Well, this is it. This is the final chapter of The Depth of Betrayal and I will say that my eyes are a bit teary posting this. Its been a great time writing this, and I sincerely thank all the readers who stuck with this all the way through, even through that three month hiatus, Thank you so much! Enjoy!

HTTYD belongs to Dreamworks!

Feeling. Do you feel things when you're dead? No clue. Naraka seemed like an awfully bright place for the land of the dead. And where were the dead people? Legends said that Naraka was crawling with the soulless bodies of those long dead, constantly hungering for the energy of the living. As far as he could tell, Tyr saw no soulless dregs coming after him like he was a piece of curried nan. He sat on a stool, cushioned seat, whatever it was, and was looking around. All this was was a wide open field. But a field with no grass, or trees or anything, even sun.

"Tyr?"

The voice startled him and he whipped around, jumping back into a stance, ready to defend himself. Standing in front of him, the girl looked like a scared little puppy. His hands dropped, his eyes unbelieving of what they saw. Kia Pretor, his older sister by nine years, who died at his hands seventeen years ago.

"Kia? Where the hell am I? This isn't Naraka." he said, his own voice sounding coarse and ragged. Her face betrayed no feelings, "Is it true, Tyr? Did you take the curse willingly?" Her eyes glistened as tears came to them.

"Yeah, I did." He answered, and her open palm stung across his face. "Why!? Why would you be so stupid, reckless and unselfish? Why Tyr!?" She yelled at him. As a child, he'd always been afraid of Kia when she got mad, but now he could only tell the truth and hope for the best, "There was no other way, Kia. I doubt you'd believe me if I told you how it happened, or how you and father and everyone else died, bu-"

"We know how we died, Tyr." Hyu said, appearing next to Kia and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Tyr's face contorted, "You know? How? You haven't spoken to me for fifteen years." he answered, a bit more roughly than he intended. It wasn't their fault that that didn't want to talk. As far as they knew, or had known apparently, he'd killed them in cold blood.

"Astrid showed us your memory crystal." Said a tall, beautiful woman with the blackest hair you'll ever see. Tyr fell to his knees, his strength flying away from him like birds on a strong west wind. His vision became misty as the tell tale signs of tears came into his eyes. He placed his palms on the ground and bowed his head, "Mother," he whispered. He had at least seen his father and Kia fifteen years ago, after they'd died. He hadn't seen his mother since the day in Mount Houder.

"Tyr. You still have not cut your hair." She answered, her face both soft and hard at the same time. He didn't dare look at her, "It covers the scars, mother." Back home, Murianya Pretor had been the warden of the Keeper training school, and the best warden in almost a hundred years. She'd also been the strictest, allowing absolutely no slip ups. She had been respected immensely before her death.

"You can look at me, child. There is much to be spoken of, but we know now that our anger with you was misplaced. There are over seventeen years of experiences to share."

Tyr got up and gave his mother a sorrowful glance, "I'm afraid that you'd find more happy company in a graveyard." Murianya strode up and held him in her arms, soon joined by both Hyu and Kia.

"The family is together once more." Hyu whispered to them through tears.

"Wrong, Hyu," an old cranky voice grated out. Tyr looked to its source and found his old great-great uncle YipYip. The old man had seen almost ninety winters before he died, and he was still bitter about not seeing ninety one. The old ones were always difficult. "That girl is a part of the Pretor bloodline now."

Tyr's heart pounded faster. Did he mean Astrid? He flashed a look at Kia, his eyes asking all the questions he needed them to. Astrid had specifically mentioned Kia at one point, but he assumed they had met when Astrid was in stasi, healing.

"You mean Astrid?" he asked, but he knew the answer.

"Yes, Tyr. Astrid is one of us now. We don't know how, but she can speak to us freely. Nice girl, though." Hyu said. Tyr dug into his memory for a moment, "I know how she is." he mumbled absentmindedly. He remembered clearly.

In his years of service to Soram, Tyr got sliced, stabbed, clubbed, broken bones, torn muscles, and even a cracked skull at one point. He'd always healed extraordinarily fast though, and healed cleanly. Never had he gone through any complications with bad stitches or an infected wound or any of that.

