Hi everyone ;)

While my update on Riders and Defenders of Berk will still be next weekend (I am so, so, SO sorry!) I decided to finish this new chapter for HTTYD 2.

Warning: Prepare to lose your feels XD

Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything.

Chapter 9: How Do I Say "I'm Sorry"?

Eret's POV

It was close to nightfall by the time we reached Drago's camp. I gave Astrid the directions on how to get inside the ice cave and then, once she and her friends flew their dragons in, had Stormfly drop me. I landed face first in the snow and got up, making a run for it. But then Astrid had her Nadder sit on me!

"Okay! I got you here! Now, get this thing off me!" I said to Astrid as I tried to wriggle out. "Never take a toy from a dragon, don't you know anything?" she merely scoffed before leaving me with her annoying mother hen of a dragon. "Why does this keep happening to me?" I groaned, my voice getting muffled by Stormfly's wings as she cocooned me.

Seriously, why was she so attached to me? I was the one who tried to trap her!

'Maybe this is the kind of thing a dragon who's…bonded with you usually does…Maybe this is what Zenna was trying to show you…' a little voice in my head told me. Before I could even think of considering that small theory, I heard shouts and roars. Almost at the same time, Stormfly released me and I saw Drago's men surrounding us! Quickly I drew my sword before realizing that they were here for the Dragon Riders and their dragons.

Maybe Drago knew that I could use some assistance and wasn't going to punish me after all…

Once we arrived at the ship, I tried to stay calm even though I was shaking on the inside. "Drago!" I greeted as cheerfully as I could when one of the soldiers poked me with a spear. "Get off me!" I shoved the guy off before looking back at Drago. As usual, I felt chills travel up my spine as he made eye contact with me. Years of working for him have taught me how to mask my fear but it still didn't change the fact that I was very much afraid of him

"Haha, always great to see you my friend, keeping warm up here? Well as you can see, I'm right here on time with a new batch of dragons. Just like I've promised." I told him just as the Monstrous Nightmare belonging to the short, black haired Rider woke up!

"Give me some back up here!" the soldiers yelled as they tried to calm the beast down. Suddenly Drago said, "Drop the ropes."

The men obeyed and he stepped in front of the dragon. Not wanting to be taken lightly, the dragon fired right at him! But Drago's dragon skin cloak was completely fireproof. He just shielded himself with it as he slowly advanced before taking out his bull hook.

'I'll never understand how yelling helps you control a dragon…That doesn't even look like a good method…' I thought while Drago let out his famous screams. I saw the Monstrous Nightmare flinch and surrender, bowing its head to Drago.

That's when I remembered what Drago used in order to control dragons and people: fear.

He used that on his Bewilderbeast, he used that on his soldiers…and he used that on me.

"Hookfang!" the dragon's Rider shouted in distress when Drago stepped on its face. "Hey!" that weird, crazy girl twin said next. "What are you doing?" Astrid demanded. Drago just smirked and said triumphantly. "You belong to me now." He said simply. I honestly felt awful for Hookfang. Deep down, I knew that doing this to magnificent dragons was wrong but I never had enough courage so as to even stand up to Drago…

"And, as an added bonus, I also caught you their Riders. No extra charge." I said, not even minding the consequences. One part of me felt pretty good to say that while the other half was practically screaming, 'You numbskull, do you even know what you're doing?!'

"What?! Are you kidding me?" Astrid looked both furious and betrayed while the twin girl complained, "Ah, but you were so perfect!"

"Turns out, there's a whole bunch of them out there." I told Drago while also looking at the girl twin weirdly. Like I could care less what that crazy woman thought of me anyway! But when I looked at Drago again, he was not happy. "How many?" he asked in a dangerous tone before grabbing me by the throat! I gasped as my air supply was sharply cut off. "Drago doesn't have them after all…" I heard Astrid whisper to her friends.

If she meant Hiccup and Zenna, I was relieved. As long as Drago didn't know about her, she'd be safe.

"HOW MANY?!" Drago's angry yell brought me back to focus and I visibly flinched while desperately trying to get some air. Oh, I was so dead…

Suddenly Astrid came forward. I'll tell you, the girl's got spunk and a whole lot of courage. She'd make a pretty darn good shield maiden. "Hundreds! A whole island full!" she told Drago with easy confidence.

