"I wanna roll up, I'm gonna roll up my sleeve
I'm gonna fight for you, I'm gonna fight 'til I bleed

So, listen to me now
I'm not gonna stand here when my friend's down and out
I'm not gonna run when it's hard to figure it all out
If there's anything I'd say, I will tell you right now

You're not alone, you're not alone, you're not alone
You're not alone, you're not alone, you're not alone"

- "You're Not Alone" by Marie Miller

Chapter 8

Eret set sail for Eruptodon Island while Valka flew beside the ship on Cloudjumper. Harald and I stood together at the back of the ship under Eret's direction. Apparently, he thought he was doing me a favor by 'giving us time to talk.' Maybe we did need to talk, but... I did not know what to say.

"This has turned into quite the adventure, wouldn't you say?" Harald said casually.

I looked straight ahead so as to not let him get to me. "Adventures are fun, Harald, which this is not. This is serious. And it's all your fault."

"That's not true. I didn't cause the fog. In fact, if it weren't for me, you would have never discovered its source."

I glanced at him, noting the smug look on his face. If he wanted a 'thank you,' he wasn't getting it. I crossed my arms and stared ahead again.

"I'm sensing some hostility, Brennda. Are you still mad at me?"

My eyes tightened. "Of course I'm still mad at you." Maybe it was more complicated than that, but I didn't feel like explaining.

"I told you it was just-"

"-business, I know." I let out a sigh. "See? You don't even know why I'm mad."

"It would help if you enlightened me."

I felt my coldness slip away as I looked at him. He was concealing his emotions again, but at least he wasn't trying to play some stupid role. And he did have a point. I could not expect him to read my mind all the time. It might make me feel better if I let it all out. I took in a deep breath. "You were wrong."

Harald scoffed. "That's hardly likely. I'm never wrong."

I rolled my eyes. "Then you lied."

"That is much more likely, but would you care to be specific?"

I could have taken the easy way out and told him I was mad about all his lies, but... I needed to tell him the truth. I could not let him turn me into a liar. "You lied about us... about me. You said I'd forget about you and move on. You said I'd find someone better. You said these feelings would go away. But they haven't, and I can't forget." I could not hide the emotion in my voice, though I willed the tears to not fall. "You left, Harald. Do you have any idea what it's been like for me this past year without you? I'm mad because you showed me something amazing and told me it's everything I can't have."

Harald was not quick enough to hide the surprise and then guilt in his eyes. "I didn't lie about any of that," he said quietly. "You should have moved on."

I gave him a bitter smile. "You don't know much about love, do you?"

"I should say not, considering everyone who has claimed to love me has abandoned me."

His sincere confession surprised me. He still attempted to hold back his emotions, but enough leaked through that I could see the truth. And just like that, my anger made way for compassion. I could not help but want to reach out to him and comfort him. "I won't." I took a step closer to him, feeling pleased when he did not back away. "I told you once before, didn't I? I will never abandon you, Harald, but you have to stay."

His lips twisted into a wry smile. "It will never work, love. There are too many obstacles."

"External challenges are nothing. The greatest obstacle is you. If I can get you to change your mind, we can defeat anything else in our way together."

"You sound confident, but I'm just not seeing it."

"Then maybe I need to train you."

He raised his eyebrows at this. "Oh?"

I lifted my hand and faced my palm to him like he had done to me all those months ago. Harald slowly raised his own hand and placed our palms together. The contact sent a jolt of electricity up my arm, but I did not pull away. Instead, I entwined our fingers and lowered our hands. "Do you want me to let go?" I nearly whispered.

"No," Harald said just as softly. His emerald eyes bore into my, telling me more than he could ever say with words.

I smiled, pleased at my accomplishment. I liked touching him, and I wanted to do more. I gently ran my thumb across the back of his hand, making circular motions. Harald closed his eyes and almost appeared to be smiling. Could something so simple affect him so much? Remembering what he said earlier, I realized he must be starved for affection. I decided to be bold.

