Hiccup awoke the next morning right as the sun was coming up. He hadn't slept well, but the sweet smell of Astrid's hair made him smile. He felt the warmth of her skin against his under their blankets. She seemed to have slept well because she didn't move most of the night, and he spent half the night trying to keep still for her sake.

He'd been up most of the night because he couldn't contain his excitement. He was going out riding again today. Back on Toothless. His buddy had been so patient over the last weeks with his recovery. Normally Toothless would have been going absolutely stir crazy. But with the situation he seemed to have kept himself contained.

Hiccup moved slowly so Astrid didn't wake. He groaned as the heaviness of her head moved across his stiff shoulder. Covering her back up with their blankets, he made his way towards the door. Sure enough, he heard the sound of a tail dragging the floor.

"Shhhhh-" he said to Toothless as they headed down the stairs. He made himself some bread and butter, then headed out the back door.

There, he stretched his shoulder and ate his slice of bread. Toothless sat obediently waiting for the last bite.

"Ready for today, bud?" he asked Toothless quietly. The dragon wagged his tail with glee. "I am, too." He winced as he felt his shoulder pop slightly, but it didn't pop out of place. He could hear the ball and joint rotate as he moved it. Slowly, he increased his movement.

Just as Hiccup felt his shoulder loosening up better, he saw movement in the corner of his eye. He recognized Cecil heading into the woods a ways down, hitting an old deer path. Hiccup narrowed his eyes in thought. No one was following Cecil. Hiccup felt slightly torn as to whether or not to follow him or stay behind.

As he was about to get up and head for the woods to follow, he heard the front door shut inside the house. He could tell by the sound of the stride it was Gobber who had entered the house. One pegleg and a boot. He had left the back door cracked open, and he could hear Gobber talking to his mother. She apparently had woken up after he had gone outside.

"Valka, I don' know wha' t'do," Gobber said to her.

"What do you mean?" Valka asked him.

"With Cecil-he headed into the woods-"

"WHY would you allow him to?" Valka asked.

"Well, for starters, I ain' about to chase after the brute. And secondly, he's different. He's-calmer, if that makes sense."

Valka's kettle inside had gone off. Hiccup strained his hear closer to the small opening to hear more of what Gobber and she were saying. He wished he was a fly on the wall at this point in time. He could barely hear them.

"Age makes us calmer, Gobber," Valka said. "That doesn't make him any less of a thief, a murderer-"

"Valka, I had my guard up with 'im as well," Gobber said. "He's-he seems so sincere about the past. Ye' know how he would storm out when he would be accused of stealin' sheep as a boy, or tying up Spitelout in the woods for two days before anyone found him? Or-"

"I get it Gobber," Valka said. "But-a person that evil cannot change."

"Valka-He did have a point," Gobber said. "He TRAINED Eret with Drago's men. He taught Eret the basics of dragon hunting. He made a valid point-we accepted Eret int' the Hooligan tribe-"

"Eret was different," Valka said. "Eret helped us against Drago in the end."

"And you don' think he's tryin' to help us now?"

"I don't," Valka said sternly. "I believe he's up to something-something Dagur has been working on-I think he's one of his spies-"

Hiccup sighed. His mother was continuing to be stubborn with the idea of entertaining the thought that Cecil was good. At this point, he knew it would take some time for her to come around. Heck, his father finally came around to the idea of dragons. Even dragons working with them on the island. Stoick had softened five years before his death. Without Toothless and the events leading up to Hiccup losing his leg, he didn't think he and his father would ever have a good relationship. Thankfully, the last five years was the best relationship they'd had. Hiccup was very grateful for that today.

"Valka, I am not sayin' to we'come him with open arms the next time he comes knocking on th'door, but consider the idea he might be on our side and not using Hiccup to allow Dagur to move closer in-"

"Gobber-I will not," Valka said. "I don't have you on my side anymore."

Hiccup sighed. He was going to have to let his mother cool down. Maybe realize Cecil was good. Hiccup knew it. He thought he would be living proof, but in his mother's eyes, Cecil was a worn enemy. He would have to find a way to change that. Somehow, he would find a way.

...

"There you guys are." Hiccup greeted the twins as they landed back onto the island.

"You act like we haven't been doing ANYTHING!" Ruffnut moaned. She yawned and fell against the head of Barf. "While you've been sleeping the last month we've been doing patrol."

"YOU weren't the one torchered by Dagur, you mutten-h-"

Hiccup reached up and pulled Astrid back to him. She was about to climb the Zippleback to ring Ruffnut's neck.

"I know you are tired, Ruff-"

"And hungry-" Tuffnut said.

