Chapter 33: Uncertain Feelings

Eira and Heather spent the next several days training with Dagur and showing him how things were done around Dragon's Edge. He was an enthusiastic learner and made everything fun. One afternoon, Eira and Dagur were flying around on their dragons when Dagur spotted a pond down below and decided to make a stop.

"That tastes good, doesn't it, Shattermaster?" Dagur said, watching the dragons drink from the pond.

Eira smiled at him. "You know, I'm impressed with how close you are with your dragon. You've come a long way."

Dagur grinned. "Thanks! A lot of it is thanks to you and Swiftwings." His eyes trailed to the Windwalker laying by the water. "Do you think she'll let me ride her on my own now?"

"It might be a bit too soon for that."

But Dagur wasn't listening. He approached Swiftwings from behind and reached out to touch her wing. Startled, the dragon leapt to her feet and swung around. Her tail knocked into Dagur in the process, sending him hurtling into the water. A second later, Dagur's head popped out, spitting water.

Eira burst out laughing. "I tried to warn you!"

"Hey!" Dagur exclaimed. "A little help here?"

Shattermaster must have thought Dagur was talking to him, for her bounded over to Eira and knocked her in the pond. Eira's eyes widened in surprise before she became submerged in the water. When she resurfaced, she found Dagur grinning at her.

"Good job, Shattermaster!" Dagur called. "The water actually feels kind of nice."

"It does feel good in the hot sun," Eira agreed. "But we need to dry off so we can head back soon." She stepped out of the water and wrung out her clothes to the best of her ability.

"I bet we would dry off faster if we ran!" No sooner had the words left his lips than Dagur darted past her at full speed.

"Hey! Wait up!" Eira ran after him, but he was much too quick for her. "Dagur!" He did look back at her and slowed his pace. Before she reached him, however, she tripped over a root and started to fall.

"Whoa!" Dagur appeared right in front of her, and she fell into his chest. He helped her steady herself, but he did not remove his hands from her arms.

Eira looked up at him, and her breath caught in her throat when she realized how close their faces were. She should have moved away, but she didn't want to. He gazed at her with an intensity she did not understand. His eyes flickered to her lips before returning to her eyes, and her pulse sped up. He started to lean in. She wondered what would happen if she let him-

She took a large step back, breaking their connection. Dagur frowned at her. "Is everything alright?" he asked in concern.

Eira had to look away from him. "I - I'm fine." She was just... confused. But how could she explain that to him?

"I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable."

"No, it's not that!" When she looked back at him and saw the hope in his eyes, she realized she was just making this more difficult.

"Then what is it?" Dagur took a step toward her, and she took a step back.

"I... don't know."

Dagur appeared thoughtful. "Let's see if I can help. Eira, how do you feel about me?"

Eira's breath hitched. Why did he have to ask her that so directly? "I don't know. I'm sorry, Dagur. That's what I'm trying to figure out."

Dagur did not appeared bothered by her admission. "That's better than a rejection! How about I tell you how I feel about you?"

Eira's eyes went wide, and she backed away. "N-No. That's alright."

Dagur frowned. "But I want to tell you."

Eira shook her head. "I don't want to know right now. If you say it, it will be real, and then everything will change."

"Maybe everything should change."

Eira knew she should get over her fear and let him say it, but his earnest look only made the urge to flee stronger. "I - I can't take that right now. I've got to go." She turned and made a dash for her dragon.

"Eira!" Dagur called in distress. "Come back! I'm not done talking to you!"

Guilt overwhelmed Eira as she continued to run. She knew Dagur deserved better than this, but she was not ready to have this conversation. She was not ready for his forwardness. And so, she escaped the situation even as she knew she should face her problems. She would figure this all out later.

While she flew in the air, she absentmindedly touched her lips, and a thousands 'what-ifs' entered her mind.

Dagur did not reach Eira in time before she flew off on Swiftwings. He let out a frustrated cry and slammed his fists into a tree. He did not understand. Eira had always been so warm and open with him. Why did she run away from him now? He was certain he had not attempted too much too soon. She had seemed more afraid than uncomfortable.

Shattermaster nudged him with his nose and looked at him in concern. Dagur gave him a weak smile. "I'm alright. I just need to figure this out!" Girls were so tricky sometimes; he needed to find another one to get some answers! "Come on, Shattermaster. Let's find Heather." She would know what to do for sure!

Dagur flew around the island, searching for his sister. He finally found her with Astrid practicing her axe throwing. He nearly stumbled off Shattermaster as soon as he landed and ran the rest of the way to the girls. "Heather!" he cried. "I need your help!"

Heather and Astrid immediately tensed. "What is it?" Heather asked. "Is the Edge under attack?"

"No, it's Eira!"

"Is she in danger?" Astrid said.

"If she were in danger, I would be saving here instead of here talking to you!"