"It's cold out here. Help me out." Still holding his hand, I moved in close to him until our bodies pressed together. I sensed his surprise, but he put his free arm around me to keep me near him. I closed my eyes and smiled in contentment. This felt good. This felt right. I allowed myself to forget our circumstances and our companions. In the moment, nothing else mattered but each other.

"Hey, lovebirds, we're here," Eret's voice rang out.

I immediately pulled away from Harald, regretting my decision when the cold enveloped me. I noticed Eret staring at us with mixed emotions. "I, uh, I was cold," I said lamely.

"I could have helped you with that," Eret said.

"But she chose me," Harald said, smirking.

Eret frowned and looked at me. "I can see why he frustrates you so much. He's hard to figure out." He shook his head. "Anyway, welcome to the wild volcano of Eruptodon island. I swear I'm not nervous... Ahem. I might be a little nervous."

"Calm yourself, Eret," Valka said. "The Eruptodon is protective but not violent. As long as we respect him and his home, we won't be harmed. The Eruptodon is a dragon that prefers the heat and comfort of the volcano. By the Book of Dragons, we would consider him a Boulder class dragon. We'll be sure to find him near lava flows. Let us search this island to look for him."

"I'll stay here while you three have fun," Harald said.

"On my boat?" Eret said. "Oh no, you don't!"

I rolled my eyes and grabbed Harald's wrist. "You don't leave me sight, remember?"

"Fine, fine."

I let go of him once we were on land. The four of us began the trek up the volcano. It was almost eerie being there. The scenery was definitely different than what I was used to. Once we were up high, I peered over the edge to see if I could spot the Eruptodon. The next step I took, the ground crumbled from beneath my foot, and I started to slip.

"Watch out!" Harald said as he pulled me back to safety.

My heart raced at the excitement. "I - I was fine! I didn't need your interference." It was the wrong thing to say, but my strong independent streak would not allow me to leave it alone.

"I was trying to help!"

"I don't need your help! Stop pretending to care."

For a second, I thought I saw hurt in his eyes. Then, wordlessly, he turned and stalked ahead of us.

My heart sank into my stomach. What had I just done? After making some progress on the boat, why had I become defensive again?

"Brennda, I may not know much about him, but I do know you should not ask a guy to ignore basic protective instincts," Eret said.

I looked at him in surprise. "What?" Instincts? Was that what that was?

"I agree," Valka said, her expression carefully guarded. "Stoick got that way as well. Though I don't doubt you can take care of yourself, this is one area where it costs us little to give in."

Now I was really astonished. If they both saw the same thing, maybe I was in the wrong. I looked ahead at Harald's retreating form. I had to make this right.

I ran to catch up with him and slipped my hand into his, making sure to stay on his right side, away from the cliff edge. He looked at me but said nothing. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. Thank you for saving me."

Harald did not respond, but when his grip on my hand tightened, I knew I was forgiven. Eret's voice broke me from my thoughts:

"Whoa! That's a sturdy one, isn't it? Is that the dragon you were looking for?"

We followed the sound of Eret's voice down a path that led deeper into the volcano. And there, inside the volcano, sat the Eruptodon.

"You have done well to lead us here, Eret," Valka said. "This place is an excellent discovery! We must now begin to train the Eruptodon, to gain its trust and plead for its aid." She turned to me. "You may not share a bond as strong as you do with Bolt, but I believe this noble dragon will come to our aid at Dragon Island."

I released Harald's hand and approached the dragon. I took a deep breath. "Tell me what to do."

"The first step to training a dragon is to prove that you mean it no harm. One way to do that is to offer the dragon his favorite foods. Like many other Boulder Class dragons, Eruptodons prefer to eat rocks. Find some pumice, or lava rocks, that are the Eruptodon's favorite!"

Harald appeared mildly curious as he watched me look around for a lava rock. I found one and picked it up.

"Offer the rock to the Eruptodon, Brennda," Valka said.

I held the rock up to the Eruptodon. He sniffed it and then scooped it up with his tongue.