"And we've lost soooo much boar pit digging-"

"I TOLD you guys NOT to put a boar pit on Berk!" Hiccup said. He sighed, trying to keep calm. "What would you guys do if we had a stampede of them come through town and they hurt someone." Hiccup slapped himself in the face, and let out a sigh. "Look-you guys go home and sleep a few hours, then you guys are going to move those boars off the island." He crossed his arms. "Exactly how many boars are we talking about?"

"Does it matter now?!" Ruffnut said. "They won't be here come sunset."

"Good," said Hiccup. "Now, you both go home and get some rest." He looked at the Zippleback and took some sympathy to the dragon. By appearance it looked like it was about to deflate.

Heather laughed as the twins and the dragon went off to rest.

"What is so funny?" Astrid asked her.

"Well, lets just say that the twins are missing about half a dozen of their boars right now," she replied. "Don't worry, Hiccup. There really wasn't that many."

"Just imagine if a little kid fell into it!" he moaned. He rubbed his forehead with his thumb and two fingers in frustration. "Oh, those two-" He suddenly felt a push from behind himself, and he had to catch his footing. He turned around and sighed, giving his partner a small smile. Toothless was ready to go. He was growing inpatient and scowling at his rider. "Okay, Toothless. Point made, bud."

"Hiccup, promise me you'll be careful," Astrid said.

"No worries," he replied to her. He took her hand and pulled her closer. He kissed her cheek.

"I'll be close by," Eret said to Astrid, placing a hand on Hiccup's good shoulder.

Toothless nudged his rider again, this time not as gently as before. Astrid had to catch them both from falling over. It wasn't a moment later, Hiccup was in the sky with Toothless, their excitement could be heard.

"You can't protect him forever, Astrid," Eret said to her gently, sitting on top of Skullcrusher. "He's a grown man, a chief, and of all things-stubborn."

"I know," she said. She had her arms crossed and wrapped around herself. "Please make sure he doesn't hurt himself."

Eret laughed. "Like I did such a good job last time he went riding."

"I wouldn't want anyone else up there with him," Astrid said to Eret.

...

With the wind in his face, Hiccup finally felt whole again. While Eret kept watch, Hiccup tried a few different moves to make sure the saddle was completely broken in. There was one move he was dying to try. He stood up on Toothless and took in a deep breath.

"Okay, bud, you ready?"

Toothless nodded but Hiccup could see the worry on his face.

"It'll be fine," Hiccup said gently. He took in a deep breath, he closed his eyes, walked to the end of Hiccup's nose and took his step off of his dragon. He didn't feel the rush of falling. No wind, no sinking feeling in his gut that he loved. He opened his eyes, and realized Eret had a hold of the bottom of his feet. He had flown in under Toothless and caught the bottom of his feet just as Hiccup was ready to fall.

"Forget it, Hiccup."

"Eret-"

"Your wife will kill me," he said to him. He motioned for Toothless to move forward and Hiccup hopped back over onto his dragon. "She's still worried about you, you know that."

"I'm fine!"

"Hiccup, we all know you say that even when you aren't," Eret said. "Please-mate. Take it easy for a few days. Let your shoulder loosen up some. You'll be sky diving in no time. But for right now-"

"Okay, Eret," Hiccup breathed, putting his head down. Frustration was not hidden on his face. Toothless cooed at him gently.

After a few moments of silence, Eret pulled a canteen out of his saddle bag and offered Hiccup a drink. Hiccup hadn't realized how thirsty he was until Eret had offered him a drink. He took a small drink, and the memory of Cecil helping him drink some cider came back to him. He had been weak and achy. He remembered the pain Dagur caused him when he dislocated his shoulder. He winced slightly.

"You okay?" Eret asked him.

Hiccup nodded, biting his lip slightly. His mind got to wondering.

"Eret, Cecil made mention of you last night-"

Hiccup saw Eret's eyes turn to slight panic, and his broad shoulders tensed up at the mentioning of Cecil. Hiccup wondered if this would be another fight just like he was having with his mother.

"Can-you tell me how he was before?" Hiccup asked quietly.

Eret contemplated his words for a moment. He rubbed the side of Skullcrusher, and even looked over at Toothless for a moment. He took in a deep breath.

"I'm not proud of it," Eret said. "Granted, I didn't know any better. Honestly, it was in my blood to hunt and kill dragons. If my father could see me today, he probably wouldn't be real proud of me." He let out a sigh. "Being with Drago-it puts you in a dark place. I remember the darkness consuming me with each day we hunted and-killed dragons. If I went soft-well, that's how I ended up being branded-"

Hiccup could see Eret's emotions fighting to escape his body. Hiccup went to tell Eret he didn't have to tell him, but his friend continued.

