"When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide
Don't get too close
It's dark inside
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide"

- "Demons" by Imagine Dragons

Chapter 23

I stood on the other side of Harald's cell, watching him as I tried to figure out where to begin. The previous action left me little time to think.

"If you're going to release me, now is your chance," Harald said with a smirk.

I glared at him. "I'm not going to release you. That's not why I'm here."

His eyebrows lifted. "Right. You're here for the truth. Fine. What do you want to know?"

I should not have been surprised he figured it out. He knew me too well. At least that saved me time. I took a deep breath. "Did you mean anything you said to me these past few weeks? Was any of it real?"

"It depends on what you mean by 'real.' Did I lie to you? Yes and no. You will have to be more specific."

I frowned. Of course he would not make this easy on me. I decided to go a different route. "You befriended me because you wanted to gain my trust, correct?"

He nodded. "You assume right."

"Did you pretend to like me?"

"No. I do like you. I never lied about that."

I gritted my teeth in frustration. That made no sense to me. And yet, in his twisted mind, there had to be some sort of logic to it. I needed to see it from his perspective if I wanted to understand. "Once you gained my trust, why did you stick around for that long? Earlier, you said you went overboard with me. What did you mean?"

Harald looked down at the ground as if he did not know what to say. Then he looked back at me, his expression unreadable. "I stayed because I liked being with you. With you, I was able to forget everything that's wrong in my life and enjoy the moment. You asked if any of it was real. In my opinion, none of it was real. We were living in a fantasy world, Brennda, and it couldn't last."

I nodded. Now at last I had some clarity. "But at some point you felt guilty."

"Yes. I really did not mean for things to get that far. I was using you, true, but I did not intend to play with your emotions. I never wanted you to feel this way about me."

"Because it's so terrible to have someone care about you?" I said scathingly.

He shook his head. "If you care about me, that gives me the opportunity to use that against you, which I just said I don't want to do."

I crossed my arms. "Because doing so would make you feel guilty? If you have such limits, it just proves your humanity."

Harald gave me a bittersweet smile. "Dear Brennda, don't you understand? Your friends are right. The small amount of goodness you see does not take away from who and what I am."

"A pirate," I said darkly.

"Yes." His eyes suddenly grew cold as they stared into mine. "I've done things you wouldn't want to know about, and I will do them again in the future. If you insist on caring about me, you will get hurt. It is best if you forget about me and move on."

I dropped my arms and clenched my fists. "But it's too late for that, Harald! It was too late the moment we met. You should have never come to Dragon's Edge. You should have stayed away if you were only going to regret it. It would have been better if we never met. But-" I sucked in a sharp breath. "We did meet, and I can't forget about you. I don't want to. Did you mean anything you said to me? Because I meant every word I said to you. And no matter what you say now, I won't give up on you. You're the one who's going to leave me, not the other way around." My words came out strong and forceful. I glared at him, daring him to challenge me.

Harald did not even flinch. His eyes remained cold and emotionless. "Your perseverance is admirable, but it is wasted on me. You should stay out of the darkness. Go on and continue playing hero with your dragon rider friends. Keep on believing you can make a difference."

My eyes narrowed. "We're not playing."

"Well, it felt like we were playing when I was with you lot. It was kind of nice, actually. I could be someone else and take a vacation from my real life."

"'Someone else?"'

"The person I would have been if I had not gone down this path. In that sense, it was not a lie."

My mind reeled with the information. I could see the darkness in his eyes, and I finally believed it was true. Maybe it was better if I stayed away. But there was one more thing that I needed to know. "Harald... do you love me?"

"No," he said emphatically, his face betraying no emotion. "I do not."

I had already guessed as much, but it still hurt to hear him say it. "I - I see." I felt sadness coming, and I needed to get out of there before I broke down. "Goodbye, Harald." I turned and started for the door.

"Was I right? Do you wish you never learned the truth?"

I stopped. The easy answer was 'yes,' but the truth was not easy. I took a deep breath and faced him. "At first, I wished I hadn't, but I'm still glad I know. I can't win if I don't know what I'm up against."

His lips twisted into a smirk. "You still think you can beat me?"

