Chapter 26: Friends or Foes?

Days passed with no sign of Dagur. Eira and Heather were sullen for awhile and spent a lot of time together. Snotlout did not know what to say to either of them. He was not good at this sort of things. They did have each other to talk to. Maybe it was best if he just left them alone.

But when he found Eira sitting on the beach alone, he knew he could not remain silent. He stopped next to her in the sand. "Hey."

Eira looked up at him. "Oh, hello Snotlout." She smiled at him, but there was sadness in her eyes.

"What are you doing?" He probably sounded awkward, but he did not know how to begin.

"Just thinking. But go ahead and sit." She patted the spot next to her.

Snotlout sat down and pulled his legs up, resting his arms on his knees. "Were you thinking about Dagur?"

Eira frowned. "No. Well, a lit, but-"

"It's okay. I understand. You were close." He knew he would be pretty upset if he lost anyone close to him, particularly because that number was few.

Eira sighed and looked out at the ocean. "I keep thinking about what I could have said or done to make everyone see the truth about him before it was too late. Maybe if I was more open from the start-"

"This was not your fault, Eira." Snotlout took her hand in both of his, and she looked at him in surprise. "You did everything you could. You can't force people to see the truth."

Eira bit her lip. "But if I had just-"

"No," Snotlout said emphatically. "Stop thinking that way. It will eat you alive."

Eira nodded. "You're probably right." She pulled her hand away, but she did lean into him. He tentatively put his arm around her to help support her.

"You know, he might not be gone," he said.

"Then why wouldn't he have contacted us?"

"Maybe he's stranded somewhere."

Eira's eyes widened. "That wouldn't be good." She looked at him anxiously. "Should we be searching for him?"

Snotlout hesitated. That was not what he meant to imply at all. "We don't know for sure we would find anything, and we could be searching forever." He smiled when an idea occurred to him. "But maybe that Terrible Terror of yours could search for us."

Eira brightened. "That's a great idea, Snotlout! Squirt would be sure to find him. Let's go write a letter right now!" She grabbed his hand and helped him to his feet.

As he followed her back to the base, he wondered if he should have done that. When Dagur was around, he spent most of his time annoyed that Eira's attention was on him instead of Snotlout. But when she looked back at him and smiled, he knew he could not have done anything less.

Two weeks passed, and Eira saw no sign of Squirt. Did that mean Dagur was hard to find, or... She wondered if she had sent the Terrible Terror on an endless search. Surely he would know when to give up? Perhaps sending him out had been a bad idea.

Her thoughts focused on the dragon hunters when Hiccup set out to meet Viggo. She found the invitation suspicious but knew he had to check it out. And when he came back, he had a map with Viggo's signature. Apparently, Viggo was willing to allow us to keep the land below the line on the map if they left him the land above.

"A truce?" Heather said incredulously. "You have to be joking me."

Hiccup handed Fishlegs the map and walked to the other side of the room where he had his game board set up.

"This is a very serious looking map," Fishlegs said.

"You're not actually thinking of doing this, are you, Hiccup?" Astrid said. She frowned when she realized he had moved. "Uh, Hiccup the map is over here."

"Yeah, but the answers are over here," Hiccup said, staring intently at the game pieces. "You see Viggo is a game player. His moves are never what they seem to be."

"You think he's up to something?" Eira said as she walked over to him. She did not know much about strategy, but she knew they couldn't trust Viggo. He didn't seem the type to give in so easily.

"Oh, he's definitely up to something. Viggo doesn't want a truce, what he really wants is to keep us away from something on his side of the game board."

"You might be right but," Astrid said, "where do we find this thing?"

Hiccup walked back to the group and took the map. "I think we can assume that Viggo wouldn't give up any more territory than he has to. So, whatever he wants to keep us away from is going to be right on the edge of the line." He pointed at a small island near the line. "Here! This is where we start!"

So, they all mounted their dragons and headed out. They soon spotted the island from a distance and flew in closer. Eira took in the strange buildings scattered on the western side of the island. It must be inhabited. And there was a strange golden statue of a dragon in the center of it all.

"Strange looking buildings not viking or hunter," Hiccup said. "And check out that statue. Fishlegs, can you make out what kind of dragon that suppose to be?"

"Looks like a Boulder Class to me," Fishlegs said, "but not one I've seen before."

"Me either," Eira said. And she was rarely surprised by a new dragon. This must be one that required a specific habitat not found in Torvald.

"Hahaha," Snotlout laughed. "Let's go ask him." He sped ahead on Hookfang, but Astrid and Stormfly quickly blocked their path.

"We don't know if they're friend or foe," Astrid said. "Let's do a little surveillance first."

"Astrid has a point," Hiccup said. "We'll land over in that forest and try to move in for a closer look."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Eira said. Normally she would not question Hiccup's judgment but something did not feel right about this.

Hiccup looked at her with a frown. "What are you thinking, Eira?"

