Chapter 20: The Prince of Torvald

Two weeks passed before Eira heard from Dagur. He apologized for making her worry, but he had too much to think about lately. He was fine and settling in nicely. She should not go to him. He needed to be alone. As much as she wanted to see him, she respected his wishes.

Life fell into a dull routine at Dragon's Edge. Everyone assumed Viggo would start causing chaos now that he had the Dragon Eye, but they had not run into any dragon hunters in weeks. Then Eira received a letter from her parents asking if she could visit home for awhile. She had to admit she missed her family and her land. It had been over a year since she left. Still, she did not want to leave the dragon riders vulnerable.

When another month passed with little activity, Hiccup told Eira she should make her visit now before things started to pick up again. So, she sent her parents a letter explaining her intentions. When she received their reply, she was off. She left Squirt with her friends, telling them to send word if they needed her to return. They said she should take as much time as she needed.

Eira enjoyed her visit with her family. Her siblings poured love on her, and she got to share tales of her epic adventures. Her parents had good advice on how to deal with the dragon hunters. Even Swiftwings appeared pleased to be back in her homeland.

Six weeks later, Squirt arrived with a message that the dragon riders had a smalls scuffle with the dragon hunters. It might be time for her to return. And so, at dinner that evening, she explained her intentions to leave in a week's time. They all sat at the long table, the king at the head.

"We understand your need to depart quickly," her father said, "but we do have one request to make of you."

"Anything," Eira said politely.

The king exchanged a glance with his wife. "We would like you to take Haldor with you to spend time on your... Dragon's Edge."

Eira looked at him in surprise. "Really? Isn't he needed here?" Before she left, her elder brother was constantly busy learning how to be king.

"We can manage for some time without him," her mother said. "And it will be good for him to form diplomatic relations with other lands."

"And I am excited to meet your friends," Haldor said with a smile.

"We want to go too, but Mom said we have to let the oldest go first," said Ingrid.

"It is alright with you, isn't it?" her father said.

"Yes, of course," said Eira. "It's just that... no one knows I am a princess, and if I arrive with the future king..."

"Chief Stoick already knows who you are."

Her eyes went wide. "W-What?"

"I apologize, but it would look on bad on us if we lied to him. I had Asmund tell him the truth. I also think you should tell his son, but I will leave that to you."

"I'm fine with concealing my identity if it will make you more comfortable," Haldor said. "I'll simply be your brother."

Eira gave him a relieved smile. "Thank you. I do appreciate it. How long will you stay?"

"You stayed with us for six weeks, so I will do the same. I am sure Torvald can spare me for two months."

"And then we'll get our turns!" Oliver said excitedly.

Eira chuckled at this. She had not thought her siblings would want to visit her at her new home. Now that she thought about it, it would be fun to show her brother around. Everything would work out.

Haldor flew beside Eira on his Snifflehunch, Brightclaw. Asmund and one of Haldor's retainers flew behind them. When they entered the archipelago, Eira decided to send the two men to Berk while she brought Haldor to Dragon's Edge right away. If her friends needed her, she wanted to be there.

Whoever was on lookout must have spotted them, for all the dragon riders were gathered when they landed. They appeared both happy to see her and surprised at her companion. Haldor stood next to her as he took everyone in. He was tall and muscular with brown hair and blue eyes. He smiled in greeting.

"Hello, everyone," Eira said. "I would like you to meet my brother, Haldor. He will be staying with us for a few weeks if that's alright."

"Greetings," Haldor said, bowing. "It is an honor to finally meet all of you. I humbly ask for your hospitality."

"Of course you can stay," Hiccup said. "I'm Hiccup, and this is my buddy, Toothless." He went around introducing everyone and their dragons.

"Eira, what took you so long?" Snotlout complained. "You were gone for months!"

Eira frowned. "It wasn't that long, was it?"

Astrid elbowed him in the side. "Don't make her feel bad. She was with her family!"

"You better be careful now, Snotlout," Tuffnut said. "Her brother is here now, and you know how brothers are."

"Annoying?" Ruffnut said.

Haldor chuckled. "I see they're a lively bunch."

Eira smiled. "They're great." She turned to Hiccup. "I'm going to help Haldor get settled in my hut."

Hiccup nodded. "When you're finished, come find me. There's something I want to talk to you about."

"No fair!" Snotlout cried. "I wanted to talk to her first!"

The siblings left before an argument could get stated. Eira gave her brother a quick tour of the base. She helped his dragon into the stables and then led him to her hut. He said he could manage unpacking on his own while she sought out Hiccup.

Luckily, she found the Vikings alone at his hut. He appeared nervous when he invited her in, piquing Eira's curiosity. "Is everything alright?" she asked. "I didn't miss something big, did I?"

"No, the dragon hunters are still laying low," Hiccup said. "I wanted to talk to you about... Dagur."

"Oh? Did you see him? Is everything alright?"

