A Storm from the East (A Viggo Lovestory)

Chapter 32

Hákon had told his father that Eos had gone on another patrol flight, to check if there were any updates on the Hunters position. In a way, that was true. Eos was checking for something, but it was only one Hunter she was interested in. She knew this was the last thing she should be doing. Hákon had sent her away to clear her head and to take a break, not to indulge in this seemingly meaningless matter anymore. Eos was fighting a war. For God's sake, she was the new general of an enormous army of skilled dragon-riding Protectors, not to mention the fleet she now also had control over. The girl even had a lense that could potentially bring them to the King of Dragons before Krogan and his Flyers could.
Though Eos knew, that she had to push her relationship behind her and attend to her duty, she couldn't. Not without him. She had this gut feeling that something wasn't right. Sure, what he had said in those caves could have all been a lie, but she had seen his face. She had seen the desperate glistening in his eyes. She had seen that he only wanted her out of there so she'd be safe.
And if that was true, if he truly was toying with Johann and Krogan, than she had to find him and get him out of there, before they'd find out. All Eos could do was hope that she wasn't wrong this time. Hope, that Viggo truly did have feelings for her. And hope to find him in time to clear all of this out of her system. And then she could finally forgive him and he would hug her and kiss her and hold her and the world would be okay again.

A movement in the corner of her eye got her to focus on a small figure near the caves at the beach. Leiptr was stumbling into a cave, a man steadying himself on him. Viggo.

"Let's check that out, girl," Eos whispered to her dragon and directed her down towards the beach.

As she jumped off her dragon and her boots hit the wet, white sand of the beach, Eos felt a little pang of fear in her chest. She was going after him on a gut-feeling. She didn't have any proof that he had changed. For all she knew, he could be the vicious, mean Dragon Hunter he used to be and kill her before she even had the chance to open her mouth.
But when Eurus put her snout on Eos back and gently nudged her towards the entrance of the cave, she gained some trust. Her dragon had never gotten it wrong.

Eos walked into the cave, breathing out shakily. "Viggo? Are you there?"

Suddenly Eos heard a sword being unsheathed next to her alongside hasty footsteps. Without even thinking, Eos pulled out one of her trusted swords and blocked the attack, the clashing swords locking in place.
Eos turned to see Viggo's surprised look and immediately felt him back down.

"Eos." He breathed. "It's you."

"Yeah, yeah, it's me." Eos put her sword back to grab his arms. "Viggo what happened? You look awful." Her voice was shaky and tears threatened to roll down her face once again.

"My flower, I am so unbelievably sorry for all of this. Never in my life could I have imagined that they would go this far to get to that lense. I am very well aware that you must be incredibly enraged by all of this, but I do hold the hope that you may be able to find it within yourself to forgive me for this."

"Viggo, I..." Eos desperately wanted to repeat her words from that moment on the beach so long ago. She wanted to say that she already had forgiven him, that it was okay. But when she was honest with herself, when she dug deep... There wasn't any forgiveness. There was pain and anger and confusion. Eos hands were quaking when they slid off Viggo's arms to hug her slim form. Tears streamed down her freckled cheeks form her fear-filled eyes. When Viggo reached out to wipe them away, she flinched back.

She saw the pain in his eyes, in both of them, his blind one even. And she wanted to feel sorry for hurting him, she did, but Eos couldn't. When she looked at him, she didn't see her Viggo anymore. She saw a Hunter. A liar. A trickster. A deceiver. Everything she always claimed he wasn't was now all she could see. And she couldn't even find it in herself to feel sorry for it.

"I... I have to go."

"No, Eos, wait!" But before Viggo could run after her, Eos was already gone. Viggo felt like his heart was being ripped out as he saw the white spot flying away in the distance. He wanted nothing more than to follow her, and clear this up, but Leiptr was injured. And his own old wounds from the wolves were open again too, this time accompanied with Singetail bites and claw marks.
His dragon needed to rest, Viggo couldn't push him now, so shortly after a battle.

So Viggo did the only thing he could do. Sit down and strategize how to defeat Johann and Krogan, accounting for every possibility and having back-up plans for his back-up plans ready to go.