Okay, this takes place about two months and a week later after HTTYD 2. Eret's already recovered from his depression but the gang is about to find out more about their new friend…and Astrid is definitely going to be feeling the guilt in this one.
Scars
It was the hottest day Berk has ever experienced. The heat was absolutely stifling and the sun shone down on the island mercilessly. It was one of those days where the Vikings of Berk would call on Jokul Frosti to bring about a blizzard only to receive nary a single snowflake.
The gang had all decided to go cool off at the Cove but even that didn't help much. The hot dry air seemed to sap all of their strength away so Hiccup, Astrid, Zenna, Eret, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut were all just sitting by the pond's bank, completely exhausted.
"I'm so hot…" Ruffnut groaned. "Yes, you are…" Snotlout and Fishlegs both sighed, making Tuffnut gag. "When is this heat wave going to end?" Fishlegs asked, fanning himself with the Book of Dragons. "Nobody knows, Fishlegs…" Zenna sighed, having already taken off her white coat. "Alright, that's it. I can't live in these conditions," Astrid complained and took off her shoulder pads first and removed her red shirt next. "Astrid!" Hiccup said, quickly covering his eyes. "You guys might wanna take your shirts off too if you don't want to get heatstroke," Astrid said plainly, ignoring the slightly bewildered looks her friends were giving her. Zenna tapped her cheek thoughtfully and said, "She does have a point." Before removing her violet tunic. "Whatever keeps me from overheating, I'll do it," Ruffnut said in agreement, taking off her tunic as well.
The boys just merely stared at the girls in what looked like shock. They weren't perverts or anything. In fact, the mere sight of the girls topless and wearing only the things that allowed them some decency was making them rather uncomfortable. "Aren't you boys gonna take your shirts off too?" Zenna raised an eyebrow at them. Looking at each other, Hiccup, Snotlout, Fishlegs and Tuffnut awkwardly shimmied out of their tunics. Eret only took off his fur vest and removed his arm bracers, much to Astrid's confusion.
"Oh, that feels much better!" Tuffnut said, lying down on the grass with his shirt off. "Ugh, Fishlegs, you're even fatter without your shirt…" Snotlout grimaced as Fishlegs lay back down on the grass like Tuffnut. The Ingerman merely sighed with relief, his fat belly jiggling as he relaxed. Hiccup blushed and looked at Astrid who smiled in approval. She liked what she saw. Hiccup, although lean and wiry, was very attractive to look at. His shoulders were broad, his arms had a decent amount of muscle and his almost-visible six-pack was adorable.
"Hey, Eret, care to join us?" Ruffnut asked the former dragon trapper who was the only one among them that wasn't topless. "I'm good," Eret said, looking a bit flushed due to the heat. "Dude, take your shirt off before you start getting cooked alive in it," Snotlout told him. "No, guys, I'm fine, really," Eret said hastily. "Eret, you look like you're about to pass out from the heat," Hiccup said. Eret looked at his friends and sighed. "Believe me, you lot wouldn't want to see what's underneath this," he told them, gesturing to his shirt. "You mean your scar?" Zenna asked him softly. "You have a scar?" Ruffnut asked him eagerly. "What does it look like? Ruff and I live for scars," Tuffnut said excitedly. "Yeah, it's only fun when you get a scar out of it," Astrid said nonchalantly.
Eret looked at her as if he had just been slapped in the face. "Astrid…" Zenna whispered, nudging Hiccup's Milady and gave her a scolding glare. "What?" Astrid asked, confused, before Eret finally gave in and took his shirt off.
The others immediately locked their gaze on the large branding iron scar on Eret's chest. "Whoa…now that is a scar," Tuffnut breathed out in amazement. "I can't believe you survived getting a brand marked on you," Snotlout said in amazement. Ruffnut and Fishlegs merely stared at the scar, their eyes wide. Eret looked slightly uncomfortable at the stares he was getting but, then, Hiccup leaned back and saw his back.
Hiccup's eyes widened in shock and Zenna and Astrid both followed his eyes to Eret's back. Zenna covered her mouth to block out a horror-filled gasp while Astrid choked out, "Eret, are those…whip marks?"
That's when everyone scooted backwards and saw what Astrid was looking at. Eret's back was littered with deep marks that ran across his whole spine. There were tons of faint white scars as well and there was a lot of scar tissue. No wonder Eret didn't want to take his shirt off…
"Eret?" Zenna looked at her boyfriend, her one violet eye wide with concern. "I told you guys…" the former dragon trapper sighed, feeling a bit relieved from the heat at least. "You told me how he used to torture you…H-how long did he…?" Hiccup trailed off, unable to tear his eyes away from the scars. "Whip me? Drago started when I was immediately 'employed' up until I turned 20. It just looks really bad because he'd whip me almost every day that some of the newly-healed wounds would be ripped open again," Eret replied casually.
"Every day?" Ruffnut repeated, mouth agape. "Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little…Hmmm…Ah, now I remember. He whipped me without mercy at least three times a week," Eret said, remembering the details of his abuse. "Dude, did you really mess up that badly to get punished like that?" Tuffnut asked. "No, I was actually already doing pretty well as a trapper. My crew? They had a hard time and were the ones who mostly made mistakes," Eret told him.