"Good! He accepted your gift. That is a wonderful start. Next, you must try to see from the dragon's eyes and share his viewpoint. Will you stand at the large dragon's eye level so that you can gain its trust and ask for its aid?"

I bent down so I could look the Eruptodon in the eye. The Eruptodon looked away.

"He doesn't seem to notice you. Why not? I do not understand. I must ponder this new information, Brennda. Will you search the island for something that will help us get the dragon's attention? There must be something that we are missing."

"I'll take a look," I said. Harald followed me as I walked down a path. He stopped me when we reached a small alcove.

"Aren't those tiny dragons?" he said, nodding at glowing creatures on the ground.

I bent down to examine one of them closer. "Yes, these are Fireworms! Their fire causes them to glow."

"Perhaps this is what we need. The Eruptodon has spent countless hours within the volcano. It may pay attention solely to things that glow like the magma flows."

"Oh, that's a great idea!" I said excitedly.

"All my ideas are great."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah right." I reached out my hand to grab a few Fireworms.

Harald grabbed my arm to stop me. "How do you plan to carry them? You may be able to pick them up just fine, but their heat will eventually burn your skin."

I frowned. "Oh, right." I looked around for something to hold them in. I settled for snatching Harald's spare glove he was not using. "Hold this." I pushed the glove into this hands and set to gathering Fireworms.

Soon, we had a glove filled with the tiny, glowing dragons. We then made our trek back to the Eruptodon. Valka gave us a questioning look upon our return.

"Don't worry, we've got this," I said.

Valka opened her mouth to say something, but when Eret shook his head, she closed it again.

I held onto one end of the glove and held it up with Harald. We tilted the glove towards the Eruptodon so he could see the glowing Fireworms inside. The Eruptodon let out a pleased noise. Then he looked both me and Harald in the eye.

"Beautiful!" Valka said. "Perhaps he understands our plight... and our urgency. Reach out your hand and touch the Eruptodon."

Harald lowered the glove to the ground and coaxed the Fireworms out. He was being so gentle that I got a crazy idea. When he stood straight again, I grabbed his glove-free hand. He looked at me in question, but I merely smiled. I returned my attention to the Eruptodon, and he did the same.

Very slowly, I brought our hands to The Eruptodon. I placed Harald's hand on his snout and moved mine so it was next to his. The large dragon made a contented sound. A huge grin spread across my face. "We did it!" I smiled at Harald, and he looked at me with an adoring gaze that made my heart skipped a beat. For a moment, it felt just like it used to before I knew the truth about him.

"How can you still smile at me like that?" he asked in a low voice.

I considered the question. "It's because... At times like this, I can see the real you."

"The real me? And who is that?"

"Someone who can't help but care even though he tries not to."

"Hmm... I think you have me confused for someone else."

I smiled and shook my head. Remembering we were not alone, I looked past him to Valka and Eret.

"Excellent work," Valka said. "Now you can mount him, and we can make post haste to Dragon Island."

I turned back to Harald. "You heard her. Let's get on him!"

Harald frowned. "I'm sorry, you want me to ride that dragon?"

"Sure. He likes you." I waited for an objection from Valka but heard none.

Harald eyed the Eruptodon skeptically. "He's fairly large, don't you think? And he's a stranger to both of us."

"It'll be fine. I'm looking out for you, remember? I won't ask you to do something if I'm not certain I can keep you safe."

Harald stared into my eyes as if imploring me for the truth. Finally, he nodded and turned to the Eruptodon. "Shall we do this then?"

Smiling, I climbed onto the big dragon's back. Then I held my hand out to Harald to help him on hind me. He wrapped his arms around my waist while I found a good hold on the dragon.

"We'll meet you at Dragon Island," Eret said as he left with Valka.

Then the Eruptodon took off. He was not a very fast flyer, and there was something pleasant about the ride. Harald relaxed against me. Neither of us said a word as we sailed through the sky. We did not need to.

We arrived at Dragon Island and landed in front of Hiccup. "You did it!" he said. "Amazing work and welcome back."

