"One should rather die than be betrayed. There is no deceit in death. It delivers precisely what it has promised. Betrayal, though... betrayal is the willful slaughter of hope." - Steven Deitz

Chapter 22

Dagur and Heather realized their father, Oswald the Agreeable, might still be out there, so they spent countless hours searching for him. Finally, Dagur ditched his sister and ended up at Venaheim, the place where dragons go to die. It turned out Oswald had been stranded there and passed away. After returning to tell Heather, she set off with Astrid to pay her respects.

Meanwhile, Hiccup showed Dagur and the rest of us the second Dragon Eye he had been working on. "You have another Dragon Eye laying around," Dagur said in disbelief. "Of course he does."

"I call it the Dragon Eye Two," Hiccup said proudly.

Ruffnut rolled her eyes. "Oh, Dragon Eye Two. That is some weak sauce right there. We're gonna give you a CBB on that."

Hiccup blinked. "Uh, I'm sorry, CBB?"

"Contrived by a bonehead," Tuffnut said. "It's a technical term. Let me pitch one more before you leave. The Thorston-Thorston." Hiccup sighed. "Ain't nothing wrong with double Thorstons. Am I right, sis?"

"I, for one, think Hiccup should be applauded for his ingenuity," Dagur said. "It works, right, brother?"

"Well, not quite yet," Hiccup admitted. "You see this dial here? You turn it to slide in different color gems for the light to filter through. I still need those gems."

Suddenly, Johann burst into the clubhouse and said, "Perhaps my humble, yet vast and varied trading skills might be of some minor assistance in their procurement, Master Hiccup?"

My eyes narrowed at him, and he avoided my gaze. I still found him suspicious after the whole Stormheart fiasco.

"Johann, what are you doing here?" Snotlout said.

"I come bearing a gift for Miss Heather," Johann said grandly. "A mea culpa, if you will, for her ghastly experience at the Northern Markets."

"Save it, Johann. She's not here."

Johann's smile fell. "Oh, pity."

Hiccup stood up and faced him. "Uh, but back up, Johann, to the part where you help find the jewels to finish the Dragon Eye Two."

Johann brightened. "I have no doubt I can obtain these baubles for you, Master Hiccup. I shall personally deliver them to your door in three to four moons."

Hiccup shook his head. "No, no, no. We can't wait that long, Johann."

Johann hesitated. "There is a slight possibility to obtain them at the Northern Markets. But I think we all know the dangers that place possesses. Ooh."

I watched him carefully. Spending time with Harald had made me sensitive to the way people spoke, and there was something off about Johann. If I did not know any better...

"Well, we'll just have to risk it," Hiccup said.

"Hiccup, there has to be another way," Fishlegs said. "The Northern Markets have just gotten too unpredictable."

Johann shook his head. "Shame, really. It truly is a virtual cornucopia of gemstones."

My eyes narrowed as my instincts told me something was up. Yet, no one else seemed to notice. And why should they? Johann was a trusted friend.

"Toothless and I can protect you, Johann," Hiccup said. "I have to finish the Dragon Eye Two right away."

Johann shuddered. "All right, then. I shall rely on you and the mighty Toothless, to ensure my safe return. One small question, do you know the exact sizes of the gems you need?"

"Not exactly, but I could bring the Dragon Eye along to measure."

"Capital idea! And perhaps the lenses as well, so that we can immediately elucidate the efficacy of each stone, hmm?"

"Will do." Hiccup started for the door. "Everyone else, go with Dagur to try and get his lens back."

"Not so fast," said Tuff.

"We're coming with you," said Ruff.

Johann frowned. "While I do appreciate the offer of assistance, perhaps a smaller party is a smarter party."

The twins exchanged looks and laughed. "When has that ever worked?" Tuff said. "Besides, we have to watch our peerless leader's back. And we might have to pick up a gift for Chicken's birthday. You know how hard she is to shop for." Hiccup sighed and motioned for them to follow him. "I've been going up and down the markets. She doesn't want a quilt. She doesn't want a hay blanket."

