Well everyone, this story has officially ended. Thanks so much for supporting this story to the very end! I love you all!

Note: I do NOT own HTTYD nor do I own the song "Lullaby" by Nolwenn Leroy.

Chapter 19

The first thing he felt when he fully regained consciousness was someone's head on his chest, followed by the dull ache of bedsores and feeling hot and cold at the same time. Eret forced his eyes to open, which wasn't an easy task. His eyelids felt weighed down, due to the pneumonia having weakened him, but he managed to open his eyes. After a minute to get his vision to focus, Eret saw that Zenna was kneeling right next to him, her head resting lightly on his chest.

'How long has she been by my side this whole time?' the former dragon trapper wondered before feeling Zenna slightly shift her head. Zenna woke up in a daze and almost feared that Eret's heart had stopped beating while she was asleep.

That's when she noticed that Eret was staring at her.

"…Hi, Zen…" Eret whispered weakly, his voice hoarse, but he had a weak grin on his pale face. Zenna could only stare at him, speechless, for a few seconds. Then a loud sob escaped from her lips and she immediately hugged her boyfriend in a tight embrace. "Eret…Oh, Eret…" Zenna wept, burying her face in Eret's shoulder as she cried in relief. Eret gently wrapped an arm around Zenna, tears of relief running down his face as well.

He was okay. Zenna was with him now and he was going to be okay…

"It's okay, Zen…It's okay…I'm gonna be okay…I'm gonna be okay…" he whispered soothingly. Zenna had stopped crying and then, suddenly, pressed her lips to Eret's, kissing him passionately.

Oh, so what if she got sick next? She had two extra syringes, a vial and a handful of the Frost Ivy cure in her satchel anyway.

Eret was slightly stunned at the sudden lip lock, but decided to just throw caution to the wind and kissed Zenna back, savoring her sweet, soft lips on his. "I love you forever, Eret. I love you forever…" Zenna whispered between kisses. She figured that it was high time she told Eret that for real. It was usually his thing to tell her that…Now, it was her turn. She kissed him with every ounce of love she had, and he kissed her back with just as much. Eret had been feeling like hell just a few seconds ago. Now, he felt all the pain and weakness leave him as he and his beloved childhood sweetheart kissed.

Zenna then felt her whole body throb in pain and suddenly broke the kiss, groaning weakly. That's when Eret saw the damage. His dear Zenna's face wasn't glowing as it usually was. Rather, it was as pale as a sheet and littered with bruises. And then, his gaze landed on Zenna's right shoulder. She wasn't wearing her white coat and a bandage was tightly wrapped around her shoulder, a red stain blooming on the sterile white cloth.

"Yeah…long story short, I nearly got killed by the leader of the Dragon Eaters in getting your medicine…" Zenna laughed weakly upon seeing Eret's wide, horrified eyes. Eret looked at her before sighing and averting his eyes. "Gods, Zenna, I'm so sorry I had to make you go through all of that…" he mumbled guiltily.

Zenna smiled gently and turned his head to have him face her. "You would have done it for me…" she said softly. Eret eventually smiled back at her and gently pressed his dry lips to hers in a brief kiss. "Yeah…I most definitely would…" he replied. Then Zenna yawned, her eye beginning to close. "Mind if I climb into that?" she asked sleepily, referring to the bed. Eret merely smiled and moved a bit to give her room. Knees and legs aching from kneeling by Eret's side almost the entire night, Zenna managed to clamber onto the bed and painfully stretched out her sore legs as she lay down beside Eret.

Eret gently wrapped his arms around Zenna, hugging her close. Zenna smiled sleepily as she snuggled into Eret's chest. His fever had already broken but his body temperature was still in the process of returning to normal, so her boyfriend was basically a hot water bottle that gave her chilled body warmth.

"You're so warm…" Zenna mumbled as she dozed in her boyfriend's arms. Eret just slightly smirked and gently kissed the top of her head. "And you're so beautiful…" he murmured, gently rubbing circles around her back. "Don't leave me, Eret…Please…don't leave me…" Zenna whispered, slowly slipping into sleep. "I'm not going anywhere…I promise…" Eret whispered back as Zenna fell asleep. Remembering his Mum and Da, Eret softly hummed the lullaby and smiled gently as Zenna snuggled closer to him, smiling blissfully in her sleep.

It didn't take long for Eret to fall asleep as well. But he wasn't feeling scared anymore. He knew that everything was going to be okay…

About a week later, Eret was finally allowed to leave Gothi's hut. But he still had to be kept under close watch in his own house for a few more days to ensure that he was completely cured. Of course, Zenna was the one who insisted on having him put under house arrest and practically forbade him from ice skating for the rest of the winter.

Eret merely went along with the Dragon Doctor's wishes. He knew perfectly well that Zenna was like an overprotective mother dragon when it came to him and Skullcrusher was practically like a living barricade, making sure he couldn't get out of the house even if he tried multiple escape attempts.

However as Snoggletog neared, Zenna took ill and was confined to bed. Much to Eret's relief, he hadn't passed the pneumonia down to her.

