Chapter 2

Just a reminder this fanfic is in Eret's POV, unless stated otherwise. Happy reading!

It's now dinnertime on Berk. Becky and I make our way to the Great Hall to be with my family. Every other night, we join each other's families for dinner. Some nights, we try to spend dinners by ourselves.

On the way there, we spot two more trapper barges in the strait. As the chief's right hand man, it would be wise of me to let him know of this.

We advance to our chief, who has his face stuck in my brother-in-law's – Tuffnut – beard…which is actually his hair. Who does he think he's trying to impress?

Becky and I exchange a look before I clear my throat to get Hiccup's attention.

"Eret, son of Eret!" Hiccup forces himself off of Tuffnut's beard to speak to me.

"What's the report?"

"Two more trapper barges spotted in the strait."

"So we go after them." Hiccup says. He turns around and looks at Gobber, who was giving him a look.

"What?"

"One day, you're going to pick a fight you can't win."

~.~

A couple of days pass, and Becky has almost finished making the Thunderclaw toy for our baby. I still can't believe I get to say that: our baby.

Hiccup and Astrid (and Toothless) discovered a new species of dragon last night, and they can't stop talking about it: a Light Fury, so named because she is completely white. I say "she" because Toothless has fallen in love and, in all my years around dragons, I've rarely met a dragon that was with the same sex.

"Ha ha. What a night." I say, referring to the discovery of the new dragon.

Get your minds out of the gutter.

(Normal POV)

Soon, Hiccup makes the decision to try to find the Light Fury again.

"Ah. Good idea!" Tuffnut says. Tuffnut walks with his arm over Hiccup's shoulder.

"A little privacy."

"Uhhh…"

"Shh. It's boy talk!"

"What?"

Tuffnut and Hiccup walk to the forest together with Toothless.

"Come on. Let's go work this out."

They soon reach the forest.

"So. Wanna get married?"

"Uhh…No, actually."

"Good news. I've been to three weddings. I crashed two of the three. But none as high profile as this one, with no offense intended to my adoptive sister. Lots of pressure. Judgement. Not just by me."

"Look. We talked about it. We're not getting married."

"Cold feet! I've seen it before. Don't worry, little Hiccy. I'm here." Tuffnut walks off.

"Wait, Hiccy?"

"Now, I've seen the way Astrid looks at you. Everyone has that doubt. I mean, my sister dated you before she and Eret was a thing, before they even met."

"You do realize that's offensive to me."

But Tuffnut isn't listening.

"That not-so-subtle disappointment. That longing for something more than you. You need to focus on being worthy. I mean, she's a warrior queen for Thor's sake! I mean, Becky…she's a warrior…but she's no queen to anyone but Eret…don't tell her I said that. Anyway, you are neither. But with me as your best man, your spirit guide if you will, you'll learn to embrace your inner Viking. Show these nay sayers, of which there are many, that you are more than just a malnourished runt with bad hair, strange teeth and a twig for a neck."

"You're – you're really bad at pep talks."

"I'm trying to help you. Stop letting these insecurities get the best of you."

Toothless is walking around something.

"Everyone's watching. I mean everyone. Even my unborn niece or nephew is watching. Babies know when something's going on."

"And you know this how?"

"I've learned all I can about babies so I can be the best uncle that baby will ever have…well, I'll be the only uncle that kid'll ever have, but they don't know that! Where was I? Oh, yeah. You need to man up. Do as I do. It will be hard, but…you have my word."

Hiccup sees something metallic on the ground.

"And until I break that word, I won't give up!"

Hiccup runs toward the metallic thing.

"Hey! Hey! What, am I wasting my time here?"

Hiccup picks up the metallic thing, which looks to be a projectile dart.

"You see something shiny in the woods – Oh, what is that?"

Toothless, still searching for the Light Fury, finds nothing and becomes sad, and starts walking back to Hiccup.

"Toothless! Don't move a muscle."

