A/N: We are officially done with season one and starting season two!

Chapter 13: Dragon Hunters

The dragon riders anxiously gathered around Hiccup's bed where they watched Astrid resting. She had been missing all day, and they retrieved her from a search and rescue mission. Hiccup found her floating in the ocean... without Stormfly. Clearly, something terrible had happened, but they needed to wait for her to wake up for answers.

Astrid suddenly sat up and let out a loud gasp: "Stormfly!"

Hiccup placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "Hey! It's okay, it's okay just try to relax Astrid, you had a tough night."

Astrid groaned and shook her head. "No no no no, you don't understand, they were all in cages... and they have Stormfly!"

Hiccup's eyes widened. "Whoa whoah whoah whoah, wait slow down... cages? What are you talking about? What happened out there?" He simply thought she got separated from Stormfly, not that someone had taken her!

Astrid stared at him with shock. "Dragon hunters."

Eira gasped. "No! It's happening."

Hiccup looked at her with a frown. "You mentioned something about this when you first came to Berk. Dragon hunters have been active in Torvald, haven't they?"

Eira nodded. "It's why I came to Berk. Their numbers are growing, and we need to join together to defeat them."

"And we will." He turned to Astrid. "How many of them are there?"

"A whole fleet," Astrid replied.

"And they have Stormfly?"

She grimaced. "Yeah, this big, ugly one, oh when I get my hands on him..."

"And welcome back," Fishlegs said.

"C'mon, let's mount up." Astrid started for the door. "Stormfly!" She stopped suddenly, probably realizing she didn't have a dragon to mount.

"You can ride with me!" Hiccup offered.

Astrid smiled at him.

The dragon riders searched for clues on the beach where Astrid last saw the dragon hunters. They found an arrow made of dragon root, which could overwhelm a dragon's senses and make them unable to fly. Then they flew to the Reaper in the ship graveyard to find additional clues.

They found a Dragon Eye lens on the ship. It was placed on a portrait of a Changewing, so they figured that was the dragon they needed to activate the lens. It took some time, but they managed to get the acid they needed from the dragon. From the map displayed by the lens, they had a good guess as to the dragon hunters' location. Hiccup worked out a plan, and they set out.

The hunters' ships were just where they were expected to be. Eira joined her friends in swooping down and shooting at the main ship before disappearing back into the sky, skillfully dodging the arrows shot at them. Then came the crucial part of their plan: Fishlegs flew low and intentionally let Meatlug get hit by an arrow. Gronckles were immune to dragon root, so it was up to Fishlegs to free Stormfly once inside the ship.

Eira and Swiftwings circled the ship, waiting for something to happen. She gasped when she realized the hunters were all aiming at Toothless. The Night Fury's constant dodging causing Astrid to slip and fall off his back. Before Hiccup could get to here, the hunters captured her with their chains!

"No!" Eira cried. She wanted to go help her friend, but she knew she had to be patient and trust in the plan.

Just then, Fishlegs burst onto the deck with Meatlug and Stormfly. Astrid looked over at her dragon and gasped. "Stormfly!" she said in relief.

"Now!" Hiccup shouted, signaling the riders to come close.

"Fire," said the leader of the hunters. Ryker, Eira thought she heard was his name.

Meatlug and Stormfly were both caught again and dragged away. Astrid and Fighlegs were both held by hunters. The plan had failed. The riders scattered, but it was too late.

Swiftwings was fast, but she was not fast enough to dodge all of the arrows. One of them struck her side, and Eira cried out as they crashed onto the ship, where they were immediately surrounded by dragon hunters. A second later, Barf and Belch landed beside her. Hookfang also got struck, but Toothless managed to catch him by the tail and fly away with him.

"Your pathetic tricks won't work on me," Ryker sneered. "I'm a Dragon Hunter! I know that Gronckles are immune to dragon root. I used your worthless escape plan to lure your friends in closer."

Eira exchanged a look of dismay with Astrid. What were they supposed to do now? They were forcibly removed from their dragons and pushed below deck, where they were locked into a cell. Eira leaned against the wall and sighed. How had everything gone so terribly wrong? Nothing like this had ever happened when they fought dragon hunters in Torvald.