Suddenly, I remembered the day he told me he found a single flaw in his plan. Something he had not expected and didn't know how to deal with. I had a sneaking suspicion I knew what it was about. Perhaps I had been too quick to believe him just now.

With renewed resolve, I nodded firmly. "I know I'll beat you in the end. I'll prove to you I'm correct, just like I promised. Because you made a fatal error when you chose me, and it will be your undoing."

Amusement flickered in his eyes. "Is that so? I look forward to playing with you, Brennda."

I smirked. "Likewise." Then I waltzed out of there with my head held high.

Harald

Harald knew he took a risk allowing the dragon riders to capture him a second time and confine him in this cell. However, it had its rewards, and he knew they could not keep him here for long. He already had several plans for escape... and the first one just walked into the stables.

"Hello, Bolt," he said, giving the Skrill a genuine smile. He did not know why Brennda's dragon seemed to like him so much even after everything he did, but right now it was to his benefit. His normal tricks would not work, however. With dragons, he learned he had to be sincere.

Bolt stared at him through the bars. He perked up when Leopold climbed onto Harald's shoulder and squeaked at him. He tried to push his nose through the bars, but it did not work. He growled.

"I know, it's not fair, is it? Humans make everything so complicated. But you know the truth, don't you?" Harald stared into the dragon's eyes. "Will you let me out of here?" He waved his arms at the bars.

Bolt rose up on his legs and spread his wings. Electricity sparkled around his body. Harald backup until he was against the wall. Then the Skrill came down on the bars, slashing them with his claws and teeth. When he finished, three bars had been bent apart, leaving a hole. Electricity danced on the exposed bars.

Harald carefully stepped out of the cell, avoiding the damaged bars. He approached Bolt, who sat looking mighty pleased with himself. He allowed warm feelings to gather as he took the dragon's head in his hands and bent down until their foreheads were touching. "Thank you, dragon," he whispered. A deep rumble caused him to smile. He released him and stared into his eyes once again. "Take care of Brennda."

Bolt gazed at him at, and Harald knew he understood. Leopold chirped his farewell, and then the two of them made their departure. The sun had just begun to rise, and Harald knew he had to be quick. Luckily, there was no one else around as he sneaked off to the docks.

He found his boat just where he left it. He removed the blanket that he used to conceal the object he stole from the dragon hunters' came. Thankfully, the riders had been too preoccupied with him to check his belongings. He only allowed himself to relax once they hit open waters. Leopold flew down and peered over the edge of the boat.

"Mission accomplished," Harald said.

Leopold gazed at Dragon's Edge, fading in the distance. Then he looked back at Harald and whined.

"What? You want to go back? You know why we have to leave."

Leopold cast a longing look at the island.

Harald frowned. "She won't miss us. And we definitely won't miss her."

Leopold stared at him.

"We won! We accomplished an important step in the plan! What more do you want?" Out of the corner of his eye, his noticed something at the bottom of the boat. He picked up the chess piece and could not help but smirk. "It seems Brennda left a parting gift."

Then he remembered her last words to him. His expression hardened, and he clenched the piece in his hand. "She's wrong. Yes, I made one mistake, but I will not allow it to unravel my entire plan."

He had to put as much distance between them as possible. He had stayed too long, and he would pay a price for that. But he could fix this. Given enough time, he could bury he feelings and keep them out of consciousness. They would not control him. He knew the part he needed to play, and he would do so perfectly. There was no need to worry.

He opened his hand and allowed the queen to drop to the floor with a 'clink.'

I did not sleep much. I kept waking up soon after drifting off. Finally, I decided to get up and get ready for the day. I was careful not to wake Astrid as I moved around the hut. When I walked outside, I saw the first hint of sun peeking over the horizon.

I looked around the base. No one else appeared to be out. Oh, wait! Heather and Windshear just landed. Why would they be here so early in the morning? I jogged over to them to greet them. "Hey, Heather! What's going on?"

"Hey!" Heather said. "I came over to see what happened with the setup for Harald's trap, but that can wait. There's some trouble brewing on the horizon. The dragon hunters are out in force, and they look like they're looking for blood. Their ships are headed this way!"

