What If...

10th Meeting

Dagur would never admit to being nervous, but he couldn't help himself, he was returning to Berk with a whole new title. He was now Dagur the Deranged, Chief of the Berserker tribe.

Dagur had killed Oswald in front of some other Vikings, and although some of them understood, they're were quite a few who thought Dagur had simply flown into a rage and lashed out wildly. The elders of the village had made the final call, Dagur explained the situation and took responsibility for his actions. But in the end, they hadn't punished him. From what the other Viking's had witnessed, the came to the conclusion that Dagur had embodied the Berserker nature because he felt his friend was threatened. They had allowed him to become chief of the tribe had gave him his new name.

It was still a lot to think about, but Dagur was more worried about what it would mean for his and Hicca's relationship.

Wait... relationship? Did he really think of Hicca that way?

He shook his head to get rid of the strange thought, he had to focus, especially with those strange rumours floating around. Rumours that Berk was overrun with dragons. Dragon attacks used to happen all the time, but then they had suddenly stopped for some unknown reason, so why were the monsters hanging around Berk still?

But when the Berserker ships arrived at Berk, everything seemed normal. Dagur breathed a sigh of relief, then he pulled is shoulders back and stood tall as his uncle, Harold, announced him. "Presenting, the high chief of the Berserker tribe. Cracker of skulls, slayer of beasts, the great and fearsome... Dagur the Deranged!" Harold stepped aside to reveal Dagur. He also allowed Dagur to see the shocked expressions on Stoick, Hicca and Gobber's faces.

"Dagur, where's your father?" Stoick asked.

"He's been forced into retirement, I've taken over the Berserker tribe." Dagur answered, he didn't want to say what really happened in front of Hicca.

As he turned his attention to Hicca, he noticed a major difference from last time. Her lower left leg was gone, replaced with metal and wood. It seemed he wasn't the only one who'd gone through some major changes since their last meeting.

"Hicca, what happened to your leg?"

Hicca moved so that her metal leg was slightly hidden behind the other, "Um... dragon attack, it's nothing really."

Dagur knew that wasn't the full story, but before he could ask Stoick spoke again. "Well then, how about we get that treaty signed?"

"Actually, I'd like a tour of the village first." Dagur said, he wanted to check for himself if he could find any sign of dragons.

"Your father never thought the tour was necessary." Stoick seemed to be acting rather guarded.

"Well as you can see, I'm not my father. Also, I've heard some rumours, and I want to check them out myself."

"Rumours?" Gobber questioned.

"Dragons." Dagur said simply, trying to judge their reaction. "People have been talking about dragons running wild over this island, but the raids ended a while ago for the other tribes, I want to make sure everything's in order."

"What are you implying Dagur?" Stoicks voice sounded threatened, and Hicca seemed to throw a worried look between the two of them.

Dagur took a breath a chose his words carefully, normally he'd just say exactly what he was thinking, but he was chief now and he needed to act like it. He especially wanted to appear professional in front of Hicca. "I'm fully aware that you can take care of your tribe, Stoick. But our tribes are allies, and I just want to make sure everything is alright."

Stoick raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise, he hadn't been expecting such a diplomatic approach from the 19 year old. Stoick then turned to his daughter, the two shared a look.

Hicca then stepped forward confidently. "Dagur, if I tell you what's going on, I want your word you won't tell anyone else."

Dagur frowned slightly, but he trusted Hicca. "Alright... you have my word." He then turned to his ship, "Harold, take the men up to the great hall and wait for me there."

"Yes, sir." The berserker Vikings exited the ship and made their way up the hill, escorted by the Hooligan Vikings.

This just left Dagur, Stoick, Hicca and Gobber on the docks. "Better?" Dagur asked.

"You need to leave your weapons here as well." Hicca said.

Now Dagur was a little more concerned, "Hicca, what's going on?"

"It's hard to explain, you probably wouldn't even believe me if I told you. So I'm going to show you instead, but you have to leave your weapons here." Hicca said forcefully.