"When I was of age, and my father was injured during a raid, Drago came to our home. My mother tried to tuck myself and my sister away from Drago. She hid us in a hideaway in the closet of our home when she heard the knock on the door. Drago had come to check-in on us. He was waiting for my father to come back to hunt. When he didn't show up after two weeks of being gone, he came looking for him. When he realized my father was still injured, and it was obvious he would not be returning-Drago grew angry."

"Eret-"

"No, Hiccup." Eret said. "When he went to catch the house on fire, that was when I intervened. I didn't want him hurting my family. When I pushed him to the floor, he took one look at me, laughed, and turned to my father. He allowed my father to retire with the understanding that I would be working for him instead. My father didn't want to let me go-but, he was in no shape or form to go back out. I left my family and went to Drago's island to work in my father's place. I was fifteen years old. And Cecil took me and started to train me."

Hiccup waited for Eret to continue. No one had heard Eret's life before. All they knew was that he was named after his father, and was very proud of that. He never mentioned his family, nor asked anyone to journey with him to visit. Everyone assumed Eret only had the dragon hunters. All this time, their assumptions had been right.

"Cecil trained me that first year," Eret said. "He told me to always be on alert. He showed me how to trick dragons and swipe their eggs. He showed me how to hatch them, raise them from birth to do as they were asked." He sat quietly for another moment. "He taught me how to kill."

Hiccup felt goosebumps going up his arms. He felt nauseated suddenly. He had been trusting this man, had welcomed him onto the island, placed him in with his loved ones, and here Eret was telling him how he had killed and stolen young from their nests.

"Hiccup-Cecil showed me how to survive with Drago. I was a prisoner, allowed to run free as long as I came back with dragons. If I returned with little to none, Drago was not forgiving. I am blessed in the event that I came back with one mark on my chest. But, had it not been for Cecil, I probably would have at least half a dozen on my body."

Hiccup looked over at Eret, surprised by his words.

"Cecil helped me survive. I wanted to go back home to my family, but he told me if I did, Drago would know where to find me." His head lowered. "Little did I know, shortly after I came to work for Drago, my village was destroyed. It was because my father sold his soul to Drago in an exchange for some money to keep his family alive. Even though I came to work for Drago, he destroyed my family and the village. In the end, I had only bought them some time."

Hiccup felt himself shaking with angry and sympathy. He suddenly felt cold in the bright sun, and felt as though a darkness had surrounded him. Toothless cooed at him gently, but this only made Hiccup feel slightly better.

"Do you trust Cecil, Eret?" Hiccup asked him.

Eret sighed. "He was kind to me, the little time I knew him. He had eluded Drago somehow. He left to collect some dragon eggs from Trader Yohan. And then vanished. In Drago's world, I trust him there. But, that's a completely different side, Hiccup."

"Did he ever tell you about his life on Berke?"

Eret sighed. "He told me about how his family had been killed in a dragon raid, how a family had taken him in and raised him. How the older he grew, the more angry he became. I think he was trying to keep me from becoming angry at the world. I think he knew what was going to happen to my village, and he shielded me from it. Multiple times he stopped me from going back home, convincing me to stay. Told me I was safest there, whether I believed it or not." Eret waited a moment and was lost in thought. "To be honest, Hiccup, I think he stayed with Drago long enough to keep me alive, and then he left, knowing I was strong enough to make it through on my own with Drago as my chief."

"My mother refuses to believe that there is good in Cecil. I think if he wanted me dead, he had the chance. But...Mom thinks he's playing for both sides." Hiccup sighed. "At this point, I do not know what to do."

"I changed, Hiccup," Eret said. "And I worked for Drago. And you all accept me here."

"And that has been brought up," said Hiccup. "I hope your ears weren't burning."

Eret shook his head. "I get it." He looked over at Hiccup. "Only time will tell whether Cecil is good or not, Hiccup. If he is on our side, he is, and your mother will eventually see that. If he isn't, shame on him for fooling us. Reserve your judgment right now. That is what I would recommend."

"I think most everyone else is at this point," Hiccup said. "Aside from Heather."

"For right now, I am reserving mine," Eret replied. "As I said, I trust him there. Here, I am a little iffy. But, people change. Time will tell."

Hiccup nodded. "Time will tell."

This went into a completely different direction than I intended. I have been wondering about Eret's story for some time. Every time I watch HTTYD2 all we know about Eret is that "I am Eret, son of Eret." That line always made me think he was proud of his father. In writing this, I created my own back story of Eret. I love Eret's character.

I had actually wanted him to give Hiccup some back story on how Cecil was as a human being years ago, to see if he really had changed over the years that Valka describes him, but I only touched a little bit on that part. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.