Chapter 8: Trouble with Gustav

Gustav's presence did not make anyone happy. Yet, Hiccup did promise he would train him someday, so he allowed him to stay. He sent him off with Astrid since he was busy working on the Dragon Eye.

Eira and Snotlout attempted to return to their training. However, it was not long before Gustav was plopped in between them by Meatlug. A second later, Fanghook flew down to land beside him.

"What is this, Fishface?" Snotlout said, glaring at the rider on the Gronkle's back.

"Sorry, Snotlout," said Fishlegs, "My flowers and I can't take him anymore."

"So you're sticking him with us?"

"Yes. Thank you for watching him!" With that, Meatlug turned around and flew off.

"Come on, he can't be that bad," Eira said. She smiled at Gustav. "What do you want to do?"

"Anything you want to do," Gustav said with a dreamy look on his face.

"She wants you to go away," Snotlout said.

Eira shot him a look. "Don't listen to him. How about we take a flight around the island? No one has given you a tour yet, have they?"

Gustav brightened. "That's a great idea, Eira. Come on, Fanghook!" He ran to his Monstrous Nightmare and hopped on his back.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Snotlout muttered as he stomped over to Hookfang.

Eira smiled. "Don't worry, I have younger siblings." She got on Swiftwings and took to the air.

Keeping Gustav occupied proved to be a more difficult task than Eira anticipated. The kid was constantly distracted and rushing off in every which direction. Snotlout was not much of a help either. The boys seemed insistent on antagonizing each other despite Eira's best efforts.

In the end, Snotlout declared they were leaving Gustav with Hiccup, who was the one who was supposed to be training him anyway. When they got to the clubhouse where they had last seen Hiccup working on the Dragon Eye, they found it empty. Still, Snotlout was satisfied to leave Gustav there and dragged Eira away.

A little while later, Hiccup found them at the training grounds. "Have you two seen Gustav?" he said with a worried expression on his face.

"He's back at the clubhouse," Snotlout said dismissively.

Hiccup shook his head. "That's where I came from, and he's not there... and neither is the Dragon Eye."

Snotlout and Eira exchanged a look. "You don't think he's following the map, do you?" Eira said.

"He did think it was a treasure map," Snotlout said.

"Toothless and I will go find him," Hiccup said. "You two alert the others."

Eira nodded. "Good luck." The group had already checked out the island that the Dragon Eye displayed, and it was full of dangerous traps. It was certainly no place for a young teenager! "I hope he's alright."

"If he's not, it's his own fault for running off," Snotlout said.

Eira shot him a look. "Remind me not to look for you the next time you run off and get yourself into trouble."

Snotlout scoffed. "Like that's ever going to happen."

Eira sighed. "Let's just go find the others." So, the two of them took off on their dragons to alert their friends of the current situation.

Hiccup was not happy. He had barely rescued Gustav from falling down a cavern cliff and then brought him back to Dragon's Edge to lecture him in front of all of the dragon riders. "Of all those kinds of stunts you could have pulled, this was the worst," he said. "Do you know what Dagur would do to get his hands on the Dragon Eye?"

"I just thought if I came back here with the treasure, you guys would accept me," Gustav said, not seeming very sorry.

"First of all, there is no treasure. Second of all, we've already been there. And that entire island is honeycombed with the most unstable caverns we've ever encountered."

"I'm sorry, I just-"

"You could've been killed, Gustav. Fanghook could've been killed. Look, this isn't Berk, Gustav. The rules are different out here. You have to be smarter than this." Hiccup knew he was being harsh, but the kid needed to realize the consequences of his actions. He did not know what he would do if he lost someone out here.

"I just wanted to prove myself," Gustav said weakly.

"Oh, you have. You have proven that you are not responsible enough, you're not mature enough and you're not trustworthy enough to be one of us. Now, it's been a long day. We all need some rest. We'll talk about this in the morning."

Gustav angrily stormed off. Only when the dragon riders dispersed did Hiccup allow himself to heave a sigh. What a day. He had grown so weary that it took him a minute to realize there was still someone else in the clubhouse.

"Eira," he said in surprise, "is there something I can hep you with?"

Eira bit her lip and shifted her weight between her feet. "It may not be my place to say, but... wasn't that a little drastic?"

Hiccup widened his eyes in surprise. "Not at all. You know Gustav should not have run off on his own like that."

"Well, yes, but can you really say none of your dragon riders would have ever done something like that when they were first starting out?"

Hiccup sighed. Of course he knew the answer to that. "I was not responsible for them."

"If Gustav is your responsibility, then why weren't you the one with him instead of everyone else who clearly doesn't want him around?"

He could not be mad at her when she spoke so sincerely. Even if he knew she was right. If he had been with Gustav, none of this would have happened. But the kid had just shown up out of nowhere, and Hiccup already had plans. Perhaps that was why he had to hide his gnawing guilt.

"Maybe you should give him another chance," Eira said gently when he did not respond.

Hiccup felt too tired to give that any serious thought. "Like I said, we'll talk about it in the morning, okay?"

Eira nodded. "Alright. Thank you for listening."