Hiccup takes Tuffnut's stick and throws it at a spot in the clearing, causing a dangerous trap to be triggered. Hiccup falls back and the three soon make their way back to town.

(Eret's POV)

Hiccup and my brother-in-law (and Toothless) come to the blacksmith shop. Becky is sitting nearby, putting the finishing touches on the Thunderclaw toy. Hiccup places the dart on a barrel.

"Someone's here." Hiccup says.

Tuffnut takes the dart.

"He managed to slip past our scouts and lay a trap in the woods."

"It ruined boy talk!" Tuffnut throws the dart and it manages to hit a wooden box I'm carrying.

Becky is up like a shot, protectively, putting the toy down where she was sitting. She stands next to me, not wanting anything else to come at me. I softly smile at her protectiveness, glancing her over to make sure both she and the baby are okay from the sudden movement. She gives me the slightest of nods.

"Let me at 'em!" Gobber says.

"Slow down, Gobber. Let's get a search team on the ground. Scouts in the air. Toothless and I will fly the coastline."

I inspect the dart for myself to see if I recognize it.

I do.

"Yeah. I wouldn't advise taking Toothless anywhere, Chief. I know this handiwork. Grimmel the Grisly. Famous back where I'm from. The smartest dragon hunter I ever met. Well, next to me, of course." Becky rolls her eyes at this.

"Well, he can't be that smart. He left his trap unmanned."

I hand the dart over to Astrid, who inspects it as well, before I laugh at Hiccup's statement.

"Nothing's accidental when it comes to old Grimmel."

"Hey, babe, could you -?" Becky starts, motioning to her shoulders. I massage them as I continue to talk.

"Sorry." She whispers.

"It's alright, love." I whisper back.

"He lives for the hunt, to get inside of the mind of his prey. To control its every choice. It's all a game to him."

"Is Grimmel as bad as you-know-who?" Becky asks.

"Actually, love, he's worse."

Becky shudders at the thought of someone worse than Drago. My poor girl. All she suffered through and she has to deal with the after-effects.

"But don't you worry. He won't get anywhere near you or our baby, I'll make sure of that."

"Well, Grimmel doesn't know who he's playing with." Astrid says.

"Yeah. We've dealt with his kind before." Hiccup remarks.

"Don't underestimate him, Hiccup. Mark my words, he'll be back."

"Then we'll be waiting for him."

~.~

It's late. Becky lay against me in bed, cradling the stuffed Thunderclaw close to her.

I sit up, hearing something.

"Eret? What is it?"

"Baby, we have to go." I move to the window and it confirms my suspicions.

Fire. Spreading fast.

"What? Why?" Becky struggles to get out of bed and I help her as she leaves the stuffed toy behind.

"There's a fire."

"What? Where?"

"Everywhere. You get outside. I'll grab the stuffed Thunderclaw."

"Eret, no. I can make another one! I won't risk losing you!"

"Becky, darling, just get outside. I'll catch up with you. I promise!" I steer her outside, where her siblings are waiting.

"Sis! What is he doing?"

"He's getting the Thunderclaw I made. He's an idiot." Becky starts coughing from the smoke.

"Get her out of here!" I call back. Tuffnut remains as Ruffnut leads Becky to the Great Hall.

"I'm not letting my sister lose you, Eret! She needs you!"

"She worked too hard on that toy to lose it!" I say as the flames reach closer and closer.

"If she loses you, she'll be devastated! She'll be more than devastated! If she loses you, we'll lose her, too!"

I spot the toy, and grab it in the nick of time as Tuffnut and I rush out of the house and head to the Great Hall.

My wife is sitting at one of the back tables, struggling to breathe.

"What's going on? How much smoke did she inhale?" I ask as I kneel in front of my wife.

"Not much. She's in shock and she's having a panic attack." Ruffnut says.

"My darling, take some deep breaths. I'm here. I'm right here." I place the stuffed Thunderclaw in her lap. She looks down at it, her breathing slowing, before punching me in the shoulder.