Drago's grip tightened on my throat and I was beginning to feel lightheaded. "I wouldn't worry about it. My men are hunting them down as we speak. They won't know where you're hiding. I promise that." I lied, half wheezing already. "Oh, yes they will!" Astrid spoke up. That caused Drago to release me. I fell to the ground, gasping for air and fearfully looked up at Drago while Astrid continued to talk.

"They know we're missing and they have tracking dragons. If you so much as touch us, Hiccup is gonna-"

'Please don't mention Zenna, please don't mention Zenna!' I prayed before Drago, much to my relief, interrupted. "Hiccup?" he asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at me. "He's not a problem. Really. Trust me." I said quickly, rubbing my neck nervously in an attempt to ease the pain.

Astrid didn't seem a bit afraid and continued. "He's only the son of Stoick the Vast, his heir to the throne of Berk and the greatest dragon master this world has ever seen!" she boasted. I had to admit that she made Hiccup sound like a hero…maybe that's what Zenna thought of him too…

"Dragon master?" Drago asked, incredulous. 'Uh-oh, this is going to be ugly…' I thought before Drago blew up at her. "I ALONE control the dragons!" he roared. "Nope." The boy twin said before the overweight blond Viking chimed in with, "Sorry!"

But Astrid wasn't done yet. I tried to be as discreet as possible while I put some distance away from all this tension. "And unless you let us go, right now, he will blast through here on his Night Fury and blow your entire fleet of ships to splinters!" she declared.

'She still hasn't mentioned Zenna yet…I just hope that she just shuts up already…' I thought, feeling slightly relieved.

"Then they'll be crying like babies!" the girl twin chimed in. "Funny and beautiful." The short black haired Viking complimented her. "Good one, babe!" the overweight blond Viking said next. I couldn't help but pity those two poor souls. In my opinion, that girl wasn't exactly…charming.

"Yeah. Like babies. They always cry. Real tiny ones…" I heard the boy twin say before Drago made me look at him again. Now I was really beginning to panic!

"First there was one Rider, now all of Berk. And YOU led them to me!" he glared at me before flinging me across the deck! I landed on the unforgiving floor, the wind knocked out of me. "Drago…!" I yelped, scrambling to me feet as he stood upfront.

"Stop all preparations! We must attack the Dragon Rider's Nest at once! We will take down their Alpha and, then, we will take Berk!" Drago announced to the men, who all cheered. I glanced at Astrid, who was horrified when she realized that she had pretty much given Drago an idea where to invade next.

That's when I remembered Zenna. Her family lived on Berk!

"Drago!" I yelled, running up to him. He just looked at me coldly before looking at his men.

"And get rid of him!"

My blood ran cold.

"Oh, Drago please. I-" I stammered as the soldiers readied their weapons. That's when I realized that begging for mercy wasn't going to work this time. I was going to die…

That's when it happened.

One soldier had just flung his axe at me when Astrid's Deadly Nadder swooped in! Covering me with her massive scaly frame, Stormfly used her tail and wings to knock back any weapons the soldiers were throwing at me! I completely froze in shock.

She was protecting me!

But then, a tranquilizer dart hit Stormfly and she was down for the count!

"Stormfly!" Astrid cried out and the soldiers came to take her dragon away. "No!" I could only stand there in sheer shock as the Riders were taken away. I just couldn't believe that a dragon, of all things, had just saved my life…

Zenna's words suddenly came back to me…

'Stryka is not a monster! She's my best dragon friend! My sister not by blood but by bond!'

'She was right…She was right about them all along…' I thought as I realized that what she and Hiccup thought of the dragons was the right thing and the complete opposite of Drago's belief. Dragons weren't monsters that had to be frightened into submission so you can control them. They were creatures that had souls, emotions and should be seen as family, as friends!

But before I could even try to challenge Drago…the worst possible thing happened.

That stupid short Viking blabbed, "Man, Zenna would seriously be hating you now Eret." Loud enough for Drago to hear. "Zenna? What kind of a name is that?" he leered at the team of Riders, who were suddenly brought back to him. I gave Astrid a pleading look. For a minute, our eyes locked and she saw my desperation. Drago could not, absolutely could not, find out about Zenna!

But apparently her friends didn't see how dire the situation was.

"Zenna Fiersome. The second dragon master. Rider of the one-eyed Night Fury, Stryka." That black haired Viking from earlier said. "The Dragon Doctor of Berk. Most loyal follower of Hiccup and one of Berk's bravest and fiercest warriors." The big blond Viking chimed in. "She can beat any guy in any fight. She's an adventurer extraordinaire." The boy twin said next. "If you wanna know more, ask Eret here. She practically called him her childhood sweetheart." The girl twin added.

