Chapter 9: Close Call

"This is it," Gustav said as the ship docked on the island. The boy led the way onto dry land, but after walking several paces, he suddenly stopped.

"Why are we stopping?" Dagur said.

"No reason," said Gustav. "I was just kind of impressed that you trusted your men enough to show them exactly where the treasure is hidden." He leaned in closely and whispered to him. "Especially when there's so much of it."

Dagur cast his men a suspicious glance. "Stay here."

"Why?" said one of the crew members in confusion.

"Oh, uh, let's see, uh... I don't know. Maybe because..." He suddenly shouted loudly: "I SAID SO!"

The man's eyes widened in fear. "Oh, good idea, sir. We'll stay here."

"What about Swiftwings and me?" Eira said. "We're not after any treasure."

Dagur frowned as he looked her over. "I'm not sure you've quite proven yourself trustworthy..." His gaze flicked to the Windwalker. "And we only need one dragon."

"Swiftwings can keep an eye on the crew," Gustav said. "I would like Eira to join us."

Dagur nodded. "Very well. Proceed."

Gustav led the way to the mouth of a cave. Then he held out the Dragon Eye Dagur handed to him. "Fanghook, slow burn." The Monstrous Nightmare let out a low flame, and a map appeared on the rock wall in front of them.

Dagur grinned. "Ah, I see. You outdid yourself, Hiccup. I love this thing."

Gustav led the way through the cave with Eira beside him and Fanghook and Dagur behind. A loud rumbling sound made Eira uneasy and reminded her of when she had explored this place with the dragon riders. She hoped her young companion knew what he was doing.

Dagur appeared unnerved as well. "Uh, so, does that happen a lot?"

Gustav shrugged. "You get used to it."

Eira alternated between watching Gustav and Dagur as they walked. She was not quite sure she trusted Dagur either, and she took her role as Gustav's caretaker seriously.

"Are we there yet?" Dagur said after several minutes of silence.

"We're close," Gustav said. "Very close."

"Good, that's what I wanted to hear."

Eira did not like the tone of his voice. She spun around to face him and gasped when she saw him advancing towards Gustav with a malicious look. "Gustav!" she cried.

Gustav swiftly turned and aimed the glowing end of the Dragon Eye at Dagur, temporarily blinding him.

Dagur shielded his eyes and stumbled back. "Aah! Aah! Oh, bright light, bright light, bright light!"

Eira grabbed Eira's arm and pulled him behind a rock to hide. She heard his shallow breathing and quickened heartbeat, and she understood why he had wanted her along. He was not as brave as he presented himself. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder to reassure him that they would get out of this together.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Dagur taunted as the rumbling of the loose rocks increased.

Eira waited with baited breath, willing herself to remain silent. Gustav tried to cover the light from the Dragon Eye with his hand, but it still shone though. Suddenly, Dagur appeared before them, and she let out a loud gasp.

"Gotcha!" he exclaimed.

"No... we've got you," a voice said from across the cave. Eira looked up in relief to see Hiccup, Toothless, and Fanghook standing on a rock. Dagur scowled. "Good work, Gustav. Oh, what's the matter, Dagur? No barbs, no comebacks? I thought we had a shorthand, I thought you loved that stuff."

Dagur lunged forward and grabbed the Dragon Eye from Gustav and then pushed the boy over to Hiccup, who caught him. At the same time, the ground shook and split in two, creating a cliff. Dagur stepped forward, but Toothless shot a plasma blast at the ground so he would keep his distance. Eira pressed her back against a rock, hoping Dagur would not notice she was right behind him.

"Dagur, you hand over the Dragon Eye," Hiccup said.

Dagur clutched the object to his chest. "I don't think so."

"I'm not asking."

Toothless snarled and shot several plasma blasts near Dagur's feet, causing loose rocks to fall from above and cascade down the new cliff.

Dagur peered over the edge. "Oh. It's a long way down, isn't it?"

"Dagur, you've got nowhere to go," said Hiccup. "It's over."

"It's over? Really?"

It was at that moment that Eira remembered all of her training with Snotlout. It was clear to her that talking would not get them through this situation. It was time to act. She took a deep breath and then raced at top speed towards Dagur.

