kalessinsdaughter - I really did not want to kill Valka's Bewilderbeast, and originally didn't plan to! But upon further thought, I had to come to the realisation that even defeated, that Alpha would have continued trying to fight for the dragons, he wouldn't just have crawled away. So yes, I am terribly sorry but I had to do it!
-HTTYD-
Eret hung to the side, unsure what to do. He saw Valka do the same, and though a small and selfish part of him loathed it, his heart knew better.
"Go."
He whispered it, but Valka heard and moved, fell to her knees next to her son over the broken body of Stoick the Vast. Others landed around them, a blonde woman on a Deadly Nadder dashing to the other side of Valka's son.
"Eret?"
The voice he heard surprised him, turning to find a familiar face amongst all the strangers who were stood around him.
"Teeny? What... I... what?"
"Long, long story."
An arm was thrown around his shoulders, just enough affection to say Eret didn't need to worry for Teeny's presence, but not enough that it was displaced amongst the mourning.
When the Bewilderbeast turned away from them, Drago's sickening laughter just audible over the massive footsteps, the control that seemed to anchor the Night Fury vanished, Cloudjumper watched the dragon warily, having obviously seen from the distance what had happened and ensuring Valka was in no danger.
"Traitor!"
Eret bit his lip, casting one last look at Valka before he turned to the call he knew was meant for him.
"Stay here."
He muttered to Teeny, before taking steps across shattered boats and smashed ice to face Drago.
"You come alone?"
"Not all of us feel the need to hide behind an army."
The scowl that darkened Drago's face was oddly satisfying, even if antagonising Drago was a bad idea.
"You'll regret that."
Up close, the scream was piercing, rattling something in his bones as the Bewilderbeast tturned back. The sharp hook was pointed first at Eret, and then over at...
"No!"
Valka cried out as she saw the target, and it was clear how fiercely Cloudjumper fought the pressure of the new Alpha on his mind, Tripfire roaring angrily at Drago but knowing better than to put herself in the way of the stare... for now.
"Now... just for a finale, how about I show your little girlfriend what dragons truly are."
The Stormcutter approached Eret slowly, stalking, bearing down on him so calmly it was as though nothing was amiss, but those eyes were so wrong. vacant and empty and absent the warmth and love he'd seen Cloudjumper show to Valka so many times.
"Eret!"
"Don't!"
Valka was trying to come closer, to come between them, but Eret couldn't mind Drago at his back and Cloudjumper at his front with Valka there too. Tripfire was so torn Eret could feel it at a distance, and he turned his voice to her next.
"Tripfire, don't you dare. If you hurt him, I'll never forgive you."
Eret knew he'd die before he risked Cloudjumper. Maybe he and the male Stormcutter had never truly taken to each other, but he was Valka's family, Tripfire's mate. Drago watched Eret back away, wondering what it would look like when his fireproof armour preserved all but his head when a massive twister of flames consumed him. A short, scared laugh escaped his throat, and the noise confused Drago.
"Something funny?"
"Yeah. You. Valka knows Cloudjumper would never do this on his own. And at best, you'll last three more heartbeats after he roasts me before Tripfire rips your guts out. If I have to die for that to happen, then so be it. I'd die to take you down without hesitation."
It wasn't easy to be rational when panic rose with every breath, Cloudjumper edging closer and the two most important figures in Eret's life aghast behind him.
But Eret wasn't lying. His life to take down Drago? No question.
"Eret!"
Valka was crying, he heard it in her voice. Eret braced himself as he looked at her under Cloudjumper's wings, shaking his head.
"It's ok. Don't... don't watch."
He didn't want that to be her final image of him. Not when it was Cloudjumper Drago cowardly wielded against him. Eret refused to close his eyes, facing Cloudjumper as the dragon reared up, mouth opening, a little of that flammable saliva dripping to the floor in preparation...
"Enough! Take them all!"
Without missing a beat, every dragon around them took flight, Cloudjumper showing no sign he'd been seconds from killing Eret as the Bewilderbeast pulled them all away, the other people around them calling out to the dragons as they went.