So, when Astrid got mauled that night in Meade Hall, Tyr did have that medicine of his which would clean and seal the wound, but for extra measure he had put some of his own blood into it, hoping that it would bestow the same healing powers unto her. The likeness of Astrid to Shaiya was too much for him. His blood had evidently mixed with hers and grown, turning Astrid into a half-blood Keeper. Now that is going to need some heavy explaining when it came to light in the village.

Tyr had deduced that he was in stasi. Astrid had managed to remember the ritual, and change the words to make it appropriate. six days, he figured, and he'd be out of here. Then came the task of facing the village without getting himself killed. Again.

All fifteen of his ancestors that he'd killed on the ship seventeen years ago now hung around him, like a crowd around a newborn baby. They laughed and cried and confessed, but Tyr was back in the good graces of his ancestors, and he would live to fight another day.

XXX

"Holy gods, what happened to this place?" Tuffnut said in awe as they trudged through the ruins of Berk. Most of the village was on its way back to the town now, Milaki having told them that everything was over. Hiccup had ripped the man onto Toothless and flown to the town as fast as they could. Milaki had said that Astrid was still alive, and Hiccup wanted nothing more than to see her and hold her in his arms.

Upon arriving, he had been astounded at the scene before him, less because of destroyed and burned buildings, he'd seen plenty of that during the dragon wars. It was more the unbridled death that unsettled him. He'd never seen so many dead anythings in his life, whether it be dragons, people, fish, birds, anything in one place. The smell threatened to pull everything he'd eaten in the last 24 hours out of his stomach. The other teens had followed as quick as their dragons could carry them, and now hey waded through the ruins. Milaki led them through and in minutes, they were in the center of the market, where a crude lean to had been constructed around a pile of blankets and cloaks.

"Get ready. She isn't very clean." Milaki said as he lifted the cloaks. Hiccup thought he meant that she was horrendously injured. She was covered in blood, but not her own. She lay on top of the corpse of Tyr Pretor, Soram's longsword emerging from his chest. The blood that covered Astrid was Tyr's, not her own. She did have a nasty gash on her right thigh, so most of the blood wasn't hers.

Hiccup shook off his initial shock and set to work.

"Tuff, Ruff, we are going to need a damage assessment. Run through the village and count every building that is livable, meaning four walls and a roof. If there are holes that can be easily boarded up, those count. I need an inventory of everything useable, meaning blankets, mugs, jars, boar-"

"We get it, dude. Loosen up." Ruffnut groaned sarcastically. Her and Tuffnut took a side road and disappeared. Hiccup turned to Snotlout and Fishlegs, "Alright, while they do that, I need you two to start clearing away what you can. We'll need the marketplace cleared out before everyone else arrives."

"What makes you think I'm going to lower myself to manual labor?" Snotlout scoffed. Hiccup turned back and smiled, "Well, when all the ladies arrive and see the glistening sweat running off your giant muscles, they'll certainly fall for you."

Snotlout turned and stomped off, "Ok, we'll start over here!" Hiccup grinned as he watched the sometimes far to proud Jorgenson walk off, a muttering Fishlegs in tow.

"A ladies man, eh?" Milaki laughed as they walked off. Hiccup turned back to Astrid and Tyr, "Is this how she was when you left?"

"Exactly. Hasn't moved a muscle." Milaki confirmed. That meant that she has had, even if exhausted, at least six to eight hours of rest. He would have to wake her up. Ducking under the torn canvas of the lean to, he stroked her cheek, feeling how even in the state she was, her skin still felt like the softest velvet to him.

He withdrew his hand quickly when she stirred, "Hiccup?" The voice was ragged, a bit strained, but definitely comforting.

"Hey there, beautiful. Sleep well?" He asked, stifling a chuckle.

"Shut up." Her morning temper hadn't changed. He kissed her on the forehead and then rested his own against it, "It's over, Astrid. The Drakonicus is gone, we're all alive...well, most of us." He gulped reluctantly, not sure if she knew that she was laying on a full pillow of dead Tyr.

"He's alive." She said, smiling down at a glimmering crystal that had been clenched in her palm. Hiccup glanced at the crystal with a blank look. He hadn't a clue what she meant.

"That ritual thing Tyr did to me after cracking my ribs." She said. Nope, still not getting you.

"I did that ritual to Tyr! He's in that stasi place he sent me to!" she exclaimed. Ritual? What the Hel was she talking about?

He dug into his memory and after a minute's reflection, understood what she was saying. She was talking about when he thought that Tyr killed her but her really didn't kill her. Tyr actually had a penchant for doing that particular thing. Pretending to kill someone and not doing it. Bastard.

