This was requested by GuardianDragon98. I LOVED this idea, and I think I had a little too much fun with it lol. This dives deep into Eret's character and how he Drago deeply affected his life. I felt kinda bad writing this, because I was putting him through so much. so... Sorry Eret...hehe...

"Alright," Hiccup said as he and the Gang landed their dragons. "We'll camp here for the night."

Eret stumbled off of his dragon, Skullcrusher. It was his first dragon rescue mission as a Dragon Rider. Since he had inside information about different hunters and trappers, he had accompanied the Riders on this mission to lead them to different ports where they could free trapped dragons. It felt odd... to betray the people he once considered brothers and sisters. But, he knew it was for the greater good. These people were trapping innocent dragons, selling them and killing them. They didn't deserve it. Still, he felt a smidgen of guilt.

"You okay?"

Hiccup's voice snapped Eret out of his daydream. "W-what?" he stuttered. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine."

Fear. A cold-sweat inducing, knee shaking, stomach churning fear that made his mind go blank. The screams of his village echoed in his skull as his parents ushered him into the village square. What is going on? Eret thought frantically.

He felt something brush against his leg, and he looked down to see little two-year-old Gudrun stumbling past him, crying hysterically. He must have gotten separated from his parents... Eret's chest tightened. Breaking from his parents' grip, he rushed through the crowd of panicked vikings, ducked under a tripping tripping villager, and plucked Gudrun up from the ground. Sprinting back to his screaming parents, he looked up to see archers lined on the rooftops of the homes. His heart thumped louder in his chest. The screams and cries and wails silenced as a voice boomed.

"People of Kaldr! You are now under the control of Drago Bludvist!"

Eret looked to see a heavy-set, scarred madman standing on top of a roof in front of him, draped in dragon's skin.

"You belong to me! Seize them!"

More wails erupted as men forced their way through the see of people, ripping all the children over seven years from their horrified parents' grasp. The children screamed in protest as they were dragged into what looked like a portable jail. It was designed like your ordinary wagon or carriage, but it had barred windows, the bars covered in grotesque looking spikes.

Eret stared in horror as a man marched towards him, a snarl on his lips. He was yanked from his mother's arms, dropping Gudrun in the process and he screamed. He kicked and punched at the man, bit and scratched and thrashed, but nothing worked to rid himself from the man's iron grip.

"Let go of me!" Eret screeched. The man grunted as Eret kicked again, but didn't let go. His mother's cries of anguish fueled him with rage, an he struggled harder. He dug his nails into the man's arm, but he didn't even react. The jail-like-wagon was getting closer and closer. Time seemed to slow, and the voices and screams around him seemed to take on a strange, reverberated effect. His own screams bounced and danced around in his ears.

A sudden, sharp pain exploded in his left temple that made his vision swim before him. Spots and smudges started to appear in his vision. Only half conscious, he distantly felt himself being thrown into the portable jail, and heard the door slam shut behind him.

But, it was the next events that would change his life forever. He shuffled and stumbled to one of the windows. All the villagers were rounded in a circle, all on their knees with their heads bowed, and weeping beyond belief. Over the chorus of cries and roar of wailing infants, Drago's voice rang clear.

"Thank you, for your service, Kaldr! Your sacrifice is for a noble cause, I assure you."

Eret looked up to see the man, an emotionless smile on his lips. He looked to his archers, and nodded to them. Dread gripped Eret as he watched the archers ready their bows, and then in one swift movement, they loosed their arrows. A howl tore it's way out of Eret's throat as he watched all the people he loved get slaughtered like animals. His parents looked up to meet his eyes, and the look of sorrow upon their faces shattered Eret's heart into a million peaces. He pounded at the walls of his cell and screamed as he watched his parents get shot down. The last thing he remembered was the silence, the dreaded silence. It was suffocating. It hung in the air, along with a strange sense of calm that took over the atmosphere. Not even the birds or bugs were chirping, like they knew something terrible had just happened.

Then, everything went black.

"No!" Eret screeched, sitting upright in his small make-shift cot. Frantically looking around his tent, he sighed as he saw he was in no danger. Just another nightmare... It was just another nightmare... Breathing heavily, he swung his legs over the side of the cot and stood up, knowing he wasn't going to get any more sleep. Walking out into the cool night air, he breathed in deeply, trying to calm his nerves. He shook his head and growled, frustrated with himself. Deciding it would be best to go for a walk rather than stand awkwardly outside his tent, he trekked on into the forest.

