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green-crow · 5 months ago

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no theatrics today because this cold is kicking my ass, but here is day 4!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63178189

Day 4: Receiving Gifts

Fandom: How to train your dragon

Summary: "Hilda gets called to the hunters' base for a job, but besides the usual payment, Viggo has something else ready for her."

Rating: General Audiences

Word count: 2,872

Characters: Viggo Grimborn, Ryker Grimborn, Hilda Hávarðr (OC)

Pairing: Viggo Girmborn/Hilda Hávarðr (OC), OC/Canon

Hilda clutched her satchel's strap as she walked through the dragon hunters’ base. Despite working for them for quite a while now and thus spending more time than she would have liked with the hunters, she was yet to feel at ease between those brutes. Especially around Ryker.

When she had found that terrible terror perched on her window that same morning, detailing Ryker's insistence on having her there as soon as possible, her stomach had dropped. She knew she was in for a rough day or two every time the older Grimborn brother demanded her presence. Viggo at least had the decency to call her with some time to spare.

Making up excuses for her absence and lying to Hiccup was getting increasingly more challenging, but she couldn't do much else. Sneaking around at night, being tired for no apparent reason, disappearing for hours or even days—it was no wonder her colleagues were getting suspicious. Heather and Astrid especially. Hilda had already made a point to avoid lying to those two entirely, and with Viggo's help, they had traced new and more secure air routes for her and the terrible terrors of flying back and forth between the dragons' edge and the hunters' island. Just in case. The idea of coming clean with the Berkians had crossed her mind, of course, but it was always dismissed just as quickly as it appeared. Viggo's support had proven to be far too helpful to end their collaboration now, not to mention how the young healer may or may not have caught certain feelings for the hunters' leader. Thinking about betraying the one and only person who had truly helped her made her sick in her stomach. So, no, that wasn't an option.

On the other hand, Viggo had offered Hilda a more… Permanent alternative. Become the hunters' only healer rather than a temporary business partner. She wasn't sure how she felt about that, so she hadn't thought about it.

For now, at least.

Ryker didn't need to say anything for the two hunters guarding their leader's tent; the two men moved aside as soon as they saw him. Hilda didn't lift her head as she passed between them, yet she felt the hairs on her neck standing up. Her grip on her old satchel's strap tightened.

"Ah, there you are, little mouse." Despite once having caused her to tense up and make her want to flee, Viggo's voice now helped her feel at ease. She was used to the nickname by now, too, and she merely nodded as the chief of the dragon hunters acknowledged her. Ryker didn't seem to like being ignored, but she was used to the brothers' complicated relationship.

"I received Ryker's terror mail this morning. It seemed urgent." She didn't take a seat, not yet.

Viggo arched his brow at the older Grimborn brother but soon turned his gaze back to the healer and offered her a seat she gladly took. "I'm afraid my brother has rushed you for no reason. A few of our men are in need of your help, no doubt, but none are critical. Regardless, thank you for your punctuality." He poured himself a generous amount of a dark, red liquid in his goblet, then raised the bottle her way. She simply shook her head, denying his offer. Used to her refusal to drink, he simply set down the bottle before glancing at his desk drawer, then back at her.

Viggo went on to explain what had happened, with Ryker joining in the conversation only when his little brother asked him to. Apparently, the same mission Hiccup and the others had returned so happily from had caused some injuries between the hunters, not to mention important losses from Viggo. Hilda jotted down whatever information she considered important, though her eyes sometimes shifted to the man before her. She was aware of the subtle shift in his voice as he spoke of the lost battle against the riders, how his hand tightened its grip on the goblet, and his lips straightened subtly. Viggo wasn't an emotional man, at least not usually. He had reasonable control over his feelings, yet the topic of failure against those teens and their dragons, the same group he knew she was part of, made him lose his cool ever so slightly. Sometimes, Hilda worried she would venture into his camp for the very last time, both her dragon and his rider meeting a gruesome death at the hands of Viggo's men. Sometimes, she had nightmares about Ryker bringing down the ax over her dragon's head just as she imagined he and other hunters did when she wasn't there. Sometimes, she felt like her alliance with the hunters would end her.

"…Hear me, little mouse?" Hilda blinked as Viggo's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Her cheeks heated up, a pink hue covering her face as she realized she had been staring at the hunters' chief and not listening to his words.

"U-um, could you repeat that?" While her bashful reaction earned a huff of annoyance from Ryker, Viggo smirked. She felt like a terrible terror facing a death song that had lured and toyed with her before turning her into dinner. Like a little mouse in between a cat's paws.

