Chapter 25: Gone

Eira could not believe how this all ended. Everything had been going so well. Dagur got along great with Fishlegs as he eagerly learned about Gronckles. Then even Astrid seemed impressed when she took him out for her own training. At the end of the day, they were all telling stories and laughing together. Dagur seemed to fit in.

And then Heather showed up.

Eira knew she was not ready for a relationship with her brother, but she did not expect her to react so vehemently and accuse him of being a spy. Was that what she convinced herself had happened? Did it make it easier to deal with her own pain? Well, she had to stop thinking about only herself - ironically the very same thing she accused Dagur of. Perhaps they were not so different after all.

Eira found Dagur trudging along the side of the clubhouse. "Hey," she said softly. "I'm sorry about what happened. You don't have to leave."

Dagur stopped and looked back at her, and his sorrowful expression broke her heart. "Yes, I do. Heather doesn't want me here."

Eira could not deny that. "I want you here."

A small smile flashed on Dagur's face that was gone as quickly as it came. "Thank you, but I'll only cause trouble for you if I stay."

"Eira?"

She looked over her shoulder to see Snotlout approaching, fidgeting nervously. "What is it?"

Snotlout stopped before her. "I just - " His gaze flickered to Dagur and then back to her. "I liked what you said back there. I think you're right."

Eira was surprised by this admission. She had not excepted anyone to support her. "Thank you."

Snotlout turned to Dagur, appearing more confident now. "Listen, it's not over yet. Heather may not believe your words, but she will have to believe your actions. You need to do something to prove that you have changed."

Dagur frowned. "But I already saved her life."

"Then you have to do something she can't explain away."

"He may have a point," Eira said. "You'll think of something."

Dagur nodded. His gaze drifted to the next room where a model ship had fallen near the doorway. This was the strategy room where the riders discussed their mission. Dagur picked up the ship and then moved into the room to examine the current battle plan. Eira and Snotlout walked in after him.

"What are you doing?" Hiccup said, appearing at the doorway.

"Everyone kept dropping hints about some big mission," Dagur said. "I thought I should take a look. Heather may hate me, but I do not want her flying any suicide missions."

Hiccup moved further into the room and stood beside him. "It's a shipyard. Viggo is retrofitting his ships. Enlarging the cells for bigger dragons, it looks like."

Dagur's eyes narrowed in thought. "Hmm... Remarkably undefended."

"It's very remote. Deep behind his lines and shrouded in fog."

"Hmm... Seems a little too easy."

"We've kept an eye on it for weeks. Viggo doesn't defend it because he doesn't think we know about it."

"Let me guess, coordinated attack, using the sea stacks for cover, but staying up out of arrow range?"

Hiccup blinked. "Something like that."

Dagur shook his head. "You're too gullible, Hiccup. That's your problem. I should know. I tricked you plenty of times."

"Yeah, well, I'm still here."

"Maybe you should listen to him," Eira said. "He does seem to know what he's talking about."

Just then, Astrid entered the room and said, "Hiccup, what did Dagur-" She froze when she saw Dagur. Then she grabbed her axe and ran for him. Eira and Snotlout promptly moved to block her.

"Astrid, stop!" Hiccup said.

Astrid glared at Dagur by looking between Eira and Snotlout. "So, you are a spy!"

"Relax, blondie," Dagur said, appearing unfazed. "I was just trying to talk some sense into your boy Hiccup, here."

Astrid put her axe away and turned to face Hiccup. "We can't let him go now. He's seen the plans."

Hiccup frowned. "I know." He grabbed Dagur's arm and started pulling him out of the room.

Eyes wide, Eira scrambled after him. "Hiccup, wait!"

He looked back at her with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, Eira. We need to be safe. If he is working against us - "

"He's not." She knew that with absolute certainty. Even if he still had sympathies for the dragon hunters, there was no way he would do anything to hurt her or Heather.

"He was just trying to help," Snotlout said.

Astrid glared at him. "You're on his side now?"

"I'm not afraid of you, Astrid." When she gave him a menacing look, he flinched and hid behind Eira.

"I've been right about Dagur before," Eira said. "What if I'm right now?"

"Then we'll figure that out later," Hiccup said. "For now, it's too risky to let him go free."

"Fine," Dagur said. "Lock me up. Then go do your mission. But know this, Hiccup." His expression hardened as he looked into the eyes of his captor. "If anything happens to Heather, I will hold you personally responsible."

Eira had no doubt he meant that. She reluctantly followed Hiccup out of the clubhouse. Astrid ran to alert the others while Hiccup brought Dagur to the stables, where he locked him inside a cell with Shattermaster. Soon, all the riders were gathered to observe their prisoner.

"That should hold you," Astrid said in approval.

"We'll figure out what to do with you when we get back," Hiccup said.

"I have some ideas," Heather muttered.

"You're making a mistake," Eira said even though she knew it was futile. When Hiccup made up his mind about something, it was difficult to get him to change it.