And that officially made things worse.

I nervously gulped as Drago looked at me, a devious grin on his scarred face.

"She sounds like a beauty, Eret…Pity that I'll have to get rid of her." He sneered. My heart nearly stopped. No, no, no, no, no, this can't be happening! "Looks like I won't have to kill you just yet. I'll let you see your 'childhood sweetheart' again…and I will make you watch as I slowly and painfully kill her and feed her remains to the dragons." Drago threatened me, his eyes glinting in malice.

And just like that, something in me snapped.

With a fierce yell, I charged! Then those stupid soldiers caught me and had me tied up! I glared swords, dagger, spears and whatever deadly weapon I could think of at Drago as I was dragged away.

"You no-good, son of a…! If you so much as lay a finger on Zenna…! I swear to all the gods in Valhalla that you'll be the one experiencing a slow and painful death!" I yelled at Drago along with some more choice words before I saw him retire to his quarters.

My rage soon turned into fear. I knew Drago. He was brutal, ruthless and savage when it comes to eliminating any obstacle in his path. And he was truly a man with no conscience or mercy.

If he got his hands on Zenna…Odin knows what he'll do to her!

In the meantime, the soldiers threw us all in a large cell while they went to decide what our fate would be. Angry at myself and at Astrid and her friends, I stayed in a corner and punched the iron walls until my knuckles were sore. My fellow inmates were quietly discussing among themselves on what to do when Astrid came over to me.

"If you've come to apologize, don't. The last thing I wanna do right now is talk to you." I said harshly, turning away from her. I could feel Astrid's burning stare and I sighed in defeat, turning to face her. "What do you want?" I asked testily. "I think I'm starting to understand…" she said slowly. I rolled my eyes at her. "Oh, you do?" I asked sarcastically. "Well, maybe not completely…But I think I know now why you pushed Zenna away…You were trying to protect her from Drago, weren't you?" Astrid asked me softly.

I fell silent and just nodded.

"You really do love her…" Astrid said in amazement. I looked at her with a grave face. "I love her more than my own life…Now thanks to you guys, she's in danger…and I'll never get to ask her for forgiveness for what I've done…" I whispered, intense anger, fear and guilt filling my heart and I turned my back to Astrid…so she wouldn't see the tears in my eyes…

Then I felt Astrid's hand on my shoulder. I still didn't look at her but I heard her words, as clear as crystal.

"I've known Zenna for a long time, Eret. Sure, what you did to her was really hard on her…but I think, that if you show to her that you're sincere and tell her the truth on why you did what you did, she'll forgive you. You just need to find the right way to apologize to her…Figure out a way on how to say…I'm sorry."

I then heard Astrid's footsteps as she walked back to her friends. My hand went to my pin and I clutched it to my chest. If we managed to get out of here, the first thing I was gonna do was go look for Zenna. I'll find her and, before it's too late, apologize for pushing her away. Even if she didn't love me anymore, I just had to say two words in hope that she'll at least forgive me.

And those two words were…

I'm sorry…

Zenna's POV

I had another one of my dreams where Elias was there. This time we were alone in the Dragon Sanctuary, admiring the great Bewilderbeast from afar as dragons flew about. I smiled as Eli looked at the Alpha in awe.

"I'd never thought I'd see a Dragon King before…He's just so cool…no pun intended." Eli chuckled as the Bewilderbeast made a new wall of ice with his icy breath. "I wish you were still alive, Eli…You would have gotten a really cool dragon of your own, we'd challenge each other to Dragon Races…and…you'd be able to see our little brother or little sister be born soon and grow up…" I told him sadly. My dear big brother lovingly ruffled my hair. "Relax, sis. I can see everything that's happening to 'ya from up in Valhalla. Just promise me that if our new little sibling's a boy, add my name to his please?" he asked, giving me his best pleading look. "If you want, I'll name him Elias the Second." I said jokingly.

Truth be told, I had been planning to name our little sibling Elias II if it turned out to a boy after all.

"That sounds nice…" Eli smiled before looking at the Bewilderbeast. All of a sudden, his face turned solemn. "What's wrong?" I asked, a bit worried. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Zen…It's just that…I have this weird feeling that something bad is gonna happen…" Elias said, looking uneasy. "What do you mean something bad? Is someone going to die?" I asked, tilting my head. Eli sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm not sure…I just can't shake the feeling that something bad will happen…" he shrugged before he looked at me and saw that I wasn't wearing the pendant.