"It's over exhaustion, lad. Aside from taking care of you, she's been running herself ragged with all of her duties. Her shoulder wound's also got a mild case of frostbite. Luckily we have enough of the Frost Ivy cure. Gothi says she'll be fine in a few days. All Zenna needs is good food, sleep and no stress." Henna reassured the former dragon trapper when he had started panicking upon hearing the news of Zenna getting sick.

So now Eret was the one taking care of Zenna. He always made sure to stop by, especially at night, and attended to Zenna's every need. El also helped him out, too. The little boy would immediately toddle over to Eret and pull him upstairs while shouting, "Zewnwa! Eret's here!" and spend the rest of the day playing with his big sister and Uncle Eret.

On one particular day, the Ironside family came to visit Zenna. Kirsten and Tristan had yet to bond dragons of their own while their children had dragons of their own. Anya had bonded with a female Deadly Nadder with silver spines she had named Diana, Daniel had a male Gronckle that was a dark, mossy green in color whom he had named Swamper while Orland had been entrusted by Valka to take care of Gruff, the blind Hobblegrunt.

When the family first met Eret, it was a bit of a surprise for the three children.

"You're the one who got sick?" Daniel asked, wondering how such a strong man could be knocked down by pneumonia. "Daniel, again, manners!" Kirsten said sharply. Eret slightly chuckled before shaking hands with Tristan. "I owe you and your family my life, Sir Ironside. If it weren't for you five, I wouldn't be here right now." He said gratefully. "We were just glad to help a fellow in need. And I must say that Zenna really loves you." Tristan told him before sighing. "By the way, we have news about Dragater. A few days after Zenna had administered the cure, a harsh blizzard struck the island. The entire Dragon Eater tribe, already weakened by the loss of their leader, died from the cold." He said in a low voice. Eret nodded and breathed out a sigh of relief. "Well…at least we won't have to worry about those cannibals anymore…" he said before noticing that Anya was staring at him.

"Um…Miss Anya?" Eret said, confused. Anya kept staring at him with a slightly lovey-dovey look. Orland took notice and gently tugged at his sister's skirt. "Remember Anya, he's Dr. Zenna's." the young boy reminded her, making Anya and Eret blush. Anya blushed in embarrassment because she had found Eret rather attractive and had temporarily forgotten that he was Zenna's boyfriend. Eret blushed in embarrassment because Orland had pretty much labeled him as Zenna's property.

Not that he minded being Zenna's property, of course.

Anyway, Zenna was happy to see that the Ironsides had been warmly welcomed into Berk. Upon hearing the news about the Dragon Eaters dying off, she had mixed feelings. "It's kind of a shame…I mean, sure, they were a cannibalistic bunch but they were just trying to survive in the only way they knew how…It's kind of a pity, to be honest…" she shrugged but decided not to dwell on it any longer for she had a bit of a headache.

After wishing her well, the Ironsides left. But when Eret turned to leave, Zenna called out to him, "Stay…"

Without question, Eret pulled up a chair and sat at Zenna's bedside. "Wow…you look like crap." Eret said jokingly, taking in Zenna's slightly bedraggled appearance. "I feel like crap, too…" Zenna laughed softly before sneezing into a handkerchief and letting out a tired sigh. Eret immediately felt guilty.

'If I hadn't gotten sick in the first place then Zenna wouldn't have nearly lost her life and gotten sick due to exhaustion…Gods, I can be sometimes so weak…' the former dragon trapper thought guiltily. Zenna saw the guilt in Eret's eyes and shook her head. "I know that look, Eret. And please don't blame yourself, okay?" she said gently. "I'll try not to…" Eret shrugged. Suddenly Zenna gasped in shock and cowered under her blankets. Eret immediately began to worry if she was beginning to act disoriented from her fever. But Zenna looked fully conscious and wasn't acting funny…so what was she so frightened of?

Zenna was now sitting upright on her bed, her one violet eye wide and mouth agape in what Eret could only guess was shock. "Eret…who's that behind you?" Zenna asked slowly, pointing at something behind the former dragon trapper. Eret raised an eyebrow in confusion before a warm feeling suddenly came over him. Turning around, Eret couldn't help but smile as he saw, dressed in a mystical, shimmering, white dress, his mother.

"Hello, my dear." Elisabeth said warmly. "Mum, you should have knocked first. Now look, you're giving Zenna a fright." Eret said jokingly, noticing that Zenna's pale face had gone paler. Zenna could hardly believe her eye and ears. She was seeing the ghost of her boyfriend's mother.

"Mum…? Your Mum?" Zenna squeaked in shock. Nodding, Eret smiled. "Mum, this is Zenna Fiersome. The most beautiful lady in all of Midgard. My goddess, my princess, and everything. Zenna…this is my mother, Elisabeth." He said, formally introducing the two to each other. Elisabeth then gently floated over to Zenna. The one-eyed Fiersome lady didn't recoil away in horror. Rather, she stared at the glowing woman before her in utter awe and fascination. Elisabeth smiled and gently placed her hand on Zenna's cheek. To Zenna, her touch wasn't like the touch of a human hand but like a warm, soft breeze.