"I ran into him on a nearby island, and he... he helped me heal Toothless when he was hit by a dragon root arrow and saved me from the dragon hunters."

Eira's eyes widened. "Really?" She knew Dagur wanted to change, but she still could not believe he would save Hiccup after hating him so much.

Hiccup nodded. "He said he's thought a lot about his life, and he wants to change. I thought he was tricking me at first, but... Toothless let him ride him."

"That is a big deal." If Toothless trusted him, there must be something to it. "Have you told everyone else?"

Hiccup hesitated. "No. I'm still confused by what happened, and I'm not sure how everyone else will take it."

Eira frowned. "They need to know, Hiccup. If we see him again, they need to be prepared." The last thing she needed was for someone to try to attack him... again.

"I know. And I will tell them... eventually."

Eira nodded. "How is he doing?"

"He seemed find if not a little crazy - but that's pretty normal. He asked about you and Heather. I told him you were both fine."

"Have you seen Heather at all?"

He shook his head. "I haven't heard a word. I hope she's doing alright."

"I'm sure she's fine. She's a tough one." But she did need to learn to rely on others. "Is Dagur still on that island?" Perhaps she could go check up on him.

"No. He left on a dragon hunter ship he stole. He didn't say where he was headed."

"Maybe I'll send him a letter and find out..."

Hiccup nodded. "That's a good idea. Anyway, tell me about your trip. How's your family?"

Eira brightened. "Oh, they're great, thanks for asking. Torvald is doing very well." She suddenly remembered that she had a secret as well. She needed to tell Hiccup she was a princess. Yet, this did not seem like the right time to tell him. She would... eventually. At least he was not the one who's reaction she feared the most.

"Who are you writing to?"

Eira paused with her pen over the paper. Her brother sounded mildly curious. She spared him a quick glance to find he had finished unpacking. "A friend," she replied nonchalantly. She was not ready to tell him about Dagur just yet. While she knew on principle he would be just as forgiving as she was, she feared his protective brotherly instincts would take over.

"You've made friends outside of Berk?"

"Yes." She thought about Heather. "A few, actually. It's good for us to make allies, isn't it?"

Haldor smiled in agreement. "Very true. You are going to use that Terrible Terror? I have to say, that is quite ingenious. I may have to implement such a system in Torvald when I become king."

"Hiccup is the one who thought of it. He knows a lot about dragons." She finished her letter and set to waiting a minute to let the ink dry.

"Excellent. Speaking of Hiccup... are you planning on telling him the truth about us?"

Eira's smile vanished. She understood why she should tell Hiccup. The longer she waited, the worse it would be for their diplomatic relations. Yet she feared his response. "I'll tell him... later. Maybe after we talk to Stoick."

Haldor studied her and then nodded. "Good. It is best not to prolong these matters."

Eira smiled weakly. "Right. I am going to find Squirt. I will be right back." She rolled up her letter and exited the hut, relief filling her chest. She hated awkward conversations.

"Hello, Eira."

She nearly jumped out of her skin at Snotlout's sudden appearance. "You scared me!"

Snotlout blinked. "Sorry." His eyes fell on the letter clutched in her hand, and he frowned. "Writing to Dagur already?"

Speaking of awkward conversations... "Yes... It has been awhile."

"I know, but you did not write to me while you were gone."

"I didn't write to anyone. And neither did you."

Snotlout scoffed and looked away. "I didn't want you to think I missed you."

Ah, so that was what this was about. "But I missed you, Snotlout."

He looked at her in surprise. "You did?"

She gave him a sweet smile. "Sure, I did. I managed by telling my family all about you. In fact, Haldor is eager to spend time with you. I was going to show him around the island on our dragons. How about you join us?"

"Really?" Snotlout said happily. He then hid his smile behind a smirk. "I mean, if you insist. Hookfang will love the chance to show off for the new guy."

Eira chuckled. "I will meet you at the stables after I find Squirt to deliver this letter."

With that, the two of them parted ways. The young girl hoped the two boys would get along. She did not see why they would not. Truthfully, she had missed Snotlout and everyone else. It was good to be back.

Eira and Haldor put off their meeting with Stoick in order to help the dragon riders gather boulders for the catapult on Dragon's Edge. Eira worried her brother would detest the manual labor, but he seemed to enjoy himself with the others. He fit in well with everyone so far. It was only Snotlout of all people he seemed unsure of. Eira hoped that eventually he would be able to see his good qualities like she had.

They were almost finished with their task when, suddenly, there was a loud rumbling that grew closer. Everyone left their boulders and fled. Hookfang fell behind because the net holding his boulders was tangled. Toothless tried to help with his plasma blast, but this only caused Hookfang and Snotlout to tumble to the ground, screaming.

The riders ceased their mad dash when they saw the source of the noise: a large, golden dragon. "The Fireworm Queen?" Hiccup said.

Snotlout laughed. "I pretend to be scared so the dragons wouldn't be!"