"You idiot! I could've lost you!" She breaks down, going to her knees and wrapping her arms around me, letting the toy fall to the ground, and beginning to sob. I wrap my arms around her and begin to rub her back.

"Shhh. It's alright, love. It's alright. I'm here. I'm here. I've got you."

"E-Eret…"

"Shhh. I'm here. I'm here. Try to take some deep breaths for me, okay? Everything's going to be okay."

Becky slows her breathing down as she leans against me, her panic attack ending. I kiss the top of her head and my eyes well with tears at the thought of her losing me. It's as unbearable as the thought of losing her.

"I've got her, Eret. You go up there and do your duties as Hiccup's right-hand man." Lily – my mother-in-law – says. I gently pass Becky over to her mother, gently rub my wife's cheek with my thumb and get up and leave. I hate that I have to leave her, but Lily is right. Hiccup needs me, too. Gods…I hate leaving my wife, even if she is in good hands.

(Normal POV)

"We lost everything. Everything in the baby's room, gone. Everything is gone." Becky says, in tears. Her sister picks up the toy and puts it in Becky's hands.

"This is all Eret managed to save. He risked his life for a stupid toy I could've remade…and the painting of his mother…it's also gone."

"We've got your back, sis. We'll do everything we can to help." Ruffnut says.

(Eret's POV)

"Alright! Alright, everybody! Settle down, please!"

Everyone keeps shouting and talking. Hiccup turns to Fishlegs.

"Fishlegs, have you ever seen that species of dragon before?"

Fishlegs, shocked after being shot by Grimmel's dart, puts his finger up but then faints and falls off his chair.

"Let me at 'em!" Spitelout says.

"I'll give him a piece of my mind. And by mind, I mean fist!" A random Viking says, punching another Viking in the face.

"Did you miss the part where we almost died? Have you seen my house? This is a new kind of enemy and I underestimated him. Now, that's on me."

"Wait…you're the reason Eret almost lost his life?" Ruffnut says.

"Ruffnut…he didn't know." Becky calmly says. I would've expected Becky to be the one who said what Ruffnut said. Guess she's trying to stay calm for our baby's sake. Thank Thor.

"I will not underestimate him again."

"We're Vikings! We don't run from a fight. At least I don't. You might." Snotlout says, pointing at me. I ignore him.

"I agree with Hiccup. We haven't seen the last of Grimmel. He's a predator, single-minded and patient. He won't stop until he gets what he wants." I say.

"I'm with Eret. We have to take this threat seriously." Valka says.

"Grimmel is just a sign of the times. Our enemies are getting smarter, more determined. We're not just overcrowded. We are exposed, and vulnerable. Short of full blown war and risking everyone we love, I don't…I don't see a way of staying here any longer."

Everyone starts talking. Astrid throws her axe on the table to get everyone's attention.

"Hey! Hear him out!" She sits back down and nods at Hiccup.

"If we want to live in peace with our dragons, we need a better plan.

"So, what are you saying, Chief?" Gobber asks.

"I'm saying we have to disappear. Off the map. Take the dragons to a place where no one will find them."

"And where might that be?" A Viking asks.

"He's talking about a quest for the Hidden World."

"The hidden what?" Another asks.

"Out to lunch." Ruffnut says.

"Yeah." Tuffnut agrees.

"My father was obsessed with it when I was a boy. He made notes and maps in search of the ancestral home of all dragons…tucked away somewhere beyond the edge of the world. It may be the solution we need. We're dragon people. It's where we belong."

The Berkians don't sound like they believe what Hiccup is saying.

"Look, I know this is our home. My father left me to protect it. But Berk is more than this place. We are Berk! The people! The dragons! I say Berk is wherever we go." Hiccup says.

Tuffnut suddenly jumps up.

"I'm with him! Who else?"

And so, we begin our adventure to the Hidden World.