"I was the one who had it all
I was the master of my fate
I never needed anybody in my life
I learned the truth too late
I'll never shake away the pain
I close my eyes, but she's still there
I let her steal into my melancholy heart
It's more than I can bear"

- "Evermore" by Dan Stevens

Chapter 3

"Brennda! You're back!" Heather smiled as Eret and I neared the lab. "Did you find Harald?"

"No," I replied. "We're onto something else now."

"We did find Leopold," Eret said. "We didn't catch him, but Astrid is waiting at the spot where we saw him."

"Good," said Heather. She frowned at Eret. "Then why do you look so unhappy?"

I decided to head off the questions before they began. "He's upset I didn't tell him Leopold is Harald's dragon."

Heather looked at me in surprise. "You never told him?"

"You knew?" Eret said incredulously. "Do you know how she's taken his absence over the months?"

"No. She refuses to talk about him."

"Oh. That makes me feel a little better."

"How is she handling the search?"

Eret shrugged. "About as well as can be excepted. It would help if I had a full grasp on the situation."

I rolled my eyes. "You guys know I'm right here, right?"

"Then, by all means, tell us how you're doing."

"I'm doing just fine! I don't need your help!"

"Brennda, we're asking because we care about you," Heather said gently. "If there's anything you need-"

"There's nothing you can do." I cast my gaze to the ground, my eyes hard. "Whatever I feel for Harald, it doesn't change what needs to be done." Unable to keep it entirely contained, sadness leaked through my expression as I looked at Heather. "And, yes, that hurts. But what can you do?"

Heather's eyes shone in compassion. "We can be here for you as your friends."

"Exactly," Eret said. "We understand."

"Than understand I need to focus on something to keep from breaking down." I took a deep breath. When they did not respond, I decided to move on. "Heather, we're here because Skulder fell sick from the fog. He thinks there's something wrong with it and wants us to investigate."

"I think Skulder is right about that fog because it is definitely not just water and air," Heather said. "Why does it make Vikings sick... and why aren't the dragons affected?"

"I'm sure you already have an idea," I said.

Heather smiled. "Organisms have adaptations to help them survive the type of environment they live in. Over the years, dragons must have adapted to survive in this fog; that's why their bodies can handle it while Vikings get nauseous. Hiccup and I are constantly making new upgrades to the lab that will allow us to test fantastic scientific theories together. We've been working on a way to test the chemical composition of gases by analyzing the colors of light. I think this might be the perfect time to use that device! Will you bring Hiccup up to speed on the situation?"

"We'll speak to him right away," Eret said.

First, I changed out of my dragon hunter disguise. I left the necklace because it would be a hassle to put it back on if I needed it again. At least, that was what I told myself.

Afterwards, Eret and I found Hiccup and explained the situation. He appeared excited to test out his spectrometer, which measured light. We took the device back to the lab to test it out. The spectrometer would be able to tell us the chemical composition of the fog, but first we needed to run some gases through it so we would have a baseline to compare the fog to.

"Wow, Hiccup, you really outdid yourself this time," Heather said once we finished. "The spectrometer worked perfectly! Now we know the colors of some common elements. The next step is to test the fog with the spectrometer to figure out if it has the same colors as any of these gases!"

"I assume one of us will have to go into the fog to obtain a sample," Eret said.

"I'm afraid so."

"I'll do it," I said. It looked like Eret wanted to protest, so I add, "I need a task to keep me focused, remember?"

"Maybe you should take him with you just in case," Heather said.

I shook my head. "I'll be fine. Skulder was in the fog for awhile before he got sick."

"You still should not go alone," Hiccup said. "Eret should at least wait outside the fog in case you need help."

"Fine." It looked like there was no way of getting around that one.

"I do have something that might help you from falling ill out there," Heather said. Out of her bag she pulled a red bandana and held it out to me. "If you put that around your nose and mouth, it might filter out some of the toxins. We'll need something airtight to get a sample of the fog." She turned to Hiccup. "I bet you will be able to help with that."

"I do have something that might work!" Hiccup said excitedly. "I created a contraption that helps me collect Hideous Zippleback gas for the Dragon Blade. I call it the Zippleback Bellows! That's how I captured the gases for the spectrometer in the lab." He handed me a small canister. "Be very careful with it near the ocean, but more importantly, be safe out there!"

I gave him a small smile. "I will. Thanks for your help, you two."

"Don't worry," Eret said. "I won't let anything happen to her."