The camp had been set up in a clearing, which was hugging a cliff that looked over the ocean. On the opposite side of the camp, lay a dense forest. Eret could hear the rhythmic sound of waves crashing against the stoney shore, and the sound calmed him. He hiked on for another thirty minutes. Once he was confident he had found peace of mind, he doubled back. He sighed again once he reached his tent. He didn't want to, but he knew he had to try and get some sleep for the mission they had tomorrow.

"It's late."

Eret's hand froze, hovering over the flap of his tent. He whipped his head around to the left, to see Astrid standing a few feet from the cliff. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she was leaning on her left leg. Her eyebrows were raised in question, and she had her classic half-smirk on her face.

"Yeah, it is," Eret agreed. "Which begs the question, what are you doing up?"

Astrid chuckled and walked towards him. "I'm a bit of a night owl myself. And," she gesture to three tents to her right, "my tent is right in between Snotlout's and Hiccup's. They both snore. Loud"

Eret chuckled at the comment, but his mirth soon faded. His mind wasn't done tormenting him, and flashes of his nightmare made their way into his brain.

"Hey, you okay?"

He sniffed. Eret shook his head and rubbed a hand down his face, trying to get a grip. "Nightmares," he said quietly. "But I'm fine, really."

"Mmmhmm," she said, not convinced. "I think you've forgotten who you're talking to. You're not fooling me. Come on," she nodded her head towards the cliff.

Eret paused, but then stepped forward and followed Astrid to the cliff. She sat cross-legged, while he let his feet dangle over the edge.

"Now," Astrid started, giving him a nudge on the arm, "do you mind telling me what this is all about?"

Eret sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time that night. "Not really." Sending a meek glance in Astrid's direction, he saw her looking at him expectantly. He shook his head.

"Listen, you're part of the team now, whether you like it or not. And when you're part of a team, you share things. And don't," she cut Eret off as he open his mouth to speak, "give me that 'I don't want to burden you with my problems' speech, because it doesn't work. Just ask Hiccup," she nodded her head towards Hiccup's tent, "He tries it on me on the time. Never works."

Eret stared. Astrid stared back. She raised her eyebrows.

"Hmmmm? So? What was the nightmare about?" When Eret didn't answer, she continued. "Look, I know we don't know each other very well yet, but you can trust me. If you don't want anyone to know, I won't tell. I can keep a secret."

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" Eret asked, exasperated.

"Nope," Astrid replied merrily.

Eret let out a long breath. He opened his mouth, but hesitated and glanced away. Then, finally finding his voice to speak, he began.

"Drago...wasn't exactly nice to work with."

Astrid snorted.

"Okay, that came out wrong. What I mean is, this," he pulled down his shirt to reveal the puffy and pink scar that lay across his chest, "is just the tip of the iceberg."

"How so?"

"Well... I got into trapping young. But... it wasn't my choice. Drago raided my village when I was fourteen... killed my parents... He took all able bodied boys over seven years old to be trained for his use, whatever it may be. After he took all the kids, he transferred us to his...his...his training grounds..."

Eret slowly aroused from his slumber. The jail-like-wagon creaked and wobbled as it was pulled down the muddy path by two Rumblehorns. The movement jostled his already fuzzy mind. A high-pitched whine filled his ears. His eyes opened, and he squinted. Bright light poured through the cracks in the roof. Eret moaned and rolled over, only to bump into a young man, no older than ten years old. He had bright red hair, freckles, and blood trickled from his left temple.

"Hey," Eret insisted, shaking the boy. "Psst. Hey, wake up."

The boy groaned and stirred, but otherwise remained unconscious.

"Ugh! Come on, wake up! Please!"

"W-what?" the red-haired boy asked warily as he rubbed his eyes. "Ah!" he exclaimed, putting a hand to his bleeding temple.

"Easy there. It doesn't look to bad."

"W-what? I-I don't understand... Where are we? What happened?"

Eret sighed. He doesn't remember... Sadness enveloped him. He didn't want to reveal to this kid what had happened, nor did he want to relive it.

"what's your name?" he asked instead.

"Aldrif," the boy replied.

Eret pushed himself into a sitting position, then held out his hand to Aldrif. "Eret."

Wow guys! This was so long! My original plan was to just make this a oneshot like everything else, but this is definitely gonna need a part two!