"Toothless!"
Valka's son called out to the Night Fury, who seemed to be struggling to stay in the air. One tailfin was red, clearly prosthetic, and unable to sustain him without the controls of his saddle system.
"No, don't!"
Valka restrained her son, and Drago worked it out, cruelly taking off before their eyes on the Night Fury.
"Gather the men, and meet me at Berk!"
They could only watch in horror, knowing alone they stood no chance of taking Drago down, cripplingly outnumbered by the members of his army not yet killed in the fray. The resolve Eret had to face his own death left him in a rush, legs giving out as he dropped to the ground, Tripfire's bright colours just visible amidst the swarm that flew alongside the Bewilderbeast.
"You stupid, stubborn idiot."
"Thanks Teeny."
"What were you thinking?"
Valka was definitely mad at him. That wasn't anything new though. She and Teeny hauled him to his feet, though he reckoned Valka gave serious thought to knocking him straight back down.
"What was I going to do? Let Tripfire risk killing him?"
Before Valka could answer, though Eret had no clue what she'd have said, a small voice interrupted them.
"Mom? Who... who is this?"
"My name is Eret, son of Eret. You must be Valka's son."
His red-rimmed eyes surveyed Eret shrewdly, before nodding tightly.
"Hiccup. Your tattoo is like... his."
Hiccup gestured over at Teeny, who shrugged.
"Yeah. He's my cousin."
"Then how... he was trying to trap our dragons, not having much luck with their busted up fort though."
Eret looked to Teeny, who nodded to agree it was truth.
"Well, it was Tripfire who smashed their fort up rescuing me. I... defected, I guess you could say, a few years ago."
"You were... a trapper?"
Much as he didn't want to have such a conversation, Eret knew if there was anybody he was eventually going to have to answer to, it was Valka's son.
"Was. Not by choice."
"How do you accidentally choose to trap and sell dragons?"
Eret fought back a spike of anger, eyes landing on the still-smoking body of Stoick in the background.
"You're not the only one who lost family to Drago Bludvist. How did Teeny end up here?"
The blonde close to Hiccup's side piped in, a few tears drying on her freckled cheeks.
"I kidnapped him and used him to show us the way to Drago. Drago 'trapped' us, and we used him for a ride here to find Hiccup."
Eret wasn't entirely sure how that led to Teeny seemingly siding with the riders, but given how he'd been kidnapped and converted himself... maybe it wasn't so strange after all.
"Right. Uh... now what?"
"What do you mean, now what? My father is dead!"
Everyone seemed surprised by the explosive response from Hiccup, but Eret understood enough to not take it personally.
"And Drago has our dragons. You can choose to fall apart now, or we can figure out our next move and fall apart later. Your choice."
Hiccup's face tightened in pain, looking back and forth several times.
"I can't... we can't just leave him there."
"You're Vikings, right?"
Hiccup nodded.
"Right?"
Valka finally cottoned on.
"So we give him a funeral. It won't be the one he deserves, but..."
"Better than nothin', aye."
Eret finally noticed the older man, somewhat off to the side until then. He had to be as old as Stoick, if not older, and without really needing to ask, Eret suspected this was 'Gobber', the man Valka had hoped was caring for Hiccup when they thought Stoick had died in Drago's fire.
Stoick was not a small man, and even between Eret, Teeny and Gobber, it wasn't easy to move him. Valka stayed with her son, and Eret expected nothing less. There was plenty of broken pieces to build a funeral pyre from, and a few ships still intact enough to use. The not-quite-identical twins built their fire, and two of the other riders introduced as 'Snotlout' and 'Fishlegs' had retrieved bows and arrows from the fallen hunters, discarded by Drago like everything else.
Though it looked as though it pained him, Hiccup approached Eret and Teeny, and handed each of them a bow and arrow.
"Can you use these?"
