Chapter 17: Escalation

Eira arrived on the small island first. Despite her confidence in the plan, she could not erase her nerves as she waited on the shore for Dagur. She felt consoled by Swiftwing's presence beside her. If danger approached, the dragon would sense it.

Soon, she spotted another dragon in the distance. A Razorwhip. Windshear landed in the sand, and Dagur stumbled off of her back. Heather met Eira's gaze nodded. Then she and Windshear took off into the night.

"Eira!" Dagur exclaimed when he spotted the girl. He ran right up to her and engulfed her in a hug, lifting her up off her feet.

Eira laughed, her doubts evaporating. "It's good to see you too, Dagur. How is everything?"

Dagur set her on the ground and grinned at her. "Just great! Heather and I are really bonding lately."

Eira smiled. "That's good. I see she lets you ride Windshear with her."

Dagur nodded. "Oh yes. But for some reason, that dragon won't let me on without Heather."

"Well, it does take a lot to gain the trust of a dragon. Just like people." Eira wondered what Windshear thought of the situation with Heather as spy and just how much she understood. It could not be easy on her.

"Heather said one day she'll teach me how to ride a dragon by myself! I'm sure I'll be the very best."

His sudden interest in dragons pleased Eira. It seemed Heather was already a good influence on him. Still, that begged a question... "Dagur, if you like dragons, why are you working with dragon hunters?"

His smile fell, and he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well... I needed more men, and Ryker thought we would work well together." He hesitated. "Don't tell anyone this but Heather and I plan to ditch them once we get the Dragon Eye."

Eira searched his face and found no reason to doubt him. "So, you don't enjoy capturing and hurting dragons?"

"I enjoy the rush of excitement and adventure, and capturing dragons used to give me that."

"But riding a dragon would give you the same rush," Eira concluded.

Dagur grinned. "You're catching on."

Eira remembered when the dragon riders feared Windshear was Dagur's dragon. Yet, she could only see good in Dagur appreciating dragons and getting one to trust him enough to let him ride it. If he could reorient his passionate energy, he might not have to be their enemy. Of course, he still had to let go of his obsessive hatred of Hiccup. For that, she currently had no answer.

"Can I ride your dragon?" Dagur asked suddenly. He approached Swiftwings, who bristled.

"I would be careful if I were you," Eira warned. "Swiftwings is more timid than the usual dragon."

"I'm sure I can handle her." He left his hand to touch her, but she shot him with a water ball, sending him flying across the sand. The dragon snorted in approval.

Eira could not help but laugh as she watched Dagur rise to his sit, sand spilling out of his hair. "I told you."

Dagur glared at the Windwalker. "She did that on purpose!"

Eira smirked. "Of course she did. With her, you have to be quiet and gentle... not exactly your strong suits."

Dagur scoffed. "I can be quiet and gentle, right girl?" He grinned at Swiftwings. The dragon growled when he took a step forward. His eyes widened, and he hid behind Eira. "Okay, maybe I could use some practice."

The girl chuckled. "Why don't we start by the three of us talking a walk around the island? Try to be quiet and just appreciate the scenery."

Dagur nodded vigorously. "I can do that."

Eira was not so sure, but she was interested to see him try. She started walking in the grass, close to the shore. Swiftwings walked on her left and Dagur on her right. She took a deep breath and exhaled all her worries away.

For a surprisingly long time, Dagur remained silent. However, he sent frequent glances to Eira or Swiftwings. Then he began to fidget. Finally, it looked like he was about to explode.

"We can talk quietly if you want," Eira said, deciding to spare him. "Practice speaking softly."

"Okay!" Dagur said loudly. He winced when Swiftwings growled.

Eira smiled and shook her head. "You definitely need the practice."

Dagur continued to examine Swiftwings, who stared back at him suspiciously. "What kind of dragon is that? I've never seen one before."

"She is a Windwalker," Eira replied. "Tidal class dragon, as you found out. I have not seen any around the archipelago, but since they are a timid species, they might be hiding somewhere."

Dagur grinned. "A rare dragon? Cool!" He earned another growl from said dragon. "Where did you find her?" This time, he actually spoke quietly.

Eira realized she had never told him her backstory. To him, it must have seemed like she just showed up out of nowhere with the dragon riders. She never got a chance to tell Heather either, so she could not relay the information. "I'm from a faraway land called Torvald. We have been at peace with dragons for generations. Young children are encouraged to bond with baby dragons and become life partners. I found Swiftwings living alone by the ocean. Something must have happened to her parents, which made her even more skittish than normal. It took me a long time, but eventually I befriended her, and she moved in with me. We've been together ever since."

