"So… let me get this straight," said Heather as she followed after Hiccup. They had been walking for the majority of the day, seeking safety from the enemy deeper into the island. They didn't know how long they'd be here, and surviving was their only priority. "We were captured, brought to this island to be hunted, killed, and then what? Mounted on a wall as trophies?"

"That… sounds about right, yeah. Little more gruesome than it really is but that sums it up," replied Hiccup, shrugging as if he'd been in this sort of situation multiple times before.

Heather scoffed, upset by how easily he was handling it.

"How are you so calm right now?" she asked, widening her arms while she walked up next to him. "We're about to be hunted and killed like worthless animals. No one knows where we are. I doubt anyone will even think of looking for us here or on any other island other than Viggo's base, and you don't even care?!"

Hiccup stopped dead in his tracks and turned to her aggressively.

"I do care, Heather!" he snapped, making her flinch. Hiccup never snapped, or rarely, at least. The only times she'd seen him like this was with the twins, and even then, it didn't seem half as bad as now, mostly because Ruffnut and Tuffnut were never witnessed shrinking at their leader's loss of temper. But he had her back off, blinking in surprise and shock. He continued, gesturing at their surroundings. "We wouldn't even be here, less be having this conversation, if you had just swallowed your pride and followed orders. If we're about to die at the hands of the Hunters, it's your doing, not mine!"

Heather stood frozen for another moment, taking in his accusation for the mess they currently found themselves stuck in. She then furrowed her eyebrows crossly, balling her fists at her sides.

"You know what, fine!" she snapped back, raising her voice too. "I knew the second I made the decision to join the Dragon Riders that it was a bad one. I'm… better off on my own. I always have…"

"Quiet," hissed Hiccup but Heather shook her head, having more to say.

"No, I'm—"

Hiccup slammed his palm on her mouth, straightening up his back while his eyes scanned the shadows beneath the trees. The silence stretched on and he wasn't sure if it was reassuring him or unsettling him. But when nothing happened, he relaxed, turning back around to face Heather.

"We better keep moving," he said flatly, looking up at the sky. The colours in the background were already starting to change, announcing the coming of night. The bright blue was slowly fading to a dark navy one while the horizon seen between the tree branches was growing warmer in colours. The sun was already beginning to set.

Hiccup took off again and Heather followed after him without another word.

…

Dawn was just creeping around the corner when Heather felt gently shaken awake.

"Hey," said Hiccup, crouching in front of her from where she lied against a tree trunk, legs pulled close.

She blinked her eyes. For a moment, she thought she was back home and that the whole thing had all been but a simple nightmare; that the battle, the capture, the heated arguments with Hiccup had all been fiction of her own imagination. But the reminder of the cold air she breathed, the exhaustion in her body, and the graze on her leader's upper arm assured her this was no dream. This was actually happening.

She met her leader's gaze, the green somewhat reassuring despite having held them defiantly the day before. He spoke more softly, putting her at ease.

"Sun's almost up," he said, straightening up and offering her a hand. "We need to clear out."

Heather grabbed his hand and pulled herself off the dusty forest floor. They hadn't made a campfire or even thought of it. They'd been moving all day, and the moment they settled down they'd almost immediately passed out. She felt cold, but she knew today's actions would warm her up quickly.

She followed after him as they set out again, going a different direction than the one they'd been heading for the day before.

"Where are we going?" she asked, walking next to him.

"We need to keep moving if we wanna live to see another day," simply replied Hiccup, his gaze hard and staring straight ahead. "Those Hunters are going to be scattered all over the place soon."

"That's the plan?" she said in disbelief, cocking an eyebrow up at him, almost wondering if he were just messing around with her.

"Look, it's not exactly the first time I've been stranded and on the run, alright," said Hiccup, looking down at her. "If you listen, you might just learn something."

…

Coming back home without her entire team hit Astrid harder than she thought it would. The flight back to Dragon's Edge felt shorter than when they left on their mission, but that was probably due to the fact that her mind was buzzing with guilt and self-doubt. It wasn't only the swirling thoughts that Dagur had been right. She knew that Hiccup had felt torn between the two camps, knowing he ought to listen to reason. Dagur's arguments to prove himself of being a loner and that he wasn't working for the Dragon Hunters anymore had sounded very valid, she had to admit to herself despite having suspecting him since the beginning. But the story Hiccup had told them of how the Berserker had saved his life when he could've easily turned him in to the Hunters, or worse, killed him, had been the dent in the wall of suspicion for Astrid.