I gasped. "What? Oh no! They probably hoped to catch us while we were sleeping."

Heather nodded. "We need to be ready to defend the island. I'll alert the others; can you tell Astrid what's going on?"

"Of course!" I ran back to Astrid's hut. I found her just arising from bed, but she became alert when I told her the news.

"Okay, we knew this might happen," Astrid said. "No matter what happens, saving the dragons was worth this trouble. You did a good job."

I gave her a weak smile. "Thanks."

"With the defenses we've recently added, we're more prepared for this attack than we've ever been. We should make sure our traps are set. Can you check up on them?"

I nodded. "Sure thing."

I started with the pitfall trap, which was well covered and ready to go. Then I checked to make sure the catapults were camouflaged properly. Next, I examined Fishlegs' rock well, which was good and sturdy. Fishlegs arrived just as I finished and agreed with my assessment.

"We all need to be ready for the big battle since we all have unique roles to play within the defense," he said. "Just like the Scuttleclaw, we need to work together as a pack to win the fight. Will you check up on Snotlout and make sure he's ready for the battle?"

"I'm on it." I found Snotlout in the middle of the camp next to Hookfang.

"Don't you worry about me," he said. "I'm ready! These dragon hunters are going to regret ever picking a fight with us."

Determination filled my chest, and I nodded. "That's for sure!"

Snotlout looked past me and out at the ocean. He squinted his eyes and frowned. "Hmm... You know what, Brennda? I think I see something near the horizon. Will you use the telescope to check it out? I would do it, but Fishlegs revoked my telescope privileges last week. What a jerk, huh? I wasn't really going to drop it into the water... again..."

I rolled my eyes. "Right..." I looked around. "Bolt? Where are you, buddy?"

I frowned when I did not hear a response. Maybe he was still sleeping? I decided to check on him after I looked through the telescope. I took the long way up to the ledge, which took several minutes. I stopped at the top to catch my breath. Then I peered into the telescope.

I stumbled back at the image I saw. Harald was sailing away in his boat! And he had that strange blue object I saw at the dragon hunters' camp. How did he escape? I had to tell someone! I ran down to the ground level and nearly collided with Hiccup.

"Whoa, what's the hurry?" he said as he placed his hands on my shoulders to steady me.

"Harald. Is. Escaping," I panted.

Hiccup's eyes widened. Then he glanced over his shoulder. "Well, Harald will have to wait. Here come the dragon hunters!"

I grit my teeth and ran through the camp. "Bolt! Where are you?" I skidded to a halt when he suddenly landed right in front of me. I let out a breath of relief. "There you are. It's time to fight!"

"Brennda!" Astrid said, waving at me from atop Stormfly. "I'll keep a dragon-eye view of the battle so that I can coordinate all of our moving pieces. I need you to be my right hand Viking during this battle."

I gave her a firm nod. "Right!"

"They think we're weak and defenseless because they enslave dragons. Well, we know we can accomplish so much more if we can work together with them. Let's show them how wrong they are!"

And so it began. The catapults worked perfectly to strike the dragon hunter ships. Some of the dragon hunters made it to land, but the pitfall trap caught them.

"Brennda, it's time for the last part of our defense: the Scuttleclaw pack defense trick," Astrid said when I returned to her. "We need to split their ships up with a diversion, and well, I think you can handle it! Fly to the other side of the ships, but keep near the shore along the way: I don't want you to get riddled with arrows!"

Bolt and I took off. We flew along the shore and watched the ships. When one of them got close, Bolt shot them with a lightning bolt. That caught their attention, and we sped away before they could strike back while the other dragon riders swooped in to launch attacks of their own.

I caught up to Hiccup and Heather on the other side of the island. Several ships had followed him there, and we worked together to drive them off.

"They're running like cowards!" Hiccup laughed. We flew back to the base and met up with the other riders, who reported similar news.

"I'll take another flight around this area and see if they're headed back," Heather said to me. "You should check back with Astrid and see if there's anything else we might need to!"

I ran up to Astrid, and we exchanged grins. "We did it, Brennda!" she said. "The dragon hunters are retreating! They won't ever underestimate us again. They'll have to bring a lot more firepower if they want to stop us, but we'll be ready for that. We did great!"