Eira noted the way the others were now relaxed. "Do you know this dragon?"

"She saved Hookfang's life once," Snotlout replied.

"Hiccup, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" said Fishlegs.

"Yeah something's off," said Hiccup.

"What is she doing way out here, away of her island?"

"Perhaps she needs our help?" Haldor suggested.

The Fireworm Queen made movements to indicate that Hookfang should follow her. Then the riders noticed the wounds on her side. Dragon hunters?

"If I had to guess, she needs help defending herself," Hiccup said.

"And, since the Fireworm Queen and Hookfang have a history, he is the only dragon she trusts!" Fishlegs added.

"Well, if she's looking for back-up, she came to the right dragon!" Snotlout declared. "Those hunters want mess with the Queen? They're gonna have go through me and Hookfang! Come on, your highness, lead the way!" The Fireworm Queen took to the air, and Hookfang followed.

"Are we going to let him go alone?" Haldor asked.

"Not a chance," Eira said.

"Agreed," said Hiccup. "Let's go, everyone."

The riders caught up with Snotlout, who seemed to resent the intrusion. Eventually, he agreed to let them come as backup.

"He's quite reckless, isn't he?" Haldor said quietly to Eira.

"He can be," Eira said reluctantly, "but he means well." And she really hoped he knew what he was doing.

They arrived on the Fireworm Queen's island to find no signs of dragon hunters. Upon entering the cave where she dwelt, they discovered the real source of her problem: a Cavern Crasher. The mystery class dragon was renowned for pushing dragons out of their homes and taking over.

A fierce battle ensued, ending in the cavern going up in flames. Thankfully, the riders were able to escape to a safe area. Then the Fireworm Queen vanished down a tunnel, away form the Cavern Crasher.

"Whew!" Fishlegs said. "It would appear that we're in the middle of a territorial dispute!"

"Okay, guys," Hiccup said, "the Queen needs our help! So we're gonna-"

"No, no, no!" Snotlout interrupted. "No time for thinking! We need action, and that's why she came to me and Hookfang!"

Hiccup frowned. "Yeah, Snotlout, that's fine but-"

"She saved Hookfang's life, and a Jorgenson always repays his debts. So, that's exactly what we're goning to do. We're gonna save her life."

"But you can't go by yourself!"

"I'm not by myself, I'm with Hookfang. And we're doing this alone. Now, Hookie!" Hookfang zoomed through the tunnel where the Queen escaped, and before the others could follow, a cave-in blocked their path.

"He'll be fine, Hiccup," Eira said, noting his concern.

Hiccup sighed. "I hope you're right."

"You seem to have a lot of faith in him," Haldor said.

"He's proven himself in the past, and he'll do so now," said Eira. They just had to give him a chance.

"For now, we need to find a way around this cave-in," Hiccup said.

Astrid managed to find a passage that she thought looped around, so they headed that way. They had not gone far before the Cavern Crasher caught up with them. So, there was another fight. It took some time, but they wounded the dragon. However, the Cavern Crashed gained new energy when it heard the sound of a baby dragon. It must be after the Queen's eggs! Another cave-in slowed down the riders for a minute, but then they wee back on its trail.

The riders flew down tunnels that took them far underground. When they reached the cave where the Fireworm Queen hid, Snotlout yelled at them not to come down. They did not listen. The Cavern Crasher was in there, and they needed to help out!

"Oh, no!" Snotlout cried. He, Hookfang, and the Queen stood together, facing the Cavern Crasher. "This guy will not give up!"

"Maybe you need some back-up!" Hiccup said.

Snotlout looked at the incoming riders in relief. " Ha ha ha ha! Right! But remember, you're only back-up!"

"Oh, I know, pal!"

Everyone worked together to drive off the Cavern Crasher for good. Elated at their success, Eira hoped off Swiftwings and ran to Snotlout. "You did it!" she exclaimed. She noticed him looking fondly at the baby Fireworms and smiled. "The babies are very cute, aren't they?"

"I know, right?" Snotlout said. His smile vanished when Hiccup approached. "I know, I know, I defied orders again!"

Hiccup shook his head. "No, you didn't! I never ordered you to do anything. This one was all you!"

Snotlout looked at him in surprise. "Why didn't you try to stop me?"

"Would you? Have stopped, that is."

"Probably not."

"Then why we are talking about it?"

Eira smiled at Hiccup. He really had come a long way in understanding their companion. "He believed in you," she told Snotlout.

Snotlout grinned. "You know, I could've gotten killed in there."

"Yeah, but you didn't," Hiccup said. "You crushed it today, Snotlout! You really did. This was all you."

"Thanks for the back-up! Ha ha ha ha!"

"I was quite impressed as well," Haldor said, approaching Snotlout. "I am pleased Eira has such dependable friends."

Snotlout nodded. "She can count on me!"

Eira looked from Haldor to Snotlout with a smile. "I certainly can."