But now the truth was crystal clear.

Dagur was, indeed, not working for Viggo, like Heather had accused him to be. The shieldmaiden now understood why Heather had been willing to stay and fight the Hunters after realizing the truth. Dagur was being truthful, and her friend hadn't been ready to face that. For her, Dagur had always been a villain, much more than he had been to Astrid, Hiccup, and the rest of the Riders. He had sent her adrift as a child. Heather grew up an outcast - a life of loneliness - without flesh and blood to hang onto. And now, it was back to haunt her. And Astrid understood the feeling in a way. Between having to deal with inner and exterior conflict, she would always pick a physical battle. Astrid knew Heather felt torn, and such emotions easily led down a dangerous path, such as lashing out in frustration and engaging in battles that were noticeably suicidal. Her feelings had clouded her judgment, and it had gotten the best of her. Not only that, she had dragged Hiccup down the rabbit hole with her. And even if it had been involuntary, the consequences of her actions had still happened.

It had happened. And now they were faced with a much more complicated situation.

And that was much scarier than inner conflict.

Hiccup and Heather had been captured by the Dragon Hunters, and there was no doubt they'd be taken to Viggo for interrogation. They knew they were already running out of time to get them out of this mess, but Astrid didn't know where to begin looking in the first place. And this jam made her more anxious than anything else. She didn't know what to do. Her missing teammates could be anywhere across the vast and untamable ocean. Searching the trajectory leading to the enemy's base would take days at least, and by the time they covered up all of the territories, it would be too late. Her friends would be at Viggo Grimborn's mercy, and as civilized as the crime-lord was, Astrid had no doubt the man shared a percentage of brutality with his older brother.

Astrid shut her eyes tight, chasing the tears away. They were approaching Dragon's Edge. The shieldmaiden wiped her tears away before they landed – before anyone noticed - and put her confident mask back on as she hopped off her Nadder.

The other Riders exchanged a look when Astrid didn't say a word and headed straight for the stables, parting the doors wide. The broad daylight poured in like spring water breaking out of the ice, spilling over the dusty floorboards inside. Torches lit up each stall, and Astrid walked over to the only one that was occupied, putting on a show of uncompromising energy.

Dagur got up from where he sat on the pile of crates and approached the gate. The absence of the Berserker's usual cocky attitude mixed with a bit of crazy was still quite destabilizing to Astrid.

"What happened?" asked Dagur, grasping the wooden bars of his jail. "Are there any wounded?"

Astrid turned halfway around, crossing her arms over her chest. She took a deep breath before sighing heavily.

"Hiccup and Heather…" she said, her shoulders dropping as she recalled the events. "They didn't make it out."

"What does that mean?" demanded Dagur, an edge to his tone. "They're alive, right?"

"Probably," replied Astrid, swallowing thickly before meeting his gaze, blinking uncontrollably. "That's what I'm afraid of…"

Dagur tightened his lips, understanding where she was going. He picked up right away what she was putting down and he couldn't bear to imagine what the Hunters could do to both his brother and sister to get what they wanted out of them.

"Let me out," he said, the words coming out as an order rather than a suggestion. "I can help you."

Astrid rolled her eyes, scoffing. "Do you think I'm desperate enough to let you roam free on our base?" said Astrid, scowling at him despite having been softer than ever with him seconds before.

"I was right about that shipyard, wasn't I?" he pressured on, gesturing outside with an outstretched arm. "Astrid, please. All I want is Heather safe. After that, you never have to see my face ever again."

Astrid eyed him up and down for a moment, and for a second, Dagur thought she might consider his offering. But the shieldmaiden didn't say another word and turned away from him, head low and shoulders heavy. She walked out of the stables, her breathing shaky. She had managed to hold herself together long enough to be out of the Berserker's sight before she succumbed to her emotions, sliding her back down the metal gates of the stables and onto the ground. She covered her face with her hands as the tears streamed down her cheeks. The sky covered up, hiding away its joyous blue and replacing the background colour with a heavy and sorrowful grey.

She didn't know how to get Hiccup back on her own with her team, and she was in no mental shape right now to decide whether or not to trust Dagur, even if her gut feeling told her he would do anything for his sister, much like she would do anything to protect Hiccup.

And nothing hurt her more than being faced with a situation that left her feeling more useless than ever.

U_U now go cry