I must thank you guys – almost 10000 views and over 150 followers. I didn't expect it to happen so quickly. So once again, thank you and I ask you for reviews and adding this story to your favorites.

Also, sorry for the long wait but I have an incredibly tight schedule and just couldn't find a moment to sit down and write this chapter. First of all, I have tons of studying and it occupies my time from morning till evening. Also, I'm getting married next year and a lot of time is spent on the preparations. So once again, sorry that you had to wait, it's killing me when I can't write regularly but life comes first.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 8

Hiccup was watching Dagur's corpse intently. Blood was still dripping from his opened back and from his parted lips, falling to the ground. After the execution, the two guards, who dragged Dagur from prison, unchained him and pulled his body from the wooden platform. The young man followed with his gaze the Berserker's ribs that were swaying in the gentle wind. The skin of his back collapsed, wrinkling up under his arms. Hiccup ignored the blood that was pouring down his skin. He felt the red liquid all over his body. The white tunic that he put on specifically for that night was entirely drenched with Dagur's blood, causing the material to stick uncomfortably to Hiccup's skin. For what seemed like a hundredth time that night, he held back a retch.

He watched as Dagur's lifeless body was tied to two trees. Just as during his execution, his arms were stretched out, forming a letter 'T'. His men pierced the loose skin of Dagur's back at their tops and pulled ropes through them. Thanks to this, his 'wings' remained spread. Hiccup observed as the corpse swung steadily back and forth being rocked by the gentle wind. Dagur's eyes remained slightly opened, just as his lips, forever locked in a silent scream of pain. The blood was already ceasing to drop.

Suddenly, Hiccup quickly turned around and ran away from Dagur's hanging corpse. Keeping his left hand close to his mouth, he made his way through the thinning crowd, heading towards the shadows cast by buildings. Many of his people have already returned to their houses and the prisoners were being escorted back to their cells. As soon as Hiccup found himself in the safety of darkness, his stomach gave up. He leaned forward and emptied the contents of his belly. He thanked silently all the gods he knew that he managed to hold back the retch for so long. He kept on vomiting, completely emptying his stomach. He felt an unpleasant stinging in his throat.

"I must admit you've lasted longer than I expected." Hiccup heard Eret's voice behind him. He wiped his mouth and turned around, facing his second in command. "I was worried that you would throw up while pulling out his lungs" he added, trying to turn it into a joke. Hiccup didn't find anything funny about that.

"What kind of fucked up people are we, Eret?" he asked when he stopped vomiting. "I mean, what did our ancestors have in their minds that they came up with the Blood Eagle?" he asked, not actually expecting to receive an answer. "I need some ale" he added, though as soon as those words left his mouth, another wave of nausea hit him. Hiccup once again leaned forward.

"I don't think you do" Eret replied, leaning against the wall. "And no matter what the person who came up with Blood Eagle had in mind, I must say that it was a piece of art you did there" Eret praised him. Hiccup only glared at him. "And when I saw you coming to the execution, damn, I must admit I was terrified myself" he added, patting him on the shoulder. "And from what I've seen, the Berkians were also afraid," he said with a knowing smirk. Hiccup glared at him again.

"I couldn't care less about the Berkians right now" he replied. The young chief felt Toothless nudging him on the shoulder. He turned his head in the dragon's direction and managed a small smile. He examined the eyes of his first friend and found something that resembled solace. He tried to smile wider. "Thanks, bud," he said, patting Toothless on his head. The dragon purred slightly at that and licked Hiccup's palm. The Night Fury spat almost immediately, though. Hiccup laughed at that, realizing that he still was covered with Dagur's blood. "Sorry, Toothless" he apologized and turned his head back towards Eret. "How long has Zephyr been watching?" he asked, remembering his daughter pressed tightly against Eret's leg.

"She stopped as soon as you broke Dagur's knees" the black-haired man replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "She didn't see anything during the execution" he clarified as Hiccup threw up again. He cleared his throat.

