The tavern door creaked shut behind them, sealing off the noise and chaos of the Northern Market.
For a moment, Lucian just stared at Eric, his expression unreadable.
But behind his calm gaze, memories stirred flashes from his predecessor's past.
A banquet in the Kingdom of Merlune. Two boys slipping away from a crowded hall, hands sticky from stolen fruit pies. Laughter in candlelight. Blunted swords clashing in a royal training yard.
He and Eric had been childhood friends.
That truth settled heavily in Lucian's chest, buried deep but still there.
And then, as if summoned by the weight of memory, a soft chime echoed in his mind:
[Ding! You have met a special character: Eric]
[You have obtained a Special Blind Box.]
[Do you want to open it?]
Lucian blinked once.
Then dismissed the prompt without a second thought.
Now wasn't the time.
Eric, meanwhile, grinned as if nothing had changed.
"You look like hell, Lucian."
Lucian scoffed, arms crossed. "You're one to talk."
Eric chuckled. "Let's go inside before someone else mistakes you for a ghost."
He glanced back toward Grimsby, who gave a subtle nod. Two guards stayed at the entrance, while the other two followed them quietly.
Eric, Lucian, Hiccup, and the guards climbed the creaky wooden stairs to the second floor of the tavern, where the space was quieter... empty except for old tables, dust, and a faint draft from a cracked window.
They settled into a booth in the far corner.
Eric leaned back casually, eyes flicking to the stranger beside Lucian.
He extended a hand with a friendly smile. "Eric Delmare. Prince of the Merlune Kingdom."
"Hiccup Haddock," Hiccup replied, shaking his hand.
Eric blinked. "Haddock?"
Then something clicked in his mind. He gave an impressed nod. "Ahh, Berk. Was Stoick the Vast part of your family?"
Hiccup shrugged. "Well, technically he's my father."
"I see," Eric said, then smiled. "Glad to meet you."
"Me too."
Lucian exhaled quietly, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Eric. "How did you know I was here?"
Eric rubbed the back of his neck. "I was at the smith earlier. Ran into someone who looked... a lot like you."
Lucian stiffened.
Eric added quickly, "It was your younger brother—Hans. He got under my skin pretty fast. Then I heard someone shout your name, turned around, saw silver hair... figured it had to be you."
Hiccup tilted his head. "You were that sure?"
Eric shrugged. "There are only a handful of people I've ever met with hair like that. It's kind of hard to forget."
"Fair point," Lucian muttered.
Eric leaned forward, smile fading just a little.
"So... is it true?"
Lucian looked at him.
Eric's voice dropped. "The murder. The exile. Everything. Is it all true?"
Lucian didn't answer at first.
The tavern creaked. Wind brushed against the warped windowpane. Hiccup looked between them, not saying a word.
Finally, Lucian spoke.
"I didn't kill him."
Eric nodded slowly, taking that in.
"And the arrest?"
"I was framed."
"And how did you survive the execution?" Eric asked gently.
Lucian's eyes flicked toward the window. "I got lucky. Or cursed. Maybe both."
"Was the judgment never told to the public?" Lucian asked curiously, noting how Eric kept questioning him.
"Well... not all of it," Eric said with a shrug. "The Southern Isles only told the public that the tenth prince killed his older brother and was sentenced to banishment."
"And the Mana of Nothingness?" Lucian asked.
Eric's eyes narrowed sharply. "They made you drink it?"
Lucian looked away briefly, then nodded. "Yeah."
Eric slammed his hand on the table, muttering, "Those motherfu—"
"Sir. Your language," Grimsby cut in, having just arrived.
Eric waved him off. "They really allied with the Solstice Order, then. Because there's no way they got that potion without them."
He slumped back in his seat.
Hiccup, brow furrowed, asked, "What's the Solstice Order?"
Eric turned to him. "It's a zealous religious cult devoted to the 'purity of soul and blood.' Their core belief is that humanity was once 'pure' until witches stole fire from the heavens creating unnatural power: magic."
"Mages are considered cursed descendants of witches, marked by sin and corruption. The Solstice Order believes magic itself is heresy. Most witch hunters answer to them."
"And that potion?" Hiccup asked again.
"The Mana of Nothingness is a forbidden substance," Eric explained. "It's said to be a byproduct of a fallen god... and it severs a soul's connection to mana permanently. You can't cast. You can't feel magic. And it's only obtainable through the Solstice Order."
Eric leaned back, running a hand through his hair. "I knew something was wrong. Back then. The way your trial was handled... it didn't sit right when I got the news."
Lucian nodded once. "Because it wasn't right."
There was a beat of silence between them.
Eric exhaled slowly, drumming his fingers on the table. The old wood creaked beneath his hand.
"So," he said, finally breaking the quiet, "what are you up to, Lucian?"
Lucian didn't answer right away.
His gaze flicked toward the window before settling back on Eric.
"I could ask you the same thing."
Eric cracked a tired grin. "Fair enough."
He leaned forward, lowering his voice. "There's unrest back home. The Southern Isles are fracturing. Your siblings are stirring up civil unrest, and half of the kingdom's council is at each other's throats — especially with the new expansion plan. And—" he paused, jaw tight, "—if things keep going the way they are, war's coming."
Lucian frowned. "That's... not great."
Eric huffed a humorless laugh. "Understatement of the year."
He leaned in. "Your turn. Why are you here?"
Lucian leaned back slightly in his chair. "I'm here for a dragon."
Eric blinked. "...That's it?"
Lucian met his eyes evenly. "It's a Night Fury."
Eric's brows rose. "Ah. So it is the Night Fury."
Lucian nodded once.
Eric leaned back, processing. "Let me guess... auction tonight?"
Lucian didn't answer which was answer enough.
Eric crossed his arms. "And how are you planning to bid on it? I'm betting you don't have much coin on you."
Lucian looked between them, calm but cold. "Who said I was bidding?"
Eric let out a low whistle. "And how do you expect to get it without magic?"
Lucian smirked faintly. "I have my ways."
Before anyone could say more, the sound of wood creaked overhead.
Subtle. Barely there.
Lucian's eyes flicked up.
Footsteps. Light, deliberate.
Someone was above them.
He didn't react outwardly just let one hand drift quietly beneath his cloak, fingers brushing the hilt of his blade.
Eric saw the change in posture.
"What is it?"
Lucian's voice dropped.
"We're being watched."
_____
[A/N: Hey, Phoenix here! Sorry for not posting these past two weeks—I came down with a fever, and just when I thought I was getting better, it kept coming back. I ended up needing a proper rest and didn't really have the energy to create anything. But I'm feeling much better now, so updates will continue as usual!]