Chapter 66: The Visit

Takes place after the events of How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. Eret's Aunt Grace and Uncle Edward come for a visit, having gotten word about Becky being Eret's wife instead of Jasmine. Ruby is almost two years old at this point.

(Eret's POV)

Becky and I are in the plaza, playing with our daughter Ruby – who is turning two this summer – when Hiccup approaches us.

"Uncle Chief Hiccup!" Ruby exclaims, noticing our chief. What can we say? Our daughter is very articulate, even at one and a half years old.

"Hey, there, Ruby! How's my favorite niece doing?" Hiccup asks, bending down to look at Ruby.

"Good."

"That's good. Eret, you got some mail." Hiccup reports, standing up and handing me a letter.

"Who's it from?" Becky asks me.

"My aunt and uncle back at Wolfsbane. 'To My Nephew, Eret, Son of Eret: I was recently told by someone that you have a wife now, and that she is not the Jasmine girl that you promised to marry almost 13 years ago. Your Uncle Edward and I will be on your island of Berk tomorrow morning, early. We expect you and your wife to be presentable. Don't disappoint us, as your wife has a lot to live up to, considering Jasmine is an amazing girl. Aunt Grace Nordisk'. I guess they heard about us, love."

"Eret, what are we going to do? I'm not Jasmine."

"And I wouldn't want you to be, my love. Let's just make sure that the visit goes smoothly. Hopefully neither my aunt nor my uncle will do anything to upset you."

"Hopefully."

Soon, us Nordisks (myself, Becky and Ruby, along with my father and sister) are all cleaned and dressed up, ready to greet Aunt Grace and Uncle Edward. Amalie uses her spyglass to spot our aunt and uncle coming from afar.

"They're coming up." Amalie says.

"No matter what they say to you, keep your cool and let me do the talking, okay, love?" I ask. Becky nods, holding our squirming daughter in her arms.

Soon, Aunt Grace and Uncle Edward have come up to the docks on New Berk.

I step forward, nervously.

"Aunt Grace! Uncle Edward!"

"Eret, my favorite nephew! How are you?"

"I'm doing well. How are you?"

"I'm doing quite well. Now, let me look at you. I haven't seen you in twelve years." Aunt Grace tells me. I humor her and spin around, letting her look at me.

"Very nice, Eret. You've grown up quite a bit since I last saw you at fifteen." It's then Uncle Edward notices Becky and Ruby.

"Is this your niece, Eret? She's quite the beauty."

"No, she's…that's Ruby, Becky's and my daughter."

Aunt Grace sputters.

"This is the woman you replaced Jasmine with?" Aunt Grace asks, circling Becky like a hawk.

"She's stronger than she looks. She almost broke my hand when she was in labor with Ruby."

"Oh, that doesn't determine strength, Eret."

"She survived a madman."

"You mean the same madman you started working for? Drago Bludvist?" I eye my wife, knowing that hearing that madman's name could send her spiraling. My sister, Amalie, nods at me, telling me she can handle comforting her sister-in-law while I deal with our aunt and uncle.

"Eret, surviving a madman is nothing to brag about. What did he do, rough her up a bit?"

"No, actually. My love, do you mind if I…?" I ask, turning to my wife. She gives me the slightest of nods. Dad takes Ruby from Becky, knowing she's too occupied with her overwhelming thoughts to properly hold Ruby.

"Drago…that madman tortured her. He…" I turn and glance at my daughter. She doesn't need to hear this, especially at such a young age.

"Dad, could you take Ruby over to see her Uncle Hiccup and Aunt Astrid?"

"Of course, son." Dad says, getting the hint. He walks away with Ruby in his arms, her almost falling asleep.

I turn back to my aunt and uncle.

"That madman raped Becky. Repeatedly. And he caused her to become pregnant a few years ago."

"What kind of name is that? It's a bit…biblical, don't you think, Eret?"

I say nothing, because I can't think of anything to say.

I hear whimpering, and take a quick glance at my wife. She's looking at me, pleadingly, telling me to take charge and defend her.

"Right. I quite love the nickname Becky. It's unique, and it suits her."

"Oh, pish posh. There's nothing special about it at all. Just like her."

I stand my ground, not knowing why my aunt is being so cruel to my wife.