I wrapped the bandana around my heard, making sure it covered my mouth like a mask. Then, Zippleback Bellows in hand, I mounted Bolt and took off. I flew above Eret until he made it to his ship. Once he set sail, I picked up the speed and headed straight for the fog.

The cloth mask did little to filter out the horrible stench. I took shall breaths to not take too much in. I had to do this quickly. I spotted an area of dense fog and flew that way. Opening my canister, I captured some of the gas and sealed it tight. Excellent.

Suddenly, I felt myself sway in Bolt's saddle. Something was wrong. The fog was starting to get to me, making me dizzy and nauseous. I had my sample, so it was time to leave. Before I could turn around Bolt, however, I spotted a ship through the fog... and I could have sworn it had Harald's sails.

Bolt whined. I moved my hand to touch him, but the motion caused my head to spin. "Just a minute, buddy. We need to check out that ship." He took some coaxing, but Bolt did move forward.

Another wave of dizziness hit. Maybe I just needed to rest for a minute. I spotted and sea stack and headed towards it. I looked for the ship again but could not spot it. I lifted myself up on Bolt's back to get a better view. The smell of the fog suddenly overwhelmed me, and the world around me spun before turning black.

Harald

Harald Forkbeard pulled off another narrow escape! He had to admit, he did not expect the dragon riders to catch onto him so quickly. Still, evading Astrid had been easy. He just wished he could have seen her face when she realized he had given her the slip. It was much too soon to allow himself to be caught!

He did not know why the fog had suddenly appeared, but it did offer the perfect cover. And with his ingenious gas mask, he did not have to suffer the ill effects that had befallen other unfortunate Vikings. The day grew late now, and he set off on his boat with Leopold to find shelter.

The fog made it difficult to see, but he was certain he just saw a lightning bolt shoot up into the sky... even though lightning always fell from the sky. It had to be a dragon. A Skrill. Brennda's Skrill, no doubt. Was she in some sort of trouble?

Another flash of lightning. It looked like a distress call to Harald. What was she doing out in the fog all alone? She had to have backup nearby. Someone would come to her aid. He did not need to do anything. If he went to her now, she or someone else would catch him. He had to follow the plan.

Harald turned his boat around and started in the direction of the lightning bolts. Leopold looked on anxiously as if he too understood the situation. As Harald kept his focus on his destination, all his objections faded into background noise. His brain wanted him to continue with the plan, but his heart would not allow him to do anything until he saw Brennda was fine.

He neared a sea stack and stopped before it. Peering up, he made out the purple form of a Skrill. Bolt. Harald hesitated. He looked around and made sure no one else was coming before calling out: "Brennda! Are you alright?"

He heard no verbal response, but the dragon swooped down from the sea stack and landed right in front of Harald on his boat. He kept perfectly still as Bolt stared him down as if to discern his worthiness. Finally, he snorted and lowered his head. Harald cautiously raised his hand and stroked the smooth scales. "Hello, dragon. Will you take me to Brennda?"

Bolt gave him another long look. Then he turned his back to him and waited. Harald had never ridden a dragon on his own, but now was not the time to worry about that. No sooner had he climbed into Bolt's saddle than the dragon took off again, flying straight up the sea stack. His stomach lurched during the short ride, but then it was over.

Harald's legs shook as he stumbled off the dragon. He immediately forgot his own discomfort when he saw Brennda lying on the sea stack unconscious. He fell to her side and examined her pulse, relieved when he felt her steady heartbeat. But he did see blood on the side of her head. Looking her over, he deduced she must have fallen sick from the fog and hit her head when she crashed into the sea stack.

Harald met Bolt's anxious gaze. "I can help her. I need you to bring us both back to my boat. She needs to get out of this fog." Speaking of which... He carefully removed the bandana up from her mouth and instead secured it around the wound on her head. That should take care of the bleeding for now. As for the fog...

He removed his own gas mask and placed it properly on her mouth. The stench of the fog immediately filled his senses, but he could deal with it for a few minutes. He slid his arms under Brennda and carefully lifted her.

He froze when she groaned and rolled towards his chest. "Harald?" He dared not to even breath. Her eyes struggled to open, but he noted the faraway look in her eyes. She would likely not remember this when she awoke.

"I'm here, love," he whispered against his better judgement. What if she heard him?

"Stay with me..." Her eyes closed, and she fell limp once again.

Any last shield he held against his emotions shattered at her soft plea. Why...? How could she still want him after everything he had done?

