Chapter 12: Discovered

Ingrid convinced the other dragon riders to fly a good distance behind her so they would not scare the dragon trappers again. Thankfully, the trappers allowed her and Shadowwhisper to approach their ship. "Hey there, Eret," she said, giving him a weak smile. "I've got a favor to ask of you."

"You're not in the position to be receiving favors, mate," Eret said with a hard expression. His crew trained their weapons and traps on the Hobblegrunt.

Ingrid took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Look, we think Drago may have Hiccup and my sister, so we need you to show us how to find him."

"We?"

Ingrid looked over her shoulder at the approaching dragon riders. Then she gave Eret a pleading look. "We don't want to fight. We just want to rescue our friends."

Eret narrowed his eyes at her. "I am not helping dragon riders sneak into Drago's camp."

Ingrid sighed. Why did he have do make this so difficult? It looked like she had no choice. "Then I guess we'll have to do this the hard way."

"What do you-" Stormfly suddenly swooped down, snatched Eret in her claws, and flew out of reach of the trappers. Ingrid quickly took off behind them. "What is this?!"

"A kidnapping," Astrid said. "You're gonna show us the way to Drago."

Eret groaned. "Just kill me now."

"That can be arranged. Stormfly, drop it." The Deadly Nadder let go of Eret, who began to fall towards the sea. Ingrid bit her tongue, having agreed to let Astrid handle this her way if her own failed. "Good girl! Stormfly, fetch."

"ALL RIGHT!" Eret shouted. "OKAY! I'LL TAKE YOU TO DRAGO!" Stormfly caught Eret just before he hit the water.

Astrid smiled smugly. "Works every time."

Ingrid shook her head. "This better be worth it."

"We need a plan," Viggo said to Eira after Hiccup left to talk to Valka. "We do not have time to waste. I could develop a quick escape plan, but requiring that woman's approval seriously complicates the situation."

Eira let out a heavy sigh. "I know. At some point we'll have to forget about that part, but I'm trying to think long-term. If we can win Valka over, she'd be an amazing ally. Plus, she's Hiccup's mom. Family means something, right?"

Viggo gave her a doubtful look. "Does it? She left her family."

"And you left Runa."

Viggo averted his gaze. "That was different."

"Not that different. You both left someone you loved out of a sense of duty to something greater." Eira glanced in the direction Hiccup had disappeared. "Just give it a little more time. I know we'll find a way to reach her."

"We're running out of time, and it's not just because of the looming threat of Drago." For once, Viggo appeared hesitant about something. "Listen, Eira, I-" Sigurd's loud growl cut him off. The Skill posted himself by the cave, glaring into the darkness. Viggo and Eira cautiously approached him. "What do you smell in there?"

Something inside the cave growled in response. Then a large, red blur flew out, ramming right into Sigurd. The dragons wrestled for several moments before Eira recognized the Singetail. "Ruby?" she said in surprise. That meant...

Krogan emerged from the cave next. Relief flashed in his eyes when they landed on Eira before disappearing. She opened her mouth to question him but then realized there were more pressing matters at hand. Skrills and Singetails were natural enemies, and they could seriously hurt each other. They were both in the air now, circling each other. Viggo tried to calm down his dragon but to no avail.

"Calm down, you two!" Eira pleaded. "This is a sacred place."

The dragons did not heed her, but they did stop when the Bewilderbeast let out a loud roar. They returned to the ground and moved apart. By then, Valka and Hiccup had returned, and Valka appeared enraged. "What's going on?" Her steely eyes found Krogan. "Who are you?"

Eira and Viggo exchanged glanced and said nothing. If Valka had reacted violently towards Viggo, there was no telling what she would do to Krogan if she knew who he was. In the silence, Hiccup stepped forward with a confused look on his face, and said, "Krogan?" Eira shot him a sharp look while Viggo sighed.

Valka's eyes widened in recognition. She looked from Ruby to Krogan, and her gaze hardened. "I've seen you before. You're with Drago!"

"Not anymore," Krogan said vehemently.

Valka turned to Hiccup. "He's the one who controlled the Singetails?"

Hiccup looked at Eira in fear. "Uh, well, technically yes, but let's not do anything rash."

"Silence! I shall do what you could not. Let this be a lesson to you: this is how you deal with your enemies." Valka pounded the ground with her staff. A dragon zipped through the air for Krogan, who tensed and withdrew his axe. At first, Ruby tried to follow, but then the Bewilderbeast growled and her eyes glazed over.

"No!" Eira cried. "Krogan, don't fight! If you harm a dragon, you'll give her all the justification she needs to kill you! Trust me."