Swiftwings nuzzled her with her nose. Eira smiled and stroked her head.

Dagur watched them with a surprisingly gentle smile. "That's a very nice story, Eira. It must be something to have someone who will never leave you." He appeared thoughtful. "I hope I have that with Heather."

Eira's heart clenched as she remembered Heather's true allegiance. I hope so too. "You won't know for sure until you're in a dire situation. The best thing you can do is to never leave her. Loyalty is rewarded with loyalty - with people as well as dragons."

Dagur nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

A comfortable silence followed. Dagur appeared lost in thought, which Eira found unusual. Perhaps he did just need some practice. When they made it all the way around the island, Heather and Windshear waited for them. They stopped several yards away and faced each other.

"That's my ride," Dagur said. "It's been fun. I think I'm getting better at this quiet thing!"

Eira giggled. "Just keep practicing." She paused. "And thank you for meeting me. I enjoyed it as well."

Dagur grinned. "It was kind of thrilling, wasn't it? Sneaking off to meet at night! We should do it again!"

Eira smiled. "Just watch out for my Terror mail. Good night, Dagur."

He moved in to hug her, and this time he was very gentle. Warmth feeling Eira's chest as she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him back. "Good night, Eira," he whispered. He pulled away all too soon. After giving her one last smile, he returned to his sister.

Eira and Swiftwings stood there watching Windshear fade into the horizon.

Eira returned to Dragon's Edge to find everyone gathered in the clubhouse. All eyes were on her when she entered. She gave them a slight smile. "Hi, everyone," she said.

"Welcome back, Eira," Hiccup said. "How did it go with Dagur?"

She thought back to her evening, and for some reason, she suddenly became uncomfortable. "Uh... Don't you want to go first?"

"No, your story is probably more interesting," Snotlout said. "Dagur didn't try anything, did he?"

Eira frowned. "What do you-?"

"If he hurt her, we would know that by now," Hiccup said.

"That's not what I meant," said Snotlout.

"If she doesn't want to talk, she doesn't have to," Astrid said.

Ruffnut smirked. "Oh, now we have to know."

Eira sensed this conversation was about to get out of control, so she decided to cut it short. "Fine, I'll tell you." The talking stopped, and the eyes returned to her. "We just talked... about Heather, dragons, and Torvald. And we walked around the island. That's it."

Snotlout eyed her skeptically. "That better be it."

Astrid nudged him in the side. "She can do whatever she wants."

"Now with the enemy."

"I have to say, Eira," Tuffnut said, "your story lacks luster. You should try again."

"She doesn't need to try again," Hiccup said. He offered the girl a small smile. "It sounds like everything went well."

Eira gave him a grateful smile in return. "Yes, I did. He seemed to enjoy it, and I did too. If we need to do this again, he's up for it."

Hiccup nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

"How did it go with Heather?" She turned to Astrid. "Was she upset you gave her away?"

"At first," Astrid said, "but she understood I was looking out for her. I think she was relieved that we're all in on her secret now."

"She's much safer this way," Hiccup said. "She's going to find out any information she can and give us leads so we can stop the dragon hunters."

"Is she any closer to meeting this Viggo person?" Eira asked.

"Not yet, but she thinks she will be soon."

"She's so brave," Fishlegs said.

"Let's just hope she doesn't end up paying for it."

"She'll be fine," Astrid said. She smiled at Eira. "Both of you will be fine."

Images from Eira's evening returned to her mind, and she found that she agreed with her friend's assessment. Everything would be just fine. She would make sure of it.

The weeks flew by as the war between the dragon riders and dragon hunters raged on. The riders met secretly with Heather to discuss the hunters' plans so the riders could thwart them. Eira was present at about half of these meetings. During the other half, she was off distracting Dagur. He never suspected a thing.

Eira found she got along much more civilly with Heather now. It probably helped that Heather no longer aimed to kill her brother, and she seemed to actually appreciate Eira's friendship with him. She said it made him more bearable.

For Eira's part, she enjoyed the time she spent with Dagur. It was fun watching him try to interact with her dragon. He was very different when they were alone. Much more open. Eira knew she should be trying to come up with a plan, but she often forgot her ulterior motives while they were hanging out. She told herself it meant nothing. She was just doing her job.

Hiccup had stopped doubting her and gave her free reign to deal with Dagur as she wished. Astrid was still skeptical, but she trusted Eira to make correct decisions. The only person utterly unhappy with the situation was Snotlout. He was not exactly avoiding her, but whenever Dagur was brought up, he went silent or left the room. Eira almost wished he would start an argument so they could have some sort of interaction.

