xvii. Not So Treacherous?

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━━ chapter seventeennot so treacherous?

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━━ chapter seventeen
not so treacherous?

✿✼:*゚:༅。.。༅:*·゚゚·⭑

━━When Valkyrie had that discussion with Asrifth yesterday, she didn't think it would hold such meaning to her as it did now. She was supposed to be resting, supposed to be healing, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Every time she sat down, she thought of Hiccup, and she was up moving again. The entire village was stressed, begging for their next move, turning to the acting chief for what was to be done. And Hiccup had no idea. He had no time to sit down and comprehend what had happened last night. He had no time to himself to just let himself feel the absolute horror and loss. Valkyrie remembered how he had been when his father was frozen by those Speed Stingers, how lost he had been, and now, she could imagine the surface.

She found him before he would have to address the entire village in the Great Hall. They would be angry, distressed, furious━shouting like Vikings. Hiccup needed to be mentally prepared for that. Valkyrie didn't know what to say, or how to help, but she couldn't just leave him in a time like this.

She stepped through the door of his house to see him staring at his father's chair, pale and anxious. He looked as though he couldn't even bear the thought of sitting in it.

Valkyrie took a deep breath and approached him. She closed the door gently behind her, and she knew he could tell she was here, just by the set of his jaw.

She didn't say a word until she was beside him. Carefully, she reached out and took his hand with a ginger touch, her fingers lacing with his. His shoulders seemed to sink a little.

Finally, she decided to say softly, "We're going to get him back."

Hiccup hung his head. "I know ..."

He let go of her hand and turned away, facing the fire. Valkyrie watched him go with an ache in her chest. He always doubted himself━ever since that day he thought he was going to lose Toothless. How was she supposed to change that? What was she supposed to say to make him see himself as she did? She was the first to believe in him, and she continued to believe in him even if he didn't believe in himself. And it hurt her so much to see him so defeated and devesated, because she knew that this wasn't who he was.

"Look," she sighed, stepping up to him again. "This is a mess. A real big mess. And I can't begin to know how terrible you must feel. Your father is out there right now under Dagur's hold, and the whole village is awaiting the verdict you don't even know."

Hiccup shot her a glare. "Thank you," he grumbled, "for summing that up." She pursed her lips. Then, he sighed and slumped further, hanging his head. "I don't know what to do, Val ... I━I'm not a chief, I'm not my father. I can't go out there and come up with this huge plan to save Dad, stop Dagur and the oncoming Screaming Death. I━I don't know ... I ..."

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