"Thanks for holding her" he replied, once again wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his robe. He couldn't care less about the material at that point. It was already far beyond the point of saving. He would destroy it as soon as he returned home. "I shouldn't have allowed her to come" he commented, straightening himself up, trusting that his stomach wouldn't turn against him again.

"And who would stay with her?" Eret asked rhetorically. "Everyone was here tonight. There was no possibility to leave her out of it."

As if on cue, the two men heard footsteps that were getting louder and louder. Hiccup spat, getting rid of the remnants of vomit. It wasn't long before they were joined by Camicazi and Heather. Zephyr was between them, holding both of the adult women by their hands. Hiccup smiled when he saw his daughter and crouched down.

"Hey there, sweetheart" Hiccup greeted her, doing his best to put on his most genuine smile; he spread his arms, trying to look as friendly as possible. He failed miserably at that and he realized it only when he saw Zephyr back away from him. The small girl hugged even tighter Camicazi's leg, hiding behind the older woman as much as possible. Hiccup's smile faded slowly from his lips. He dropped his arms, allowing them to hang loosely along his torso. He straightened himself back up.

"You might want to change your clothes before hugging her" Heather suggested after clearing her throat. The awkwardness of that moment was nearly unbearable. Hiccup nodded his head in agreement after getting rid of the initial shock.

"You're right" he agreed, shifting his legs awkwardly. "I guess that it will be for the best if Zephyr stays with you tonight" he declared, eyeing carefully his daughter. He felt his heart break at the sight. His little girl was terrified of him.

"We will take her" Camicazi replied, hugging the small girl. Hiccup's daughter was still clutching her leg tightly.

"I'll see you in the morning," Hiccup said, indicating that he wanted the two women gone. Heather and Camicazi nodded wordlessly and left the two men alone. "Did you see how Zephyr looked at me?" Hiccup asked Eret when he was sure that they weren't within their hearing range anymore. "I've never seen her so terrified" he added, gulping loudly.

"Well, to be honest, you look quite horrifying" Eret chuckled. "I can bet all my money that if you charged into fight dressed like that, you would scare everyone off without having to fight anybody."

"It's not funny, Eret" Hiccup replied. He didn't sound amused at all. "I don't want Zephyr to have any reasons to fear me" he explained. "She's my daughter, for fuck's sake!" he exclaimed loudly.

"Woah, woah, woah, calm down, chief" Eret said, using his hands to articulate. "I only wanted to lighten the mood, that's all" he tried to explain, but Hiccup wasn't in a mood to listen to it.

"I can't wait to find out how you will react when your child will be terrified of you" he snapped at him. "We'll see if you find that funny as well" he added through clenched teeth. "She's my daughter!" he yelled at him. Eret lifted his hands in a defensive manner.

"I know, I know" he replied, trying to calm Hiccup down. "I'm not questioning that. I was just trying to lighten the mood, you know? You and Zephyr aren't the only ones who are affected by the Eagle."

"Oh, really?" Hiccup asked, rolling his eyes. "From what I could see, you were having great fun" he snapped at Eret once again. The former dragon trapper rolled his eyes as well.

"I used to be a mercenary – blood doesn't scare me" he explained, shrugging his shoulders. "But other members of our tribe… well, let's just say that it had to be the first time they've ever witnessed the Blood Eagle" he chuckled again. "And I'm sure that Dagur's corpse will serve as a nice reminder who is the chief around here."

"It had to be done" Hiccup replied, more likely trying to convince himself that his decision was right. "Dagur didn't make it through the execution – he didn't deserve the proper burial" he explained, recalling the man's screams. It sent an unpleasant shiver down his spine.

"You kept your word" Eret praised him with a small smile on his lips. "None of us will be seeing Dagur in the afterlife."

"I certainly hope so" Hiccup murmured, feeling his stomach calm down.

