𝐊𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐄𝐒𝐈 ━ how to train your dragon²

17│TALES OF THE FOG MONSTER

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❛ ᴋʜᴀʟᴇᴇsɪ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚  ▎❛ 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ᴛᴀʟᴇs ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ
ғᴏɢ ᴍᴏɴsᴛᴇʀ  ꒱


❝ SOUNDS LIKE YOU'VE
GOT YOURSELF A CRUSH,
MY LITTLE DRAGON❞

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"Dad, do we have any more arrows?" Dany asked her father a few days later. As usual, he was in his woodshed out back working on his latest project. She leaned against the doorframe as she watched him, always keen to observe the older man's skill.

Randolf looked up from his work, wiping the sweat that had gathered on his forehead away with the stained sleeve of his work clothes. He gave his daughter a fond smile as he teased her, "didn't I just give you some? I didn't think Berk was that dangerous."

She flushed and her eyes dropped to her hands, where she played with her fingers. "It's not. I, um, lost them. . . away from Berk."

"And how did you lose this set?" he asked her curiously. "You know the price for weaponry is the tale of how you came to need more."

"Do you promise not to tell mom? I'm pretty sure she would yell at me. . ." the blonde confessed, nervously glancing over her shoulder to make sure Ingrid wasn't around.

Her father patted the three-legged stool next to him. "Of course I won't. I only want to live vicariously through you, my little dragon."

Relieved, Dany took the offered seat while Randolf dragged another over to sit next to her. She regaled him with the story of how she got sucked into a waterspout with Snotlout and Hiccup, being flung all the way to Outcast Island. She told him about the boys' arguments and. . . "and then Snotlout demanded that I choose between him and Hiccup." She scoffed. "As if that's a competition."

"You chose Snotlout?" the blond joked with a mischievous grin.

Dany glared at him, completely missing his playful tone as she responded passionately, "no, of course not! I'm always gonna choose Hiccup. There is no other side."

Randolf chuckled at his daughter's response, but he noticed the defensiveness in her tone. He knew that Daenerys wasn't the best at picking up emotional queues in speech, but the. . . protectiveness in her words was paired with a warmth that he'd noticed was appearing more and more often when she spoke of the boy. He studied her for a moment, knowing that her mother and Astrid had both pressed her on the subject with not much result.

"Dany," he said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder, "do you. . . have feelings for Hiccup?"

Dany's cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink and she looked down at her hands, finding her fingers fascinating once more. "Of course not, we're just friends," she replied, but her words lacked the usual heated protest. "I mean, he's just. . . he's always been there, you know? And he's so. . . brave, and smart, and. . ." She trailed off, unable to find the words to express the way her heart seemed to flutter whenever she was around him.

Randolf smiled softly, the amusement in his eyes tinged with warmth. "Sounds like you've got yourself a crush, my little dragon."

Dany's head snapped up; her eyes wide. "A crush? No, no, it's not like that! I mean, sure, he's. . . he's not the worst person to look at, but it's not like I'm in love with him or anything!" She objected, the words tumbling out in a rush.

He chuckled, the sound of it rich and smooth. She had always found comfort in her father's laugh, one of her earliest memories being the vibration of it against her ear as she rested her head against his chest. The older man held up his hands placatingly. "Alright, alright, I was wrong. Easy, Dany. You can't blame your father for looking forward to when you have your first boyfriend."