The older Viking appeared surprised at her action. A second later, he recovered and made to throw the Dragon Eye over the ledge.

Eira slowed down and reached out her arm in an attempt to grab the object. Her finger grazed it, an it continued its descent to the caverns below. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gustav leap after it, but she soon had her on problems to worry about. She lost her balance and stumbled backwards, slipping off the ledge.

Out of instinct, she reached out her arm to grasp the rocky wall, and she was shocked when a strong hand gripped hers. She met Dagur's eyes and saw that they mirrored her surprise. Then resolve took over, and Dagur attempted to pull her up. Unfortunately, he was already hanging far off the edge to reach her, and the sudden rumbling and shaking caused him to slide right off.

Dagur did not let go of her as they both fell. With one arm, he pulled her close to him, and with the other, he dug his hand into the wall to slow their fall. They landed on a small ledge jutting out from the wall. Dagur let go of Eira, and she stood up on shaky legs.

Eira took several deep breaths to calm herself. They were not out of the clear yet. It was still a long way down, and they had to find a way back up. That second part she could take care of. She looked up and released a loud Windwalker call.

"What are you doing?" Dagur said in suspicion.

"You'll thank me later," Eira said, keeping her head up to watch out for her dragon. She could also see the falling rocks and boulders. Her eyes widened when she realized one of them was headed straight for Dagur. "Look out!"

Her head snapped to his confused face. She ran at him again, and this time she reached him and pushed him forward to the very edge of the ledge. Then something heavy hit her head, and she crumbled to the ground.

Excruciating pain exploded in her head. The pressure that slowly lifted from her head only offered slight relief. She lifted her eyes to see a blurry Dagur watching her with a panicked look on his face. His mouth moved, but she could not hear anything with the ringing in her ears.

A familiar 'swoosh' sound offered her hope. She winced as she turned her head and saw Swiftwings flying in place beside the ledge. It took all of her strength to lift herself to her feet. She swayed on the spot, but Dagur held onto her to steady her. She gazed at him. "I need your help."

"Help? Me?" He shook his head furiously.

EIra was glad her hearing was back even if her vision still blurred. "My dragon can get us out of here, but I can't steer her in my condition..."

Dagur's eyes went wide. "I don't know anything about riding dragons!"

Eira took in a labored breath. "All you need to do is hold onto her saddle... and me. She'll take care of the rest."

"And how do I know she won't throw me off her back once you're safe?"

"Dagur, please. We don't have time for this." The pain was not subsiding, and arguing only made it worse. "Help me onto her back."

Dagur nodded once.

EIra gritted her teeth as she stepped closer to Swiftwings. She reached out to grip the saddle and allowed Dagur to help her up. Her breathing was heavy as she leaned over the dragon.

Dagur backed off when Swiftwings growled at him. He cast Eira an uncertain look.

"It's alright, Swiftwings," the girl murmured as she rubbed her neck. "We need him."

When Dagur tried again, he was allowed to climb onto the Windwalker's back. Eira felt his tension as he wrapped an arm around her, keeping her upright.

"Let's get out of here," she whispered. And Swiftwings flew up.

Eira could barely hold onto her dragon, and she was glad that Dagur was there with her. Swiftwings dodged falling rocks and finally made it to the entrance of the cave. She landed on the left side on a grassy area.

"Woo! That was a ride!" Dagur exclaimed. He climbed off the dragon's back first. Eira nearly slipped after following suit, and he caught her and sat her on the ground. "Be careful there."

Eira felt relieved that they were now out of that dangerous situation. But her head still felt like it was exploding, and she was so tired. "Thank you, Swiftwings." She leaned against Dagur when he sat down beside her. "You too, Dagur."

"No, I'm the one who should-" He stopped. "Why did you do that? Why did you save me?"

Eira slowly lifted her head to stare into his anxious eyes. "I wanted to. Besides, you saved me first."

"That was... instinct."

She smiled. "Maybe at first, but you could have let me go."

"I... didn't want to."

Despite the pain in her head, she could not help but feel happy at his response. Suddenly, exhaustion seemed to take over her. She closed her eyes and let her head fall onto Dagur's chest. "I'm just going to rest for a bit..."