"Of course. As I said, we have a crate with uva-ursi, just as you requested." The older man extended his arm toward a covered box that Hilda had previously ignored. "You will receive your payment whenever you are done with my men. Are the instructions clear?" The healer nodded, and that was that.

After a long, long day of bandaging, treating burnt wounds, and inspecting more wounds than she had expected, the viking girl finally let herself take a deep breath and rest. It hadn't been the worst of days, to be honest. At least this time, the hunters had come back with all their limbs. She shuddered as memories she had fought back to repress came back to life in her head once more.

Hilda knew she'd have to come back in a week or so to check on her patients, not too soon to make her disappearances suspicious but not too late to miss the wounded hunters' development. She was thankful that now, at least, Viggo had managed to keep some men with minimum medical skills in his army, enough to cover for her when she wasn't available. Between acting as the hunters' healer, Gothi's apprentice, and the riders' medical prodigy, the young girl felt like flying away into the sunset and never coming back. Of course, she knew she couldn't. Hilda would have never allowed herself to ignore others' pain just to catch a break, no matter how hard she wished for one. Everything she did—the secret deal with the hunters in exchange for rare ingredients for her cures, living with the riders on the edge to help Berk's most beloved heroes, even back then as a teen when she had first met her dragon, it had been on a journey to find the cure for her little sister's deadly disease. Did she get any thanks for her actions, though? Not really. Viggo paid her, sure, but that was the bare minimum, given their deal. Not only did she have to overwork herself way too hard, but the young woman also felt like her presence and skills were taken for granted. "A bit of money would be appreciated…" she mumbled under her breath, looking at her almost broken bag and thinking about her dragon's not-so-comfortable saddle. Regardless, at least she felt useful. That was enough.

With a sigh, Hilda walked back toward Viggo's tent. It was dark out already, yet the torches around the camp were enough to guide her. Shadows danced around her, the skulls on top of the fire morphing the shapes irregularly. She sped up her pace ignoring her achy feet, and didn't wait for Viggo's permission to come in. The man looked up from his papers as she pushed the dragon skin to a side, a frown and a dark glare on his face. Yet as he saw it was her, Hilda couldn't help but feel like his expression had softened ever so slightly.

"I, um, I'm done with your men." She informed him. Hilda could feel his gaze locked on her, and suddenly, she wished the earth would swallow her whole.

Being alone in the same room as Viggo had a strange effect on her. Most people would be scared, intimidated. She had felt like that the first times they had met, yet now it was different. She didn't mind being alone with him, not at all. And she knew he would not hurt her. As long as she proved to be a helpful tool, Viggo would not lie a finger on her or her dragon. She was adamant, even if she wished he saw her as something more than just that. The problem was that thanks to that lack of fear, Hilda's thoughts about him were ones she couldn't share with anyone. Well, anyone but her dragon. The woolly howl had already gotten used to the long monologues of his rider going on and on about how Viggo made her heart flutter and beat much faster for reasons that had nothing to do with fear.

"I see. That is good to hear." He set aside the papers he had been reading, now with his hands resting comfortably on his desk. "I take you have further instructions for them?"

"Right, yes." Hilda took a few steps forward and placed her notes on the table. She felt her cheeks growing hotter as she realized just how awful her penmanship was and hoped the man could read it. "Some need more care than others, but overall, your men managed to stay out of the dragon's fire shots. They should be able to return to training with Ryker in a week."

Viggo huffed. "Knowing my brother, he will demand that time to be halved." he mused. The comment made Hilda crack a smile. She found it funny how the Grimborn brothers, as dangerous and scary as they could be, could still treat each other as regular siblings would. The petty comments, the stupid mocking every once in a while, it ran deeper than a mere power imbalance (though that also helped) or mutual hatred. It reminded her of her behavior with Ebba, which made her heart soften.

The chief glanced at her, a smirk of his own appearing on his face as he saw her holding back a chuckle. A comfortable silence filled the tent for a few seconds, yet Viggo spoke up again. "Well, I trust your word. I will do my best to refrain my brother from throwing my men into the ring for the week." The man rose from his chair, now with the scarce light hitting his face more clearly. Hilda wondered if those eye-bags of his would ever go away or if the man had just been born that way. "For now, you may take your payment."

The healer looked at the crate he had mentioned earlier, the gears in her head already turning as she thought of all the different potions and unguents she could make with those rare berries. But before grabbing it, she gripped her satchel, fidgeting with the strap. "Actually, um, I have something for you." She had been preparing mentally for this for a while now, and even then, she could feel herself lowering her head and trying to hide as Viggo looked at him with genuine curiosity. Hilda opened her satchel and quickly brought out three bottles of a liquid the man did not recognize. "These will help you. Sleep, I mean. I had enough ingredients left over after my last batch of potions for Berk, and I found some lavender at the northern markets as well, so I thought- I didn't want to assume, but, since you always look so- Not that you look bad, but—" thankfully, Viggo spoke up before she could continue rambling and digging herself a deeper hole.

