Another update to Frozen Fire.
Warning: You might need tissues.
NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING, NOT EVEN THE SONG LYRICS HERE.
Chapter 5: Where's the Good in Goodbye?
Oh, but as you walk away
You don't hear me say
Where's the "good" in "goodbye"?
Where's the "nice" in "nice try"?
Where's the "us" in "trust" gone?
Where's the "soul" in "soldier on"?
Now I'm the "low" in "lonely"
'Cause I don't own you only
I can take this mistake
But I can't take the ache from heartbreak
No, I can't take the ache from heartbreak
No Good in Goodbye – The Script
Early the next morning, Zenna left the house without telling her parents. Stryka was still asleep in the stables as she passed by. Once again, the sight of the lightning bolt shaped wound on her Night Fury's head made Zenna cringe. It was her fault that Stryka got that wound. Even her own best dragon friend will have to stay away from her now…
'I can lock myself up in my room later…Right now, I have to…Holy Shields, I can't do this…I can't do this to Eret again…I just can't…' Zenna thought miserably as she reached Eret's house and made a move to knock but stopped. Her heart was already beginning to break as she stood there in the early morning light. She was about to do something she had hoped she would never have to do again. She already did it once when she and Eret saw each other again a year ago…she really didn't want him to experience the heartbreak once more. He'd been through too much for too long already…
(Flashback Starts)
'Zenna and everyone else had just finished talking to Eret that afternoon. His depression was beginning to abate but the former dragon trapper was still emotionally fragile. But after Zenna, Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Valka, Edgar, Henna and Gobber had all talked to him and poured out their hearts into telling him that he was going to be okay, he was no longer going to be hurt and that they will never let Drago take him away, Eret now looked at them with teary eyes…and sheer gratitude.
"Eret, are you okay? Is there something you want to say?" Valka asked gently. Eret nodded, his whole body trembling with suppressed sobs. What he said was something everyone would never forget. It was both a thank-you and a plea from the former dragon trapper.
"I don't want to be alone anymore…"
Zenna nodded and hugged her boyfriend tightly, the others joining along in a big group hug. Eret buried his face into her shoulder, crying softly with joy and relief. "I don't want to be alone anymore…" he repeated, whimpering quietly. "And you never will be, Eret…We'll never leave…And I'll never leave you, ever," Zenna promised him…'
(Flashback Ends)
Zenna's thoughts were interrupted when the door creaked open, revealing a surprised Eret. "Zenna! Hi. You're up early," the former dragon trapper greeted his fiancée with a smile, already excited about the wedding. His cheerfulness was contagious and Zenna couldn't help but smile a bit. "Good morning, Eret. I see you're an early riser yourself," she replied. Eret grinned and shrugged. "Well I learned how to wake up early when I was still trapping dragons. Anyway, would you like to have breakfast with me outside? Skullcrusher and I are planning to go to this lagoon over at the Southern part of the island. There's tons of fish just swimming there and we can catch our breakfast straight from the source! What do you say?" Eret asked, his brown eyes alight with pure joy.
How could he not be happy? In just a few more days, he and Zenna were going to get married!
Zenna, seeing how happy her soon to be ex - fiancé was, decided to hold off her decision for later. It was such a good day today and she didn't want to ruin it just like that from the very start for Eret…
"I'd love that. I'd fetch Stryka but she's still asleep. Can I maybe ride on Skullcrusher with you?" she asked, smiling while trying to avoid tearing up. Eret smiled widely. "Of course! Come on, let's go!" he said, practically sauntering over to an excited Skullcrusher.
Zenna looked down at her hands, prayed for the strength to not trigger her magic, and climbed aboard the Rumblehorn's back.
Skullcrusher roared with delight as he spotted the huge school of fish swimming just a bit below the water's surface when they reached the lagoon. "Alright, steady, Skullcrusher! Ready…aim…fire!" Eret shouted, his dragon shooting out a fireball that hit the very center of the school dead on! Holding out two small baskets, Eret and Zenna caught whatever fish they could catch while Skullcrusher gobbled up the rest, cramming at least a dozen fish into his mouth.
"Skullcrusher, careful! You might choke," Eret laughed but his Rumblehorn ignored him and swallowed quickly, and then started choking on a fish! "Oh gods! Not good, not good!" Eret yelped and got his dragon to quickly land. Skullcrusher was now hacking and frantically dry heaving to get the fish unstuck from his throat. "St-stay still, buddy! Just stay still!" Eret said, panicking, as he tried to help his Rumblehorn cough up the fish. Seeing the urgency, Zenna quickly gave Skullcrusher a big slap on his back. Unwittingly her Lightning sparked from her fingertips and the shock caused Skullcrusher to suddenly convulse and successfully retch, the fish lodged in his gullet flying out of his mouth along with a blast of fire!
Zenna yelped and quickly hid her hands behind her back, hoping that the sparks would fizz out, and fearfully looked at Eret. But, much to her relief, he hadn't seen the magic and was now petting Skullcrusher who looked rather relieved to not have fish stuck in his throat.
