The vikings stood in the Berkian hall. "Alvin won't stop until he's exacted his revenge against us all." Stoick stated, grimly, "We've already seen what those Whispering Deaths will do." Hiccup was, visibly, upset by this, "It's not their fault, Dad. When they're forced to run rampant, that's when they do their worst." Dagur frowned, thinking hard, "Do you know any weaknesses they have? Anything we can do to deter them from eating the island whole would be nice." Fishlegs pulled out the Book of Dragons, "Yes, actually. We learned that they don't like light. That's why they burrow." The Berserker scoffed, "So they like to stay underground, but destroy everything they can use as cover? Weird dragons."
Fishlegs kept staring at the book and Dagur began to peek over at the pages. The Ingerman noticed this, but did not want to hand the object over for fear of it being damaged. Dagur observed that and settled for what he knew off hand, "Well, it sounds like we really need to spot them before they get here and try to keep the Whispies as far away from land as possible. Reacting to them already having burrowed would probably just cause more destruction." the young chief noted. Stoick nodded, "Agreed. We'll have to keep a lookout for any signs of unfamiliar ships or small dragons flying nearby." The Berkian heir turned to Dagur, "While I appreciate you coming here to help us, you should probably go back to your island." The older viking looked surprised, "Why should I? If I'm there, I can't help you." Hiccup looked at Toothless, "Alvin's been trying to come after us since forever. Even moreso since he found out about us training dragons."
Impatiently, Dagur moved his hand in a circular motion, gesturing for Hiccup to speed it up, "And your point being..?" The elder chief understood his son's gist, "I believe, he means that Alvin will want us to feel the heat. He's already attacked Heather's island, someone that he knows we had helped...to go against him, on top of it. Considering that you're our ally, he'll attack you next. That way, we can be miserable that all our alliances have been, forcibly, ended and then he would end with us." Dagur stroked his chin, "Seems so...generic, though. Why be so predictable?" Hiccup shrugged, "I don't know if it's so much 'predictable' as it is just something Alvin would do. He loves making people squirm." Dagur still was frowning at the suggestion. "Alvin will attack and your people will need you there when he does, Dagur. Always remember, a chief protects his own." Stoick told the Berserker.
Dagur sighed, knowing that either he would return, voluntarily, or strapped to Toothless's back, "Fine. I'll be back, though, after this is finished." he promised. The Berserker went to the docks, "Vorg, could you get the others ready to leave?" The captain gave a salut and started calling out orders to the soldiers. His chief went back to where Heather was, "Hey." he began, alerting her to his presence, "We're about to head back for now. How are your parents doing?" The girl looked hopeful, "All right. They're resting right now and said that they didn't need anything." Dagur smiled, "Good." He started to leave, but halted, "Are you adopted?" he blurted out. The question being so random, coupled with how genuinely it was asked, made Heather chuckle, "I am, actually."
The viking's face, then, went long, "I don't remember much about my birth family." Dagur went over to her, comfortingly, "But, do you remember anything? Even a small detail?" She thought, "Kind of. I remember my father's hands holding mine." Disheartened would be the word to describe Dagur's expression, "Is that it?" Heather kept thinking back to her early childhood, "I recall a shield, but that's kind of it." She paused and went to grab her bag, "Well, there is something that I've always owned. This horn. I don't remember getting it, but my parents told me that it was with a few things of mine that had been on the boat they found me in." Dagur looked as though he had, simultaneously, seen a ghost and angel. Heather was beginning to get curious about all the questions, "Why did you want to know all this?" The Berserker stared for a moment longer, "Because I think, we're-"
"Chief!" Vorg called, "Everyone and everything's loaded up. We're ready to head back." Dagur, quietly, grunted and nodded to the captain, "I'll be right there, Vorg." He turned back to Heather, thinking, "If I say something now, that'll start a whole other thing and fog up her mind. She needs to be undistracted for when the Outcasts come." The Berserker forced a smile, "I'll finish explaining when I get back. Be safe." He gave the girl a hug, which surprised her. Having not returned the embrace, she gave him a confused look and he let go. With a wave, Dagur began to go to his ships. Before he reached the vessels, he saw the twins slumping near their Zippleback. "What's wrong?" he asked them. They sighed, dramatically, "Cruel fate, Dagur. Cruel fate. We, bringers of destruction, must prevent destruction!" Tuffnut sobbed. "Why do the gods hate us?" Ruff added, sobbing as well.