"Aunt Grace…no, she's not Jasmine, but I wouldn't want her to be. She's her own person, and she's one of the most important women in my life."

"Listen, Eret, that girl is not fit to be your wife. How do you deal with such trauma?"

"We've gotten through it, Aunt Grace. Together."

"And…hasn't she tried to kill herself or hurt herself on more than one occasion?"

"We are not having this conversation, Aunt Grace. Not when my wife is right there."

"So, she can leave."

"No. She's a part of our family, and I won't let you harm her any more than you already have."

"You won't let me? Come now, Eret, where was she when your mother died?"

"She was being tortured by a madman, and that's not her fault! And I didn't know that Mum had died until Jasmine told me when she came to Old Berk a couple of years ago."

"That wife of yours doesn't deserve to be with a man like you. You're special!"

"So is she! Why are you being so cruel to her?"

"Because she's not Jasmine! She's not the perfect girl that we expected you to marry."

"I wouldn't want Becky to be perfect, and Jasmine isn't perfect either."

"I'll make sure that that wife of yours doesn't live to see another day."

"You'd take my wife away from me? Ruby's mother away from her?"

"You think you're honoring your mother by naming your daughter after her? Your mother is rolling in her funeral pyre."

"HEY!" We all turn startled. My wife is far from the woman who was in tears just a few minutes ago. She's fuming.

"You don't know Eret's mother like he does. You didn't grow up around her, and he did, for the first fifteen years of his life! Don't you think I would've rather have had him be with his mother when she died, than with me? I don't regret being with Eret, I really and truly don't, but I do regret having been in Drago's captivity when Eret's mom passed. He mostly only thought about me when I was gone, and, Eret, no offense, but you should've been thinking of your mom. If I had just drowned before Eret found me…"

It's then my wife begins to hyperventilate and sob. I go over to her and gently cup her face in my hands.

"Love…my darling, my love, my everything. I do not, for even a second, regret meeting you. Yes, I regret not being there when Mum passed, but being with you? I don't regret it at all. The night we met, I had a dream that Mum told me that I did the right thing rescuing you. That you were – and are – someone special. You may have never met Mum in person, but I know she meant – means – so much to you, and you mean so much to her. Trust me, love, if anyone can get through a madman's torture and live to tell the tale, it's you. Also, it's me, but it's mostly you. I only got branded and whipped by Drago. You? You were raped and you mothered his child. I only wish we could've gotten away from him sooner, so you never would've had to go through that."

I gently cup Becky's chin and kiss her forehead for a few seconds, like I did on Drago's ship all those years ago after I changed sides and witnessed him raping her right in front of me.

"Shhhh. You're alright. Whatever my aunt says is crap, alright? No matter what negative thing she says, it's all crap."

"Well, in all my life! I've never heard such dragon dung." Aunt Grace says.

"Look, you can judge me all you want, but don't come even close to judging my wife. Ever again." I say.

"Don't judge Eret, Aunt Grace. He's done nothing wrong to deserve your disapproval. He rescued me, and I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him." Becky says, looking at me with a mixture of happy and sad tears in her eyes.

"See here, girl. You will never, and I mean never be good enough for my nephew. Never forget that."

"Grace, that's enough! Stop slandering this poor girl! She's been through enough torture from Drago, from what Eret told us, and she doesn't need any more torture from her own family. I think we may have overstayed our welcome." Uncle Edward says, finally speaking his mind.

"I don't believe so, Uncle Edward. After all, you did stand up for me. Thank you for that, by the way." Becky says.

"You're quite welcome, my dear. Don't take anything Aunt Grace has said to heart, especially considering what your husband Eret said about anything she says being complete and utter crap. I have been married to her for quite some time, and I've gotten used to her bullying others, but, now, I say enough is enough."

I step forward, proud of what both my wife and uncle have said about Aunt Grace, right in front of her.

"It would be an honor to get to know you both further. Over dinner, perhaps?" Becky asks.

"Oh, very well. But I expect you both to sit up straight, and no elbows on the table and –"

Uncle Edward, Amalie, Becky and I collectively roll our eyes at Aunt Grace's blabbering.

Some things never change, but I hope, someday, that Aunt Grace will come around and love Becky almost as much as I do.