"So...in a few days.."

"Tyr will come back. I don't know if he'll still carry the curse, but he'll be back alive."

Yet more good news. At the same time, Hiccup wasn't sure how well this would go over with the people. There had been rumor of a criminal trial for Tyr, should he be caught. There had also been talk of execution. He hoped it didn't come to that.

"That's great, Astrid. Lets get you back on your feet though. Let me see that thigh."

XXX

Five days had passed since Hiccup and the others had gotten back to the village. Astrid was back on her feet, albeit with a slight limp, and the village was almost cleaned out and ready to be rebuilt. Meade Hall had become the living location for almost the entire population, apart from those who were working in the town. They tended to sleep in the houses that had been most fixed up first.

Kept a secret from most of the townspeople for now, Tyr had been taken to Astrid's house to recover. Stoick had been unsure of Astrid's story about stasi and the crystal and coming back to life, but he bought it. The silver haired man had been bathed, by Hiccup, and re clothed in a clean tunic. Now, he lay in her room, on a bank of furs laid there by her and Hiccup. They still slept in her bed, but Astrid wanted Tyr there so that when the crystal finally grew "hot and bothered" as Hiccup had described it, she could punch Tyr back into reality.

"You know, Astrid, this is all because of you." Hiccup said as he sat in their bed, looking over some designs for a stronger framework for homes. She was busy spreading a cleaner cream that the elder had given her on the stitching of her thigh.

"Don't make me out to Freyja in the flesh." was all she said. If he could see her face, he might be concerned about how burning red it was. Hiccup saying something that meant so much to her. Yeah, she was the mighty Astrid who killed the Drakonicus, but she still got off on sweet compliments.

"Don't be stupid." He said. She turned around sharply, his words tweaking her patience, "Excuse me?"

He looked up from the plans, "I said, don't be stupid. You did this. You fought an ancient demon and won. You uncovered Tyr's secrets. You are the reason I kept going. The hope of seeing you live through this is what drove me. What drove you?"

She considered his question, but the answer was easy. She held up her hand, the ring that he'd made sitting proudly upon it, "The hope that I would get anything even close to as beautiful as this," She sauntered forward with a sultry look in her eye and flung her arms around his neck, "And the hope that I can be with a man as perfect as you is what drove me." She finished, her lips mere breathes away from his. The sun was setting outside her window. It was absolutely the most perfect kiss ever. Or would have been.

"Oi! What in the name of Hel is that?" Hiccup shouted, grabbing at his bare chest. Astrid laughed at his crazed frenzy, but cooed cutely at the little red mark on the skin just below his right pectoral. It was the crystal that hung around her neck. It was swinging and burning white hot, which Astrid believed meant that Tyr was ready.

"Just like him, to ruin such a good moment." Hiccup grumbled. Astrid laughed and took the crystal off her neck, wrapping its leather strap around her knuckles like a boxer. The crystal resting on the large knuckle of her right hand, she slammed it as hard as she could into Tyr's forehead.

A minute passed. Then two. The bruise on Tyr's forehead colored. Astrid held her breath. Three minutes. Then.

"What the fuck, girl!" Tyr screamed, grabbing his forehead. Astrid squealed with delight and jumped on the silver haired man, hugging him tightly. He was back. She knew that Hiccup must be suspicious, of her sudden show of affection, but she didn't much care right then.

"Ast...Astrid...air!" Tyr gasped. She loosened her grip and felt him gulp down air like Gobber gulping mead at a banquet. Hiccup joined in the hug, and the three friends stayed there for a good five minutes, reveling in each other. Tyr was still bitching about his forehead when they went to sleep.

XXX

Two weeks gone from the ending of the D-Day, as they'd begun calling it, and most of the village was rebuilt. The specialty buildings still had to be rebuilt, such as most of the marketplace and the storehouses, but that would come later. Hiccup sat to the right of his father at the head table, listening to the proceedings. This was a banquet that had been planned to commemorate the re-establishment of Berk. Hiccup was tense though; as was his father. Astrid, sitting in the crowd next to her mother and brother was incredibly fidgety. The village, after learning of Tyr's survival, had followed through on their threat: they wanted him to go on trial for his 'crimes'.