"No!" Dagur said in a panicked voice. "You can't fall asleep!" She felt him touch her head. A second later, he removed his hand and gasped. "Help! I need help!"

Eira became confused at his erratic heartbeat. What was he freaking out about? She just wanted to sleep.

"HICCUP!"

Hiccup and Fanghook managed to save Gustav and return to the top of the cliff safely. The boy was dismayed when he saw that Eira and Dagur were gone. He told himself they had probably simply escaped the treacherous caverns and headed outside.

"Hiccup, look!" Gustav exclaimed as soon as they hit daylight.

Toothless landed, and Hiccup looked in the direction Gustav pointed. His heart nearly stopped. Eira and Dagur were sitting next to each other, and Eira appeared frazzled and in pain while Dagur had a panicked look on his face. "Gustav, stay back," Hiccup warned, putting his arm out to hold the kid back. He took a cautious step forward while reaching for his blade. "Dagur..."

"Hiccup!" Dagur cried, his voice laced with distress. "You have to help me save her! She's bleeding. Look!" He held up his left palm, which had been dyed a deep, blood red. "I don't know what to do!"

Hiccup was taken back by the scene. Why was Dagur acting this way? Like he actually cared? Was it some sort of trick? No, the panic in his eyes was real. "Dagur, tell me what happened."

"We - we fell down the cliff but stopped on a ledge. Then a rock tried to attack me and - and Eira pushed me out of the way and took the hit!"

Hiccup was not surprised that Eira would do something like that for someone like Dagur. He was surprised, however, that the results of her actions seemed to have scared the living daylights out of him.

"Help me, Hiccup!" he said again.

"Okay, okay, I'll help." Hiccup held up his hands to show he meant no harm. He took another cautious step forward. Although he believed Dagur truly wanted to help Eira, he did not want to do anything that could set off the crazed man. "First, we need to stop the bleeding. Is there some sort of cloth you can wrap around her head?"

Dagur looked around frantically. Apparently finding nothing, he pulled off his shirt form under his armor in a move that bewildered Hiccup and wrapped it around Eira's head tying it at the ends. "Now what?"

Hicucp blinked. "That worked. Now press hard against the wound."

When Dagur did as constructed, Eira let out a loud groan. Dagur yelped and took his hand away.

"It's okay," Hiccup said. "She will have to take a little pain if she wants to get better."

Dagur returned his hand to the top her head. "You better know what you're doing."

Hiccup hoped so too. He looked back at Gustav to see the boy watching him with fear in his eyes. He nodded at him to let him know it would be fine. Then he returned his attention to Dagur. "How are you holding up?"

Dagur shook his head violently. "Not good. I don't know anything about helping people. I'm usually destroying them!"

Despite himself, a small smile flickered on Hiccup's face. "This is the first time you've seen someone you care about injured, isn't it?"

Dagur shot him a glare. "Who said I care?"

Hiccup had no response to this.

Dagur stared intently at Eira as he continued to press on her wound. "How long do I have to do this?"

"I don't know," Hiccup admitted. "Use your other hand and check for blood."

Dagur slipped his clean hand under the makeshift bandage. Eira groaned again, but this time he did not react. He released his hand and looked it over. "It's clean."

Hiccup nodded. "Good. She should be fine for now, but she needs to see a healer as soon as possible. I'm assuming no one on your crew knows anything about medicine?"

"Of course not," Dagur snapped. "We're too tough for that!"

Hiccup held in a sigh. "I thought so."

"But Berk is so far away," Gustav piped up. "Will she make it?"

Hiccup glanced at the kid before looking back at Dagur's worried expression. "Gothi taught Fighlegs basic healing practices before left. I'll take her back to Dragon's Edge and have him look at her."

Dagur shot him a suspicious look. "How do I know I can trust you?" He wrapped his arms around Eira and held her close.

At first, Hiccup did not know how to respond to that ridiculous - and ironic - question. "She's my friend, Dagur. I'll make sure she gets better. This is our best option."

Uncertainty swam in Dagur's eyes. He looked from Eira to Swiftwings to Hiccup. "She can't fly. Not alone."