"Dagur, what is it?" Heather said.

"Eira ran away from me!"

The girls exchanged a look. They lowered their axes and visibly relaxed. "That's all?" said Heather.

"What do you mean 'that's all?' She's acting funny, and I need you to tell me why!" Dagur groaned and clutched his head.

"Well, it sounds like you did something to scare her off," Astrid said.

"But I didn't! All I did was get close to her and start to tell her how I feel about her. Then she bolted. I never knew she could run that fast, actually."

"See? You did scare her off. She's not great with talking about feelings."

Dagur frowned. "But in the past I've told her I care about her, but she did not react this way. Maybe she was a little awkward, but she wasn't afraid."

"Ah, I think I know what's going on," Heather said. "When you told her your feelings before, you were talking about your friendship, right?"

"Yes, that's right!"

"And now you're trying to tell her you're in love with her."

Dagur's eyes grew wide. "How do you know that?" Sometimes he thought his sister was a mind reader.

Heather smirked. "I'm not blind. I notice how you act around her. And she probably does too, which is why she ran. She was afraid of what you have to say."

Dagur scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "Why would she be afraid?"

"Maybe she doesn't feel that way about you and doesn't want to hurt your feelings by rejecting you," Astrid said.

Heather eyed her skeptically. "Maybe... Or she does have feelings for him, but she's afraid of admitting it because she is afraid of change."

"She did say she doesn't want things to change," Dagur said thoughtfully. She might be onto something!

"Or she has feelings for someone else, and Dagur should let her go," Astrid said.

"He needs an answer for her before he can let her go," Heather said. "And have you seen the way she is around Dagur? Who else would she like?"

Astrid shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe... Snotlout?"

Heather appeared surprised. "Snotlout? They're just friends."

"For now. And if Snotlout weren't as afraid of admitting his feelings as Eira, maybe they would be together by now."

"No, no, no!" Dagur exclaimed. "I won't let that happen!" He turned to Heather in desperation. "You have to help me win her over!"

"Okay, okay," Heather said. "I'll talk to her and find out what's going on."

Dagur smiled in relief. "Thank you, sister!"

"Don't be surprised if you don't get the answer you're expecting," Astrid said.

Heather gave her a look. "Why are you helping Snotlout? I thought you hated him."

"I don't hate him. He just annoys me sometimes, which he could do less of if he was preoccupied with Eira."

Heather rolled her eyes. "How noble of you."

"It doesn't matter if she's helping him," Dagur said. "I'm still going to win!" As soon as he got Eira to face him, he would win her over for sure.

"We have a problem."

Snotlout looked to Astrid in annoyance. "Yeah, we do. You're interrupting my thinking. I'm trying to come up with a strategy." He motioned to the Maces and Talons board in front of him. He was tired of losing all the time! He needed to do something different.

Astrid rolled her eyes and moved further into the clubhouse. "What you need is a strategy to win Eira before Dagur gets to her."

Snotlout pushed the game pieces around. "I told you, I'm not interested. We're friends."

"So, you don't care if Dagur wants to confess his love to Eira?"

Snotlout turned to Astrid with wide eyes. "He what?!"

"She ran away when he tried, but Heather is going to talk to her." She placed her hands on her hips. "You better act fast if you don't want to lose her."

Snotlout shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, well, I'm fine with how things are."

"And so is she, but that doesn't mean it's good for either of you. Own up to your feelings now and do something about them."

Snotlout looked around the clubhouse as if searching for an answer. "But what if..." He did not want to admit weakness in front of anyone, especially Astrid, but...

Astrid lifted her eyebrows. "What if she doesn't want you? It'll prove she has some sense after all." At Snotlout's frown, she gave him a sympathetic smile. "But she'll still be your friends. And you won't gain anything if you don't even try."

"Exactly right, Astrid!" Dagur boomed as he walked into the clubhouse. "That is why I am going to win Eira's heart. Berserkers are all about action!"

Snotlout glared at him. "Yeah, well, so are Jorgensons!"

Dagur smirked. "I don't see much action on your part, Snotfoot."

For some reason, hearing Dagur taunt him made Snotlout forget about his fears. "Oh yeah? I'll show you action!"

"Dagur, I'm trying to work here," Astrid said. "Don't you have somewhere else you need to be?"

"Yes!" Dagur said brightly. "Heather should be finishing up right now. I need to go ask Eira on a date!" He dashed out of there as quickly as he had entered.

"Hey!" Snotlout called after him, enraged. "You can't do that if I ask her first!" He ignored Astrid's protests as he ran out of the clubhouse. There was no way he was going to lose to a guy who couldn't even get his name right!

Eira escaped to the beach. She spent a long while gazing at the ocean with Swiftwings by her side. She did not know why she had run from Dagur like that. She just could not bear to hear what he wanted to talk about. The topic frightened her.

