Chapter 27: A Chief's Predicament

Hiccup decided to seek an outside opinion on the Light Fury. The first person he thought to ask was his mother. While she previously admitted to never coming across this type of dragon before, her general dragon knowledge might prove useful. He waited until after dinner when Toothless was curled in the corner to bring it up.

"Do you have any idea why she would keep attacking me?" Hiccup asked after concluding his summary of his latest encounter with the dragon in question. "She was fine when it was just Toothless, so she's not aggressive by nature."

Valka paused in the act of washing the dishes. "It is mostly likely because you are human."

"But I've never experienced that type of reaction from any other non-aggressive dragon. We used to believe dragons attacked Berk because we're humans, but we've learned that was wrong." Perhaps this dragon was an exception? It did not make any sense to Hiccup.

Valka resumed her activity. "You're right; dragons will not attack humans unless they feel threatened. I would say she's had bad experiences with humans in the past that made her wary of them. If she's as violent as you say, the memories must be strongly imprinted for her to not be able to judge between good and bad people."

Hiccup thought about this for a minute. Astrid had suggested something similar when they first met the Light Fury. "Then why is she still here? Why live on an island filled with Vikings?"

"Perhaps it is her best option. The archipelago is not exactly a hospitable place for dragons right now."

Hiccup frowned. "Okay, how do I get through to her?"

Valka finished her work and strode to her son's side. "Patience and persistence." Toothless opened an eye and growled lowly. The woman glanced at him. "If she tolerates Toothless' presence, maybe he can get to know her first and convince her you mean no harm."

Hiccup shook his head. "I don't like the idea of leaving him alone where I cannot easily get to him. He can't fly if he's in danger."

"Then you might want to hold off on this endeavor until after we solve Berks problems."

Hiccup had a feeling she would say that. It made sense, but he also thought he would go crazy if he did not have something to distract him from all of Berk's problems. His eyes scanned Toothless, stopping at his tail. Hmm...

Krogan lay awake in bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was one of those nights where he could not shut off his mind and memories flooded his vision. Deciding fresh air might help, he stood up and slowly walked to the door so as not to wake his roommate. He found the guards outside slumped against the wall, sleeping. No wonder this village needed to outsource security. He turned away form them and gazed up at the sky, taking in the full moon.

He tensed when he heard a sound behind him. He whipped around and found Chief Reidun approaching. For a second, he thought he saw something hostile in her eyes, but when she stepped into the moonlight, it was gone. He relaxed. It must have been his imagination.

"I apologize if I startled you," Reidun said in a neutral tone. Her eyes flickered to the sleeping guards.

"I wasn't trying to sneak away," Krogan said. "I couldn't sleep."

Reidun returned her gaze to him. "I hardly think you need guards anymore. If you meant harm to us, I would have seen signs of it by now. I did not come here to check up on you. I could not sleep either, and this is on the way to a place that relaxes me." She paused. "Would you like to join me?" When he hesitated, she smiled. "I am not luring you out alone to murder you."

Krogan flinched, for the thought had crossed his mind for a split second. "That may be true, but are you sure you feel safe being alone with me?"

Reidun slightly tilted her head to the side. "I may not look it, but I am perfectly capable of defending myself. I have been trained for combat and know what I am doing."

"Your training does not exceed mine. No matter how skilled you think you may be, I could kill you easily. I have killed easily." He lowered his head in shame.

Something changed in Reidun's eyes, but instead of the condemnation he expected, it was... compassion? "Is that what is keeping you up? Not your current circumstances but memories of your past actions?"

The woman's perceptiveness surprised Krogan. Then again, Eira probably gave her basic information about him. "Yes. The present does not bother me. I can work to change my circumstances and I have friends to help me, but the past cannot be altered."

"Would you alter it if you were able?"

Krogan looked away, not knowing the answer. There were many things he wished he would have done differently, but he did not know how he could have chosen differently with what he knew at the time. "I have done a lot I wish to forget. Moving on is... difficult."