"So, shall we be off to Berserker Island?" Dagur said, looking around at the rest of us.

"Uh, actually, Dagur, can I talk to you for a minute?" I said.

Dagur shrugged. "Sure." He followed me over to the side of the clubhouse where we could speak privately. "What's on your mind, little Berserker?"

"Have you noticed Johann has been acting a bit odd lately?" I said. "He seemed quite intent on bringing Hiccup to the Northern Markets, even though he feigned fear."

"He has always been a little flighty."

"And if he's so afraid, why try to reject the twins' offer to tag along? Is it coincidence they're going to a potentially dangerous island with the Dragon Eye Two and lenses?"

Dagur frowned. "What are you implying?"

I decided to back up to the beginning. "Do you remember the reason Stormheart initially attacked us?"

"Sure, we accidentally attacked her ship because of Johann's confusion."

"But clearly she wanted a battle. She did hide the Triple Stryke egg in her 'gift,' after all. Knowing what we know now, do you think she would sit around and wait for us to happen to slip up? Would she rely on chance - especially when we told her we wanted peace? Would you?"

Dagur crossed his arms and scrunched his eyebrows in thought. "No, I wouldn't. I would trick my opponent into attacking me if that was the goal." He paused. "Are you suggesting Johann is working against us?"

I nodded. "That's exactly what I'm suggesting. He worked with Stormheart in the past, and I think he might be working for Krogan now."

"That's a pretty big accusation. And if it's true, Johann is absolutely brilliant!"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Of course he would think that. "It could be that he's being threatened to work as a spy among us, but if that's true, he's still just as dangerous. I think Johann is setting up Hiccup."

Dagur's expression hardened. "Then we should go to the Northern Markets and stop him!"

"No, no! You need to go look for that lens. I was thinking I could wait a bit and then go after them just in case. I don't want Johann to know we're onto him."

"I guess that makes sense, but I don't want to miss the action!"

I smiled. "I'll tell you all about it when I get back. Now, go to tell Snotlout and Fishlegs I'm not feeling well and have to stay home."

While Dagur proceeded to do just that, I made my way to my hut. It was agonizing to wait all alone. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, I fetched Bolt and made my way to the Northern Markets.

I arrived at the island and did a quick sweep of the markets. Recognizing no one, I started for the far side of the island. There, along the beach, I spotted Ruff and Tuff on Barf and Belch fighting off Krogan's flyers! They shot at them and darted away as if trying to lead them somewhere.

"Guys, what's going on?" I called. "Where's Hiccup?"

"We're kinda busy here, Brennda," Tuff said.

"Hiccup and Johann are in the cave," Ruff said. "Look for the hatch on the beach. But be careful, there's a spy among us!"

"And it's not me!"

"Or me!"

But I knew who it was. "Thanks, guys!" I turned around and flew towards Sandbuster beach. Bolt landed on the sand, and I scoured the area. Bolt found the hatch before me and growled at it menacingly as if he knew what lay beneath.

"Be ready," I whispered to him. I carefully opened the hatch so as not to make a sound, and then we both jumped inside. I took in the scene before me: Toothless was caught in a dragon net trap while Johann chased Hiccup around, throwing daggers at him. "Bolt, the dagger."

Bolt waited until Johann pulled his next dagger and shot a lightning bolt right at it. Since it was made of metal, the electricity traveled to Johann himself, shocking him. He dropped the dagger to the floor in surprise. I reached for my sword and stood in front of Hiccup while Bolt growled at Johann, his body dancing with electricity.

Johann's expression darkened when he realized what had happened. "Brennda, how nice of you to join us," he said in a sinister tone I had never heard from him.

"Back of, Johann," I said, "unless you want another shock."

"Brennda?" Hiccup said in surprise. "How did you-?"

I smirked. "If you had listened to me, Hiccup, we could have dealt with him weeks ago. He's working with Krogan and Viggo, right?"

"Well, yes, but what are you - Oh, Stormheart."

"Exactly." I narrowed my eyes at Johann, and he glared right back at me. "He's the one who lured me out to meet her in the first place. And he set me up so I would attack her ship. They conspired together against us." I advanced on Johann, my sword raised. "Tell me, is Stormheart working with you now?"

