now, she thought to herself, before pushing away the emotional musings. Sex was simple. She was focused on that.
Eret was already getting comfortable, top half of his body stripped off and his boots kicked off. Valka suppressed a thought of how he'd gotten more clothes off than his father did. He smiled when she walked in, waiting for Valka to shut the door behind her and shuffle off her boots. They weren't her normal boots for taverns, but she doubted Eret was going to recognise the vigilante based on boots he'd probably only ever have caught glimpses of in mid-air, if at all.
"How old are you?"
"Now now, you never ask a lady her age. I am... older than you."
Eret raked his eyes over her form, shaking his head.
"Well, you look damn good for it."
Valka saved herself the trouble of answering and kissed him, if only to shut him up. It worked, Eret's hands wrapping around her waist and pulling her closer as he kissed her back. Valka rested her hands on his chest, felt that same blistering heat coming off of his skin. It reminded her of standing near a dragons flame. He had the eagerness of a young man, mouth hot and hungry against her own as he undressed her. If he changed his mind about believing she was older when her body was bared to him, Eret didn't say. Valka tipped her head back when his teeth dragged over her throat, the thrill of the mild threat of pain turning her on more than it had any right to.
His britches fell from his hips soon after her hands reached his waist, and Valka mentally thanked the gods that there was no hunters brand on his skin, allowing her to almost forget what he was for a minute. Eret groaned, hips bucking when Valka's hand circled his shaft, pleasantly surprised by the size of him as his cock pulsed in her grip. He fumbled to remove her bottoms without dislodging her hand, eventually giving up and gripping her by the hips to boost her up on to the bed. He grunted as her hand tightened before he pried her fingers away, tugging her bottoms off and discarding them along with her underlayers.
Valka had been naked in front of countless men by then, but even with all the trysts with strangers in taverns under her belt, she wasn't quite used to being looked at the way Eret looked at her. She'd seen men look at her like they wanted to devour her, but it often came across far more predatory than Eret was. Warm, rough hands spread her legs so he could lean between them, winking up at Valka before she felt the heat of his tongue, clumsy but keen and his enthusiasm more than made up for lack of practice. Was she always so sensitive? Her thigh muscles twitched under the grip of his fingers, hands wrapped around her legs to hold them open as she bit her lip, trying not to be too loud too fast.
Watching him quickly became too much, shoving at his head until Eret got the message and came up for air, wiping lazily at his wet face.
"You alright?"
Valka kissed him, ignoring that his mouth was still damp and just hoping he'd stop talking. It worked very well, Eret stopping only to kick his bottoms off the rest of the way before he climbed up on the bed with her. She so rarely dared turn her back, but Valka found she couldn't deal with looking at him when he was so very cheery, feeling something that was almost like guilt, because she should have known she was too raw and open for this before, but instead she'd gone out and faced another boy who lost a parent, just like her son.
Eret didn't seem to mind, burning skin of his chest against her back as his weight pressed her down. Valka wondered if she should have felt unsafe like that, but instead she tingled at the feel of his breath, hot and damp against her neck as he panted, nudging her legs far apart to fit him.
"This ok?"
His words made tears she didn't understand sting the corner of her eyes, and Valka didn't trust her voice enough so she just pushed back against him with a needy whine. Eret took that as her consent, cock pressing in to her inch by painstaking inch. He was thick, filled her to the point Valka felt breathless as he bottomed out. His mouth had left her more than wet enough to take him, the slick slide of his cock as he flexed his hips finally quieting her mind at last to let her focus on nothing but the pleasure building low in her belly.
She felt his hand move to trace her back, no doubt noticing she was covered in scars, caused by playful dragon claws and accidental fires and fighting against humans to protect the dragons. Some might have even been caused by his own crew, though Eret wasn't to know that. He kept moving, big hands closing over hers on the bed, hers digging into the linen under both their fingers when harder thrusts made her body seize.
Valka bit down on the sheet to try and quiet herself, unsure what it was about him that was making her react stronger than she was used to and not content to fuel his ego with her responsive moans and cries. She'd grown used to most of the trappers and hunters she encountered being sadistic, rough enough to leave bruises. Valka liked that, thrilled in the pain and lingering aches, but Eret wasn't like that and yet the lack of pain hadn't lessened her arousal any.
Eret moved one hand, managing to wriggle it underneath her and curl his fingers up against her in a way that had Valka seeing stars, Eret's weight on her back stopping her from arching up or curling into herself against the surprisingly powerful sensations. His hips didn't slow, every stroke urging her on.
The climax hit her out of nowhere, leaving Valka gasping and shaking under Eret, barely aware of him pulling out to finish himself on her back other than the damp warmth she felt splash across her skin.
When Eret rolled over on to his back, Valka missed his warmth, a fresh wave of loneliness surging. It was dulled by the afterglow still warming her, but it was definitely still there. Eret grinned over at her, expression hazy with his own post-coital glow before he sat up.
"Hang on, I'll uh, get something to wipe you off so you can move."
That was unusual in itself, a rather strange sensation as Eret scraped his own mess off her back with some fabric. Valka wasn't sure she could think of another time someone else had done that for her.
Why was he so... different? It was frustrating. Was it just because of the mood she'd been in before? Or something else?
Valka mumbled a thanks as she sat up, looking for her clothes. She'd just piled them up to start redressing when an urge that was clearly borne of a momentary madness made itself known.
"Can I show you something?"
"Uh, sure?"
Eret looked confused, but after wiping himself down he pulled on the britches Valka handed to him.
"Come with me."
He reached for his things, but Valka shook her head. She didn't want him armed.
"Leave it, you'll be coming back soon."
"Where are we going?"
"Just... come."
Obviously bemused and more than a little wary, Eret followed Valka down the back staircase, passing a couple of outhouses that were used for the taverns patrons that didn't spend the money for rooms. Though there wasn't much difference, she supposed, in the functionality of the indoor or outdoor.
"Rona, where are we going? I should get back."
Valka faltered, turning to face him. He'd slowed down a little.
"It's not far. And my name isn't Rona."
That seemed to be enough to pique his curiousity, and to get him to keep following her. Cloudjumper was not going to be happy with her insane little flight of fancy, Valka was certain. And maybe she was just going mad from years alone. But there was something about Eret that made her decide to try again. After all, if she could convert the trapper, maybe there was hope?
Something about him had gotten through to her, made Valka feel actual human emotions, even if they weren't tied directly to feelings about him. If he got through to her... maybe she could get through to him?
-HTTYD-
Do we think this will end well?