"Well, if Viggo really didn't want us to find this place, the people are more likely to be friends than foes, right? And if that's the case, they might not like it if they find us sneaking around their island. From their perspective, we might be the bad guys."

"She does have a point," Fishlegs said. "What would we do if we found strange Vikings walking around the Edge?"

"Attack first and ask questions later," Snotlout said.

"Exactly," said Eira.

"But there's no one on the eastern side of the island," Astrid said. "We can start there and make our way to the village. No sneaking involved."

Eira frowned. "I guess that might be fine."

"It's best to play it safe," Hiccup said. "Let's go."

They flew to the eastern part of the island and landed. Then they slowly made their way to the other side on foot, making sure to examine everything they came across.

"That village didn't seem like much," Astrid noted. "Why wouldn't Viggo want us to find it?"

"I don't know yet," Hiccup said. "I'm just happy to be one step ahead for a change."

"Hey," Tuffnut said suddenly. "Where did Snotlout go?"

Eira stopped and looked around. "Good question." Before she could find the answer, something grabbed her by the feet and pulled her into the bushes. Then something sharp pricked her arm. She tried to see what was going on, but she quickly lost consciousness.

When Eira woke up, she found her limbs were bound and she and the riders had been placed in a circle. Strange people in all black with masks and hoods stared down at them. Off the side, she could see their dragons being fed strange fruit. What was going on?

"Who are these guys?" Snotlout said from beside her.

"And what are they feeding our dragons?" said Fishlegs.

"I don't know," Hiccup said, "but I think we're about to find out."

An fierce looking unmasked man walked up to them. "I am Throk," he said. "All hail, Mala, Queen Defender of the Wing."

I regal looking woman approached, and she eyed the riders with disdain. "So, these are the dragon hunters your men captured, Throk?"

"Yes, my Queen."

"Hunters?" Astrid said. "Us? You gotta be kidding."

"We do not hunt dragons," Hiccup said emphatically.

Mala narrowed her eyes at him. "Do you take me for a fool? You were sent by Viggo Grimborn to attack us and steal the Great Protector." She pointed to the statue of the dragon.

"You couldn't be more wrong."

"Yeah, why would we steal a statue?" Tuffnut said. "To pose like it for long periods of time?"

"Silence, girl," Mala snapped.

"What? She's the girl." He nodded at his sister.

"A lot of people make that mistake when they first meet us," Ruffnut said.

"Look," Hiccup said, "we don't know who you are or who the Great Protector is, but if you're enemies of Viggo Grimborn, then we have something in common."

"This is all just a misunderstanding," Eira said. She knew they should have approached them from the start.

"Exactly what the last spy sent by Grimborn said," Mala said.

"And what would someone who's not a spy say?"

"We don't hurt dragons," Hiccup said. "We honor and respect them."

"So you say," said Mala, "but you shackle them and make them do your bidding." She motioned to their dragons.

"Those are just saddles. We ride dragons."

"Not anymore, you don't. Your dragons are now free."

The man near the dragons made a waving motion with his arms. "Go, fly, fly free!"

"Go!" Mala called. "Be burdened no more."

The dragons exchanged looks. None of them moved.

"See?" Astrid said. "Our dragons are loyal to us."

"Especially you, Hookfang," Snotlout said. "Way to go, buddy!"

"Okay, if we're dragon hunters, then why won't our dragons leave now that you've 'freed' them?" Hiccup said. "How do you explain that?"

"Is it not obvious?" Mala said. "They no longer think for themselves. But we will change that. And you will pay for your crimes against dragons. Take them away, Throk. Prepare for a royal trial."

The riders were taken away to a dungeon. Eira's heart race as she tried to think of a plan. She knew this was all a mistake, but everything they said was used against them. Was there a way to prove they meant no harm?

"I'll take the guard on the left," Astrid whispered to the group.

"I'll take the one on the right," Heather said. "The rest of you, head straight for the dragons while we hold off the others."

"Once you get in the air-" Astrid continued.

"Just hold on a second," Hiccup said. "We're not going anywhere."

Astrid blinked. "We aren't?"

"These Defenders of the Wing clearly love dragons just like we do. And the way they fight, they could be great allies against Viggo."

"I agree," Eira said.

"Except for the fact that they think we work for Viggo!" Snotlout said a little too loudly.

"Which is just a misunderstanding," said Hiccup.

"That I would prefer to clear up from the backs of our dragons," said Astrid.

"If we shoot our way out of here, they're never gonna trust us. Eira was right when she said we should have approached them peacefully. We were sneaking around, and now we have to make things right."

"Exactly," Eira said. "Viggo probably didn't want us to find this island because he knows we might be able to defeat him if we work together."

Hiccup nodded. "But first we have to earn their trust."

"By standing trial?" Astrid said doubtfully.

"For being dragon hunters? Why not? We're innocent, aren't we?"

