Gothi had come and gone that night. Other than a bump on the head and probably a few bruised ribs, Astrid was fine. It was recommended that she take it easy for a few days and to come to her if there was any pain. Ultimately it was up to Astrid to gage what she could and could not do.
"Oh, this is going to be interesting," Hiccup said to her jokingly.
"What do you mean?" she asked him.
"You guys were on me about taking it easy. There's no way you can sit still!"
Astrid rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the support, Dragonboy."
Valka shook her head and headed towards the stairs. Both of the kids were safe at home for the evening. And despite a bump on Astrid's head, the evening wouldn't be troublesome like it was with Hiccup.
She paused and lost her breath when she realized: Cecil was sitting at the kitchen table with his back turned to her. He was still in the house! Why, why, WHY?! She assumed he was helping himself to the bread that she left on the table, but as she took another step down the stairs, that was not the case. It was still sitting where she had left it that morning.
As she descended down the stairs, Cecil never turned to look at her. He remained seated at the table, one hand over the other on the table. She wondered why he hadn't just gone back to the cave. It was where he retreated to that morning when he fled Gobber's because he hadn't been comfortable. That was when she noticed he was shaking and still damp from the rain. That's what it was. She wouldn't have ventured back out into the rain just to get even more soaked.
She rolled her eyes at herself at the thought that crossed her mind. Truth be told, if it was Gobber sitting there, she would have warmed him up. She sighed.
Cecil suddenly saw a blanket being placed beside him on the table. He barely moved his eyes. He knew it was Valka who had laid it on the table for him.
"Thank you," he said gently, and he picked it up and wrapped it around himself. He continued to stare at the same nail in the table. He recognized the table: It was the same table he had sat at as a small boy. Valka apparently had brought it over from her parents' home when they passed away for herself and Stoick.
Valka placed a kettle on the fire and started doing her thing around the kitchen. Cecil remained seated, although it was uncomfortable for him. He knew she didn't want him there.
He heard her work around him. The kettle went off, he felt the steam beside him as she poured some of the water. His eyes didn't leave the nail int he table. Not until suddenly her hand sat down a mug that was overflowing with steam in front of him. It surprised him, and he took in a breath.
Cecil didn't pick up the mug right away, and Valka narrowed her eyes at him. "You still take mint in your tea, don't you?"
Cecil finally turned his head and looked at her. They made eye contact. His expression was kind. He gave a weak smile and nodded. He picked up the mug and blew on it gently.
A moment of silence went by again, and he said, "I'm surprised you remembered."
Valka took a seat across the table from Cecil, holding her own mug in both of her hands. "You always had some after dinner."
"Your mom knew just how I liked it," he replied back. He took a small sip, feeling the warmth touch his lips. It was still too hot, but he could tell the tea was good.
Cecil caught a quick glimpse at Valka. Her stance was more relaxed. Her face didn't show any anger or fear.
Suddenly, the door was pushed open and in came Eret. He paused suddenly; the look on his face showed some surprise that both Cecil and Valka were in the same room together without one wanting to kill the other.
"Hello, Eret," Cecil said quietly.
Eret nodded to Cecil and turned to Valka. "I heard Astrid had a fall."
"She did, but she's okay," she said to him. "I am not sure as to what Hiccup wants to do in regards to patrol. Probably wait until the rain blows over to restart tomorrow."
Eret nodded. "I'll take my leave then."
"Wait," Valka said to Eret. "Would-you care to have an evening guest?"
He already knew where this was going. And, he wasn't too happy about it.
...
Eret led Cecil out of the house. His stride was long and swift, and Cecil knew that he was not welcome in the home. When he knew he was out of earshot of the Haddock home, he paused.
Ere noticed he did not have company after a few seconds and he turned around and stared at Cecil in the darkness. As the rain poured over them, all they did was stand there staring at each other for a moment.
"I'm not going to wait around for you to decide if you want to sleep inside a warm home tonight or not," Eret said.
"I can tell I am not welcome," Cecil said. "And I do not want you to feel obligated by the chief's mother to cater to me."
"It's not that you aren't welcome," said Eret.
"Then what does it mean?" asked Cecil.
Eret turned his head away for a moment. "Seeing you brings some bad memories back. That first year-my family-"
"I'm sorry about that," said Cecil.
Eret turned back to him. "I know you knew what he was going to do. I am not stupid, Cecil."
Cecil sighed. "I know you aren't stupid, my friend. I never thought you were. You were young, and you were robbed of your family. I knew what Drago was going to do. I knew once he could get away, he was going after your village. I watched him destroy a building full of chiefs one night. I was there when Stoick nearly died in the fire. I watched your village burn-"
Eret came after Cecil without warning. He pushed him to the ground, to the mud. Eret tried to get at his throat, but Cecil was stronger despite being smaller. He pushed Eret to the ground and held him there, staring into his eyes.