Dagur sighed in annoyance, why couldn't they just tell him? He pulled out three small swords from his belt and boot, and handed them to Gobber. He then slowly reached behind him and pulled out his broadsword, he reluctantly handing it to Gobber, "Be careful with that, it belonged to my mother."Gobber nodded. Dagur then turned back to Hicca, "Now what?"

Dagur was on guard by this point, but he definitely wasn't expecting Hicca to suddenly grasp his hand. "Come with me."

As she started pulling him away, her father called to her, "Hicca, be careful!"

"I will!" She called back, and continued dragging Dagur up the hill towards the forest.

/LINE BREAK/

After a long trek through the trees, Dagur had finally had enough. Her dug his heels into the dirt and forced Hicca to stop. "Hicca, tell me what's going on! We've been friends for years, you know you can trust me, so why are you being so secretive?" Dagur demanded.

Hicca looked as though she was thinking hard, it just made Dagur even more worried. Then she spoke, "The rumours are right."

This instantly had Dagur's attention, "What? So there are dragons here?"

"Yes. But there's more to it than that." Hicca looked at Dagur almost pleadingly. "Just, please don't... just trust me... okay?"

Dagur knew that this was serious, but there was never a doubt about his trust in Hicca. "Hicca, you're one of the few people in the entire archipelago I really trust. I just want to make sure you're okay." He knew it sounded cheesy, but it was the truth.

Hicca seemed to accept his answer. She walked forward a little further and started trudging down a small passageway, Dagur followed curiously. The passageway opened into a large cove, with high stone walls, a peaceful looking lake, and a few overhanging trees. It was a very beautiful scene.

"What are we doing here?"

"Just wait... Stay there a second." Hicca said.

Dagur stopped at the edge of the entrance and watched as Hicca climbed down into the cove. It seemed she was still very agile despite her metal leg, it must have happened a while ago to give her time to adjust. He was desperate to know what happened, and the wait was killing him.

"Toothless, come out boy!" Hicca called.

A pet? All this was about a pet? Dagur was utterly confused what all the big fuss was, he breathed a sigh of annoyance and was about to clamber down the rocks to confront Hicca.

But then a dragon appeared.

A large ebony beast, with wings spread wide and toxic green eyes narrowed. Dagur had never seen a dragon like this, he was speechless. But when the dragon spotted Hicca, it leapt towards her with lightning speed.

"HICCA!" Dagur suddenly found his voice, but could only watch helplessly as the dragon jumped on Hicca and shoved her to the ground. The dragon was only being playful, but Dagur saw it as an attack.

Dagur's berserker blood began pumping through his system, his eyes narrowed and he yanked a knife hidden at the back of his belt. He jumped forward with a battle cry like a wild animal, instantly catching the dragon's attention, the dragon growled menacingly and jumped off Hicca to confront the Viking.

"Dagur, Toothless, wait!" Hicca leapt to her feet and threw herself at Dagur, throwing him off balance so they both landed heavily on the ground, Dagur landed on his back with Hicca on his chest. Dagur seemed to be completely out of it, he was thrashing about wildly to try and throw her off, desperate to get at the dragon and run his knife through its chest. Hicca grabbed his wrists and laid her full weight on top of him, "Dagur, stop! It's alright, I'm not hurt, please calm down."

Dagur's thrashing slowly calmed down, but Hicca could still hear growling from behind her. "You too, Toothless. Just calm down." The dragon seemed to respond and its features grew a little less harsh, but it kept its eyes on Dagur.

Dagur's movements finally calmed under Hicca, and she pulled back to look at him. "Are you alright now?"

Dagur just stared up at her breathing hard, He was relieved that Hicca was unharmed, and shocked that the dragon had obeyed her order to calm down. But Dagur was even more amazing that Hicca had been able to calm him down. The Berserker rampages were legendary, once it began the individual would run wild until their objective had been achieved, but Hicca had calmed him simply by holding him down and talking to him.