"I've been wanting to meet you, my darling. You are as beautiful as my husband in Valhalla tells me. And I am proud and honored to finally see the face of the wonderful woman who has captured my son's heart…" Elisabeth said softly. Zenna finally snapped out of her amazed stupor and smiled widely. "Eret's always told me about you…Miss Elisabeth…at last we meet…" she said before coughing a bit. "Easy, Zen…" Eret said gently, handing her a cup of water.

"Honestly Eret, it's your fault she's sick. She risked life and limb for you." Elisabeth said sternly. Zenna stifled a laugh as she saw Eret's ears turn red with embarrassment. "If you get yourself sick again and have Zenna go through all the more trouble, young man, your father and I will make sure to give you a good long sermon when you come to Valhalla." Elisabeth carried on, milking it for all she was worth. Of course, she wasn't really mad at her son but, well, wasn't it sometimes a mother's job to give her child a stern lecture?

Eret's face was now turning a deep scarlet as he was reprimanded by his ghostly mother. Something he had once thought was near impossible. "I trust that you have learned your lesson about the dangers of thin ice and that you will never put yourself in such reckless peril again?" Elisabeth asked, her amber brown eyes glinting with mischief. "I have, Mum...And it won't happen again, I assure you..." he mumbled sheepishly.

"Ooooh...someone's made his Mummy angry..." Zenna taunted. Eret merely rolled his eyes and looked at his mother. "It's good to see you again, Mum." he said softly. Elisabeth smiled lovingly and gently brushed her hand against her son's cheek. "My son, you may not always see me...But remember that your father and I are always with you...here..." she said lovingly as she placed her hand on Eret's head before moving it to his chest saying, "And, most of all, in here..." Eret nodded and let a small tear run down his cheek.

Then Elisabeth smiled at the couple. "I believe Zenna needs a good nap." she said primly. Zenna promptly nodded in agreement and yawned, feeling sleepy already. "Eret, dear, stay with her now, will you?" Elisabeth told the former dragon trapper gently. "Yes, Mum." Eret said obediently. Smiling, Elisabeth began to sing...

'Hush now, my story
Close your eyes and sleep
Waltzing the waves
Diving the deep
Stars are shining bright
The wind is on the rise
Whispering words of long lost lullabies'

Zenna smiled sleepily as Eret laid by her side and gently combed his fingers through her hair. She felt herself slowly drifting off to sleep, lulled by Elisabeth's beautiful voice as she sang...

'Oh won't you come with me
Where the moon is made of gold?
And in the morning sun, we'll be sailing
Oh won't you come with me
Where the ocean meets the sky?
And as the clouds roll by
We'll sing the song of the sea'

Eret smiled, happy to once again hear his mother's soothing voice. He would never forget that lullaby ever again...he will never let himself forget it...

'I had a dream last night
And heard the sweetest sound
I saw a great white light
And dancers in the round
Castles in the sand
Cradles in the trees
Don't cry, I'll see you by and by'

Elisabeth smiled as Zenna snuggled her head into Eret's chest. And her son, already beginning to be lulled to sleep himself, smiled with contentment. Floating near to the two, Elisabeth continued to sing.

'Oh won't you come with me
Where the moon is made of gold?
And in the morning sun, we'll be sailing
Oh won't you come with me
Where the ocean meets the sky?
And as the clouds roll by
We'll sing the song of the sea

Rolling...rolling...rolling...'

At that point, Zenna and Eret were now both asleep. They were dreaming the same dream: Being together, out on the sea, and happy as they could be...

'Oh won't you come with me
Where the moon is made of gold?
And in the morning sun, we'll be sailing
Oh won't you come with me
Where the ocean meets the sky?
And as the clouds roll by
We'll sing the song of the sea

Rock…a…bye…'

With the lullaby over, Elisabeth slowly began to fade away. It was time for her to go back to Valhalla...But before she completely faded away, she leaned down and kissed Zenna and whispered, "Get well soon, my future daughter-in-law..." and then kissed Eret. Elisabeth smiled as she watched Eret sleep peacefully. She never had a chance to be with her son, her dear little boy, as he grew up...but seeing how Eret had grown to become a Dragon Rider after all the hardships he had endured, Elisabeth felt her heart burst with love and pride.

"I'll always be with you, my dear...I love you so much, Eret...Never forget that..." Elisabeth whispered. Then, as she fully faded away, she said with great love. "I love you both. May you two always be happy."

With those words, Elisabeth faded and her spirit returned to Valhalla, where she and her husband would watch over Eret and Zenna for as long as they were still alive.

Eret woke up from his little nap an hour later to find his Mum gone and Zenna still asleep. But instead of feeling sad, Eret felt a great sense of peace wash over him. He now knew that his parents loved him, were proud of him...and that they would be together again someday.

'Thanks Mum...Thanks Da...I love you...' Eret thought as he watched over Zenna.

I've got a new story coming soon! And it's going to be called "HTTYD: Frozen Fire". Feel free to put in the reviews what you guys think it will be about ;)

-GuardianDragon98