"Now, that I understand. There are some things I find hard to let go of us well. Some events are hard to forget. Come with me." Reidun walked past him, leaving him little choice but to follow. They passed through the trees and came upon a small grotto with a pond that sparkled in the moonlight.

"Beautiful," Krogan whispered.

Reidun smiled at him. "This place always makes me feel better."

"I can see why." Krogan admired how at ease the chief look. She no longer appeared to be a tough protector but a beautiful woman enjoying the evening. Indeed, even he felt calmer in this place.

"I hope you know I am sorry about your current predicament. I wish it could have been avoided."

"You are trying to protect your village. That I understand."

"Protecting them by aligning with dangerous people who could easily turn on us. It's not exactly the optimal situation." Reidun paused and gave Krogan a curious look. "And what of you? I make choices for the survival of me people. Did you align with Drago for your own survival?"

Krogan dipped his head. "Something like that, yes. It did not start out that way, but by the time I started to have regrets, it was too late to get out."

"Until Eira saved you. Is that why you joined the dragon riders? For protection?"

Krogan smiled at the ridiculousness of the question. "Eira chose to give me her protection, but I didn't want it. I had no reason to believe the dragon riders stood a chance against Drago. And once I was reunited with my dragon, I had the chance to fly far away from the archipelago and be safer than I thought I ever could with the riders."

"But you didn't."

Krogan clearly remembered that day. He almost left, but something held him back. "Eira had disappeared and could have been in trouble. Up until that point, everyone else I encountered thought I was a monster. I could not leave the one person who saw something more in me."

Reidun nodded, appearing deep in thought. "That is remarkable. She must have been right if it had that effect on you."

Krogan knew it was true, but sometimes it was difficult to believe. "I was able to stand up to Drago because I found something more important than my own survival. It must be different for you when you have a whole village to think about."

"Yes, that is true. Still, sometimes I wonder how good of a job I am doing. I was not raised to be chief, you know. That was my husband. In my tribe, the chief and his or her spouse rule together, and when one dies, the other rules alone."

The news surprised Krogan. "I am sorry for your loss."

Reidun's smile became tinted with sadness. "Thank you. He is in a better place. I hope he does not think ill of me for the decisions I have made."

"You are doing what you think is right. That is what counts." Krogan hesitated to continue, not sure if he was overstepping his boundaries. "I cannot judge you for your decisions when I do not know what it is like to be in this situation, but I can say there is a way out of it because I have seen it. The Torvaldian monarchy has a very different relationship with their people than most leaders." He paused as something came to him. "Eira didn't tell you she's a princess, did she?"

Reidun's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "No, she did not."

"I assure you, she did not intentionally withhold the information from you. She simply does not see it as a large part of her identity." He did not think she would mind him revealing this, especially when she had already talked to the chief about him.

Reidun nodded. "I will take your word for it."

"Her older brother will one day become king of Torvald, and he is quite extraordinary... and fairly wise. Not only is he nearly as compassionate and understanding as Eira, but he follows the Torvaldian tradition of letting the people make most decisions for themselves. The monarch is not there to take care of and protect them at all costs. The people are free to do as they wish, even at the risk of endangering themselves. If there ever is a need to consider war, everyone discusses the issues, and all viewpoints are considered. It is only if the people face and imminent threat and cannot protect themselves that the monarch steps in. That frees the king to consider higher ideals than mere survival."

"That does sound quite different. How do the people learn to make wise decisions?"

"It is part of their culture, I suppose. They take personal responsibility very seriously. And they value freedom above safety, which allows them a liberation from fear that I once did not believe possible. I do not wish to tell you what to do, but I think you should know that there are alternative approaches to protecting a village. If you think there are no good options, perhaps you are not looking hard enough. I know I made that mistake once."

Reidun nodded. "Thank you for the insight, Krogan. I appreciate the information. You sound pretty wise yourself."