"Hey, where'd your pendant go?" he asked, pointing at my neck. My face soured as I looked at the pool of water in the Sanctuary. "I threw it away. Eret turned out to be a Dragon Trapper. Why would I want to keep something that belonged to a no-good liar like him?" I scowled. "Don't tell me that you don't love him anymore, Zen. I know you still do." Elias smirked. "I'm serious, Eli. I don't! Not anymore!" I said in defense.

But was I really over Eret now? For some reason, something in my heart told me otherwise…

"I hate him, Eli. He lied to me and he broke his promise. He said he'd come find me. But he never did. He was too busy working for Drago." I said coldly. Elias gently placed his hand on my shoulder and looked at me gently. "You hate Eret for what he did, Zenna. Not for who he is. You know him better than anyone. And I'm sure that he's still that same guy who was my mentor and who was the guy you fell for." He said softly.

At this point, I was annoyed. "How do you know for sure? Eret and I've been apart for 12 years, Eli! A lot of things have changed since then!" I exclaimed. Elias merely moved his hand from my shoulder and rested it on my chest. "A lot of things, yes…But your heart and Eret's haven't. Zen…I know you're hurting because Eret pushed you away. But you gotta ask yourself…why did he do that? He must have had reasons…Maybe one of those reasons was that he wanted to protect you." He told me in a sagely tone.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Protect me from what?" I asked him. "From Drago, obviously." Elias simply stated. I fell silent at that point and looked at the Dragon Sanctuary. Thinking about Drago, I got worried on what he would do to this lovely dragon paradise…

Plus, I guess Elias made sense…If Drago really was a ruthless person, Eret must have been so scared to know that I was going to accompany Hiccup to go talk diplomacy with him. And pushing me away must have been the only way he could think of to keep Drago away from me…But I was still so troubled and unsure that I didn't even know what to do anymore…

"A word of advice, Zen: Try to hear Eret's side of the story…before you close the doors of your heart to him. Chances are that he's still hoping that they're open…I'm positive that he still loves you…as much as you still love him." Saying this, Elias gently kissed my forehead and let me lean against his shoulder. I suddenly felt sleepy and closed my eye.

"Still…I just can't shake the feeling that something's going to happen and that it's bad. Whatever happens, Zen…you and Hiccup be careful…" Elias whispered to me as I fell asleep.

I suddenly woke up to find Hiccup still asleep and his arms loosely wrapped around me. Careful so as not to wake him, I gently wriggled out of his arms. The dream was still vivid in my mind and I couldn't sleep anymore because of it.

Apart from Elias' uneasy feelings of bad things happening, both my heart and mind were still troubled over Eret. I just didn't know what kind of relationship we shared anymore…

Finally, I decided to go for a little walk around the Sanctuary to try and clear my head. I wandered about aimlessly for a while until I came to where Hiccup and I had met the Bewilderbeast earlier. Every dragon was roosting somewhere, already asleep and the Alpha looked like he was sleeping as well. Sighing I sat down at the edge and just stared at the water. But suddenly, the Bewilderbeast's icy blue eyes opened. He turned his head towards me, regarded me for a few minutes before dipping his tusks into the water. I watched as he rooted around the water, as if looking for something.

Then he rose up and brought his massive head close to me…and my pendant was hanging from one of his tusks. I stared at the Bewilderbeast and the pendant for a few minutes, not sure on what to do. The Bewilderbeast rumbled softly, as if asking me to please take my pendant back. Cautiously I took the pendant back.

"Thank you, your Dragon Highness…" I said politely. Satisfied, the Bewilderbeast went back to sleep. I looked at my pendant, lost in thought until I heard the sound of footsteps approach.

"Are you alright?"

It was Valka.

"Honestly, Ms. Valka…I'm not sure…" I admitted as she sat beside me. "Something on your mind, my dear?" she asked me. "I guess you can say that…" I replied. Valka looked at my pendant curiously. "I threw it into the water earlier. The Alpha gave it back to me…" I told her. She didn't ask why, but I had a feeling she knew why. And she should, because I had heard her and Hiccup talking earlier.

Then I remembered that Valka knew Eret. Maybe she could tell me a little more about him…or at least how and when he became a Dragon Trapper.

"Hey, Ms. Valka…Since you've been saving dragons from Drago for 20 years, I assume that you know some of his trappers…specifically someone named Eret?" I asked curiously. "Son of Eret, as he calls himself. Aye, I know him. The poor lad…the first time I saw him, he was only a young lad. Fourteen years old and fearfully standing beside his father when Drago summoned them." Valka answered.