Johann let out a maniacal laugh. "You are clever, aren't you? Too bad you're not clever enough." His eyes flashed wickedly.

My eyes tightened. "What are you talking about? I see nothing funny here. Are you working with Stormheart?"

Johann gave me an amused look. "It's not Stormheart you should be worrying about, my dear. Tell me, how is your friend Harald?"

My anger faltered as I stared at him in shock. "W-What?"

Johann smirked. "Not so controlled now, are you?"

"What are you implying, Johann?" Hiccup said, sounding exasperated.

"I never spoke to Stormheart directly. It was Harald who sought me out. I agreed to help him because I admired the way he was able to trick you dragon riders and gain your trust." His eyes fell on me. "And it looks like at least you are falling for it again."

My anger returned, and in a flash, I was in front of him, clutching his shirt. "No! He is not tricking me."

Johann appeared amused at my actions, enraging me further. "Don't be so naive. Do you honestly think he cares about you? He's using you to further his own agenda. He's the one you need to be wary of."

"No! You're lying!" I brought my sword close to his neck.

"No, Brennda!" Hiccup called. "He's trying to rile you up!"

I glared at Johann, but I did release him. "Fine. Then what should we do with him?" I turned to Hiccup and watched him cut Toothless loose with Inferno. Bolt gave a cry of alarm. I spun around to find Johann was gone. It looked like he was as slippery as Harald.

"Forget about him," Hiccup said gently. "We need to find the twins and get back to the Edge."

I agreed. We mounted our dragons and flew out of the cave. By the time we ran into the twins, they had lost the flyers. We quickly recapped the situation and then headed out of there. No one spoke a word during the trip.

Then we had to wait for everyone else to return. Dagur, Snotlout, and Fishlegs got back first followed by Heather and Astrid. Hiccup gathered everyone in the clubhouse and explained what happened with Johann. Everyone except Dagur appeared shocked at his betrayal.

"So, Johann has been playing us all for years," Astrid said. "And the twins are the reason you figured it out?"

"And Brennda figured it out independently," Hiccup said.

"Of course she did," Dagur said, looking at me proudly. "I should have known after what happened with Stormheart."

"Speaking of Stormheart," Heather said, "do you think she's working with them too?"

"I asked Johann, but he wouldn't say," I said. "He didn't say anything useful."

"Well, that might not be true," Hiccup said, sending me a hesitant look.

I frowned. "You said he was just trying to get to me."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean there's no truth to it."

"He's a liar! We can't believe anything he says."

"Speaking of liars-" Astrid started.

I shot her a look. "Not now."

Astrid ignored me and turned to Hiccup. "What did Johann say, Hiccup?"

"He said we should be wary of Harald," Hiccup replied.

"That's not news."

"He seems to Think Harald is trying to trick us again." He glanced at me. "Or, rather, trick Brennda."

Everyone looked at me. I rolled my eyes in annoyance. "He's not. Johann is lying to divert our attention from Stormheart. She's the one we need to focus on, and I'm going to find out if she's working for the others." I was set to meet Harald the next day anyway. I could ask him then.

"How?" Hiccup said.

"I have my ways. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm tired and need to get some rest."

"Brennda-" Astrid said as I reached the door.

I shot her a warning look, and she fell silent. I did not have the energy to deal with this right now. Although I suspected Johann all along, it still hurt to learn the truth. I needed to be alone.

I still had a somber mood as I landed on the island near Harald. Elska fly to him to greet him as always. He appeared happy to see us, but then he turned serious when he saw my expression. "Is everything alright, Brennda?" he said.

"Not really," I admitted. "I know we're supposed to relax while we're here, but I really need to talk to you about something."

"Of course." Harald glanced at the dragon on his shoulder. "Leopold, why don't you play with Elska and Bolt?" The Terrible Terror chirped and flew off. Once the dragons were gone, Harald turned back to me. "Tell me what's on your mind."