"Where are our dragons?" Astrid shouted at Ryker as he walked into the room. "What did you do to them?"

"Oh, if I were you, I'd worry about yourself," Ryker said. A second person entered the room.

"Heather?" Astrid said in shock.

Tuffnut gasped. "No way."

"Run!"

Eira thought she saw a guilty look on Heather's face before it hardened. Then a third person arrived: Dagur. Eira's heart sunk.

"Surprise!" Dagur said. "Did ya miss me? I know you missed me, Eira."

Eira looked away and said nothing.

"Of course you did! Oh! Do you all know my sister? Wait a minute, sure you do! You guys were little pals and buddy buddies."

"Hey, family is family," Heather said coldly.

"I can't believe this, Heather," Astrid said, sadness leaking from her voice.

"I know it's not Dragon's Edge, but it'll have to do. Enjoy your new home, Astrid. You're gonna be here a while."

Something about her dark demeanor did not sit well with Eira, and she glared at her. What was she up to? She did not believe for a second that she was really working for the dragon hunters. Exposing her here, though, could prove dangerous. Everyone waited until the trio left to speak.

"Dagur is here and Heather is with him?" Fishlegs said. "I don't believe it."

"Neither do I," Eira muttered.

Astrid's expression darkened. "Trusting her turned out to be a big mistake."

"Yeah, who puts loyalty to their brother ahead of loyalty to their friends?" Ruffnut said. "Yeah right?"

Tuffnut nodded. "I heard that, sister!"

"Well, I don't believe it," Eira said.

Fishlegs frowned at her. "Eira..."

"It doesn't make any sense. Something's off."

"The bigger question is, who are these dragon hunters and what do they want with us?" Astrid said.

"You're about to find out," Heather said as she entered the room. A dragon hunter opened the cell door. "Ryker wants to have a little chat with you." She pushed Astrid out of the call while the hunter closed the door.

Astrid glared at her. "You're lucky these guards are here or I'd take your head off."

Heather pushed Astrid along the corridor, and the dragon hunter followed them. Soon, they were out of sight.

"What do you think they're going to do to her?" Fishlegs said nervously.

"Interrogate her, probably," Eira said. She looked around at her weary companions. No one else seemed willing to take charge, so she decided to go for it. "Look, guys, it's getting late. We won't be able to figure out a plan to escape if we're exhausted, so let's try to get some sleep."

"Sleep in a cell?" Tuffnut said incredulously.

"Yeah, it could really use some decorations," said Ruffnut.

"Eira's right," said Fishlegs. "We have to try our best."

So the four of them made do with the uncomfortable situation. Eira laid her head on the cold stone and closed her eyes. Sleep did not come easily, but eventually she drifted off.

Eira woke up sore all over. She still felt exhausted, and the other riders were not much better. But the worst off was Astrid. She was questioned all night and not allowed to sleep. She informed them the dragon hunters were after the Dragon Eye, and she bought them time by saying it was located on Dragon's Edge and guarded by many riders.

Now they needed a plan to escape. Tuffnut's plan of tunneling out obviously would not work. His next idea was not any better, and neither was Ruffnut's. Eira rested against the wall while everyone shot out random ideas, which were all turned down.

Finally, Fishlegs addressed her: "Eira, can't you just, you know, flirt with Dagur and get him to let us out?"

Eira gave him a sharp look. "Now you sound like Snotlout. I do not flirt with him."

"But he does like you," Astrid said. "Would it hurt to talk to him?"

Eira considered it. As it stood, she doubted she could convince Dagur to let them go. However, there was something she needed to figure out. She walked over to the cell bars and peered out at the guard by the door. "Hey, guard!" she shouted. "I want to talk to Dagur!"

"Oh yeah?" said the guard. "Dagur doesn't want to talk to you."

"Yes he does," Astrid said. "Tell him Eira is asking for him and see what he says."