"See what I told you? The next time, Skull, you shouldn't cram that much fish into your mouth. It's a good thing the Dragon Doctor knew just what to do," Eret gently chided his Rumblehorn before looking at Zenna with a grateful smile. Zenna felt her cheeks grow warm and she smiled shyly.
After that little scare and a good breakfast of grilled fish, Zenna and Eret left the lagoon. Then Zenna remembered what she had to do and sighed heavily. No more stalling. She had to do this now. "Hey, Eret, can we go to the woods? We can drop off Skullcrusher at your place," she suggested. Eret looked at her, a bit puzzled, but obliged. Once Skullcrusher had settled back into his pen, the two lovers walked to the woods in silence. Zenna felt her stomach twist itself into knots the deeper she and Eret went into the forest, beginning to dread what was to come. Eret, on the other hand, didn't suspect a thing but was beginning to get concerned about Zenna upon seeing how tense she looked while they walked.
When Zenna saw that they had gone deep enough, she stopped and turned to face Eret. The former dragon trapper stopped walking and fixed his gaze on his beloved. His amber brown eyes showed nothing but pure love and concern towards her. It was completely heart wrenching for Zenna, even if she hadn't even said the awful words that were to end their relationship yet. The guilt became too great and she began to sob, the tears running down her face like tiny streams. Without a word, Eret went over to Zenna and gently wrapped his arms around his fiancée in a tender embrace. Zenna allowed herself to melt into Eret's hug, sniffling and muffling her sobs into his chest.
"Zenna…? Are you okay?" Eret asked softly, gently rubbing circles on the back of her coat. Zenna whimpered, shaking her head, her body trembling as she continued to cry while keeping all of her Elementals from coming out. Eret was really worried now and gently kissed Zenna's tears away. "Hey…Hey, it's okay, Zen…It's okay…Shh…It's alright, Zenna…I'm here…I'm here…" he whispered, gently brushing the one-eyed Fiersome's tears away.
"I can't do this…" Zenna suddenly said and, not meaning to, harshly pushed Eret away from her. Stunned, Eret took a step back and regarded Zenna with concern. "Zenna, are you alright?" he asked softly. Shaking her head, Zenna wiped her tears away. "Eret, I'm so sorry…but I just can't…" she said quietly. "Can't what? Zen, what is it?" Eret asked worriedly, going over to his fiancée but kept a respectful distance between her and him.
Taking a deep breath to strengthen her resolve, Zenna looked at Eret right in the eye. "The wedding, Eret…I don't think I can do it…" she said at last. Eret's eyes widened in shock but the surprise was easily replaced with confusion.
"You want to call the wedding off? Well…yeah…I guess it'll be okay to move it to another date if you think it's a bit too early and the preparations aren't enough…" he managed to say before Zenna cut him off. "I don't want to move the wedding, Eret. I want to call it off, completely," she said flatly. Too late did she realize that the tone she had used was harsher than she had intended until Zenna saw realization dawn on Eret's face.
The former dragon trapper could hardly believe what he had just heard. A seed of doubt had been sown the moment when he noticed the tension in Zenna while they had walked through the forest, which began to take root when his fiancée had started crying. And now…the seed of doubt had grown into his worst fear.
"Zenna…are you…are you…breaking up with me?" he whispered, barely able to get the words past his lips. Zenna felt tears well up in her eye once again as she slowly, and regretfully, nodded.
Eret felt like the whole world had blacked out and it was just him and Zenna all alone. So many emotions were running through him: shock, confusion, anger, betrayal…basically, every kind of emotion he hated feeling. His heart began to beat fast in his chest due to the pain in it upon realizing that Zenna, his goddess, princess and everything, was breaking off not only her engagement to him but their entire relationship.
"Why?" that single question conveyed everything Eret was currently feeling as he looked at Zenna in anguish. The one-eyed Fiersome lady held back her tears as she tried but failed to explain. "Eret…it's…complicated. You wouldn't understand…" she said quietly. "D-did I do something wrong? If I did then I'm so sorry…I-I'll try to be better…" Eret stammered, wondering if he was the reason why Zenna wanted to break up with him. Sighing Zenna went over to him and gently caressed her beloved's face. "It's not you, Eret…It's me…I'm the reason why this can't work out…I'm so sorry…" she whispered, tears slipping down her face. Eret felt his own eyes well up with tears as he gently brushed his thumb under Zenna's cheek. "Zenna, you've done nothing wrong. You're perfect in every way…I love you so, so much…But, why? Just please tell me why this is happening?" he asked, no, begged as the pain in his heart began to become unbearable.