Dagur smirked at their love of violence, "Well, if the Whispering Deaths take down Berk, you'll have no chaos to cause. Can't let that happen, can you?" An epiphany occurred for the Thorston siblings, "By Odin, you're right! Come, Sister! We must not let these earth eaters consume our purpose in life." The two ran off, hopefully planning something useful. The chief climbed on board his ship and they set sail. It was a quick trip to Berserker Island and no enemies had been there. Dagur saw Bluebolt standing ready to fight, should any uninvited guest approach.
"We have to keep them away from the ground, Bolty. They don't like to get out in the sun much and burrow because of it." the viking informed his dragon. Dagur repeated the information to the rest of his Berserkers. They would be aware of how to fight these things if he had anything to say about it. The Skrill began to growl, defensively, and Dagur saw the slim bodies of three Whispering Deaths. Quickly, he checked around the other sides of the island. "Those are the only ones they're sending? Could've sworn they had a lot more." A couple of ships followed behind the dragons, but carried a mixture of Outcasts and vikings that were not of those people. "Got some friends now, Al?" Dagur wondered. He went to the center of the island, "Ready yourselves for battle!" he alerted.
Bluebolt sent a stream of lightning at the smaller dragons, knocking one, pitifully, into the sea. It squawked in pain and dismay as its siblings left it there.The other two Whisperers continued forward, but received a blast also. Deciding that no food nor shelter is worth all that abuse, the dragons fled. "Get back here you, worthless, lizards!" an Outcast yelled after them. Dagur could not make himself believe that what he saw was all there was to the villain's plan, "I just don't like this, Bluebolt." he told the snarling Skrill. As the Outcast ships were catapulted and damaged, the chief found Captain Vorg. "Imprison the all the vikings and question the newcomers." he instructed. The older viking gave him an inquisitive look, "I don't think this is all that Alvin has up his tunic. It's too easy." Dagur explained and began to feel panic rise in his chest, "He's keeping us out of the way, so he can destroy Berk!"
The Berserker leader ran to the Skrill, "The ships will take too long to get there, Bolty. We have to fly faster than you've ever gone before." Bluebolt nodded, understandably and lowered his wing to the ground, so that the viking could climb up. Dagur took a deep breath and held on to the dragon, tightly, "Let's go." The dragon zoomed off like the lightning he blasted. Clouds formed in the sky, seemingly knowing that their reptilian comrade would be needing them. The pair arrived at Berk in record time and saw Outcast ships, Whispering Deaths, unknown ships, and more wild dragons laying siege to the island. Bluebolt fired into the water, allowing the metal in the ships to take care of distributing the electricity. Viking screams challenged the sounds of dragon blasts for volume.
The Skrill flew around, blasting the ships and killing their travellers in the process. There was a different insignia on most of the vessels. It was a dragon with blades going through its body. Neither the Berserker nor the Berkians had ever seen it before that day. The dragon riders were in the sky and destroyed their fair share of ships, "You were right." Hiccup admitted, calling over the noises of carnage. Dagur ducked his head, avoiding a bolas being thrown at him, "Where's Heather and the others?" he asked, meaning the non-riders. "She's with her parents, still, and my dad and Gobber are fighting the vikings that docked." Hiccup told him. A Deadly Nadder shot a spine at the heir, "Bolty." Dagur said, getting the Skrill to fire a blast that intercepted the shot. The Berkian looked behind him to see the Nadder, "Thanks." Dagur eyed every ship they blasted with scrutiny, "I don't see Alvin. Do you?" Hiccup shook his head, "No, but he's probably fighting my dad."
Dagur was uncomfortable with relying on hope, alone, "Do you think that you and the riders can handle these ships now?" "Yeah, we should be fine. You've already taken out half." Hiccup assured him, smiling. Feeling confident in their abilities, Dagur and Bluebolt rushed to the land. Berkians were fending off Outcasts, and whoever the newcomers were, very well and, for that, Dagur was glad. He threw blades into the throats and heads of any enemy that he saw on his way to find where Alvin was. Stoick and Gobber were preoccupied fighting, but with random Outcasts and not their leader. The Skrill and Berserker flew until they reached where the young girl and her parents had last been. A yelp of pain was cried before they could even enter the area. Since time was of the essence and an indirect approach could end in lost lives, Dagur flung the door open.