"For sure!"

I noticed Heather land a few yards away from us. She appeared sad about something, so I left Astrid to approach her. "Hey," I said, "how's it going?"

Heather shrugged. "I'm fine. What a battle, huh? It felt really good to fly out there with Windshear and sink dragon hunter boats, just like the old days."

I stared at her. "But..?"

She frowned. "It's just that... I can't stop thinking about how I was here by accident. I didn't know you were about to be attacked; I just happened to stop by. What if I hadn't decided to come to the island? With the dragon hunters and Harald Forkbeard around these waters, it seems like my skills could come in handy out here."

"That's true..." Her mention of Harald reminded me of my own problems.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to bring you down. We should be celebrating, not worrying about my moping over silly things! Don't worry about me, I will figure it out."

"It's not that. I just-" It suddenly occurred to me to check the stables for evidence of how Harald escaped. "I need to check on something." I turned and ran for the stables. Bolt and Heather entered after me.

"Brennda, what's going on?" Heather said.

I walked right up to Harald's cell and stared at it. Several bars had been bent apart, leaving just enough space for someone to slip through. "We kept Harald here last night because we were going to decide what to do with him today."

"Wow," Heather said from beside me. "How could he cause that much damage?"

I reached out and touched one of the broken bars. I flinched when I received an electric shock. "Bolt." I turned to the Skrill, who looked at me with a smile and big, innocent eyes. "This may be a problem."

"Bolt freed Harald? Why? Did he manipulate him somehow?"

I shook my head. "No. For some reason, Bolt still likes him. He did this on his own."

Heather frowned. "I'm sure he'll learn."

I shrugged. "Maybe."

Heather gave me a concerned look. "Are you going to be okay, Brennda?"

My eyebrows lifted. "What do you mean?"

"You know, with Harald and everything..."

I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat. "I - I'll be fine. I have to be, right? There's no choice."

"Did you at least get an explanation from him about what he did to you?"

"Yes, but how do I know if it's the truth?" I smiled ruefully. "I think I can piece everything together given time. It'll give me something to do anyway."

"I'll always be here if you need me, Brennda."

I nodded. "Thanks, Heather." I sucked in a sharp breath. It was time to move on. Whatever I thought I could do, Harald was gone now, and there was nothing I could do about it.

When I first arrived at the School of Dragons, I had to hide the Berserker side of me. Now I could let them come out, but I had to hide the part of me that still believed in Harald. I could not let my friends down like that. I could not make them worry about me. I had to act like everything was fine. And if my acting is good enough, maybe I could convince myself as well.

I returned to the School with Heather to inform the headmaster and Stoick about all that had transpired. I realized my adventures at Dragon's Edge were probably at an end now, so I might as well stay. Heather reminded me that I still had some belongings in Astrid's hut, and I needed to say goodbye to everyone. So, I returned just before nightfall.

Hiccup waved me down as soon as I landed. "Hey, Brennda! I've got a surprise for you. Well, it's from all of us."

"Really?" I said curiously as I approached him.

Hiccup smiled. "We put together a little something for all your hard work recently. Come with me. You don't need to be scared. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were not in charge of setting this up!"

He led me to one of the houses on the island. Except... this house was definitely not here when I left. My eyes widened. "Hiccup..."

"The dragon riders took a vote, and we all agree. You've proven yourself over and over again here at Dragon's Edge. You helped rebuild Dragon's Edge and set up the defenses against the dragon hunters. You've practically moved in already; let's make that official! Please join us here at Dragon's Edge as one of us. We could use someone like you in our ranks. We all pitched in and made a house for you here at the Edge."

My shock was soon replaced by gratitude. The rush of emotion nearly overwhelmed me. They wanted me here after all. They wanted me to join their group. "Of course I'll join you. Thank you!"

Hiccup grinned. "No, thank you, and welcome to Dragon's Edge!"

A/N: And Battle for the Edge is finished! I hoped you enjoyed the ride. There will be two more chapters to wrap up the first part of this story. In the second part, we will begin Return to Dragon Island. Stay tuned!