I took a deep breath. "It's Johann. Yesterday we learned he's working with Krogan and Viggo."

"I see." His expression betrayed nothing.

"I figured it out beforehand. Actually, I've had my suspicions ever since he sent Dagur and me to attack the ship he sold to you. That never did seem right."

A small smirk played on Harald's lips. "Very good. Yes, it was a setup. That means, yes, I knew about Johann." He paused. "But you already knew that."

I bit my lip and nodded. This was the tough part. "I know you have no reason to tell me, but I have to know... Is Stormheart working with Johann and the others?"

At first, it seemed like he would not respond. He simply watched me as I fidgeted nervously. Finally, he said, "No. We needed his services in the past, but there is no long-term arrangement. It is not a wise idea to have that many dominant Vikings competing for power."

I let out a breath of relief. That did make sense. "Okay, good. Thank you." But this knowledge did little to lift my mood.

"Is something else bothering you?" Harald moved closer to me, and concern slipped through his mask.

I hesitated. "It's just - I'm tired of not knowing who to trust. I'm tired of people letting me down. I was never close to Johann, but... He is the reason I was able to join the School of Dragons. And he's been helpful in the past. This just... hurts." I did not expect him to understand. There was no rational reason for me to be upset... or for him to care when he would have done the exact same thing as Johann.

To my surprise, Harald wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into him. I gasped, but I quickly relaxed against him. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he rubbed my back. "It's going to be alright."

I held onto him and allowed his presence to soothe me. I could not remember him ever comforting me. It felt... nice. And somehow, I believed his words.

The sound of beating wings caused us to break apart. Harald pushed me behind him and withdrew his sword, his expression hard. Then they landed. All the dragon riders save for Heather surrounded us. And they looked mad.

"What is the meaning of this?" Harald growled.

I found Astrid and narrowed my eyes at her. "What did you do?"

"I'm sorry, Brennda," Astrid said, though she did not look very apologetic. "I had to tell them."

"Don't blame Astrid," Hiccup said. He looked at Harald, his expression hard. "We decided to do our own investigation, and we found two of your pirate friends speaking to Johann. We caught up to them after they left an got them to admit they were headed here to attack Brennda."

"Hiccup, you really need to stop and think before rushing to conclusions," Harald said. "While scheming with Johann might be something I would do, letting said scheming result in harm to Brennda is not."

"Yes, so just back off," I said. Johann's betrayal must have affected Hiccup worse than I thought. He was not thinking clearly. Everything about Harald's stance said he was protecting me from them, which was kind of ironic.

"Johann said you're setting her up!" Snotlout said accusingly, waving his hammer at him.

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear," Harald said.

"We know Stormheart is working with Johann," Hiccup said. "Tell us what you know!" The riders and dragons advanced on us, their weapons raised.

"I would be careful about threatening me," Harald said darkly. "It may be the last thing you do." He pointed his sword at the closest Viking - Snotlout. Hookfang growled threateningly.

Clearly, my friends were too incensed to listen to reason. And I did not like the anger I saw in Harald's eyes. This could get ugly fast. "Harald, calm down!" I walked around him until I was facing him. He tried to push me back with his free hand, but I slipped out of the way and wrapped my arms around him.

"Brennda, get back," he said.

I shook my head. "No. I need you to put your sword down. You can't give them a reason to justify their actions. Someone will end up hurt." I cupped his face and forced him to look at me. "Please, Harald. Trust me. They don't know what they're doing. They won't hurt me... and I won't let them hurt you. Just trust me to handle this."

Harald's expression softened as he looked into my eyes. Then, slowly, he returned his sword to its proper place on his back. No sooner had he done so then Ruff and Tuff each grabbed an arm, restraining him. He initially struggled, but then he caught my eyes and visibly relaxed as if to say he did trust me.

"We just want to talk," Hiccup said.

I gave him an icy look. "Threatening mobs don't usually want to talk."

"How else do you expect us to get the truth from him before he runs away?" Astrid said.

"I don't know, maybe you could trust me? I already asked him about Johann, and he said it was a one time thing."

"And you believed him?"