"I wouldn't want to make him mad if I were you," Fishlegs added.

"Fine," the guard grumbled before disappearing through the door.

A minute later, Dagur burst into the room with a grin on his face, Heather at his heels. Eira found herself smiling. Perfect.

"Eira!" Dagur exclaimed. "I heard you were asking for me! Have you decided to surrender and join me?"

Eira chuckled at his enthusiasm. "No, I just need to talk to you about something." She looked over his shoulder at Heather. "About her."

Heather narrowed her eyes at her. "What about me?"

Dagur wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. "Did you want to talk about how great it is that my sister is finally by my side?"

"It would be great," Eira agreed, "if I believed it."

Dagur's smile fell. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on, Dagur. Not too long ago she was dead set on killing you. How can you trust her? How do you know she's not tricking you?"

Uncertainty flashed in Dagur's eyes, but then he shook his head in defiance. "She wouldn't do that now that she knows the truth. Berserkers stick together!"

"What are you trying to do, Eira?" Heather said with a glare. "Tear our family apart?"

"No," said Eira. She looked at Dagur. "I'm just looking out for him."

"Is anyone else having doubts?"

The riders exchanged uneasy glances. "It is kind of suspicious," Fishlegs said cautiously.

"Eira should definitely look into this," Ruffnut said with a nod.

"Come on, Dagur," Eira said. "I know you're smarter than this. Let me talk to her alone, and I'll find out the truth."

At Dagur's hesitancy, Heather said to him, "You're not buying this, are you?"

"It wouldn't hurt to be sure," he said. He quickly flashed her a smile. "Not that I don't trust you."

Heather rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll talk to her."

Dagur opened the cell door, and Eira stepped out. She walked between the siblings as they exited the room. Heather stopped at a door on the right and entered with Eira, telling Dagur to wait outside.

Once they were alone Heather crossed her arms and glared at Eira. "I don't know what game you're playing, but it's not going to work."

"I'm not playing, Heather," Eira said. "I just want to know the truth."

"The truth is I've been alone for years and finally found a living family member. Is it really that hard to believe that I'd want to get to know him?"

Eira stared at her. She could almost believe her if her intuition wasn't telling her she was lying. And her intuition was rarely wrong. "Family is about more than blood. The dragon riders are more of a family to you than Dagur is. You hated him so much that you wanted to kill him. Yes, I find it hard to believe that's suddenly vanished. Now tell me what's going on or I'll expose you to everyone. Are you pretending to be with the dragon hunters so you get a chance to kill Dagur?"

Heather glowered at her. "My goal is not to kill Dagur."

Eira glared right back at her. "Then what is your goal?" She may have hated confrontation, but this was important. She did not have time to mess around. If she had to stare down this girl until she talked, then so be it.

"I'm not after Dagur, I'm after the leader of the dragon hunters," Heather said at last.

Eira's eyes widened in surprise. "Ryker?"

"No, his brother. Viggo. I haven't met him yet, but I'm trying to learn more about him. If I can take him down, the entire organization will crumble."

Now this, Eira believed. She could see the familiar animosity in her eyes, this time directed at the dragon hunters. "And you couldn't just tell us this?"

"It would be too dangerous if everyone knew the truth. If the dragon riders believe I'm their enemy, then the hunters surely will as well."

That did make sense. It was incredibly reckless and dangerous to do alone, but that seemed to be the girl's thing. It felt good to know Dagur wasn't her target, but that didn't let her off the hook. "I suppose you want me to lie and convince the others you're our enemy?"

"That would be appreciated, yes." She paused. "If you do it, I promise I will not kill Dagur."

Eira's eyes narrowed. "That's already something you shouldn't do. I hate lying, especially to my friends. You're going to have to do better than that."

Heather shot her another glare. "What do you want?"

Eira considered the question for a moment. She remembered Dagur's happiness about having his sister with him, and she suddenly know. "I want you to give Dagur a chance."

The anger disappeared from Heather's face in her surprise. "What?"

"You heard me. Be a real sister to him. Get to know him and look for the good in him."