Krogan shrugged. "I report what I see."

"Utilizing new information and changing oneself is difficult, and for that I think you are extraordinary." She smiled. "Let's return. I think I will be able to sleep now."

They walked back to the village in a comfortable silence, parting at Krogan's hut. The man felt oddly at peace after the conversation and fell asleep easily. No more memories or nightmares haunted him on this night.

Morning arrived. Eira and her friends quickly got ready and headed outside. Instead of guards, Chief Reidun herself waited for them. "Good morning, everyone," she said.

"Good morning," Krogan said, looking away when she glanced at him.

Reidun turned her attention to the other female. "Eira, I would like to speak to you for a minute. The rest of you may do as you please."

Dagur looked around the area. "Aren't you going to have someone watch us?"

"No, that will not be necessary. I trust you will follow the rules. If you do not, I will find out."

"It's alright," Eira said. "You can all get started without me."

Reidun did not move, so the others reluctantly left Eira with her, heading deeper into the village. "You have good friends."

Eira smiled. "Yes, I do."

"They love you, you know."

Eira wondered at the statement but saw no indication of motivation on the chief's face. Clearly, though, she had spoken to each of her friends... and they had talked about her. "I love them too. They're family."

Reidun nodded. "I see that now. I must apologize for misjudging you when we met. I saw you with three men who were obviously loyal to you and made assumptions that something... imprudent... was going on."

Eira widened her eyes when she understood her meaning. "It's not like that at all! It never has been."

"Yes, I know. In any other circumstance, I would have been correct, but you are different. The love between the four of you is pure and unlike anything I have ever seen. Even Dagur's romantic love is rather... wholesome."

Eira smiled as she thought of Dagur. "True. He - and the others - would never do anything to hurt me or make me feel uncomfortable."

"That would be remarkable enough, but the way their lived have transformed by your influence is astounding. I do not understand it. How did you do it?" Reidun looked at her earnestly for a response.

Eira took a moment to formulate and answer she could comprehend. "When I met each of them, they had done some pretty terrible things to my friends and me - not to mention countless other people and dragons - and no one would give them a chance. My allies were all focused on how to combat their evil, but I made the strategic choice to go past it and find something worth saving in each of them. Then I treated them like they were the best part of themselves, not the worst. I find that people often rise to the expectations put on them. Fortunately, good is much stronger than evil, and sometimes it takes only one person treating them like they're good to inspire them to be good."

Reidun nodded slowly, a thoughtful look on her face. "That is quite the unique perspective. I still do not understand how it could work, but I cannot argue with the results. Likewise, though I cannot see a way out of our current predicament, I am willing to explore all options."

Eira dipped her head in acknowledgement. They were still on the right track. "Thank you. That is all we ask for."

"However, I do wonder if Torvald will eventually come for you, seeing as how your father is king..."

Eira stared at her in shock. "I, uh, well..."

"It's alright. I doubt you were malicious in your intent, and I would have withheld the information if I were in your place."

Eira thought back to the letter she sent Haldor several days prior. "Yes, they will eventually come for me, but it will take some time for them to arrive. Even if we have not resolved our differences by then, they won't attack without assessing the situation. They too will avoid violence and be willing to work something."

Reidun nodded. "That is what I expected. I am glad I am aware, though I have already considered the possibility of your allies on the other side attacking."

"The same goes for them, as I am sure it does for you. Peace is our first option."

Reidun gave her a careful look. "Yes, peace. I wish it were that easy. If it were just between us, we could settle matter quickly."

"The whole archipelago is involved, I know." Eira was aware that, even if they did win over this island, there were still many more that were against them. "Still, I believe it is possible. I believe our position is right, and right always wins in the end." As long as they put in the necessary work and never gave up.

A/N: Apparently the Light Fury's hostility is supposed to present how wild dragons will naturally treat humans, but to me, this contradicts the message of the first movie. So, instead, I'll give the Light Fury a better backstory. I hope you enjoy.