"Thanks!" I said. I started to dismount the Eruptodon, but then Harald slipped off his side, pulling me down with him. We crashed to the ground, me on top of him. I glared at him while he smiled sheepishly. "You did that on purpose!"

"You can't prove that," he said smugly.

I rolled my eyes and got to my feet. My friends stared at us with odd looks. I did not feel like explaining. Bolt bounded over to me, and I gave him a quick hug.

"We caught some fish to keep our energy up," Hiccup said once Valka and Eret joined us. "Fishlegs, Astrid, and I are going to start the second part of our plan, so you should eat while we're gone."

"Thank you, Hiccup," Valka said.

The Vikings and dragons took turns grabbing fish from the pile. However, when it came to Harald, there were no fish left.

"I must have miscounted," Skulder said. "Sorry about that."

I narrowed my eyes at him. He did not look sorry at all. I held my halibut out to Harald. "Here, take mine."

Harald looked at me in surprise. "Why?"

"I'm responsible for you. This is your favorite, isn't it? Unless you lied about that too."

Harald carefully took the halibut from me. "Why would I lie about fish?"

I shrugged. I glanced at Skulder, satisfied to see the look of guilt on his face. I gave him a long, hard stare until he looked away. I no longer cared if my affection for Harald offended him. He needed to know I found his behavior unacceptable.

"Bolt, help me out here," Harald said. I turned just in time to see Bolt slice the Halibut in half. Harald smirked and handed one half to me. "Here."

I looked down at the fish and then back up at him. "You didn't have to do that."

"I know." The triumphant gleam in his eye made my heart skip a beat.

I realized I needed to lift my gas mask in order to eat. Hopefully, I would not take in too much of the fog. I ate quickly just to be sure. Afterwards, I washed my hands in the ocean.

"Hiccup should be back soon," Valka said once I returned to the group. "We need to know when it is safe to enter the volcano. Would you keep a lookout from that hill to see if the dragon leaves?"

"Sure," I said. Harald took my hand as we walked up the hill, and I smiled. We stood together, watching the volcano. As I unconsciously moved my thumb along his fingers, I touched something cold. I looked up at him in confusion. "You still have that ring from the festival?"

"You thought I would get rid of it?" he said.

I frowned. "Honestly, I thought you would have sold it. It must be worth something."

Harald gave me a sly smile. "I want to remember that night. It was a good one."

My heart jumped. "It-It was."

His eyes fell to my neck. "You're wearing the necklace I gave you."

I flushed. "It's just a necklace." A necklace that happened to remind me of him.

"I didn't steal it, you know. It was my mother's."

My eyes widened in shock. That I had not expected, yet I sensed it was true. Then something else occurred to me. "What you said earlier on the boat... Your mother passed away, right? She didn't abandon you. Death isn't the same thing."

Harald's eyes narrowed into slits and the atmosphere immediately darkened. "It is when it's chosen."

I gaped at the implication. "W-What?"

"After my stepfather betrayed us, she decided she had nothing left to live for. I wasn't enough for her. I was too much trouble. She gave up on me."

I hated the dark look in his eyes. I dropped his hand and embraced him instead as if that could drive it away. "No, no, Harald. It wasn't your fault. She had her own problems. It wasn't your fault."

He said nothing, but he held me tightly. I wished there was something more I could say or do, but I came up short. Somehow, I had to prove him wrong about everything. The best way I knew how to do that right now was to be an example. Maybe, in time, I could get through to him. But that meant I needed to find a way to get him to stay. I was sure he wanted to... so what held him back?

All too soon, I noticed the Green Death fly out of the volcano and off towards the ocean. Thankfully, she didn't see us. I reluctantly separated myself from Harald. I wiped my eyes, which had grown wet. "We-we better get down there."

Harald nodded. He took my hand again and led me down the hill. It was time for our final mission.

A/N: I know I changed some things around, but I think it made the story better. It was hard to get Brennda and Harald alone in this expansion. I think this works!