"She won't be alone. She will fly with me on Toothless."

The Night Fury let out a low growl of approval.

When Dagur did not object, Hiccup and Toothless slowly inched forward. The Viking stopped in front of the odd pair and gazed down at the girl. "Hey there, Eira. We're going to get you home now, okay?"

Eira made an unintelligible noise and held onto Dagur. Hiccup looked at the man for help.

"It's alright," Dagur said in a gentle tone that Hiccup had not thought was possible for him. "Brother Hiccup is going to make sure you get all patched up." He rose to his feet, bringing the girl with him. "You have to let go of me now. Don't worry, we'll see each other soon."

Hiccup waited until Dagur had gotten Eira away from him, and then he wrapped an arm around her side and led her to his dragon. "Remember your friend Toothless?"

Eira smiled slightly and reached out to pet the dragon's head. "Hi."

Hiccup was relieved she seemed a little more conscious. "He's going to give us a ride back to the Edge. Do you think you can hold onto me the entire way?"

"Yeah."

"Don't let her fall," Dagur warned, giving Hiccup a long, hard look.

"I won't," said Hiccup. He kept a hand on Eira as he climbed onto Toothless' back. Dagur helped Eira climb on after him, and the girl securely wrapped her arms around the young Viking's waist.

"Good luck, brother," Dagur said.

Hiccup nodded. "Thank you, Dagur. For everything." He had a million questions spinning in his mind, but right now he had to focus on Eira. "Swiftwings, Gustav, are you ready to go?"

"Fanghook and I are ready," said Gustav.

"Let's go, bud," Hiccup said. Toothless took to the air, and the two remaining dragons followed. The boy tensed when he saw Dagur's ship.

"DO NOT SHOOT THE NIGHT FURY!" Dagur shouted at his men.

The crew appeared confused, but they listened to their captain. Yes, Hiccup had a lot of questions.

Snotlout nervously paced back in forth outside of the clubhouse while the other dragon riders sat around and watched.

"Snotlout, cut it out," Astrid said. "You're going to wear a hole in the ground."

Snotlout stopped. "I can't help it. They should be back by now. It doesn't take that long to pick up one annoying kid! What if Dagur set them up? We never should have let them go!"

"You mean you should have never let Eira go," Ruffnut said with a smirk.

Snotlout rounded on her. "What are you implying?"

"Oh, nothing."

"Speaking of Eira," Tuffnut said, "why isn't she riding Swiftwings?"

Snotlout followed his line of vision and saw three dragons flying in close. Sure enough, the Windwalker was riderless. A second later, he spotted Eira on Toothless behind Hiccup.

"I hope nothing's wrong," Fishlegs said.

Snotlout raced over to Toothless as soon as he landed. "What's going on?! Why is Eira with you?"

"Careful, Snotlout," Hiccup said as he slowly dismounted. "She's hurt." He helped the girl off of Toothless, and now Snotlout could see the cloth wrapped around her head.

"What happened? Was it Dagur?"

Hiccup hesitated. "Sort of. I'll explain later. Fishlegs, can you take a look at her?"

"Of course, Hiccup," Fishlegs said. He started for the clubhouse while Hiccup followed him, supporting Eira.

"How was she hurt?" Snotlout said. "Why isn't she speaking?"

"Will you calm down?" Hiccup snapped.

Gustav walked past him, shaking his head. "He's as bad as Dagur."

Astrid blinked. "What does that mean?"

"I'll explain later!" Hiccup said rather loudly.

Everyone grew quiet after that. Eventually, they all filed into the clubhouse and surrounded Fishlegs while he worked on Eira, who lay on a blanket on the floor. The girl has a large cut on her forehead, which he treated with a mixture of herbs. She was responsive but kept her eyes closed and did not speak.

"That's the best I can do," Fishlegs announced after tying a fresh bandage around her head. "She should be fine, but Gothi should take a look at her just in case."

"Is she up for flying back to Berk?" Astrid asked.

"Definitely not alone," Hiccup said.

"I'll take her back with me," Gustav said.

Snotlout shot him a glare. "Not on your life."

"Hey, I think she's waking up!" Ruffnut said.