Both nodded, and Hiccup said no more as he left to stand alongside Gobber. Valka was next to Astrid, who Eret had picked up was the betrothed of Hiccup from murmurs he didn't mean to overhear. He and Teeny waited their turn to light their arrows, and Gobber was the one to finally speak.
"May the Valkyries welcome you and lead you through Odin's great battlefield.
May they sing your name with love and fury, so that we might hear it rise from the depths of Valhalla,
and know that you've taken your rightful place at the table of kings.
For a great man has fallen: A warrior. A chieftain. A father. A friend."
Hiccup's aim rang straight and true, and each of the following shots landed upon the ship, the flames meeting and spreading slowly across the little funeral boat. They stood in silence for a few minutes, watching the fire start to grow. The Berkian's shuffled around, unsure and each trying to hide that they were crying. Valka's eyes caught Eret's, and he nodded to the question there.
And so she went to her son, nerves evident in her gait but Hiccup received her well enough, leaning in to her touch when Valka reached to stroke his hair, far better with touch than words but she tried all the same.
Eret didn't listen to what they said to each other; it was a private moment. All he knew was when Valka stepped away, Hiccup seemed to converse with himself before he turned back to all of them,
"A chief protects his own. We're going back."
"Uh, with what?"
"He took all the dragons?"
Valka and Eret realised the exact same second as Hiccup spoke.
"Not all of them."
"The nursery!"
The Berkian lot followed Eret and Valka, who had to pick their way through the busted remnants of their nest-home, but to much relief, their intent on protecting the youngest from the fight had come to fruition, and Eret was near bowled over by Alva and Vali, Storm and Junior clambering up Valka with panicked chirps.
"What about the sick and injured dragons?"
"I dread to think... that call may have affected them. I'll go and check."
Valka ran - the sick bay wasn't far, but Eret realised too late that it left him alone with the Berkians who didn't have much cause to trust him.
"What are we doing here? These are babies!"
'Snotlout' grumbled, looking at all the baby dragons.
"Yes, but if you want to get back, this is what we have..." Eret chewed on his thoughts, trying to pick suitable carriers "hey, Scoot, c'mere?"
The oldest of the recent Scuttleclaw hatching came over, pressing to Eret's hand happily. Valka reappeared behind everyone, and her eyes landed on the Scuttleclaws too.
"Well?"
"The call didn't reach them, but they're in no shape to move and even if they were, they're too old. The second we got too close..."
"Yeah."
Valka knelt down, Scoot shuffling over to her for attention.
"What do you think?"
Eret asked, and Valka nodded.
"I think they're our best shot. Strong enough to make the flight with a passenger, young enough to resist the command."
Alva nudged Eret quite forcefully, almost knocking him over.
"No, Alva. Not a chance! Your mother would roast me alive."
Alva glared, looking so much like Tripfire.
"Actually, I think she might be helpful. Though I agree, her parents will not be pleased."
Eret looked to Valka.
"Seriously?"
"The Scuttleclaws have never been to Berk, and nobody flew here directly to guide them. Alva can follow her mothers scent... and truthfully, you still aren't very good on dragons that aren't Stormcutters."
Seeming pleased she had her way, Alva shuffled over. Vali began to creep over too in hope, but even Valka said no to that.
"Vali, we need you to stay here. You're the oldest and biggest, and some of Drago's men might have hung back to look for you. You have to protect the others."
Yowling unhappily, Vali turned to Eret in hopes of a different answer.
"Valka's right. I swear, we'll bring mama and papa home. Ok?"
A tall promise in the face of everything, Eret suspected, but it was one he wholly intended to keep. Vali sighed, licked Eret's face and shuffled back, dragging a petulantly sulking Storm with him.
"Ok. Shall we?"
The Berkian's looked very unsure about climbing on the backs of Scuttleclaws, though the small dragons were very excited to be chosen. Climbing up on Alva's back himself, Eret patted the side of her neck.
"Ok girl, let's go get them back."
-HTTYD-
Alva is 110% Tripfire's daughter and refused to be left behind.