"Perhaps the truth will set us free," Fishlegs conceded.

"We've got nothing to hide," Eira added.

"We can do this," Hiccup said confidently.

Astrid took a deep breath and nodded. "All right, Hiccup, I hope you're right about this."

"Me too."

The trial did not go well. Queen Mala asked Hiccup questions that led him into traps and twisted his words. It only got worse when Tuffnut attempted to 'defend' them. By the end, Mala was enraged and convinced that the dragon riders were indeed dragon hunters. She sent them to a place called the 'Nest' where they would face the judgment of dragons.

"So, you still think we can be allies with these guys?" Astrid whispered as the guards led them away.

"Actually, I do," Hiccup said.

"Hey, this is no time for optimism," said Snotlout.

"Hiccup, we need to make a break for it," Heather said. "Soon!"

"No, that will just convince them we're guilty," Eira said.

"They're already convinced of that!" said Snotlout.

"But if we can change their minds..." She had no idea how, but fighting these people did not seem right.

"All right, hear me out," Hiccup said. "They're taking us to the Nest, right? The Nest of?"

"Dragons?" Eira guessed.

"Right. So, when they toss me in this nest, instead of getting eaten, I'm gonna train those dragons and prove once and for all that we aren't dragon hunters."

Eira smiled. "That could work."

Heather appeared doubtful. "You really think you can pull that off?"

Hiccup nodded. "I'm betting my life on it."

"You're betting all our lives on it," Astrid said.

The riders were led down a tunnel. The stopped before a large bit, and Eira could hear the growling of dragons. Mala turned around to face them, a hard look on her face. Throk stood beside her.

"We protect the dragons as they protect us," Mala said. "We accept the judgment of the dragons as they have accepted us. Step forward and receive that judgment."

"I'm the leader," Hiccup said, stepped in front of the group. "I'll go first."

"Be my guest," Snotlout said. "Please. Even though you're not the leader, you should go first."

"Hiccup, good luck," Astrid said, worry evident on her face.

"I'll be fine," Hiccup said.

"You'll do great," Eira said. She watched as Hiccup was led into the pit.

"So, he can train any dragon?" Heather said.

Astrid nodded. "Except for a few. Whispering Deaths, Changewings..."

"And Speed Stingers," Hiccup said from the pit.

Astrid gasped and rushed forward. "Hiccup! Hiccup!"

"I'm okay!" Hiccup called. "So far."

Eira crept closer to the edge of the pit and looked down. She could see Hiccup dodging the Speed Stingers. He attempted to get close to him, but they did not like that. This was not good. "Maybe he can learn to train them?" she said hopefully. "It's not impossible." She knew of a few people in Torvald who had managed it.

"What is he doing?" Mala said as she watched.

"Perhaps he's offering himself as an easy kill," Throk offered.

"Perhaps. A coward's way to avoid suffering?"

"No, he's trying to be their friend," Eira said. Mala looked back at her but said nothing. "Please, you're making a mistake. Have you heard of Torvald? It's a place built to honor dragons just like your island here. That's where I'm from."

"Silence," Mala said. "No more lies."

Eira clenched her teeth in frustration. It looked like it really was all up to Hiccup, but he did not appear to be faring well. Suddenly, a black blue flew past her. She gasped when she realized Toothless had jumped into the pit to protect Hiccup. The Viking mounted the Night Fury and flew out of there.

"Come on," Heather said to Eira, pulling her arm.

Eira followed her to where they others gathered around their dragons. They took the guards by surprised and freed them. Swiftwings knocked a guard over and then bent her head to nuzzle Eira. When the guards advanced closer, the dragons stood in front of their riders protectively and growled.

"Surrender!" Mala ordered.

"Yeah, I'm thinking 'no,'" Astrid said as everyone attempted to mount the dragons. The guards stopped them, holding them back.

Hiccup held up his hand to stop everyone from attacking. Then he gave the queen an earnest look. "Mala, you need to ask yourself, would these dragons risk their lives to protect us if we were hunters?"

Mala stared at him, her expression unreadable.

"Give the order, my Queen, and I shall obey," Throk said.

"You said you accept the judgment of the dragons," Hiccup continued. "Well, accept the judgment of our dragons. We are not the enemy."

After a long moment of silence, Mala turned to Throk. "Stand down."

Throk looked at her in surprise. "My Queen..."

"The dragon judged him innocent, Throk. Release him. Release them all."

Eira let out a breath of relief when they were all let free. She hugged Swiftwings around her neck.

"Thank you," Hiccup said to Mala.

"You are a mystery, Hiccup Haddock," the queen said. "But know this. If you are not what you claim to be or if you betray us in any way, I will end you myself. Dragon or not."

Hiccup nodded. "Fair enough." He turned around and smiled at his friends. "See? Told you it would work."

Eira grinned at him. "Great job!" She knew they could be allies with these people. Peace was worth the struggle.