She tensed when she heard someone approach. It was only Heather. But from the look on her face, she knew her brother had already gone to her. Eira gave her a weak smile. "Hello," she said.

"Hey, Eira," Heather said. "How are you doing?"

Eira shrugged. "I'm fine."

"Good. Then do you want to explain why you ran away from Dagur and left him in a panic?"

Eira's smile fell. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt him. You can tell him he did nothing wrong."

Heather's eyebrows lifted. "Except try to talk about his feelings?"

Eira shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, that..."

"I don't understand the problem. You like him, don't you?"

Eira hesitated. "I do, but I'm unsure of the line between friendship and something more. I guess I'm afraid of making a mistake and ending up with nothing."

Heather gave her a sympathetic smile. "It's alright if you make a mistake. That's how you learn. And I doubt Dagur will stop liking you no matter what you do."

"Maybe." Eira returned her gaze to the water. "My culture just does romance so differently. It's kind of difficult to navigate the freedom I have now."

"I can't imagine not having freedom in love. What's that like?"

"It was miserable. My parents set me up with a new suitor every week. They were all kind, polite, and said everything they thought I wanted. And they were painfully boring."

"So, nothing like Dagur."

Eira smiled. "My parents would have never set me up with someone like Dagur. But I never liked any of the guys they approved of."

"Do you think maybe you're worried about disappointing your parents?" Heather asked cautiously.

Eira thought about it. She doubted that was the entire reason as she knew romance itself troubled her. Still, it might be something to reflect on. "I don't think I've gotten that far yet. It's just that the criteria I was taught to use is very different from choosing based on who I like. I never had those feelings for anyone for, and I'm not sure what to expect."

Heather nodded. "I think I understand. It was difficult for me to adjust to life here after living on my own for so long. Old habits are hard to break." She paused. "You may benefit from experimenting. Try to imagine yourself in a romantic relationship. Or engage in some harmless romantic situations. And try to relax about it. You don't need to make a life-long decision right now."

"I suppose..." The thought still scared her, but she knew she could not avoid it forever.

"EIRA!"

The young girl flinched at the sound of Dagur's voice. She turned around to find him running at her full speed. Her first instinct was to flee, but Heather grabbed her arm to keep her there.

"Running away will not solve anything," Heather said.

Dagur skidded to a halt in front of her. He took a moment to regain his breath before speaking. "Will you go on a date with me?"

Eira's eyes widened in surprise. "A date?"

Heather smile. "A date sounds perfect. This is exactly what I was talking about. A date might help you sort out your feelings."

Dagur grinned at Eira. "So, you will?"

Eira bit her lip. "Well..."

"No! Don't listen to him!" a new voice cried. Everyone looked as Snotlout ran out onto the sand. Then he tripped and fell flat on his face.

Eira gasped. "Are you alright, Snotlout?"

Snotlout groaned as he picked himself up. "I'm fine, but you can't go on a date with Dagur. You need to go on a date with me."

Now Eira was really shocked. "Wh-what? I - I didn't know you-" Another time, that might have made her excited, but now... She looked to Heather for help, but she simply shrugged.

"You're too late, Snothair," Dagur said. "You've been with her for months. You had your chance. Now it's my turn."

Snotlout glared at him. "I never got a turn. I was busy going through my options."

Eira frowned. "Options?"

"See?" Dagur said. "She needs someone who will make her a priority."

"She will be my priority!" Snotlout protested.

"You two are going to scare her off," Astrid said as she emerged onto the scene. She placed her hands on her hips and frowned. "Stop fighting like children."

"But what do you want us to do? She can't go on a date with both of us."

"Or maybe she can," Heather said.

Eira looked at her in surprise. "What?"

"A date doesn't mean a commitment. What if you went on a date with each of them to help you picture what it would be like to be in a relationship with them? It might help you decide."

"That's not a bad idea," Astrid said. "A little competition never hurt."

"And I'm doing to win!" Dagur declared.

Eira looked around at her friends nervously. "That's a lot of pressure."

Heather shook her head. "You don't have to decide anything right after. It will just give you information for future use." She eyed the boys. "They will not pressure you."

"Fine, but I get to go first," Snotlout said.

"No, I want to go first!" Dagur protested.

"How about we let Eira decide?" Astrid said.

Eira swallowed hard. Now there was the pressure. She clung to the first criteria she could think of. "Well, Dagur asked me first, so I'll choose him."

Dagur grinned. "Yes!"

Snotlout frowned. "Fine. But my date will still be better."

"We'll let Eira be the judge of that," Heather said.

Eira wished she shared her friends' confidence in her. All this seemed like too much too soon. But she did need to get it over with, and maybe she would have a good time. One thing was for sure; there was no backing out now.

A/N: Let the games begin!