AN: This collection belongs to another of my stories, For The Love Of A Princess. It contains shorter background stories and bonus chapters that aren't necessarily important for the main story, but may provide a deeper insight. If you haven't read FTLOAP, however, I doubt this will make much sense to you... So you better go and read it first! ;)
As announced, there won't be a new chapter for FTLOAP this week, because I'm on vacation in the UK. I'm visiting a friend and also am going to meet other friends I never would have made if not for fanfictions and HTTYD. So what better company could there be to watch the third film with? ladyamethyst21, athingofvikings, HeathenVampires, I'm so happy to know you! :D
This chapter here was meant to be a fun chapter, but in the end turned more fluffy and a bit angsty, maybe. Anyway, this little story refers to something that got mentioned in Interlude 3: Chaos Squad. It's about how Dagur ended up calling his brew Skullcrusher... and other things. Hope you enjoy it. :)
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FTLOAP - Bonus 1: Skullcrusher
(About two years earlier...)
Groaning, Eret covered his eyes with his hand as he stepped out of their house's backdoor. The bright sunlight felt like little lances piercing into his head, which only made the headache he already had worse.
"Loki, I'll never drink that stuff again," he muttered. "I feel as if my head's splitting in two."
"Ah, don't be such a lightweight," an aggravatingly cheerful voice came from behind him, and Eret turned to glare at the voice's source. Dagur, however, just kept grinning. "You just overdid it a bit. Not that I can blame you, that stuff is fantastic. Good thing I wrote down the recipe; I've got to make more of it. And it needs a proper name. Something… something cool so that people know exactly what to expect of it. Mmh, Mjolnir, maybe? Or would that be too presumptuous? How about Blissbringer? No, that sounds more like an aphrodisiac. I mean, it was followed by pure bliss, but I doubt everyone who drinks this would be so lucky as to experience such joy. Mmh, I've got to think about this. Anyway... not the point! The point is that my brew is fantastic. You just need to work up to it. Believe me, once you've gotten used to it, you barely feel anything anymore."
Grunting, Eret shook his head – and regretted it instantly as the motion made his vision swim. It wasn't as if he didn't believe Dagur; he knew well enough that his hangover came from too much rather than from what he'd been drinking last night. But, Loki, this time he really wished he hadn't drunk anything. Having a hangover was never fun, but having one when dealing with a skittish stallion? That was worse.
"You really could have stopped me at some point," he muttered, but smiled nonetheless when Dagur gave him a nudge to the arm.
"Ah, but we had so much fun!"
And they really had. Eret still couldn't believe how… liberating it had been to spend the night with Dagur. Not just laughing and drinking and joking like they'd done nearly all their lives, no. Actually spending the night together, as lovers. As a couple.
That still sounded… strange, even in his own head. Just like calling Dagur his boyfriend did. But it was true nonetheless, and now that the truth was out – at least between the two of them – he couldn't be happier.
He'd known for a while that what he felt for Dagur was more than just brotherly affection. But it had taken the chaotic night of the grand blot a few months back, with inhibition lowered by alcohol, incense, and the sense of new beginnings, for him to realise what he felt. And that Dagur felt the same.
That night, they'd kissed for the first time. He remembered the kiss he'd once shared with Swanja, an experiment to see whether their closeness meant more than the affection between siblings. But there had been nothing, just awkwardness and weirdness. With Dagur, it had been different. It almost happened by accident, in-between messily making-out with who knew how many people, but it had sparked a deep fire that since then was glowing inside him. For all these months now, it had never failed to bring a grin to his face, and last night… Last night, it had grown into a true bonfire, every stroke of hands over bare skin, every kiss only letting it burn hotter.
No, there was nothing about last night Eret truly regretted, not even celebrating their love with Dagur's latest brew. The stuff had been good! But by Odin, he wished he'd drunk at least a little less.
"Fun it was," he admitted with a smirk that made Dagur cackle. "But I severely hope the reports about the horse they sent back from Berk were exaggerated, or I fear my head might just split in two at some point."
The reminder of bad news was enough to let even Dagur sober up in an instant. "So it's true?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed. "They're all dead?"
Eret nodded, eyes dropping to the ground. "Looks like it. The entire house burned down to the ground, and no matter how much they searched, they couldn't find any survivors. Just... burned bodies. They haven't even been able to sort out who is who for some of them." The thought still hurt. Eret had spent a lot of time at his aunt's household, had taught his cousin Hiccup, who had a natural gift in dealing with animals, how to handle their horses, had sparred with his uncle Stoick and his younger cousin Arndis, had told stories to his little cousin Teitr, the small boy staring up at him with wide green eyes. It were fond memories; he'd always enjoyed spending time with this part of his family. But now, they were all dead, they and their entire household, servants and everybody.