In each hand, Alvin held Heather's parents' throats. "Please," the girl begged, "Let them go. I'll do whatever you want." The Outcast was interested at the suggestion and had a sickening look his face. Dagur threw blades into the man's forearms, making him drop the vikings. Moving quickly, Dagur caught them, keeping the people from hitting the ground too hard, "Come on." he told Heather. The girl shook her head, "No, I can't let him get away with this." She took out an ax that was amongst their things and held it in an offensive pose. Growling, Dagur laid the mother and father down in a safer place and returned for the girl. Alvin was walking, menacingly, towards Heather and Dagur stood between the two. "Well, well. Didn't stay on Berserker Island to help your little vikings? Thought you cared about them." Alvin, mockingly, scolded.
Alvin looked at the two young vikings, "You don't want her here, but out there isn't any safer." The terrible thing was, in a way, Alvin was correct. As much as Dagur wanted Heather as far away from that man as possible, if she were around him, he could make sure she was safe. There was no, particular, place that he could put her and keep her out of harm's way. He, certainly, had considered carrying her out of the room and transporting her somewhere else. To worsen matters, more vikings entered the hut. Dagur split his focus to know where each one of them was. Drawing his ax and sword, the Berserker blocked an attack that was meant for Heather and plunged a blade into the Outcast's body. With a yell, the viking slumped and another came to avenge his ally. The man charged at the girl with his ax and got his arm lopped off by Dagur. He cried in agony and looked to Alvin for help. None came quickly enough, and another slash across the chest left the viking dead.
Like this, Dagur took out the vikings inside the room and Bluebolt kept more from entering. Dagur put his sword back and used this hand to grab Heather. He brought her out of the room and lifted her onto the Skrill's back. "I can't run away!" she protested. He sighed, heavily, "Why not?! Do you want to get killed? I'm doing my part by helping you. The least you could do is cooperate." he chastised her. Heather looked at him, sheepishly, "I'm sorry, but...I-I have to make it up to my village." With that said, she rushed past the Berserker and charged into the hut again. Dagur ran after her, but she was already a mere few feet from Alvin. The man's back was turned, looking at his fallen vikings and she thought that she had the upper hand. Only Dagur noticed as the Outcast, subtly, began to draw his ax.
"That blade will go through her like yak butter." Dagur realized. In a flash, he shoved Heather aside and was raising his own ax to block the attack. Alvin, quickly, adjusted his swing and sent the blade into the viking's side. The metal dug deep into his torso and Dagur yelled out, pain surging through his body. Hearing this, Bluebolt burst into the room, blasting down the entranceway. "Careful, dragon." Alvin warned, roughly taking the blade out of the boy, invoking an almost inaudible whimper, and putting it to his neck, "Shoot me and he'll be dead in mere seconds." The Skrill snarled, but did not engage. Alvin smirked, smugly, "Good reptile. Now, I think that you guys are winning out there, but I won't be getting captured or anything like that. Not my style. So, I'll be going and your little friend here will be coming with me."
Fear flashed in Bluebolt's eyes for his friend and Alvin started to walk out of the hut, dragging Dagur with him. They went to a ship that had been well hidden and saw a few Outcasts that had stayed on board. The leader Outcast pushed Dagur over to the other vikings. Due to the, nearly, lethal gash, Dagur fell to his knees. "Chain him up and put him in a cell." Alvin ordered. Immediately, they followed the commands and rushed to the boy, forcing his arms behind his back, painfully. Cold chains were locked to his wrists and he was dragged to the lower compartment of the ship. He saw a dark cell and was shoved inside. The Outcasts closed the door and locked him in, "Why..have the door locked...and these chains on?" Dagur asked Alvin, through short breaths. He shrugged, "More fun that way. You'll do best remembering that I can do whatever I want to you and no one's going to stop me. Might as well burn a ship with you in it, because you're as good dead here under my mercy."
The Outcasts left the prison and went to the decks, beginning to sail away. Dagur got himself to his knees and leaned against the cell wall, trying to steady his breaths. He wished that his arms had been chained in front of him, so that he could apply pressure to the wound and stop the blood flow, but he had no such luck. He was enraged that he had been captured, saddened that he was unable to explain everything to Heather, and, most upsettingly, afraid of the possibility of never being able to see his Berserkers, the Berkians, or Heather ever again. The only thing that gave him some semblance of faith was that despite how deep his gash was, he was alive. If that did not kill him, he was meant to be around to do something in the future. All he had to do would be to remember that when the impending tortures came and threatened to convince him otherwise.