Then Dagur seemed to find his voice. "Hicca, you're alright? But... that dragon... how did you... how?"

Hicca breathed a sigh of relief, she stood and dusted herself of, Dagur sat up but didn't move more than that as the large black dragon took its place beside Hicca. "Dagur, this is Toothless. Toothless, this is Dagur. Don't worry, he's a friend." Toothless flared his nostrils and glared at Dagur, Dagur glared back and seemed to growl in return. "Both of you, stop it."

Dagur finally stood slowly. "Hicca... Tell me what's going on. Now."

Hicca gave a sigh, "It's a long story."

/LINE BREAK/

"... So ever since then, myself, Toothless and the other dragon riders have been helping introduce the dragons in to our daily lives, and protecting Berk from any other unfriendly dragons or dangers."

Hicca was sitting on the ground with Toothless curled around her, his head lying on her lap. Dagur was sitting opposite her, arms and legs folded with an unsure look on his face. It was very unlike him, but Dagur had sat quietly and listened until Hicca finished her whole story. Hicca just hoped he believed her and didn't react too badly.

"So... you all ride dragons?" He asked.

"No, the only riders are the other teens, my father and myself. Most of the other villagers keep dragons as pets though."

"Do any of the other tribes know?"

"The Meatheads have had hardly any trouble with dragons in the past, and since they're our sister tribe, my father and I told them a few months ago. They were very open to the idea, they're already asking about lessons for some of their own Vikings. Unfortunately, Alvin the Treacherous, chief of the Outcast Tribe also knows, he's been targeting me and Toothless for a while now."

Dagur scowled at this, obviously not happy that Hicca had been put in danger. "If I hadn't brought up the rumours, would you have kept the dragons a secret from me?"

Hicca sighed and her shoulders dropped sadly, "I did want to tell you, but it was my father's idea to keep the dragons hidden. We were worried your father would see them as a sign of aggression."

"So why were you alright with telling tell me and not my father?" Dagur asked curiously.

But to Hicca, the answer was obvious. "Because I trust you. I was worried about how you were going to react, but I was hoping you'd at least give me a chance to explain, and you did."

Dagur and Hicca looked at each other for a moment, then Dagur gave a loud and tired sigh. "Alright, so you train dragons... that's really weird."

Hicca gave a slight smirk, "Weren't you the one who said that weird is a good thing?"

Dagur gave a snort and then started laughing, his laugh was strange, but it suited Dagur. "You always bring the funny, Hicca."

The two laughed, and Toothless seemed to relax and stated purring deeply. Dagur turned his attention back to the large dragon. "So... Toothless? Why'd you call him that?"

At the sound of his name, Toothless perked his head up. "Watch this," Hicca said. They'd been practicing hand signals earlier, and now Hicca could use them. "Toothless, smile." As she spoke, drew her finger across her own upturned lips. Toothless listened to Hicca's request and pulled his lips back in an awkward smile, showing his toothless gummy mouth.

Dagur instantly crept closer, "But... he... he had teeth just a second ago." Dagur reached out to poke at Toothless's gums, but just as his hand moved closer, Toothless's attention snapped to Dagur and his teeth sprang forth in a warning growl. "Whoa!" Dagur yanked his hand away, causing Hicca to give another giggle.

"Well, we should head back to the village, we can tell everyone else and let the other dragons come out of hiding." Her smile grew as she thought of something. "Do you want a ride?"

"Ride?"

Hicca nodded her head to Toothless "He's a dragon, he can fly." She pointed out, and Toothless spread his wings proudly.

Dagur's eyes widened, "Wait, really?"

Hicca stood and moved to Toothless's side, the dragon lowered his body and allowed Hicca to climb onto his back, she then reached out a hand to Dagur. "Well, come on then."

Dagur paused for only a moment, then his smile grew wide and he grasped Hicca's hand, he pulled himself up onto the saddle. At the back of his mind he registered the position he was in behind Hicca, and how oddly comfortable it was to be so close to her.