He took a deep breath to steady himself again. Death wasn't something he hadn't encountered before. Hel, it had been only three years ago that he and his sisters had lost their mother. But this was still… different somehow. Because nobody knew what really happened, whether it had been an accident, a dragon attack, arson, or a deliberate assassination. Everything was possible, and yet nothing made sense.
And there was nothing he could do about it either. Nothing but to take back his uncle's horse, who was too hot-blooded for anyone in the Tribes to handle. Or that's what he'd heard. Maybe they were just too superstitious to ride a dead man's horse. Although truth be told, Skullcrusher was tough to handle. Eret remembered breaking him down only two years prior, and it had been quite a bit of work. No wonder even his father's grooms didn't dare to get near the beast now and had called for him instead. Well, he had to pick a new horse anyway with his current steed getting too old, so getting used to this one might be just right anyway.
"Woah, that's what I call a big horse," Dagur whistled as they rounded a corner and spotted the stallion on a secluded paddock nearby.
"Yeah, and you better keep your distance," Eret replied, and placed his hand in a 'wait here'-gesture on Dagur's chest as they reached the fence. "If even the grooms had their problems…"
Dagur paused in his steps, then nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right. But don't think I'll always do as you say," he added, cackling when Eret rolled his eyes with a fond smile. If last night had made one thing clear, then it was that neither of them would be submissive in any way. Instead, there would be constant play-fighting between them, and Eret was looking very forward to it.
Brushing all distracting thoughts aside for now, he entered the paddock. His hands were raised in a calming gesture, and he automatically started to make shooing and humming noises under his breath to keep Skullcrusher calm as he neared the horse. The stallion was a beauty, even with his black fur matted by lack of grooming. Nobody had gotten close enough to him in a while to do so.
Contrary to what Eret had expected though, the beast didn't calm down. Instead, it seemed to get even more agitated, lifted his head with his ears pressed flat to his fur and pranced nervously. It made Eret pause; that wasn't how they'd trained their horses to react to those noises.
"Be careful," Dagur called from behind. "It looks as if it's ready to hammer you into the ground. And not in the fun wa– oops!" Dagur's loud words had startled the stallion, his attention jerking away from Eret before he turned and cantered away to the other side of the paddock. "Sorry?"
Eret turned and gave Dagur a flat look.
"Hey, I said I was sorry!" Dagur called in a slightly remorseful tone, but the amusement tinging his words sounded far more like him.
Fighting the twitching of his lips, Eret turned back to the stallion and slowly walked over. Dagur couldn't stay serious for long no matter what, probably not even if his life depended on it, and it was part of what… what he loved about him. Because that was what it was. Love. Sure, they'd always been close. But this felt so much different. Good. Right. He threw another glance over his shoulder at Dagur, a warm smile, and as if Dagur had known, his expression already matched Eret's.
But now, he had a horse to deal with. Again, he neared Skullcrusher with raised hands, averted eyes, and the usual calming noises, but it was bewitched. He barely ever made it closer than half a dozen steps before the horse bolted. For over half an hour he tried again and again but didn't make any considerable progress, until it happened.
Eret wasn't sure whether the beast did it on purpose, just hadn't paid attention, or was so stressed by now that he wasn't even looking where he was running anymore. But at his next attempt at bolting away from Eret, Skullcrusher missed and hit him in a near-full bodyslam against his shoulder, and Eret found himself lying on the hard ground before he knew what had happened. All he knew was that, in addition to the hangover, his head now also hurt from the impact.
"Hey, you still alive down there?" There was concern in Dagur's voice as he appeared above him a moment or three later, but it was barely noticeable beneath the amusement.
Groaning, Eret closed his eyes, his head pounding somewhat fiercely. "I think I found the perfect name for your deadly brew," he muttered, trying to concentrate on anything else beside the hammering pain. "How about Skullcrusher? Because let me tell you, they both hurt the same."
Dagur paused, then burst out laughing in his usual irresistible way. "Oh, Gods, that's brilliant," he cackled. "I hope that old nag doesn't mind, but yeah, I'll use that name. It's perfect." He reached one arm out to help Eret up, and Eret took it gratefully.
Groaning some more, he followed Dagur to the side where a plate with cheese and bread, and a carafe with fresh water were waiting. He hadn't even noticed, but Dagur must have sent for food at some point, and Eret threw his lover an appreciative smile. "Thanks. That's just what I need now."
"Anytime," Dagur retorted, grinning. "Thought you could need a little refreshment."
They settled in to eat, chatting lightly over non-threatening topics. The weather, the landscape, the latest gossip. Not about what was important, like the war or the dead, or what their feelings for each other meant and where they might lead them, but it was good. For now, it was good.
"Alright then, let's give it another try," Eret muttered eventually. With his arms crossed in front of him, he leaned against the paddock's fence, frowning as he watched the grazing stallion in the distance.