The guarded look returned to her eyes. "And what if there isn't any?"

"There is. I've seen it." She let her own anger fade as she gave her a pleading look. "Please, Heather. You can do what I can't. Just say you'll try."

Heather gave her a long, hard stare. Finally, she sighed, and her expression softened slightly. "Fine. I'll try. It will make it more believable anyway." She paused as a curious look crossed her face. "Why do you care so much about my brother anyway? And don't say you would do it for anyone because I won't believe you."

Eira shrugged. "I don't know. There's just something I like about him."

"Well, for what it's worth, he likes you a lot too. He talked about you all the time."

Eira smiled. "Really?"

"Yes, it's pretty annoying. But it's sweet, I suppose, in a weird way." She glanced at the door. "Speaking of which, we probably shouldn't keep him waiting."

"Right. Oh, and Heather? Thank you." She offered her a genuine smile.

Heather paused at the door. For a split second, she smiled back. Then she opened the door, revealing Dagur on the other side.

"Everything went well, I hope?" he said, his eyes darting between the girls, anxiously.

"Why don't you two debrief?" Heather said, indicating the room they had just left.

Dagur brightened. "Oh, good idea!" He gently grabbed Eira's arm and led her back into the room. Then he closed the door and leaned against it. "What did you find out? Heather is on my side, right?"

Eira considered the question. After their discussion, in a way, she could say this was true. She knew she had to be better than that if she wanted to be convincing, though. She took a deep breath. "Yes. I was wrong to doubt her. She truly is interested in building a relationship with you."

Dagur grinned. "That is great! Thank you, Eira!" He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a tight hug.

Eira had to smile as she hugged him back. "You are quite welcome. I hope you find everything you're looking for."

Dagur pulled away, but he kept his hands on her arms. "Do you know what would make this even better? If you decided to stay with me! Your dragon would be welcome too, of course."

Eira could see this was a genuine offer, and his innocent intentions warmed her heart. "Thank you, Dagur, but while I do like you, I can't do that."

His smile vanished. "Oh."

"But I'll be there if you ever really need me."

Dagur's eyes fell to the scarf around her head. "I know," he said softly. He slowly lifted up his left hand and placed it on her cheek. Then he raised it and pushed her scarf back. She shivered when his fingers brushed her scar. She could hardly believe he could be so gentle.

His gaze locked into her hers, and she found herself unable to look away. Why had she never noticed how handsome he was? Or how earnest his eyes were? Or how good it felt when he touched her? She lifted her hand and placed over his on her cheek. He smiled at her. What if she just...?

She snapped out of it all at once. This was no way to be thinking! This was going too far! She brought his hand down with hers and gave him a sad smile. "You should bring me back to the others."

Dagur hesitated. "Maybe-"

"No," she said, feeling guilty for the regret in her voice. "I don't want any special treatment, Dagur. Please take me back."

"Very well. As you wish." He opened the door and took her hand to lead her out.

Soon, they approached the jail cell. Eira willingly entered, rejoining her friends, who watched her silently.

"If you change your mind-" Dagur said.

Eira smiled at him. "Yes, I know. Thank you, Dagur."

He smiled back, but a second later, his menacing look returned to his face. "The rest of you better not give me any trouble." With that, he left the room.

The second they were alone, Eira's friends crowded her. "How did it go?" Fishlegs asked.

"Did you get anything useful out of him?" said Astrid.

"Sorry, but I didn't get anything that can help us escape," Eira said. "My plan with him is more long term."

"Then what did you get?" Ruffnut said.

Eira stared at the floor. "I got the truth about Heather."

"What truth?" said Tuffnut.

Eira took a deep breath. "That she really is with Dagur. She does care about family after all."

"Are you sure?" Fishlegs said, disappointment clear in his voice.

Eira gave him a sad look. "I'm sorry, Fishlegs. She's not a friend to us."

"So, we're back to square one," Astrid said.

But Eira was pleased with her conversations. She had got what she wanted. Dagur was safe... for now. And if Heather's plan actually worked, they might not have to deal with the dragon hunters for long.