"A sleeping remedy, hmm?" He grabbed one of the vials, removed the cap, and smelled the aroma. Hilda had made sure to add a generous amount of lavender, an effort he appreciated. For once, the man seemed at a loss for words. "…I'm afraid I wasn't expecting something like this, I can't cover the cost of—"

"There's no need. Take it as a gift. And, if they help you, I'll make more. But these are for free. On the house." The healer knew she was blushing by now, her eyes refusing to meet his, but she tried to at least sound professional.

Viggo looked back down at the vials, and momentarily, she regretted her choice. Had she done something offensive by accident? Did she insult the chief of the dragon hunters' with her gift? She had just meant to give something back to the man who had helped her so much, but now she wished she never had. Maybe she had read the room wrong all those previous times when he had gently kissed the back of her hand, or when he had found her crying after the death of a man in her care and decided to console her. Maybe this cunning, serious businessman who had awoken new feelings within her, truly saw her as nothing but a tool. Maybe—

"Thank you, Hilda." She felt her heart skip a beat at the sound of her name on his lips. He usually used "little mouse" or other kinds of nicknames for her, but her real name, spoken with such care? That was new. "Truly." The softness in his voice made her positively melt.

"I-it's nothing, sir." She assured him as she fought against the big smile that was trying to come out.

"Actually, it is far from nothing. And I believe there is something you should get in return." Before she could complain, the older man sat back on his chair and opened one of the drawers on his desk, retrieving something almost immediately. As if he had been ready to fetch it before she had even set foot in his tent. Hilda raised her head to try and catch a peek at what he was grabbing, but she couldn't see anything. "No peeking, little mouse." He said with a rare hint of humor in his voice. The healer with rosy cheeks returned to her original stance, not moving an inch as the enemy got up and circled her, stopping at her back. She couldn't see or even hear his movements, and her breath hitched when she felt his hand gently pushing away her black hair to expose her neck. She was glad he couldn't see her scarlet face at that moment, even if the tip of her ears was probably giving her away.

Hilda inhaled sharply as cold metal touched her skin, yet she did not flinch. It wasn't the metal of a weapon, but rather some sort of light and thin chain. She looked down as he secured the necklace on her neck and pushed the medallion that decorated the chain to the front. The healer looked down and immediately recognized the rune inscribed in it. "Eir." She read, reading the name of the Valkyrie of healing. As her brain tried to process what this was, Viggo started talking, his breath teasingly reaching her exposed skin and making her shudder.

"I had it made for you." he began, for some reason remaining behind her. "Were it not for your help, my army would be much smaller, and many of my men would be in Valhalla. You work diligently, not to mention you have a talent for brewing remedies and potions. As such, you more than any should benefit from Eir's protection and guidance, even if you hardly need it." His words were measured yet warm, with no trace of the serious man he usually became in front of others.

Hilda's mind raced with thoughts too fast to grasp, and her lips, despite being open, refused to mutter any words. Viggo stepped back in front of her, worry shaking him as he saw her watery eyes.

"My dear, are you alright? If you don't like the gift, I—"

"I-it's perfect." She quickly reassured him. And it wasn't a lie. The gift was something she would have never expected, and just knowing he had took the time to think about her when she wasn't present, that he had chosen to spend time and effort into searching for this gift and eventually paying for it… She was fighting the tears as she tried her best not to start sobbing. "Thank you. I promise I'll always keep Eir's blessing close to me." She rubbed her thumb against the medallion. He cared about her.

That seemed the correct answer, given how Viggo smiled, relieved.

"I'm glad. After all, it would be a shame to lose such a… bright individual as yourself." He nodded as his gaze moved away from her.

If Hilda hadn't been so busy trying not to combust right there and there, she would have noticed Viggo's own cheeks turning a soft hue of pink. It was rare to see the man so… human.

After exchanging a few pleasantries and with some hunters' help, Hilda carried the crate of uva-ursi back to her dragon, ready to return to the edge.

For the next weeks, her friends would find the healer smiling to herself and blushing every time she looked down at her chest, where, unbeknownst to them, laid Viggo's gift right above her heart.

#httyd #writing #httyd rtte #httyd fic #httyd writing #ao3 fanfic #httyd oc #httyd sona #oc/canon #sona/canon #viggo grimborn #ryker grimborn #hilda hávarðr (OC)

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