Fishlegs' eyes then widened as he slowly connected the dots. "Wait a minute, Eret…If you say that your crew was the one who mostly made mistakes…did that mean…?" he asked before Eret nodded, not needing to know what he was going to ask. "When we were starting out, my crew and I always had one of Drago's soldiers accompany us to keep track of our progress. If any of my crew screwed up, they'd be threatened with a whipping when we returned to Drago. Naturally, I did what any captain would do and took the blame for my crew," Eret explained. "You mean…the scars on your back are…?" Astrid asked, stunned, before Eret said, "They're mostly the lashes that were meant for them."
The gang all stared at Eret and, as they did so, they could see that Eret even had scars on his entire upper torso. And they could also see the newly-healed self-harm scars on Eret's arms. They've heard stories from Valka about the times she had seen Eret get abused and tortured by Drago back then and tales from Eret's own crew how they would hear their leader's pain-filled cries as he was punished brutally by the madman and how they were sometimes even forced to watch as Eret took the punishments that had been meant for them…but they had never really completely understood it all until they saw Eret's scars for themselves. And, now, they realized that Eret had been through more than they could have ever imagined.
"You sacrificed yourself to keep your crew from being punished…why?" Hiccup asked quietly. Eret smiled a little at the question. "Well, to be honest, it was all out of protective instinct. My crew mates were less experienced than I was and I just felt that, as their captain, I had to protect them. They're my responsibility and, over time, I grew to trust them and they trusted me. And the last thing I wanted to happen to them was go through the things I went through," he shrugged. Zenna gently placed a hand on Eret's shoulder and smiled lovingly at him. "You've been so brave…" she whispered, kissing her boyfriend's cheek. "I guess…But, honestly, I wouldn't want to get whipped, stabbed, cut or used as a human target again," Eret slightly chuckled.
Astrid felt tears prick at her eyes and hurriedly put her shirt back on before running out of the Cove. Hiccup looked at his Milady in concern before Zenna put her tunic back on and stood up. "I'll talk to her," she reassured her best human friend before going after the Hofferson girl. It didn't take long for Zenna to find Astrid as she was currently hurling her axe at some innocent trees. Astrid let out a quiet sob as her axe impaled another tree before sinking to the ground. "Astrid?" Zenna went over to her and gently brushed Astrid's bangs away from her face. Astrid looked at Zenna with teary blue eyes.
"I can't believe I've been so stupid…All my life I thought scars were…were something to be appreciated or praised…I…I never realized that…that they're actually just awful reminders of…of the times you didn't die…And…Eret's scars…Oh, my gods, I can't believe he endured all of that for so long…" Astrid said, sniffling a little. Zenna patted her back and gave Astrid a hug. "He must hate me…" Astrid whispered. "No, Astrid. Eret was just a little taken aback by your comment earlier. He doesn't hate you," Zenna reassured her. "I have to apologize to him…" Astrid told her. "Well, then, retrieve your axe and let's get back to the Cove," Zenna smiled. A little comforted, Astrid dried her tears and got her axe before following Zenna back to the Cove.
"It's alright, Astrid. No hard feelings," Eret smiled after Astrid had apologized to him for being so insensitive. "I have to admit, Eret, you're one of the toughest people I've ever met. Surviving in those conditions for 11 years? That's pretty hardcore," Snotlout told him. "You flatter me, Snotlout. Thank you," Eret thanked him. "He's right. I've never met anyone that tough," Astrid smiled at him.
Eret slightly blushed and Hiccup laughed. "Well, we're gonna go for a flight to hopefully cool off," the young Chief said. "I'll stay here," Zenna smiled at Eret. "Yeah, me too," Eret decided so he and Zenna could have some alone time. The rest of the gang left the Cove, leaving the two lovers alone.
"Astrid really feels bad for offending you, Eret," Zenna said softly. "It's okay, Zen. I know she didn't mean it," Eret told her. Sighing, Zenna rested her head against Eret's shoulder. "You've been through so much…I wish I could have been there to share in your pain…" she whispered. "Zen, if that ever happened, I would never forgive myself. Besides, I've come to accept my scars. I have to agree with the Twins…they are pretty cool. And…they actually serve as a reminder to me of how much I love you," Eret smiled gently at her. "They do?" Zenna asked. "I went through a proverbial Helheim for 11 years and you were the only one I thought about. You were the reason I found the strength to keep going no matter what," Eret admitted shyly.
Zenna felt her heart burst with love and took off her eye patch. "I don't really have quite an impressive scar like you, though…" she said shyly. "I think it's beautiful," Eret smiled, gently kissing Zenna's forehead, gliding his lips down to her scar. Zenna bit her lip to suppress a moan as Eret gently kissed her scar before finally moaning as Eret kissed her lips.
"When we get married…I am going to find every scar you have and kiss every single one of them…" she breathed out. "I'd like that…" Eret whispered, nuzzling Zenna lovingly.
I'll admit that this is more of an Astrid and Eret friendship kind of one-shot but this idea had been running through my mind for a while now and I just had to write it. Let me know what u guys think.
-GuardianDragon98