Krogan dropped the axe. The dragon bowled into him and sent them both to the ground. The dragon jumped off of him, and when the man did not retaliate, he stood near him, growling. Then Valka advanced on him with a a dagger in her hand and a murderous gleam in her eyes.

"You really need to rethink this!" Hiccup said.

Eira had seen that look before and knew mere words could not stop her. So, she raced to Krogan and flung herself over him just before Valka reach him, shielding him with her body. She propped herself up on her arms and knees and glanced at Valka. The women towered over them, the dagger clenched her her hand. "What are you doing?" she seethed. "Get out of the way!"

"No!" Eira shouted back. "I won't let you kill him."

"I suppose you're going to say he's changed."

Eira hesitated. If Valka barely accepted Viggo, there was no way she would approve of Krogan, who still fell short. "He's a work in progress, but that's not the point. He's under my protection. If you want him, you'll have to kill me first."

Valka's eyes narrowed into slits. "You would protect an enemy at the risk of your own life?"

"Actually, this isn't the first time she's done this," Hiccup said. "It's kind of her thing."

"And she is very successful at it," Viggo added.

Valka studied Eira for a long minute. Eira felt Krogan's rapid heartbeat, but she was impressed he managed to otherwise remain calm. "Why?" Valka said. "Why would you defend him?"

Eira took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Hiccup is right; I would defend anyone, just like you would defend any dragon."

"Even after what he's done?"

"Dragons commit evil too, you know. There's the Red Death, for one. Hiccup must have told you about her."

"Her behavior likely had a reasonable explanation, and I could have solved the problem if I had been there."

"Well, I could say the same for humans. No one is evil because they want to be. Everyone has their reasons. And what you would do for the Red Death I'm trying to do for Krogan." Eira's tone softened when Valka lowered her arm with the dagger. Perhaps she was ready to listen. "I know there is good in him, and I'm not willing to destroy it along with the evil. His life still has value. Who are you to judge otherwise?"

Valka's expression soften, and she seemed to relax slightly. "I can tell you are a very compassionate woman," she said in a much calmer tone, "and that is a good quality to have. It will make you both a wonderful wife and caretaker of dragons. I do not disagree with you on principle, but in practice, your ideas will not work. The world is cruel and unkind. It would be wonderful if we could be concerned about everyone, but we have limited resources and must prioritize. Do you want to focus on dragons and the few people who care for them or men who cause harm to them like Krogan and Drago?"

Eira took it as a good sign that Valka found it necessary to praise her and make a rational counterpoint. Perhaps she could be reasoned with after all. "I don't see a need to choose, but even if you do, choosing to help one side doesn't mean annihilating the other. Self-defense should be sufficient."

"But it is not. We can prevent much more harm if we take out our enemies. They would do the same to us if given the chance. It's either us or them, and we must ensure our own survival. If you do not kill your enemies, they will come back with a vengeance."

There was something familiar about her viewpoint. Eira had heard it a lot lately, and now that she thought about it, it was probably the most common viewpoint out there. She had seen the destruction it could cause when taken to the extreme, so it needed to be rooted out before real progress could be made. "You know, I bet Drago would say the exact same thing. You're just like him."

Valka's eyes hardened. "We are nothing alike. He harms dragons while I protect them."

"Your goals may be the opposite, but your methods and belief systems are the same. You believe the ends justify the means and would stop at nothing to reach your goals."

"Worthy goals."

"What if Drago believes his goals are worthy?"

"He controls people and dragons and kills them if they don't satisfy him."

"All the evidence I have says you would do the same." Eira held up a finger to stop Valka from replying. She had to awkwardly lean over Krogan, but she did not want to risk exposing him to the other woman's wrath. "You work alone, so it probably hasn't come up until now. Hiccup and I were likely the first humans you interacted with in years, and what did you do? After you realized we disagreed with your plan, you used force to keep us here. The Bewilderbeast forced our dragons to stay, forced Viggo's dragon to attack him, and is right now forcing Krogan's dragon to not protect him. I fail to see how that's different from Drago aside from your stated goals. You may say Drago's purpose is power and control itself while yours is not, but it didn't start out that way. In the beginning, Drago wanted to protect people from dragons he thought were evil. He was corrupted along the way because that's what power does: it corrupts. Don't think you'd be immune if you gained enough power yourself."