Frustrated, Zenna tore herself away from the former dragon trapper. "I just don't want to hurt you," she said plainly, which made the man in front of her angry. "Well you're doing a really lousy job right now!" Eret snapped at Zenna, startling her. Suddenly Eret realized what he had just done and he instantly regretted it the minute he saw Zenna's frightened face. "Oh, gods…Zenna, I-I'm sorry…I-I didn't mean to…" Eret stuttered anxiously before Zenna held up a hand to silence him. "You have every right to be mad at me…I don't blame you for it…But I have to go…I'm sorry…" the young lady then turned around and began to walk away.
Desperate, Eret ran over to Zenna and grabbed her right hand. Whirling back around, Zenna saw that Eret was crying now, the tears trickling down his face. And the sight of her beloved childhood sweetheart in tears was enough to make Zenna cry herself but she held them back, for fear that her powers would be exposed. "Zen, please…" Eret pleaded as he held onto Zenna's hand. He only said those two words yet his eyes told more.
'Please don't leave me…I don't know how I can live without you…Please…I don't want to be alone again…Don't do this to me, please…I don't want to be left all alone again, Zenna…' he thought in despair, hoping that Zenna could tell what he was thinking. But Zenna couldn't tell what Eret was thinking. With a heavy heart, Zenna wrenched her hand away from Eret's and then pressed her lips to his. They'd kissed countless times before and each and every one had been full of love, happiness and the unspoken promise of being together for the rest of their lives.
Not this one.
This kiss was filled with nothing but sorrow and regret…
And this was going to be their very last.
When they pulled away from each other, Eret looked at Zenna with a flicker of hope in his eyes. But that hope died the minute Zenna opened her mouth and said the words he hoped he would never have to hear.
"Goodbye, Eret…"
And with that, Zenna turned around and walked away…without ever looking back.
Eret could only watch, utterly shell-shocked and completely heartbroken, as his love left him…forever. Then, as soon as Zenna was gone from his sight, Eret realized that Zenna had slipped something into his hand. Opening his clenched fist, Eret saw what it was.
It was Zenna's engagement ring.
And just like that, Eret's already broken heart was completely obliterated.
It was hours until he finally forced himself to go home.
Meanwhile Zenna ran, not caring if anyone saw her or saw the tears on her face, until she finally found herself in the Lost Caverns. This was the Thorston Twins' dark, soggy, alone place but they never really came here anymore.
Which meant nobody would see her lose it.
Crying and screaming hysterically, Zenna unleashed her Elementals on the place with reckless abandon. Her Fire scorched the cavern's ceilings, her Ice coated the rocky floor, her Lightning sent bolts of electricity through rocks and crushed them with their power and thorny vines covered the walls like a prickly blanket.
By the time Zenna had run out of tears to cry, the inside of the Lost Caverns was hardly recognizable. Upon exiting the caverns, Zenna saw that it was already past sunset. She had spent almost the entire day venting out all of her pain. She quickly went back to her house and, ignoring her family's concern over where she had been and the worried calls of her name, ran upstairs to her room. As soon as she was inside, Zenna closed the windows and locked the door to keep anyone from entering.
Thoroughly exhausted and utterly destroyed, Zenna collapsed onto her bed in a fit of tearless sobs until she allowed herself to sink into a deep, dreamless slumber.
Meanwhile, Eret had gone back to the village in a daze and had managed to get through the day by mostly spending it with Skullcrusher. He avoided the villagers as they merrily prepared for what had supposed to have been the best day of his and Zenna's lives as well as Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs and the Twins. How was he going to tell them that there wasn't going to be a wedding after all? How can he? Everything was going fine for the past many weeks and then, all of a sudden, everything was now all for naught.
Maybe he'll be lucky and it'll be Zenna's parents who were going to break the news to everyone tomorrow. Then again…fingers might be pointed at him and he'll have to take the blame for everything…Gods, he didn't even want to imagine what Hiccup will do to him once the news had been given.
Stumbling back into his house, Eret merely flopped onto his bed and drew the covers over himself. For a minute, he lay in the dark completely silent and wide awake. Then he felt the ring that he still had in his hand and Eret felt the intense pain that had been slightly dulled from trying to not think about what had happened that morning come back to him and he couldn't take it anymore.
Skullcrusher waddled into the house, still hungry even when he had just had dinner, and found his Rider in bed with the blanket completely covering his form. But that did nothing to keep the Rumblehorn from hearing Eret's sobs and see the blanket quiver as his Rider trembled all over. Crooning worriedly, Skullcrusher nudged Eret's hand from under the blanket. Something fell out of the bed and clattered to the floor. Sniffing the object, Skullcrusher saw that it was the special gold circle the Queen's Rider had worn on her birthday…the special gift his Rider had practically slaved over the past month before the birthday party.
Rumbling with concern, Skullcrusher nuzzled Eret's covered face. But his Rider kept crying and this made Skullcrusher worried and sad as well. Whatever was wrong with his Rider, he couldn't find a way to make him feel better so he was forced to watch Eret cry with despair until he fell asleep, the tears still running down his face…
*Ducks behind Hiccup's Gronckle Iron shield*
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-GuardianDragon98