"The only mistake he made was trusting him in the first place."

Eira gave her a long, sad look. Her anger was gone, and she felt sorry for the girl who was too stubborn to see what was right in front of her. "I wouldn't want to be you when you realize how wrong you are."

"Just one question, Hiccup," Dagur said. "Why attack now? Did the number of ships at that shipyard just happen to go up?"

Hiccup blinked. "Uh, yes. From eight to twelve."

"Of course they did! Because eight ships wasn't enough to draw you in. Use your brain, Hiccup."

Hiccup's eyes narrowed. "I am, and you know what? It's telling me not to trust you."

"You're on guard duty, Chicken," Tuffnut said to his pet. "Keep an eye on this guy."

"Can I talk to him for a minute?" Eira asked Hiccup.

Heather scoffed. "So you can free him?"

"I won't."

"That's fine," Hiccup. "Snotlout, stay with her."

Snotlout nodded. "I'm on it."

Eira waited until everyone else left. Then she moved in closer to the call to talk to Dagur. "I'm sorry about this. If it helps, I believe you." She reached through the bars and took his hand.

"Do you think you could convince Hiccup to change his mind?" Dagur asked.

Eira shook her head. "Doubtful. If the suggestion didn't come from you, maybe he would listen. This is all just really bad timing."

"Look out for Heather while you're out there. Keep each other safe." He squeezed her hand and gave her a small smile.

"I'll keep them both safe," Snotlout said, coming to stand beside Eira.

"Thanks, Snotlout. At least someone has some sense here."

Eira agreed. Hiccup, Astrid, and Heather might have thought they were being logical, but it seemed to her that their negative emotions towards Dagur were clouding their judgment. If only there was a way to make them see the truth. But Snotlout was right. At this point, only serious action from Dagur could change their minds.

Eira did not sleep well. She could not stop thinking about Dagur and the upcoming mission. When she finally dozed off, it was due to sheer exhaustion. She still felt tired when the sun woke her up the next morning. She quickly fixed herself up and then left her hut.

Everyone else was already busy getting ready for the mission. She did not look at Heather or Astrid as she passed them and got her instructions from Hiccup. She took her time preparing Swiftwings for the flight. She wondered if she should bring up Dagur again. Perhaps everyone had a chance to think about it and change their minds.

"Dagur couldn't be right about this mission being too easy, could he?" Hiccup said to Astrid before Eira could formulate words.

"We've been watching these shipyards for weeks," Astrid said. "We haven't seen anything out of the ordinary."

"Dagur is still working for Viggo," said Heather. "He was just trying to keep us from attacking his master. He's a liar and a spy."

"Dagur was never loyal to Viggo," Eira said, glaring at the ground. "They are nothing alike." She remembered how easily Viggo had been willing to sacrifice human lives for profit. Dagur enjoyed the thrill of the adventure, which he could as easily obtain by being on their side.

Before anyone had a chance to respond, Chicken scurried over to Tuffnut and began clucking frantically.

"What's that, Chicken?" Tuffnut said. "Buck! Buck! Buck? Dagur has escaped?"

Heather shot Eira a look. "I told you."

Eira's eyes went wide. "This doesn't prove anything!"

Hiccup, Eira, Heather, and Fishlegs raced to the stables, where they found a huge hole in the cage where they had kept Dagur. "Shattermaster broke him out," Hiccup concluded.

"You have to admit, he really has bonded with his dragon well," Fishlegs said. Hiccup and Heather gave him a look. "I'm just saying."

"Anyone who can bond with a dragon like that can't be evil," Eira said. "There has to be another explanation." She followed the others out of the stables.

"You keep making excuses for him and we'll stop him," Heather said.

"Wings up, gang," Hiccup said when they returned to the others. "We have to hit that shipyard before Dagur has a chance to give away our plan."

Eira mounted Swiftwings and took to the air. The flight to the shipyard was silent. The young girl wracked her brain for an explanation for Dagur's actions. She could only come up with one, and it was pretty crazy. Then again, Dagur was pretty crazy.

"Anyone see Dagur?" Hiccup said. "Maybe we beat him here."

Astrid pointed straight through the fog where Dagur flew on Shattermaster. "There he is."

"Okay, here's the-" Hiccup started to say, but Heather flew past him and straight to her brother. "-plan."

"Heather, stop!" Eira called after her. She started to fly forward, but Snotlout and Hookfang blocked her path.

"You'll get lost in the fog," Snotlout said. "Dagur can take care of himself."

Eira hated to admit it, but he was right. All she could do was wait. Eventually, Heather and Dagur came into view again. Windshear was forced to land on a sea stack while Dagur flew straight into the shipyard.

"What do we do?" Astrid said anxiously.

"Even when he warns them, they'll still need time to react," Hiccup said. "We have to hit the shipyards now!"

"No, wait!" Eira said. "Look!"