Valka stared at her with a steely expression, taking a minute to respond. "Fine. If the only difference between us is our goals, so be it. I cannot ignore reality. We must destroy our enemies before they destroy us. When it really counts, people revert to their natural instincts. That is the way of humanity. A handful of individuals who desire peace is not enough. Those like you have died out because you cannot survive. Join me before it is too late."

"NO!" Eira surprised herself by her forcefulness. "I refuse to accept that the world can't change. What is the point in life if all we do is look after our own and never learn or grow? The world is the way it is because no one has decided it should be different. Everyone accepts the futility of change and becomes like everyone else. There may only be a few of us who truly desire peace, but we can teach others to adopt our ways. Ideas are powerful and can be spread rapidly. People change when they realize they can get more out of life. The only way the world will every improve is if we decide it must."

Valka grew silent for another moment, and her eyes flickered from Eira to Krogan beneath her. "He cannot stay."

"Agreed." None of them could stay.

"And I cannot allow him to leave."

"What alternative is there? You are not killing him." Eira gave her a challenging look.

"I need to consider my options." With that, Valka turned around and walked away. Relieved, Eira finally moved off of Krogan and lay on her back beside him.

"I'd say mission accomplished," Viggo said. "Well done, Eira."

"I have a feeling this isn't over yet," Hiccup said. He paused. "Krogan, what are you doing here?"

Krogan sat up in the grass. "I recognized the ice surrounding this island. I assumed it was the ice caused by the dragon rider who attacked the dragon trappers' camp. If you weren't captured by Drago, I thought you might be here."

"That was actually a reasonable deduction," Viggo said.

Eira sat up and looked at Krogan. "You didn't answer Hiccup's question."

Krogan stood up and then offered Eira his hand, which she accepted. He looked right into her eyes and said, "You didn't return."

"Oh," Eira said, surprised at the admission.

"Reverence is a dangerous emotion, Krogan," Viggo said with a smug look.

Krogan glared at him. "I have not become tame like you."

"Me? Tame? Hardly. I have an important role on Berserker Island doing what I love with family and friends who would do anything for me - and I for them. What more could I want?" Viggo gave him a pointed look. "Don't tell me you wouldn't take it too if it were offered to you."

Krogan took a step towards him, his jaw clenched in frustration. "How can you buy into all this.. this..." He looked from Eira to Hiccup. "... this nonsense? You can't actually believe they have a chance at succeeding."

Viggo regarded him with his usual cool expression. "They won't succeed without my help. And what fun is there if the goal is too easy to reach? Besides, it is the journey that's most important, regardless of whether or not we reach the final destination. And if this is all nonsense, I repeat Hiccup's question: why are you here? You clearly have means of escape. Why have you not flown as far away from Drago as possible? You're endangering yourself by being here."

Krogan balled his hands into fists and looked away. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

"Very well. You owe nothing to me. However, you should thank Eira for saving your life."

"That's okay," Eira said quickly. She didn't want to push Krogan into anything he wasn't ready for.

"No, he's right," Krogan said, turning to Eira. The tension eased from his body. "Thank you... for saving me this time... and the last time. For whatever reason, I accept that you actually do care."

Eira smiled. That was probably the closest to an apology she would get from him. "You're welcome. Thank you for looking for me." He nodded in response.

"Now that that's settled, I think our dragons are safe to be around each other," Viggo said, looking in the direction of the Bewilderbeast, who quietly observed them. He reached for Sigurd, and both the Skrill and Singetail regained control over their wills.

"No!" Krogan shouted. But after allowing Viggo to stroke him, Sigurd merely approached Ruby and sniffed her curiously. The Singetail gave him the same treatment. A puzzled looked crossed Krogan's face. "But how? When we arrived, that Skrill was ready to tear her apart."

Viggo smirked. "You do not yet understand the advantage of trust and respect over fear. It is why Hiccup and Eira continuously win, and why I have faith in their vision. Sigurd has a bond with Eira, and he saw her defend you. Since Ruby is your dragon, he will not harm her... or you, for that matter. And neither will I."

Krogan frowned. "She's not my dragon." In response, Ruby walked up to him and pushed head into his hand, which he instantly rubbed.

Hiccup lifted his eyebrows. "Really, Krogan? Even the Bewilderbeast doesn't believe that one or he would not have freed her."

"Bewilderbeast?" Krogan finally looked at the large dragon, who regard him in kind. "The King of Dragons... Perhaps this is not folly after all." He looked around at the others. "I need a status update, starting with the identity of the woman who attacked me."

"Of course!" Eira said brightly, pleased that he was finally taking an active interest in current events. Perhaps the way forward was closer than she thought.

A/N: Who thought Krogan would be the one to find them first?