So, at this banquet, the tables were all set up in a square, leaving a large open space in the middle. In the middle of that space, surrounded by Stoick's most trusted men, meaning Gobber, Spitelout, Foreman and a lonely guard named Nordo, sat Tyr. Now, if Tyr had been sitting there of his own free will, it would have been fine. No, some of the older men had demanded that he be chained up, to prevent any retaliation. Tyr had assured Hiccup, Astrid and most of all Stoick that he would do no such thing, no matter his fate.

"So, upon a village vote, we stand here vigilant on the trial of Tyr Pretor, accused of attempted mass-murder and treason. Both counts are punishable by death and only death." Stoick said. His voice was heavy. He didn't want to do this; Tyr had more than earned his stay in the chiefs eyes.

The people murmured their agreement. Hiccup had been blindingly furious when he learned that they still wanted to go through with the stupid trial.

"With your permission, Stoick, we'd open discussion to the village." the Elder said in her creaky voice from the left of the Chief. He nodded, and surprisingly, at first nobody really spoke in more than hushed tones meant for neighbors. Then the people started to get brave. Wild accusations of rape and the slaughter of children rained down on Tyr from all sides. Finally, after an agonizing ten minutes of verbal abuse, the yelling stopped. Tyr hadn't flinched.

"Stoick, as spokesman for the people, I call for a village vote on the fate of this...demon. Yes! You all heard me! This man is a demon. His flesh and bones lay prison for something far more terrible, and if we house him here, that demon will destroy us, as it almost had once before. He is not a viking of this island! He is not family to anyone here! You saw how easily this man deceived you! How he played a gods game of life and death with your families! Your children! He drugged hundreds of dragons and kept them hidden! Imagine what he could do to us! Imagine the depth of his betrayal! I call for the ultimate punishment! The Bloody Eagle!" shouted a fiery Mildew. Always riling up the people using their emotions.

The Hall got caught up in the crescendo of chants and cheers, "Bloody! Bloody! Bloody! Eagle! Eagle! Eagle!" The Bloody Eagle was the worst form of punishment a human could go through. Tyr would be sliced open along his spine, have his ribs broken away and his lungs pulled out to the sides of his body, looking like the blood soaked wings of an eagle.

He rose, looking around. Astrid sat stock still, her eyes watering. If the village decided, there was no going back.

A wet eyed Stoick called for silence, "If there are no more words to be said, let it be seen that the punishment of the Bloody Eagle be carried out on Tyr Pretor, by order of the people." The stone gavel in his hand began to fall to the table.

It was slow motion. Astrid, crying full on now, ran over and fell onto Tyr, hugging him, fighting desperately against Gobber and Spitelout who were trying to pull her away. Milaki wrestled with Foreman and Nordo, who had him solidly pinned to the stone floor. Old Marcais didn't spring to action, but Hiccup could see the tears rolling down his face. The gavel fell slowly, the room chaotic. Tyr was going to die because these buffoons follow their emotions blindly. Odin help him.

Hiccup walked over and caught his fathers arm, stopping the gavel mere inches from the stone pedestal it would have come down upon. The noise in the room stopped and every eye in the village was on Hiccup. The boy took the gavel from his father, "Step aside." He said, drawing a shocked eye from Stoick. To Hiccups relief, Stoick bowed his head and stepped back, retiring to the seat that was Hiccups a moment before.

Looking out on the Hall, at the faces of the people that he loved, at the faces of those he didn't love, at some faces that he could barely even give a name to, Hiccup pondered his speech.

"Now, you will all, wait just a fucking Thor blessed minute!" he screamed, crashing the gavel down on the wood of the table, splitting it in half, splinters flying everywhere. The Hall grew silent, for good reason. Hiccup had never, ever cursed in public like that, nor had he ever smashed an oak table in two. The silence was unbroken, except for the sounds of Astrid quietly sobbing. Hiccup walked into the square and looked Tyr in the eye, "May I?" He asked.

"Why do you ask the de-"

"Shut up, Mildew!" Hiccup yelled. Tyr nodded, and so Hiccup went on his off the cuff tirade.

"Yes, people of Berk, Tyr Pretor does carry a demon inside him. Make no mistake, that is the truth and we'd all be fools not to realize it. His demon is terrible, powerful, unstoppable. And yet, we stopped it. The demon destroyed this village, you can be sure of that, but you inhabitants still survive." He scanned the crowd, eyes planting only briefly on every person. His pacing gave him a rhythm

"Yes, people of Berk, Tyr Pretor did drug hundreds of dragons and play us for fools. He manipulated us with skill as much of that of Loki." He paused, letting his words settle into the minds of his audience.