And what's more... why did he still feel this way? He had always been able to dull the emotions he found unacceptable. He thought being away from Brennda would allow the feelings to fade, but now they came back stronger than ever as if punishing him for daring to try to suppress them in the first place.

Bolt made a sharp noise, bringing Harald back to the present. He carefully set Brennda in the dragon's saddle. Then, still holding onto her, he climbed on behind her. He made sure she was steady before instructing Bolt to go. This time, the Skrill gently glided down to the water and onto the boat. Harald picked up Brennda and gently lay her on the bottom of the boat. Then he steered them out of the fog.

Once they reached clean air, he took in a big breath. He also removed his gas mask form Brennda to help her get fresh air in her lungs. Now that they were safe from the fog, he turned his attention to treating her injuries. Leopold and Bolt watched him as he worked.

It did not take him too long to apply the proper herbs to her head wound. He always carried the basics with him for unfortunate cases, though he never thought he would use them on someone other than himself. No one else had ever mattered.

Finished with his task, Harald knelt by her side and watched her as she slept. He had never seen her so vulnerable. It made him want to take her close to him and protect her. He wanted to forget his plan and run off with her. But even if he could forget everything else, she would never go for it, and that would defeat the purpose. It would be easy is he simply wished to possess her, but this... this was something far deeper.

And there was nothing he could do about it. He ignored the voice that said he should tell her the truth. She would not reject him like the others. But he told himself it did not matter. She was better off away from him. He could protect her more from a distance. Maybe it was an excuse to not do the hard work, but it was enough to satisfy him to move forward.

He reached out his hand and brushed her hair back. His skin felt cold medal, and he paused. Peering closer, he noticed she wore the necklace he gave her when he helped her infiltrate the dragon hunter base. Why did she wear it? How much did she still care?

"Brennda!" a voice in the distance called.

Harald's head snapped up, and he rose to his feet. Who was that? He did not recognize the voice, but Bolt's eager expression told him the dragon did. It must be Brennda's companion. He was relieved it was not one of the riders he spent time with at Dragon's Edge. Still, anyone from Berk would know who he was and already be set against him.

Harald gazed down at Brennda. At least he had someone to hand her off to. Now he needed to figure out how to play this. He could continue his evil pirate act and say he saved her to keep her for ransom. It was believable enough... but what would he get from that? He would portray the proper image to this stranger, but would Brennda believe it when he recounted it to her?

There was a high probability she would see through the lies and know he saved her even at the risk of ruining his plan because he cared about her. And that would give her hope, which he wanted to avoid. It was better if she did not know he was there at all, and for that, he needed the stranger's cooperation. For once, it looked like he needed to tell the truth to get what he wanted. Or at least part of the truth.

"Brennda!"

Bolt let out a small lightning bolt straight into the air, signaling their location. Harald glanced at Brennda, but thankfully she had not awakened.

From around a sea stack emerged a boat with a single occupant, who locked eyes with Harald. He was young and well-built with the markings of a dragon trapper on his chin. Former trapper, no doubt.

"Brennda is safe," Harald said in a calm, controlled voice. His eyes flickered to where she lay on his boat before returning to the stranger.

Recognition lit on the other man's face. "It's you! You're the one we're looking for! Harald Forkbeard!"

Harald smirked at his incredulous look. "You were looking for me? I am honored. I assume you are one of Brennda's little friends?"

The man's eyes narrowed. "I am Eret son of Eret, the best dragon wrangler around. What did you do to Brennda?" His hand moved to the dagger tied around his waist.

"I only did what you should have done. I found her passed out from the fog because you left her alone. I tended her injuries because you were not around." Harald met his hard gaze with one of his own, refusing to back down. It was the other guy's fault, after all. He was the reason he was in this mess.

Eret winced at the accusations, but he quickly recovered and continued to glower at him. "You saved her? Why? What do you want?"

"I do not want anything."

"You expect me to believe you did it out of the goodness of your heart? That does not sound like the pirate I heard about."

"Quite right. I saved her because it is in my interest."

"Then you do want something." Eret withdrew his dagger and held it tightly in his hand.

Bolt let out a low growl, and Harald placed a hand on his head to soothe him. "Calm yourself, dragon trapper. I simply meant her safety is in my interest."

Eret slowly returned his dagger but cast him a suspicious look. "Why?"