As Hiccup watched her leave, he wondered why she was the only one who seemed to be able to tolerate the kid. Perhaps it was another example of her skill with people. He would keep that in mind.

On the way back to her hut, Eira noticed Gustav standing next to Fanghook in the grass. She changed course and headed in his direction. "Hello, Gustav," she said as she approached him from behind. "How are you doing?"

"How do you think I'm doing?" Gustav grumbled without even giving herself a glance. "No one wants me here, and Hiccup wouldn't even give me a chance."

Eira stopped beside him and gave him a sympathetic look. "You just took us all off guard. We weren't prepared for you - Hiccup most of all."

Gustav crossed his arms. "He said I'm not ready to be a dragon rider."

"He said that because you worried him by putting yourself in a dangerous situation. After he has time to cool off, he may feel differently."

The boy dropped his arms and sighed. "You're the only one who's nice to me, Eira. Do you want to run away together?" He gave her a hopeful smile.

Eira chuckled. "Nice try, but I don't think so. I'm here if you need to talk, though." She paused as a thought occurred to her. "Do you have some place to sleep tonight? I'm sure you could use the clubhouse."

"Thanks; Fanghook and I will head there later. Right now we need to clear our heads."

Eira nodded. "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night, Gustav."

"Good night, Eira."

The young girl departed wondering if she should have said more. She decided to think on it and talk to him again the next day. Hiccup was right; they all needed a good night's sleep.

Morning arrived. Gustav was gone.

Eira and the gan gsearched all of Dragon's Edge, but he and Fanghook were nowhere to be seen.

"We have to find him," Hiccup said anxiously once everyone gathered around him with the bad news.

"Or... do we?" Tuffnut said.

"Yeah, why are we worried?" Snotlout said. "Shouldn't we be celebrating the fact that he's gone?"

Eira shot him a look. "He could be in trouble!"

"Eira's right," Hiccup said. "We need to make sure he's safe."

"Well, we could ask Fanghook," said Ruffnut.

Snotlout rolled his eyes. "And, Ruffnut, how do you suppose we do that?"

"Turn around."

Everyone turned around to see a riderless Fanghook clumsily land on the ground. The Monstrous Nightmare was clearly distressed, and Eira gently rubbed his neck to calm him. Then Fishlegs noticed a note tied to his horn, which Eira fetched and handed off to Hiccup.

Hiccup's expression darkened as he read the letter. "Dagur. He wants to make a trade. The Dragon Eye for Gustav. And Eira and I have to go alone."

Astrid's eyes widened. "Eira? What does he want with her?"

"Maybe it was Gustav who put that in," Eira said, "since he seems to think I'm the only one here who likes him."

"Well, it's kind of true," Ruffnut said.

"Who cares what Gustav wants?" Snotlout said. "Eira can't go. It could be a trap."

Hiccup looked at him. "And you don't care if I fall into a trap?" He sighed. "It's up to Eira."

"I'll go," Eira said. "If it is a trap, it'll be better to have two of us."

Despite the protests of everyone else, Hiccup and Eira mounted their dragons and took off. Eira did not really think this was a trap, and they had to do what they could to rescue Gustav. She wished she could have done more to prevent him from running away, though she knew her guilt was nothing compared to Hiccup's.

Soon, Dagur's ship came into view. Eira took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She had to focus on her mission. She was here to rescue Gustav. That was it. Swiftwings, Toothless, and Fanghook landed on the ship. Dagur faced them while Gustav cowered behind him near the crew.

Gustav's eyes lit up when he saw his dragon. "Fanghook!"

The Monstrous Nightmare lumbered forward and bent down his head to nuzzle his rider, growling gently.

"Guatav, are you alright?" Eira asked. He looked physically fine, at least.

Gustav offered her a smile. "I'm fine. Thank you for coming. I knew you would be worried about me!"

Eira smiled back at him. "Of course." She took a step forward, but remembering the situation, she stopped and glanced at Dagur. When he nodded, she closed the distance between her and Gustav and gave him a quick hug, which he eagerly returned.

"That's close enough, Dagur," Hiccup warned when Dagur took a step towards Fanghook.

Dagur frowned. "Oh, wow. Where's the trust. After all we've been through together? No? Nothing? No Hiccupy barbs, quips, snappy comebacks? But I really love those. We've developed such a nice shorthand, you and I."

Hiccup sighed. "Dagur, let's just get on with this. Send them over."

"You first. You have no choice." He smirked when Hiccup pulled out the Dragon Eye. "One false move and my men will take out you, the Night Fury and the kid! So roll it over and I'll let him go." Hiccup bent down and rolled the object across the floor. Dagur picked it up and examined it. "Oh. It... It really is one beautiful artifact. And I hear it can be very useful to those who possess it? Hmm? Is that true?"

Hiccup ignored him. "Gustav, let's go. It's okay."

Gustav awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, about that, Hiccup. I've been treated much better by these guys than I ever was treated by you and the dragon riders." He glanced up at Eira. "Besides her."

Dagur laughed. "Ooh! And the plot thickens."

Hiccup frowned. "Gustav?"