"Yes, people of Berk, Tyr Pretor could do it all again without a bead of sweat on his brow or an ache in his bones. But." This pause was longer, making sure that every person was dripping, salivating on his last words.

"Yes, people of Berk, Tyr Pretor saved your lives. All of our lives. The bodies we found here were not those of Berk-born vikings, but those of evil men from a far sea. Tyr Pretor manipulated us all for fools, to save us. Tyr Pretor drugged hundreds of dragons, to save them. Tyr Pretor used his demon,to save the island of Berk. Now, it is in your hands to save Tyr Pretor. Will you, or will you not? Does the honor of vikings plunge us to the same despicable level as that of the men who sought to kill us? Or does it bring us great lives, great legends to carry all the way to Valhalla and beyond? I ask you now, will you save, or will you not?"

He strode back up to stand next to his father, who had the largest beam of pride glowing on his face. Hiccup had enough goosebumps to last him a hundred winters. He took a giant gamble with that speech. He would either win, or be executed next to Tyr.

The Hall lay in silence. The people didn't break their stare at the young Hiccup, who stood in front of them with a purpose. Not even mumblings sounded through the crowd, only silence. Somebody stood up, and snapping his eyes to them, Hiccup found the patriarch of the Thorston family, an old man named Gutrot, "Live." he croaked. The rest of the Thorston clan stood slowly, "Live." They all said in unison.

Next, the Jorgenson's, "Honor to him!" They yelled out. Foreman stood next, getting off Milaki, "Good dockworkers are in short supply. Live!"

The Ingerman's, Fishlegs, his two brothers and three sisters and their parents rose in unison, "A man of integrity, he is. Live!"

Next, Ingrid Hofferson stood, "He saved my daughters life, and she saved his. It's my turn. I vote for life."

"E's a bloody good bloke." Gobber said. The others began to follow suit, the entire village now calling for Tyr to live on. Hiccup swallowed a huge gulp of air. He'd been holding his breath the whole time. Stoick rumbled out for silence as the Elder stood, leaning on her staff, "A demon inside, maybe. Outside, a man of honor and dignity." That was it. The village cheered and threw their helmets, slammed mugs together and sat down at the huge tables while Gobber unlocked Tyr's chains.

The man rubbed his wrists and bowed his head to Hiccup.

"Wait!" He yelled out to the Hall. Everyone stopped, intent on seeing what the fuss was now. Tyr, seeing that he had everyone's attention, looked over at Astrid, "You know, Astrid, I'm seeing some interesting hardware on that hand of yours."

Hiccup froze. The slimy bastard. He'd called out Hiccups wedding ring. It was a chance for Hiccup to announce it, after his hard won speech. Silently, Hiccup resolved to thank Tyr later for it. The people began muttering as they saw that ring, but Hiccup ignored them. He beckoned Astrid up to the front of the Hall, "Um...I'd like to say...uh...um," Oh, the gods hate me! He thought furiously. Where the Hel was that confidence that was here two seconds ago?

"Astrid and I want to get married." He blurted out as solidly as he could. Hiccup's eyes fell on Ingrid who, albeit red as a turnip, had a grin from ear to ear. The people sat for a moment, processing the words, then exploded with joy. Blessings came down on them from every table, and vows to drink an extra keg for them came in from every person in the Hall. Hiccup pulled Astrid into his arms as they watched the village celebrate.

The doors of the Hall, not yet fully repaired, hung wide open and the dreary sky split apart and granted passage to the warm sun as Freyja smiled down on the couple. The rays of light illuminated the reborn town of Berk and bore lovely heat onto Hiccups face.

Hiccup kissed Astrid tenderly and rested his forehead against hers, "So much for betrayal." She laughed and returned his kiss. After weeks of cold times and cold company, it was finally warm on Berk.

And that is the conclusion to the Depth of Betrayal! I hope those of you who make it here sincerely enjoyed it. As I have said before, I will be doing a one-shot series based off the world of Depth, and I'll open the floor to ideas! Please, leave me requests and anything you think might make a good one shot! Also, ideas for a title would help! The first chapter of that will definetly appear by this Saturday, the 9th of Febuary 2013!