Snotlout forgot about Gustav and focused on the red-haired girl. "Eira?"

Her eyes fluttered opened and locked onto his. "Hey, Snotlout," she said in a weak voice. "Did I worry you?"

"Of course you did!" Snotlout said angrily, though he was relieved she was speaking. "Why did you make a dumb move like going and getting yourself hurt?"

Her eyes roamed the room, and she frowned. "I'm at the Edge?" Her eyes stopped on Hiccup. "Dagur?"

"What did Dagur do to you? I'll go teach him a lesson!"

"No!" Eira said a little too quickly, making Snotlout stop short.

"Guys, Dagur didn't do this," Hiccup said. "It was, well, maybe we should let Eira explain."

"Are you up for it?" Fishlegs asked the girl.

"I'll be fine," Eira said. She took a deep breath and then began the story. She explained how Gustav set up Dagur and made it look like she and him were on his side. They brought Dagur to the dangerous island shown on the Dragon Eye. Hiccup and Toothless were there waiting for them. There was a confrontation, and Dagur ended up with the Dragon Eye, which he promptly dropped over a cliff.

"While Gustav went after the Dragon Eye and Hiccup went after Gustav, I also slipped and started to fall through the gap. But then... Dagur saved me by grabbing my arm."

The gang exchanged uneasy glances. "That doesn't sound like Dagur," Astrid said.

"I didn't know that part," Hiccup said, rubbing the back of his neck. "He didn't mention it."

"It's the truth," Eira said. "He saved me. But he lost his balance too, and we both fell. He was able to slow us down and get us to a large piece of rock jutting out from the ledge. I called for Swiftwings, and then... I noticed a falling rock that was going to hit Dagur, so I... pushed him out of the way... and got hit instead." She smiled nervously and looked at each person in turn.

"So, you got hurt saving Dagur?" Tuffnut said.

"Yeah, that's right."

"That was very... noble of you," Fishlegs said.

"There's more," Hiccup said. He looked at Eira. "You were kind of out of it after you were hit, so you probably don't remember. Swiftwings brought you and Dagur outside, and that's where Gustav and I found you. Dagur was pretty freaked out about what happened to you, and he demanded that I help."

Eira's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah, he was in a huge panic," Gustav said. "Hiccup walked him through first aid. Dagur even used his shirt to stop your wound from bleeding."

"Wow," said Astrid. "Who knew he could actually care?"

"Well, she did save him," Fishlegs said. "His reaction was pretty natural."

"But he's Dagur. He's not exactly normal."

"He's more normal than you think," Eira said softly. "A lot of his behavior is for show." She paused. "This may not mean much, but back on the ship before all this happened, he did say he likes me."

"Of course he likes you," Snotlout declared. "You're the most likable person in the entire archipelago!"

A light blush appeared on Eira's cheeks. "Th-thanks."

Hiccup and Gustav exchanged a glance. "Now we know how to get both Dagur and Snotlout to be more open about their feelings," Hiccup said.

"Sort of," said Gustav.

Snotlout shot them both a look. "What? Why are you comparing me to him again?"

"Anyway," said Fishlegs, "Eira, I want Gothi to check on your wound at Berk. Do you want to fly back with Gustav and Snotlout?"

Snotlout was about to protest being volunteered for something against his will, but then he realized he wanted to do this. "She's riding with me and Hookfang."

Eira gave him a small smile. "That sounds good to me."

It was settled. After making sure Eira ate something to regain her strength, Snotlout had her ride behind her on Hookfang. Gustav and Fanghook flew beside him while Swiftwings took up the rear. Though Snotlout usually did not enjoy passengers, he had to admit it was not too bad to have Eira with him.

They flew in silence for several minutes. Of course, it was Gustav who broke it: "Hey, Snotlout, you better step up your game or Dagur is going to steal Eira from you!"

It took a minute for the words to sink in. By then, Gustav had shot ahead, laughing. "Hey!" Snotlout exclaimed. He glared at Gustav's back and urged Hookfang to move forward. He was not going to get away with that!

A/N: I did not expect this chapter to get so long. I had fun writing it, though, and I hope you enjoyed reading it.