"Summoned them? What do you mean, Ms. Valka?" I asked, confused. That's when I remembered what Heather had told me and the letter she had given me five years ago. Eret had left the South with his father a year after me because of some new job opportunity. Now I knew what that job opportunity was…

"His father had been hired to work for Drago. But they had no idea that they were to trap dragons. So, when his father staunchly refused to accept Drago's offer Eret…" Valka suddenly trailed off. A knot formed in my stomach as I began to get a feeling of heavy dread.

"I wanted to help so badly, but I couldn't afford to take any risks if I ended up captured…But I saw the men take Eret away from his father…and forced him to watch Drago kill him. All because he refused Drago, Eret's father was murdered right in front of his son." Valka said sadly.

I gasped in horror and felt faint. Drago had killed Eret's Dad…murdered him…

And Eret, who was only fourteen, had been forced to watch it all…

"H-he wh-what?" I stammered out, still in shock. Valka sadly shook her head. "I can sometimes still hear the lad's anguished screams as Drago murdered his father and threw his remains into the frigid waters. Poor Eret…orphaned just like that. That day, I saw in his eyes sorrow and fear so intense that it broke my heart. No one should ever lose a father like that…and after that, Drago basically forced him into the job his father had refused to take. He didn't have a choice. It was either work for Drago or lose his life." She told me.

Guilt washed over me like a waterfall. All this time…all this time Eret had been through a proverbial Helheim all alone…

"S-so you don't really hate him?" I asked tentatively. Valka nodded. "I hate what he does, Zenna. But I don't hate him for who he is. Eret serves Drago out of fear. And sometimes when we had crossed paths with each other, I still saw in those eyes of his the terrified, grieving young lad mourning his father…wanting nothing more than to escape the hell of a life that he's living…" Valka said, sighing deeply.

"Oh gods…oh gods…" I whimpered before bursting into tears. "He was your childhood sweetheart." Valka stated before gently embracing me. "I heard you and Hiccup talking earlier…" I confessed, still sobbing. Valka held me like I was a little child wanting her mama. In full honesty, she was a lot like Mom. "I never knew…I never knew that he had been through so much without me…I never knew until now…And I decided to hate him. He broke my heart but I also broke his…What do I do now?" I asked myself, feeling nothing but distress. Valka lovingly brushed my bangs away from my face. "You follow your heart, my dear. Follow your heart…it will lead you to him…then you two can talk and work things out." She told me gently.

I sniffled and stopped crying. Valka was right. I just had to follow my heart. I'll find Eret. I'll find him and say how sorry I am for not understanding…for leaving him.

"Thank you…" I said softly. Valka smiled at me. "Hiccup's told me so much about you. I found out from him that you had always been by his side from the day you two met. He told me about your brother as well…It's such a shame that he died early…Elias sounds like he was such a wonderful young man." She said. "The best big brother a girl could ever ask for…and he had this idea of the people from our village making peace with the dragons. He died before he could try. Hiccup and I tried for him…and we succeeded." I said, smiling sadly as I remembered my and Elias' special phrase.

If we can tame 'em, we can train 'em…

"Aye. You two did. And it was all you two, Zenna. I'm sure Elias thinks so too. He had the premonition, yes. But, in the end, you and my son did everything. And, Zenna…I can never tell you how thankful I am for you always being there for Hiccup. Where I had left an empty space in his heart, you filled it up with your love for him as his sister. Really, Zenna…thank you." Valka said gratefully. I blushed a bit. "Thank you…Auntie Valka." I said shyly, seeing that my best friend's mother saw me as family and I figured that it'd be best to call her that from now on because that's how I saw Valka as well. She was family.

"If you came back to Berk with us, Auntie Valka, Stoick and everyone else on Berk would be so happy. And I'm sure my parents would be thrilled to meet you. Will you do it? Will you come back to Berk with us?" I asked Auntie Valka hopefully. She smiled a bit. "I'll think about it, Zenna. Now you should go back to sleep. It's another new day tomorrow." She advised me. "Yes, Auntie Valka! Good night!" I chirped, going back to bed.

I was feeling slightly better now. I now knew what I had to do. Follow my heart, find Eret…and figure out how to say two words that could save what was left of our relationship.

I'm sorry…

Worked pretty hard on this. Hope you all like it ;)