"I'd say he simply doesn't like you," Dagur commented, cheerful as ever. He sat on top of the fence next to him by now, and apparently found the idea of a continuation of the show highly amusing. "If you'd come at me with that determination, I'd given in long ago."
Almost against his will, Dagur's cackling made Eret's lips stretch into a grin. It didn't last long, however, worries soon clouding his mind again. "But he has to cooperate," he muttered, face dropping again. "If he's really so fixated on his former rider that he wouldn't accept anyone else…"
"So what?" Dagur asked when Eret trailed off. "Isn't that what you train these horses for? To be loyal to their owner?"
Sighing, Eret nodded. "Yes. But his owner is dead," he replied harshly. "We can't keep him uncontrolled like this, so if he doesn't accept anyone else near him, then… then we have no choice but to kill him too. And–" he gulped as a lump was forming in his throat at that thought– "and I don't want to do that. Skullcrusher… He's like the last part of them, you know? If he dies too…"
Suddenly, a hand was on his shoulder, squeezing him comfortingly, and only now did Eret realise how tense he was. Killing a horse was never a pleasant job, but this horse? No, he couldn't let that happen, not without a better reason. It would feel like losing them all over again.
"Hey, it'll be okay," Dagur muttered, suddenly sounding much more insightful than usual, and when Eret turned, the redhead had an oddly intense expression on his face. "I didn't mean it like that. Since when do I encourage giving up that easily?" Again, he squeezed his shoulder, but this time it failed to cheer him up. "Go on, try again. Maybe he just didn't understand you. Are you sure you used the right noises? They sound pretty weird to me."
Eret snorted. "Of course I'm using the right noises!" he exclaimed. "I'm working with these horses for almost ten years now, don't you think I–" He broke off, eyes widening as he remembered. Of course! Stoick had been bad at getting these noises right. Like… really bad! It had always sounded off and he hadn't been good at remembering the right order either, or so Hiccup had said. And he'd also said that he'd trained his father's horse to react to a different set of noises instead, a melody their mother had often hummed to them.
"Ha!" His outburst seemed to startle Dagur, judging by the puzzled frown on his face as Eret turned to grin at him. "Thanks, Dag, that's it! I was using the wrong sounds. Now, I just…" Almost feverishly, he scoured his mind for the right tune. It was one he'd heard in his childhood too, but had forgotten until he'd heard Valka hum it to Teitr. Hearing it again from Hiccup in Berk's stables had been nothing but funny in that moment, but the deeper meaning hadn't registered in his mind – not until now. But now, it was back, and all he had to do was remember the melody.
Nodding to himself, Eret pushed himself off the fence and made another attempt at getting closer to Skullcrusher. The stallion eyed him warily, looking ready to bolt again. One step more, than Eret began to hum. It came out low and more insecure than he'd hoped, but the effect was instantaneous. Skullcrusher's ears twitched around, curious. The next step had the horse's flanks tense up again, but Eret's humming held more confidence now, and it only took a couple of seconds until the horse relaxed again. Two more steps, then Eret was able to touch the stallion's snout and place a calming hand on his neck.
"There we go," he murmured, scratching the horse's chest which he obviously enjoyed greatly. "That's good, isn't it? Yeah, you're a good boy. We'll get along, you and me, won't we?" He kept murmuring and humming until the stallion had relaxed completely, and Eret sighed in relief. So they wouldn't have to kill him after all, but would be able to keep him instead. He would be able to keep him. "But you know what, big boy? Skullcrusher is quite a mouthful. Mind if I just call you Crusher instead?" The horse snorted, once, then rubbed his big head against Eret's chest, making him chuckle.
"Is it safe to get closer?"
Looking up, Eret saw that Dagur had followed him across the paddock and now stood a healthy distance away. He was grinning, as usual, but there was more in his eyes than just humour; a certain fondness and a hint of pride. Eret placed a calming hand on Crusher's neck, the other on the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, but be careful," he said calmly. "No too sudden movements."
Eyeing the horse warily, Dagur came closer. "He's even bigger than he looked from afar," he muttered, glancing upwards. "Now I'm all the more glad he didn't trample you into the ground. I would have missed you." He winked, making Eret snort. "No, really. But jokes aside… I'm glad you were able to calm him. Because you're right, it would have been a shame."
A shame indeed, Eret thought to himself. Again, the memories of those lost threatened to overwhelm him, and he quickly sought comfort in those around him; against Crusher's neck and with Dagur's hand in his. He would keep them alive in his memories, he decided, but life would go on.
It would have to.
. o O o .
So, that was that... hope you enjoyed it! :)
I can't say how often or regular I'm going to add to this collection. Feel free to suggest if there's something you'd like to see/know, but I won't/can't guarantee that I'm going to write everything.