Dagur attacked the first ship as he flew past. Almost immediately, he was attacked by arrows and flaming catapults. He dodged everything and continued his assaults on the ships.

"What does he think he's doing?" Snotlout said.

"Proving he was right," Hiccup said in amazement. "That it was a trap all along." He glanced at Eira. "And he's not the only one who was right. I'm sorry, Eira. I should have listened to you."

"I was right too, you know."

"You were only following everything Eira said," Astrid said.

"So? I trust her judgment."

Eira smiled at him. "Thanks, Snotlout. And it's alright, Hiccup. You were just doing what you thought was best for everyone." She looked at Heather and saw her intently watching her brother's actions.

Soon, the whole shipyard was aflame. Still, Dagur and Shattermaster flew back into the fray. Several explosions shot smoke into the air, blocking the view. Then everything fell silent.

Eira's heartbeat sped up as she anxious scanned the shipyard for the familiar redhead. "Dagur!"

"Come on!" Hiccup shouted. "We have to do something!" Eira joined him in flying to the shipyard, but this time Astrid and Snotlout blocked their path.

"Guys, don't," Astrid said. "He's gone. There's nothing we can do."

Tears filled Eira's eyes, and she shook her head. "No, no." She couldn't lose him. Not when he was finally on the right side.

"We need to get out of here," Snotlout said gently. "I promised I would keep you safe."

She knew he was right. With a heavy heart, Eira turned around and started the long flight back to Dragon's Edge. Once again, no one said a word. Night had fallen by the time they returned. Wordlessly, the riders followed Hiccup into the strategy room and watched him clean up his plans.

"This is my fault," Hiccup said softly, his eyes filled with sorrow. "I should've listened to him."

"No, it's not your fault," Eira said. "You should have listened to him, but you are not responsible for what happened. He chose his own actions."

"He knew it was a trap and he still flew right in," Astrid added.

"We never saw him hit the water," Snotlout said, "so maybe... Maybe..." His eyes met Eira's as if seeking confirmation.

Eira did not know what to say. It did not feel like Dagur was gone. But if she allowed herself to hope, could she ever get past this and move on? A clean break would be easier.

"Yeah, maybe," Ruffnut said.

"I will never forget his noble sacrifice," Fishlegs said.

"You think my brother sacrificed himself?" Heather said. "Not with his ego. He thought he could make it." Hiccup stared at her. "What?"

"I just never heard you call Dagur 'brother' before," Hiccup said.

Realization dawned on Heather's face. "I need some sleep." She pulled up her hood and left the room.

Eira watched her departure. Part of her thought she should go after her, but she did not think she could handle that right now. "Me too." She left the others and headed straight for her hut.

Her movements were slow. She had not even made it to her bed when she heard a soft knock at her door. If she had to guess, she would say it was Snotlout or maybe even Hiccup. She did not have the energy to deal with either of them right now. She trudged to the door and opened it to politely tell them to come back in the morning, but she froze at the sight before her.

Heather stood in the rain, clutching a piece of paper, and there were tears falling from her eyes. "Eira," she said softly. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry about everything. Dagur, he-"

Any residue anger Eira held against the girl suddenly vanished, replaced with empathy. "Come in." She pulled her out of the rain and shut the door behind her. Her eyes fell to the note. "What is that?"

"Here." Heather held the paper out to her.

The rain had smudged the writing, but Eira could still make out the words: "Heather, if you're reading this, I guess that's bad news for me. Sorry, but I couldn't let Hiccup fly you into a trap. Tell our little brother that if he really wants to hurt Viggo, hit his next dragon auction. It moves around, but if he turns over enough rocks, some worm will tell him where it is. One other thing. I didn't kill our father. When he disappeared, I let people believe that, so they would think I was tough enough to be chief. I did a lot of things I'm sorry for, but I couldn't rest in peace knowing you thought I did that. Be safe. Your brother, Dagur."

Eira had tears in her own eyes by the time she finished. "I knew it," she whispered. "I knew he couldn't have killed his father. That's why I knew he couldn't kill you when Viggo ordered you to."

"Of course you knew," Heather said. "You seem to have known everything about him. But I -"

Eira moved to her side and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You had a lot of pain to deal with from him that I didn't have. It blinded you to the truth. Hatred does that. Letting go of your anger does a lot more for you than the person it's target at."

Heather wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "So, you don't hate me? You forgive me?"

Eira gave her a small smile. "Of course I do. You think I can see the best in Dagur but not in you? I told you, everyone has good and evil inside of them. I just wanted you to choose the good. Besides, I think Dagur would want us to stick together and look out for each other."

Heather nodded. "Thank you, Eira. I wish I had more positive memories of him like you do."

"I could tell you some of mine if you want. Maybe even show you the letters he sent me."

For the first time in days, Heather smiled at her. "I would like that."

As Eira searched for the letter, she felt the weight on her chest grow lighter. At least something good had come out of this episode. The two of them could get through this... together.