Then Toothless took off. He rocketed straight up into the sky, with such speed that Dagur had no other choice but to wrap his arms tightly around Hicca. It seemed that Toothless was going to give Dagur quite a ride, and instantly sprang into a series of dives and loops in the air. While Toothless performed his tricks, Hicca seemed to realise that he was only doing it for fun. Unlike Astrid, Toothless didn't want Dagur to apologise for anything, this time around, he was just doing it to show off. Dagur also seemed to be enjoying himself a lot more than Astrid had, he gave the occasional surprised yelp, but for the most part he was yelling in excitement.

The flight didn't last long though, they could soon see the village and Toothless's flying evened out, Dagur and Hicca took their time admiring the sights as Toothless descended into the village plaza. But then they had to deal with the Berserker Vikings. They saw the silhouette of the Nightfury and prepared to fire their crossbows, but as Hicca steered Toothless in a circle, Dagur called down to his men.

"Hold your fire! Stand down!" Thankfully the Vikings heard their chief and lowered their weapons.

With the threat taken care of, Hicca landed Toothless in the centre of the plaza. By this point most of the Vikings had gathered round, and the Berserkers were shocked to see their chief riding a dragon. Stoick and the other dragon riders joined the crowd, and watched Dagur dismounted and walked over to his uncle.

"Dagur- I mean, Chief... I-Is that a-?"

"It's a Night Fury. He's Hicca's dragon, and his name is Toothless." There was a wave of relief through the Hooligan Tribe. Hicca had been able to talk to Dagur, and now the chief of the Berserker tribe was supportive of the dragons. Dagur then turned to Stoick, "Chief Stoick, we may need to go over that treaty, we'll add some now rules to include the dragons."

Stoick glanced at Hicca and gave a proud smile, then he turned back to Dagur. "Agreed."

With that, the two chiefs shook hands in agreement.

/LINE BREAK/

The rest of the Berserker visit was mostly filled with deep conversations between the Dagur and Stoick, when they finally decided on an agreement, a new peace treaty was signed and a celebration soon followed.

But all too soon, it was time for the Berserkers to leave. Dagur, Hicca and Toothless stood on the docks and watched as ships were loaded and readied.

"I was just thinking," Hicca said breaking the silence.

"What about?" Dagur asked.

"The promise we made years ago, we said we would change our tribes for the better."

"I remember, what about it?"

Hicca gave a small smile, "It's seems we've both made some progress. You just created a brand new peace treaty which includes the use of dragons, it's amazing to think about."

"Well what about you? You're the one who trained the dragons in the first place, you'll be remembered for many more years than I will."

"Maybe... But just think, you've only just become the chief of your tribe, and I'm still only an heir, imagine what we can accomplish once we're both experienced chiefs."

"That's still years away, what are you going to do in the mean time?"

Hicca thought about it, she looked up at the sky and watched the clouds drift by. "Travel."

"Travel?"

"I want the other tribes to know the truth about dragons, and I want to explore the archipelago, find all new dragon species, and learn as much as I can. Then every time I come back home, I'll teach others what I've learned, and pass on that knowledge to all the future generations for centuries to come."

Dagur stared wide eyed at the 15 year old next to him. "That sounds amazing. I need to think of something big if I'm going to keep up with you."

Hicca gave a small laugh, "It's just idea, I doubt my father will ever allow me to travel so far away from home."

Dagur thought for a moment, "Well, you've help me achieve something, so I owe you, with both of our tribes working together, we can cover more ground and expand our knowledge of the dragons."

Hicca agreed. There was some doubt that their idea would actually work, but just the idea that it could be possible... it filled them both with excitement. Toothless seemed to feel the energy rolling off the two Vikings, so much so that he jumped up and started licking Dagur furiously. Dagur was knocked to the ground and attacked by Toothless's tongue.

"Eww! Stop it! Hicca, do something! Gross! Stop it!"

As Dagur thrashed around under Toothless, Hicca couldn't help but let out a loud laugh.