Gustav shook his head. "You could've given me a chance, you know? All you guys ever did was tell me I wasn't good enough, tell me I didn't belong. Well, I belong here."

Eira placed a hand on his shoulder. "Gustav... You can't alone on this ship with these men."

"I won't be alone. I'll have Fanghook. And..." He gave her a hopeful look. "You can stay with me too, right, Dagur?"

Eira locked eyes with Dagur. At first she thought he would deny the request, but then he shrugged. "As long as she and that dragon don't double-cross me." He eyed Swfitwings suspiciously.

"I'm only interested in looking out for Gustav," Eira said. She looked at Hiccup. "I'll convince him to come back."

"Not happening," Gustav said.

"Gustav, you have no idea what you're getting into!" Hiccup said.

"Oh, yes, I do, Hiccup. I know exactly what I'm doing."

"Awkward!" Dagur said. "Well, I'd say your work is finished here, brother. Ordinarily, this is where I would double-cross you and fill you full of arrows. But the kid is squeamish. He made me promise to let you go, and in return, he's gonna take me to a treasure."

Gustav nodded. "That's right, Hiccup. We have the Dragon Eye and Fanghook's fire. And you know what that means. Untold treasure awaits."

"I'm sorry, Hiccup," Eira said as he reluctantly climbed onto Toothless. "I'll make sure he's safe."

"You don't trust me?" Dagur said, aghast.

"You are going to regret this," Hiccup said.

Gustav crossed his arms. "I don't think so, Hiccup."

Hiccup gave them one last long look before flying off on Toothless.

Eira returned to Swiftwings and rubbed her head. "Don't worry, girl," she whispered. "We'll be out of this soon." From what she could gather, Gustav was setting up Dagur by bringing him back to that dangerous island, and it looked like Hiccup had gotten the message. She just had to lay low.

"You made a great choice today!" Dagur's loud voice boomed from behind her. "Eira, was it? You won't miss those dragon riders at all."

Swiftwings growled at him, and Eira rubbed her face to soothe her. Then she put on a smile and faced Dagur. "Listen, I'll try not to get in your way, but I'm only here for Gustav. I'll be nice to you as long as you don't hurt him."

Dagur gave her an exaggerated gasp. "You think I'd do something like that?" He grinned. "Smart girl. Why do you care so much about that kid anyway? He said you met yesterday."

The question surprised Eira. It had been so natural to defend Gustav that she had not stopped to consider that others might not see things the same way. "Well, I have a younger brother and sister, so I guess I naturally want to look out for those younger than me. It's a sibling thing, you know?"

Dagur just stared at her. "No."

Eira frowned. "I suppose you wouldn't." Her gaze drifted to the ocean, and she noticed the light breeze on her face. It had been a long time since she had sailed on a ship. She glanced at Dagur to find he still watched her with curiosity. She wondered if this would be a good time to get some information out of him. "So, what are you and your men doing out here - besides looking for treasure? What's the big goal?"

Dagur eyed her suspiciously. "You think just because I like you I'm going to tell you my grand scheme?"

Eira bit back her surprise. He liked her? "Th-that's not what I meant. I just-" She took a deep breath to clear her head. "Hiccup tells me you're the chief of Berserker Island. Shouldn't you be back there leading them?"

"I am leading them!" Dagur exclaimed. "Berserkers want a chief who braves danger and brings them glory! I brought back the Berserker pride we lost when my father took over and started talking about 'peace.'"

"I don't think peace is so bad," Eira said quietly.

Dagur shook his head. "Poor, naive Eira. You're not from Berk, so I hold nothing against you, but if I had sought peace, Hiccup and his dragons would have taken us out first! I knew he was building a dragon army, and he lied to me."

That was not the story Hiccup had told her, but she thought it best not to mention it. "Well, I'll say one thing: it is tough being a leader."

Dagur narrowed his eyes. "And what would you know about that?"

Eira faltered. "N-nothing. I was just trying to empathize. You know, being your friend."

"I don't need any empathy or any friends. I just need my ship, my crew, and excitement and adventure!"

"And a worthy adversary to battle against?" Eira suggested cautiously.

Dagur flashed her a grin. "Oh, that's good!"

Eira had thought as much. He seemed to enjoy his interactions with Hiccup a little too much. Besides, there had to be a reason he kept calling him 'brother.' "People aren't toys, Dagur. If you play with them too roughly they'll break, and you won't be able to put them back together again."

Dagur frowned. "I don't like what you're implying. My enemies need to be crushed!" He pounded his right fist in his left hand to get across the point.

Eira gave him a sad smile. "Whatever you say, Dagur. But once you accomplish that goal, you may find yourself all alone with no meaning in life."

Dagur scowled. "Your words don't affect me. Now, where's that kid? Are we almost at the island?"

Eira watched as he stormed over to Gustav. She knew Hiccup and the others say him as a dangerous, crazed villain they had to take down, but she could not help but feel sorry for him. At least now she understood him a little bit better.

A/N: This chapter was starting to get long, so I decided to break up this episode into two. I'll try to get the next one up soon!