"I tried to save them, Eret! I tried!" Cecil then pushed himself away from Eret, sat down in the mud, and began to weep in the rain. Eret didn't move. He laid in the thick mud, and listened to the man weep. "The day I was supposed to go to see Trader Yohann for those Zippleback eggs, I went to your village. I knew where he was slipping off to. I took my sail and headed that way. When I approached the island, I could see it was already in flames!"
Cecil was genuinely crying. He was having difficulty catching his breath, and he nearly puked as he hyperventilated and tried to catch his breath.
"When-when I got to the shoreline, all I saw was smoke. Very few people survived the flames. Some families got out. Those that did, I let them board my boat and I took them to a neighboring island-where they found safety. I never gave them my name. I never told them where I was from. With two days left to meet Yohann, instead of going east, I headed south. I arrived on a small trading island late one night. I set my boat on fire and I left it to burn. I found shelter in their woods and there I remained for a month before I jumped many ships. I made sure Drago couldn't track me down-"
"He would of killed you," Eret said. "He swore to it."
"I don't doubt that," Cecil said to him.
After a few moments of silence, Eret gathered himself and pushed himself to his feet. He reached for Cecil's hand. Cecil looked at it and turned his head away.
"I don't deserve your friendship," Cecil said.
"What do you deserve then, Cecil?" Eret asked him. "C'mon, let's go get warm. Be my guest. Even if it is just for tonight."
Cecil hesitated, but reached for Eret's hand, and allowed him to help him to his feet. They headed back to Cecil's hut, ready to be warm.
...
"So, you never saw Drago after you left the island?" Eret asked him from across the table.
They had managed to get dried off and warm. Eret gave Cecil some dry clothes to wear. The shirts were nearly falling off of Cecil's shoulders but that was okay. Cecil was thankful for something warm (and clean) to wear for the night.
"No," Cecil said. "But, multiple times, I almost came face to face with a lot of the hunters I used to train." He stirred his tea with his spoon, wishing in the back of his head Eret had some mint he could place into the tea. That was okay, though. Valka's mother was the only person that he'd come across that kept mint on hand for that. "I thought for sure one of them would give me away if they recognized me, but if they did, they never made mention of me. I know if they had told Drago I was alive, he'd of sent a hundred men in all directions looking for me."
"I just don't know how you managed to keep secret all these years," said Eret.
"I don't either. Eventually, I quit sleeping with a weapon in my hand in case someone did approach me."
Eret looked guilty for a moment. He recalled Astrid breaking into the house the night Hiccup had been found in the boat injured.
"Why did you choose to leave when you did?" Eret asked Cecil after a few moments.
The question caused some silence from Cecil's end. The man sighed gently, re-positioned himself in his chair, and he used his pointer fingers to smooth the edges of the mug. He bit the inside of his lip, and looked back at Cecil.
"I had been considering it since he brought you to the island. When your father was injured badly, I was glad he allowed him to go home and be with you and your mother and sister. When he returned with you weeks later, I was furious. I even told him that you were too young to be with us. Me speaking my mind landed me with you to train. He told me if I cared so much than I should watch out over you. If I was ever hard on you-"
Eret placed his hand up to stop him. "I never thought you were too hard on me. I knew you did what you did to keep me alive."
Cecil nodded. "I didn't think he would actually destroy your whole village. I had gone to go warn your family. Tell them you were well, and to leave the island and try to go into hiding. Your father knew what he was capable of. I am sure he worried about you."
"I am as well," said Eret. "You know, I have always been proud to be his son. I remember growing up watching him repair the home, helping my mother with her housework even though he had worked in the fields all day, probably exhausted." Eret's face saddened. "When the crops were all damaged from the late frost, and the island was struggling for food, Drago showed up. He offered gold in exchange for some strong hands to help him. It was only supposed to be for six months. The day he walked in covered in burn scars, my mother begged him not to go back. But, he told her he had no choice. I always thought it was because the crops still weren't good, and we were having issues surviving. Dad always brought home good food, fresh plants, a huge elk or a yak when he came home from raids. I was proud of him for providing for his family."
"He always talked highly of you and your sister."
"Nomi," Eret said to him. "Her name was Nomi."
...
If I am avoiding details, I am sorry. I like having these characters tell their stories verses just writing them to you guys. I feel like there has been a lot of dialog. Next few chapters I plan on avoiding that.
What do you guys think of my Cecil/Eret backstory I created? I may actually do more with it in the future. It has been years since I felt the need to write. I used to write my own stories with my own characters all the time until college hit, and I just lost time and interest in writing. I love it! I have a slight anxiety disorder, and writing keeps the worry away. :)
Thanks for following guys!