"Yes!" I turned to Hiccup. "I thought we agreed you would let me handle him."

For the first time, Hiccup faltered. "Well, yes, but that was before-"

"Before you decided you can't trust my judgment?"

"Brennda, that's not fair."

"What's not fair is you barging here like an angry mob trying to destroy everything I've built up! You know I'm trying to be his friend. Why would you come in here and pick a fight so I would have to choose sides?"

"Clearly, you've already chosen his side," Astrid said.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "If I have it's because he's the victim this time. You guys are in the wrong, and if you really thought about it, you'd agree with me." I turned around and sent the twins my most menacing glare. "If you two don't let go right now..."

Eyes wide, Ruff and Tuff let go of Harald and backed away. I gently led Harald a little ways away from the others and then stood in front of him protectively. I could not read his expression, but at least he was calm and silent. I looked around at the group. They still looked fierce, but I sensed they would not attack.

"I told you guys not to mess with Harald," I said. "He's mine, and I won't let you gang up on him unjustly." My eyes fell on Hiccup. "I am not a Berkian. I follow you by choice. Do not make me regret that decision."

For a long while, we simply stared at each other, neither side willing to give in. The silence broke when the three dragons returned. Elska, sensing the threat to Harald, stood in front of him and growled at the dragon riders.

Hiccup's eyes flashed in surprise. "What's going on? Why is Elska defending him?"

"Because that's what friends do," Harald said. Leopold returned and flew to his shoulder while Bolt stood beside me.

"You're friends with the baby Triple Stryke?" Fishlegs said in confusion.

"He was there when she hatched," I said. "She took a liking to him, so I've brought her on my visits."

"You sure it's a good idea to let him bond with a dangerous dragon?" Astrid said, crossing her arms.

"Yes, if our goal is to protect dragons, it is a good idea for him to learn to love them."

"Because that worked so well last time."

Hiccup looked uncertainly from Elska to Harald to me. "We can talk about this later, guys. I don't think we're helping anything by being here."

"You finally said something smart," Harald said.

"Fine, but Brennda is coming with us," Astrid said.

I shook my head. "You guys leave, and I'll make sure Harald gets off the island safely. Then I'll follow you."

"Done," Hiccup said before Astrid could protest. It looked like he wanted to say something to me, but he changed his find and took off with the others.

Finally alone, I let my tension leave my body with a sigh. I turned around to apologize to Harald, but he grabbed my face and pressed his lips to mine. I welcome the kiss and allowed him to pass along all his pent up feelings. I could tell he was pleased with the way I defended him, and that thrilled me. We were breathing hard when he broke away and leaned his forehead against mine.

"Thank you," he said. "No one has ever - " Something changed in his eyes. He dropped his hands and lifted his head, but he remained close to me. "You shouldn't..."

My heart skipped a beat in anticipation. "What is it?" I wrapped my arms around his neck to make sure he wouldn't leave.

Harald gave me a wry smile. "We've been found out. We probably should not meet for awhile."

"Is this because of my friends? I'll talk to them."

"No, Brennda. You need to focus on Johann and Krogan."

I shook my head. "Johann was trying to tear us apart."

"No, he was trying to tear you away from the riders. And I can't let him do that. You need them." His gaze was gentle as he spoke. He lifted a hand and brushed it against my cheek. "I'm not running away. I'm here if you need me. There is just too much going on to meet regularly. Besides, our island has been compromised. It will take time to find a new one."

I swallowed a lump in my throat. Everything he said made sense, but I still hated it. Despite his intentions at the moment, there was no guarantee he would not retreat again and push me away while we were apart. "O-Okay. But Elska will miss you."

Harald smiled. "And I will miss you." He kissed me once more. "Goodbye, Brennda."

"Goodbye, Harald."

A chill came over me when he pulled away from me. I watched as he approached his ship with Leopold. Then I mounted Bolt and got into the air with Elska. That had not been pleasant. Now I had to see what awaited me on Dragon's Edge.

AN: We are officially in season six of Race to the Edge! There is no Stoick to overreact over Johann, so Hiccup took the reins...