Return
A few days later…
I soared through the sky, the wind whipping past me as I flew effortlessly above the clouds. In one arm, I held Moon in the grasp of my hand. She clung to me now, her small arms wrapped around my fingers. Originally, she had insisted on riding on my back like a dragon rider. I'd allowed it—just once.
Big mistake.
She wouldn't sit still. Kept shifting around and waving at birds. The inevitable happened: she slipped and fell. I caught her before she could hit the ground, of course. But the scare was enough to make her start crying—big, teary eyes and hiccupping sobs that immediately crumbled my stern façade. I scolded her, but only lightly. She seemed to get the message… at least for now.
Though I'd soon learned that tears were her weapon of choice.
Every time she did something wrong, she cried—knowing I couldn't resist. Every time I said "no" to something, she'd put on the pouty face, tilt her head, and speak in that sugary sweet voice. I folded almost immediately. Every time.
Sigh.
I glanced at her as she nestled into one of my fingers, now peacefully asleep. It had been so long since I'd seen Dad and Hiccup. I couldn't wait to reunite with them. A soft smile formed on my lips as I adjusted my flight path toward home.
Hours passed.
The familiar peaks of Berk came into view—but something was off.
Smoke.
Figures clashed in the distance. Shouts echoed through the air.
Fighting?
My brows furrowed. I descended quickly, the wind howling in my ears. As I got closer, the commotion halted. Everyone turned their eyes to the sky. They saw me.
Hovering there, my wings stretched wide, I took in the scene below.
And then I saw it.
A massive white dragon, longer than a longhouse, with rows upon rows of serrated teeth lining its jaw like some twisted sawblade. It resembled a Screaming Death—but even more feral, more monstrous.
The beast roared and lunged at me without hesitation.
My eyes narrowed. With one hand, I caught its head mid-charge. It squirmed and thrashed, trying to escape, but my grip tightened. The creature writhed in pain as I slowly squeezed. Gasps erupted from the villagers below. No one moved.
Then a familiar voice broke the tension.
"Let him go, please!" Hiccup shouted as he flew up toward me on Toothless.
I stared at him for a long moment. Then, with a grunt, I released the dragon. It tumbled through the air and fled, vanishing beyond the horizon.
I turned my gaze toward the crowd gathered below. My expression darkened.
What the hell had these idiots been doing while I was gone?
I descended, landing gently near the village square. The ground trembled slightly beneath my feet. As I set Moon down, a wave of shock rippled through the villagers. Their weapons raised reflexively, but their dragons backed away, sensing my presence. My power.
They knew they couldn't win.
I ignored them.
All eyes widened again as i put my hands down and Moon stepped forward from out of my hand. A child—here? With me?
Then they heard it.
Crack.
The sound of my bones shifting, limbs shortening, muscles relaxing. My body shrank as I returned to human form, steam rising from my skin. When it was over, silence fell. Mouths hung open. Eyes bulged.
"H-how… how is this possible?" one villager stammered.
"Erik," Dad said, stepping forward slowly. "How did you do that?"
"It's… a long story," I replied with a tired smile.
Without another word, he pulled me into a tight embrace.
"I missed you, son," he murmured.
"Me too!" a smaller voice chimed in.
We both looked down to see Moon, arms outstretched.
My father chuckled and bent down to pick her up. "And who might you be, little lady?"
"I'm not little!" she pouted. "My name is Moon."
"Is that so, Little Moon?" he said with a grin.
"Hmph. I'm ignoring you now," she huffed.
Laughter rippled through the crowd, though Moon remained stubbornly serious.
"Meanies…" she grumbled. Then turned to me with a pitiful look. "Daddy, beat them up!"
Everything stopped.
Every head slowly turned toward me.
Then to her.
Then back to me.
"HUH?!" echoed across the village.
"Long story," I muttered, scratching my head.
Dad raised an eyebrow. "Explain."
Sigh.
"How about we have a feast first? I'll tell the whole tale after."
Moon tugged my sleeve. "Daddy, are you cooking?" she asked, eyes sparkling.
"Of course, my little muffin."
"I'm not a muffin!" she pouted again.
Three hours later
Roaring laughter filled the great hall as Vikings devoured plate after plate of food.
"What in Odin's name is this seasoning?!" one of them yelled.
"This is amazing!"
Dad approached, a tankard in hand, grinning. "Erik, you really are something. Now that you've returned with all this power… what do you plan to do?"
I leaned back, exhaling deeply. "The truth is… I pursued strength to protect the people I love. Now that I have it, I want to honor your path for me. I'll take my place as the future chief."
Dad's eyes softened. He clapped a hand on my shoulder. "I'm proud of you."
"Daddy!" Moon called.
We turned.
"What is it, muffin?" I asked.
"I want soda," she said bluntly.
"You've already had one. Soda's not good for you if you drink it all the time."
She pouted. Tears welled in her eyes.
Oh no.
"Daddy… please?" she whimpered.
I clutched my chest. "My heart…"
In defeat, I bought another soda from the system shop and handed it to her.
She squealed and skipped away, sipping happily.
I turned to Dad. He gave me that look and shook his head. I opened my mouth to defend myself when—
"Can I sit on your shoulders, Grandpa?" Moon asked sweetly.
"Of course, my little princess!" he beamed, lifting her up.
I sweatdropped as he proudly paraded around the hall with her riding high.
Sigh.
I sat alone for a moment, drink in hand.
"Hey, Erik."
I turned to see Hiccup approaching, smiling.
I returned the smile. "Hey."
He sat beside me. "How are you so tall now?"
"Must've hit a growth spurt while trapped in that realm."
He laughed. "Now that you're back early… what'll you do next?"
"I need to fix my motion sickness first," I groaned. "Can't exactly visit Dunbroch as a giant dragon."
"Good call. I was thinking of leaving Berk for a bit myself. A year or two. Want to come?"
I shook my head. "Definitely not. I'm tired. I want to stay home. Besides, if we both leave, Dad would flip."
Hiccup chuckled. "Yeah, you're right. I'll take a page from your book."
"Oh, by the way—did you and Astrid finally get together?"
His face went beet red. "N-NO!"
I laughed. He stammered and then ran off.
Still chuckling, I leaned back, enjoying the warmth of the fire and the joy in the hall.
A few minutes later, I stood and wandered around, looking for Moon.
Eventually, I found her lying on the floor, her belly bulging, eyes glazed over.
She was breathing heavily, one hand weakly clutching her soda cup.
"Sigh… when will this brat learn?"
I scooped her up and carried her off, smiling softly.