"Weren't you afraid that they would recognize you?" Eret asked, changing the topic. "The Berkians, I mean" he clarified when he saw the questioning look on Hiccup's face. The young chief shook his head.

"They haven't recognized me during the day when I forgot my helmet. There was no way they would now" he answered. He was truly grateful that he didn't have to face the consequences of his earlier mistake.

"That black-haired boy was the cousin you told me about?" Eret asked him.

"Boy?" he asked in disbelief, not answering his question directly. "We're practically the same age. You think I'm a boy too?"

"No, you're a man, Hiccup" Eret countered. "But it's not only the age that makes someone an adult. I've watched him during the execution. Let's just say that I've seen younger mercenaries who could handle much more than he. Your cousin stopped watching right after you've opened Dagur's back. That's not a good chief material if I did say so myself."

"If you knew Snotlout more, you would know that in many aspects he is incapable of being a chief" Hiccup replied with a small chuckle. For the first time that night, he felt his mood lighten up a little. "Honestly, I'm not surprised that he wasn't watching."

"Well, he wasn't the only one. Others weren't watching as well, safe for that pretty blonde of yours and your father. The fat one tried to watch but he also was turning his head in the other direction from time to time."

"I knew that my father would watch" Hiccup admitted, recalling Stoick's expression. He has never seen his father so terrified before. "He's the strongest Viking I know. The same goes for Astrid" he added after a moment of hesitation.

"No matter what you think of them, you've gained their respect" Eret replied. "They fear you. It was as clear as day."

"If I knew that I would have to go through something like this, I would never agree to be a chief" Hiccup countered, shaking his head in disbelief. The full weight of his actions still didn't fall down on him. "I've killed people earlier but it was always during a fight. Never before have I executed someone."

"Every chief has to go through it at some point" Eret replied, once again shrugging his shoulders.

"I wish I didn't" Hiccup murmured. Eret didn't reply to that. "I'm going back home," he said after a moment of silence. "I've had enough for one night."

"Why do I have a feeling that you might come across the Great Hall on your way back home and leave it with a barrel of ale?" Eret commented, chuckling slightly.

"It's terrifying how well you know me, Eret."

They were already back in their cells. Astrid and her companions were escorted back to the prison immediately after the man's corpse was spread on the two trees, right next to the place where the execution took place. None of them dared to say a word on their way back as if they were afraid that by breaking the silence that had fallen on the village, they would earn themselves the exact same punishment. The two guards that were escorting them also didn't say a word.

Astrid was sitting in her cell, hugging her knees tightly. Even though she was back in the safety of her cell, she couldn't get rid of the fear that was holding her in a tight grasp. She was starring at some random point on the floor, still trying to comprehend what she had just witnessed. From what she has noticed with a corner of her eye, the rest of Berkians were in a similar state.

"That man is a psycho" Snotlout spoke, breaking the silence. Astrid lifted her gaze to look at the man that one day would become her chief. And her husband.

"Apparently one has to have balls to go through the Blood Eagle" she commented.

"Are you kidding me?" he nearly yelled. "That wasn't the Blood Eagle! It was some sadistic shit he did out there."

"It was the Blood Eagle" Stoick replied, not lifting his gaze. He too was recovering from the shock of witnessing it for the first time. "Perhaps now you will be more careful with your threats" he scolded his nephew. Snotlout didn't come up with any response. Astrid couldn't help smirking.

"Turns out you're not so brave after all" Ruffnut teased him. Even in the dark of their cells, they could clearly see Snotlout's face going red from anger and embarrassment.

"Shut up" he replied. "You also weren't looking, remember?"

"But I've never threatened anyone with the Blood Eagle" she countered. Snotlout didn't reply to that.

"Why did they take us to the execution?" Astrid asked the question that seemed to be lingering in the minds of everyone. "We're not part of their tribe, there was no reason for us to see it."

"There was one reason" Stoick countered; his voice was heavy. "It was a warning."