Chapter Two

(Raya's POV)

Becky insists she'll be fine while her adoptive family visits Spine for a few days. She tells them that she can now focus on planning our wedding with me, welcoming the distraction from the pain (both physical and emotional) of almost half a year ago.

Once we see Tong, Mei and Jun off towards Spine, Ba, Becky and I head back into the palace so my wife and I can get some wedding planning done.

Becky and I collectively make up a playlist of songs for the band to play during the ceremony and the reception. We go around Heart, to different sweets shops, trying to find the best dessert for our reception. Everyone knows that this wedding will be the wedding of the century, considering everyone expected me to marry Namaari, joining our two lands of Heart and Fang. But we'll be joining Heart and Spine instead. No one is complaining, though; people just want an excuse to drink and party, with Becky's and my marriage forgotten by everyone in attendance, aside from those in our friend group and family.

Once home, Becky and I go to separate places in the palace to write our vows, Becky to the library and me to our room.

I've just finished polishing them when I hear a scream.

Fearing the worst, I grab my whip sword from the corner of the bedroom and run as fast as my legs will carry me to the library.

When I arrive, Ba at my heels, my worst fear is revealed. Like she was over a year ago, Becky's underwear is at her ankles, her dress bunched up above her waist.

She's been attacked again.

"I'll send a message to Spine. Stay with her, Raya."

I nod at Ba, and he at once leaves to find the messenger.

"Honey, did you see who attacked you? Any descriptors at all?"

"No, Raya. They placed a something-or-other over my head so I wouldn't see who it was."

"Did they say anything?"

My wife nods, knowing giving as much information will do more good than harm.

"They – he – told me that I would always be his, and that would never change."

"Did you recognize the voice?"

Becky nods again.

"I did recognize it, Raya, but...how could there have been another portal to another world?"

"Maybe the Druun conjured up more than one portal?"

"Maybe..."

"Who was it, baby? Who attacked you?"

"His name is Eret...Eret, Son Of Eret. He's from the How To Train Your Dragon franchise."

"Did you know him?" I ask without hesitation.

"Not personally, no, but...I did fantasize about him and I being together. Those fantasies must have gone through the portal and he must have...fantasized about attacking me."

"Dep la, I'm not trying to place the blame on you or anything, but did you ever fantasize about him attacking you?"

"Yes, but...those were just fantasies. Fantasies I never wanted to come true. I haven't fantasized about him attacking me since you and I met in real life. This is all my fault, Raya."

"Honey, this isn't your fault."

"How is it not? I put those thoughts in his head! There's no one to blame but me."

"I don't believe you're the one to blame here, pretty girl."

"You don't?"

"No, I don't. There is nothing that could make me blame you or anything like that."

"Eret is real...which means he was the one attacking me in the first place...but there's no magic in the How To Train Your Dragon universe. And the dragons left a long time ago."

"But that doesn't mean that magic doesn't exist there. This guy, Eret, do you and him have any real history?"

"No. Unless there are multiple versions of me..."

"We'd have to consult with Sisu about that."

"Did I just hear my name?"

I turn and see my friend walking into the library.

"Raya."

"Sisu. What are you doing here?"

"I, uh, couldn't help but overhear."

"How much of that did you hear?"

"Well, all of it. I heard you scream, Becks, and I rushed here as soon as I could, but I was too late to stop Eret. He had a crossbow with him. He thought I was a snake of some kind, but I don't think he knew I'm a dragon."

"Maybe this place – this world – is an alternate timeline, where Eret is not a good person."

"Maybe."

"Or maybe Eret has never been a good person, and he's just been acting like one this whole time, and that he actually never changed from being a bad guy. Is that even possible?"

"It is, Becks. The Eret in the movies is a good guy, sure, but the one you knew, or the one you thought you knew, has never been a good person. I just...don't believe that the movie Eret actually exists in the real world, or in this world."

"I'm so confused, Sisu. Eret shouldn't even know I exist."

"That's a good point. But...I think that the truth is that your Eret, the one you thought you knew, doesn't actually exist outside of your fantasies. But the movie Eret was the one who attacked you, and he exists in every world but the one you came from."

"That does make sense, Sisu. But what can be done to stop him from attacking anyone again?" My wife asks bravely.

"I don't know, Becky. I really wish I did. Maybe capturing him and – "

"Sisu, we are not putting him on trial. And have my wife suffer through the pain of going in front of him face-to-face? Absolutely not!"

"Raya, I'll be okay. As long as I have you by my side, I can get through a trial. Besides, I highly doubt anyone would find him innocent."

It's not long before Ba returns with the healers, and tells us the message to Spine has since been sent out. Becky is examined, but, thankfully, because she was at the end of her cycle, there's a small possibility she could become pregnant again, but it's unlikely.

It's also not long before Eret is captured and put in Heart's prison. If he were put in Spine's prison and Tong found out, there'd be no prisoner to put on trial. There'd be no prisoner, period. Tong would have killed him long before any trial, and no one can blame him, though. Becky is Tong's adoptive daughter.

No one can say no one cares about Becky.

Well, except for maybe Eret...but he doesn't count; he's a monster. Worse than any Druun or any other enemy anyone has ever faced.