To The End - A Tuffnut Love Story (HTTYD)

43. Finally Peace

When the trio reached the village, they found many vikings and dragon warriors in a fluster. Grout approached them with a look of horror and concern, "what happened to you?!"

Finally, Iris dis what she'd been trying to avoid having to do; she looked down to find the light wool of her dres splattered and matted in blood. It was still wet in spots, and crusted in others. Forcing herself not to vomit, she looked back to Grout and spoke with determination, "we're fine. What happened here."

Grout was hesitant to avoid the topic of why Iris was painted in crismson, but still answered, "the devilish dervish attacked again..Arrow was injured, but she'll live."

Iris felt her heart clench as she muttered, "that's all of them, then."

"What do you mean?" Grout asked.

Iris briefly explained how Victor had betrayed them and was 'equalizing' the dragons. By the end of the conversation, Grout looked even more heart broken than before. Iris sent him to inform the others while she, Tuff, and Eret went to find Hiccup.

They found him making his way down to the stables with the other riders. The group had spotted Eclipse and were ready to fight him off.

"Hiccup!" Tuffnut shouted for the chief's attention. The whole pack turned around, eyes widening at the sight of their bloodied friends.

Tuffnut gasped and raced over to them, "Eret!"

"I'm okay, love," Eret assured Ruff, bringing her into a hug.

Tuff gave her an offended look, "oh, sure, don't mind me; s'not like I'm you're brother, or anything."

When Eret let her go, Ruff gave her brother a look then shugged, "eh, you're fine."

Iris, who was helping Tuff to stand, couldn't help but smile in amusement. Astrid then raced over to her, bewilderment in her eyes. "Are you hurt?" She asked her in concern.

"No," Iris responded, "this isn't any of our blood."

"Really? No love for the viking with a sprained ankle?" Tuffnut remarked as his friends continued to neglect him. Finally, Fishlegs helped him to sit on a crate nearby.

Snotlout looked around in confusion, "uh, where's Victor? And why is there a devilish dervish just sitting down at the stables? And why are you covered, I mean literally covered, in blood?!" His tone escallated as her ranted on.

Hiccup, who hadn't had a chance to speak yet, finally was able to make his voice heard. "Iris," he began knowingly, "where, is, Victor?"

Iris took a deep breath; there was a lot to talk about. "There was never a cure for the sand wraiths," she began, "Victor only said that to get me alone, away from Arrow and any dragon that would try to save me."

"What are you talking about?" Fishlegs asked as he tended to Tuffnut's injured ankle, "I thought Victor was a good guy?"

"So did I," Iris spoke in a broken voice, "but this was his plan all along. He used the devilish dervish to take away the sand wraiths' healing properties." She gave Hiccup a weak smile and told him, "you were right in the beginning; the Grimborns..they're just bad blood."

"And speaking of blood, am I correct in assuming..?" Astrid asked carefully.

Eret nodded his head in sorrow. Not sorrow for the death of Victor, but for his friend who had to end him. It was going to take a lot for her to recover from that. Everyone fell silent for a moment. It was obvious enough that Iris was the one who killed him. No one blamed her, of course, but they were all thinking the same as Eret.

"So, the dervish never wanted to kill you," Ruffnut asked, "they were just being controlled?"

"Just like Drago," Eret answered, "except, Victor did this in the name of the dragons. He wanted to liberate them from each other."

Hiccup nodded, an empathetic look in his eyes. He peered back to the stables. Eclipse was curled up and sleeping soundly. He stirred only when a deadly nadded began to sniff his wing. Making a small gurgling noise, he lifted his head. The nadder eyed him and they sniffed each other's faces before the nadder nuzzeled him gently, curling up to sleep beside him.

"His name is Eclipse," Iris spoke, realizing that Hiccup was watching the devilish dervish, "he spared my life and brought us home. None of us would be here without him."

"Eclipse," Hiccup repeated. Then came thw biggest question of them all, "Iris, if the sand wraiths can't be cured.."

Iris frowned, but did not look too upset anymore. "My tribe's greatest and oldest bond with them has been broken," she told him, "the bond that built us, is gone." Walking over to sit beside her husband, she continued, "we will continue to be the dragon warriors, but no longer as a seperate tribe. We're part of you now, in whole; we're vikings."

As she watched the sun climb above the sea, she smiled. Being a viking didn't sound half bad. And as light spilled over the village, she realized that it was a new day. Not just a yesterday's tomorrow, but the past's future. So to that, she clung.