Finally, she realized she had to take things into her own hands. One bright summer morning, she cleared her schedule and searched for Snotlout with Swiftwings by her side. She found him with Hookfang at the training dome practicing fireballs.

"Hello, Snotlout," she greeted as she came up behind him. "Hookfang."

Snotlout glanced over his shoulder to look at her. "Hey, Eira and Swiftwings." He returned to looking straight ahead.

Eira hated it when he got this way. He could be so infuriating sometimes. "Come with me. There's something I want to show you."

"Can't. I'm too busy."

"You can continue when we get back." Eira eyed Hookfang. The Monstrous Nightmare stopped shooting fireballs when he noticed her gaze and stared back at her.

"Hey, I didn't say you could stop!" Snotlout said.

"You want to check out this really cool island I found, don't you, Hookfang?"

The dragon grunted in response.

Snotlout turned to the girl with a frown. "Is this an island you've been to with Dagur?"

Eira shook her head. "No. He's never been there. Come on, I know you'll like it." She gave him her best smile.

Hookfang nudged Snotlout forward with his nose. "Okay, fine!" Snotlout said. "This better be good!"

Eira grinned. "It will be!"

Swiftwings snorted in agreement.

Snotlout had to admit the island was beautiful. It was almost like a tropical paradise with its lush green vegetation and a roaring waterfall that poured into a pool of crystal clear water. He forgot his previous attitude as he raced around the island with Eira. Finally, they ended up in the water, relaxing and enjoying each other's company. Even their dragons joined in.

"What do you think?" Eira said, smiling at him. "This place is pretty great, isn't it?"

He could not help but smile at her in return. Why had he been mad at her again? "It's gorgeous," he admitted. "Great job finding it!"

She grinned. "Thanks! And it's nice to hang out with you again. Just the two of us."

Snotlout closed his eyes and leaned back in the water. "You have been busy lately." The words slipped out before he could stop them. He kept telling himself it wasn't her fault. She wasn't rejecting him. And yet... why did it feel exactly like that?

"And you seem to keep coming up with excuses when I am free."

He opened his eyes to see her frowning at him, and he cringed inwardly. He had said the wrong thing again. Why did he keep messing up? He looked away. "They weren't excuses."

She sighed. "Snotlout, I know you're upset about me spending time with Dagur."

"I am not!" he snapped, shooting her a look. When she raised her eyebrows in disbelief, his expression softened. "Fine, maybe I'm a little upset. I know it's part of the plan, but... you were my friend first!"

"And I can't have more friends?"

The sincerity of her question made him stop and think. How exactly could he explain this to her when he barely understood it himself? "No, of course you can. It's just-" He wracked his brain for the right words. The truth felt childish and stupid, but she deserved an explanation. "Obviously, I'm an important part of the dragon riders, but everyone else seems closer to someone than I am. Ruff and Tuff have each other, and then there's Hiccup and Fishlegs... I guess, when you came around, I thought I finally found someone too."

She gazed at him with her soft blue eyes, and his anxieties slowly unwound. "What about Astrid?" she finally asked.

Snotlout frowned. "What about her?"

"You said everyone has someone. What about Astrid?"

"Well, that's Hiccup, obviously."

"I thought you said Hiccup has Fishlegs?"

Snotlout realized she had caught him, and he did not know how to get out of it. "Hiccup is so special he gets two people!"

Eira chuckled and shook her head. "You don't get it, do you?"

Snotlout eyed her suspiciously. "Get what? Why are you laughing at me?"

She smiled. "I'm not laughing at you. It's just that you already have the answer you're looking for. Hiccup is close to two people even though those two people aren't as close to each other. And everyone is fine with that. You see, caring about more than one person doesn't take away anything. Love multiplies when you give more of it, not divide. Any friendship I have with Dagur or anyone else doesn't take away from what we have. Understand?"

Snotlout stared down at the water. "Yeah, I get it. I'm just being stupid."

He heard her shift in the water. He looked up when she touched his arm and saw her right next to him. "No, it's not. You have a right to how you feel. I'm sorry if I've been neglecting you. Next time, just ask me if you want to do something together."

The knot in his chest eased as he took in her smiling face. Why did everything seem much simpler when she was around? "I will definitely keep that in mind." And maybe next time he would have the courage to do just that.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the Eira/Dagur and Eira/Snotlout scenes. Let me know what you think about the character interactions. When I started, I had in mind a romantic relationship between Eira and Snotlout and a platonic one with Eira and Dagur, but now that I'm writing it, I see it could easily be flipped. I'm willing to go wherever the story leads. Let me know your thoughts!