"Must I lay everything out for you? You seem like a smart fellow. Surely you can figure it out." Harald heard Brennda shift beside him. He bent down to examine her and make sure she was still comfortable. He did not realize his expression had softened until the other man spoke again:

"You care for her."

The words held a mixture of shock and confusion. Harald did not bother to conceal the tender emotions that leaked through as he faced Eret again. "If that is how you wish to define it..."

"You love her." This time, he spoke with more certainty. "That's why her Skrill is tolerating you. He's a smart dragon. He knows."

Harald did not bother to deny it. "Bolt knows I mean her no harm."

"But you have harmed her, haven't you?" The hardness returned to Eret's eyes. "You betrayed her and then left her, and now it hurts too much for her to even talk about it."

Harald looked away to hide the pain and guilt he could no longer control. He knew the man was right, and he hated it. In hurting her, he hurt himself. "If you understand that, then you understand why I need to stay away from her."

"You don't get it, do you? She doesn't want you to stay away. She just wants you."

Harald clenched his fists to fight off the swell of emotion. "We can't get everything we want. Protecting her is more important than anything else."

"Tell her that. She thinks you don't care."

Harald did not anticipate the sharp pain that pierced his heart. This was what he wanted, after he all. He succeeded in his most daring lie yet. He actually pulled it off. But for once, he felt no pleasure in his victory. And never had the truth felt so enticing. If only there was a way...

He took a deep, shaky breath. Something was wrong with him, and he had to end it now. "It is better if she thinks I feel nothing for her. In fact, she should not know I was the one who saved her." He looked into Eret's surprised eyes with a hardened expression.

"But... why? Why hide it from her if it's the truth?"

"Because I know her, and I know she will use it as evidence that she can get more from me than I can offer. She will not accept the nuance of the situation." He let his gaze wander to Brennda's sleeping form. "If she knew what I did for her, it would give her hope." His eyes returned to Eret. "Hope is a poison. One drop can consume you and make you believe in things that will never happen. It must be crushed before it is allowed to take root."

Eret's own gaze narrowed as he took it in. "Is this in reference to her... or yourself?"

Harald let a wry smile cross his face. Of course he would call him out on his alleged noble act. And perhaps he was right. "Excellent question. Let me know when you find the answer." Brennda stirred again. He had to act quickly. He allowed his boat to move closer to Eret's. "She will wake up soon, and you are the first one she should see."

"And what am I supposed to tell her?"

Harald slipped his arms under Brennda and lifted her up. A smile twitched when she curled into him and clutched his shirt. "Tell her you were the one who saved her. Tell her you were the hero. She will love you for it."

"But it's not true."

"The best stories never are." Their boards nearly touched. Harald moved as close as he dared with Brennda in his arms. Then he hesitated. He knew he should hand her over now, but everything inside him told him not to. He hated the thought of giving her to another man. She should be his.

Eret's expression suddenly changed to... compassion? empathy? "It doesn't have to be this way," he said gently. "I know what's like to feel trapped, but we can help you."

Harald almost laughed. Did he pity him? "I don't need your help. I don't want your help. Maybe you can easily cast off your former life, but I won't. I chose this path, and I will continue down it no matter what."

Eret's eyes narrowed. He glanced at Brennda and then back at Harald. "Even if it means giving her up?"

The answer should have been instantaneous, but instead Harald found himself faltering. Never had he allowed anything or anyone to question his path in life. He knew what he wanted. How could one girl change that? "Yes."

"You don't sound certain. Is that why you have to convince yourself you're doing this for her?"

Anger rose in Harald's chest. This guy was too sharp. He had seen too much. "This is what's best for both of us. Now take her." He willed himself to hold her out to him. Eret carefully took her from him. Harald smirked when she seemed to instinctively turn away from Eret, back to Harald. "Look after her properly this time. Don't force me to get involved."

"Of course. We don't want you to expose yourself."

Harald bit back a sarcastic comment. If he said something now, he might regret it. He turned around, stopping short when he realized Bolt still sat in his ship, watching him curiously. He motioned to Eret's boat. "Brennda's over there. Be gone now."

Bolt snorted in response. He bent down and touched Leopold with his snout. Then he gave Harald a long, hard look as if he also had contempt for his decision. Finally, he spread his wings and departed the ship.

Alone at last - save for Leopold - Harald turned his ship around and sailed away.

A/N: Poor Eret, getting in the middle of everything. What will he do now? I almost wrote this in his perspective, but I like how it turned out with Harald.