Chapter 37: Searching for the Truth

"There is no way we're believing one word this guy says," Astrid said as the dragon riders were gathered outside of Viggo's tent, waiting for Eira to finish her conversation with the man in question.

"We can't just ignore it," Hiccup said. "Astrid, there are to many lives at stake."

"Agreed," said Stoick. "Gobber and I will take the auxiliary riders back to Berk. Just in case."

Hiccup turned to Dagur. "Heather, Dagur, make sure Berserker Island's ready. Bring Eira with you."

Dagur grinned. "You got it, brother."

"Hey, why can't Eira come with us?" Snotlout said in annoyance.

"Because three is better than two," Hiccup said. "No complaining. We're going to check on the Defenders of the Wing."

"And what about Viggo?" Astrid said.

Hiccup glanced at the tent. "I guess he's coming with us. There's no other way, Astrid."

Eira finally emerged, appearing deep in thought. "Good news," Dagur said to her. "You're with us!"

Eira gave him a small smile and moved to stand by him.

"We're not going to ask her what she talked about?" Tuffnut said.

"Viggo claims he wanted to talk to her alone for her privacy," said Hiccup. "It's up to her if she wants to tell us."

"Thank you," Eira said. "He said nothing of immediate importance. Maybe I'll tell you later, but right now we should focus on defending our allies."

Hiccup nodded. "Right. Let's go."

"To Berserker Island!" Dagur exclaimed. He raced to Shattermaster and climbed on the dragon. Soon he, Heather, and Eira, were flying peacefully through the night. After awhile, the silence got to him, so he looked over at Eira. "If you want to share what Viggo said, I'm willing to listen."

"Dagur!" Heather scolded.

Dagur frowned. "What? She doesn't have to."

"It's fine," Eira said. "I was just thinking about that actually. Viggo caught me by surprise."

"What did he say?" Heather asked gently.

"Now who's being nosy?" Dagur said, earning an eye roll from his sister.

"He said he's heard rumors of a future attack on Torvald," Eira said.

"What?!" Heather said in alarm.

"That sounds like a threat to me," Dagur said.

"No, it wasn't," said Eira. "He wouldn't say who's responsible, but it has nothing to do with him. He told me because... he knows someone in Torvald he wants to protect. If I am able to get her to safety, he said he would give me information on the attack."

"'Her?'" said Heather.

"A sister?" Dagur said.

"A lover," Eira said. "He claims to have spent time in Torvald and became involved with a woman."

"Wow," Heather said. "That's surprising. Do you believe him?"

Eira hesitated. "I don't know. He seemed sincere, and I don't know what he could gain by lying."

"He may be trying to gain your trust so you'll tell Hiccup to believe him on everything else," Dagur said. "And he could do that whether or not it's true. So, it's best to keep those two separate."

"Dagur's right," Heather said. "You should wait until all of this is resolved and then decide what to do."

"That's probably a good idea," Eira said. "Thanks for listening."

Dagur grinned. "Anytime!"

Not long after that, they arrived at Berserker Island. Dagur brought the girls to the makeshift stables he built earlier. They were at the highest point in the island because, for some reason, dragons were unable to fly over the middle. Then he led the way to his house. Heather had been there before and immediately went for her room while Dagur showed Eira his old room.

"Where will you be staying?" Eira asked as she looked around the small, messy space.

"My parents' old room," Dagur said. "It is the biggest."

Eira nodded. "I suppose we should get some rest." She sat on the bed and folded her hands in her lap.

For some reason, Dagur could not get himself to leave. He had a feeling Eira was more than just tired, and he wished he could help her. "Is something wrong?" he asked tentatively. He walked to the bed and sat beside her.

"I'm fine," Eira said.

Dagur touched her arm, and she looked at him. "It's alright. You can tell me."

Eira stared at him as if deciding whether or not to believe him. Then weariness took over. "I'm just worried... about everyone. Our friends here and my family back home. I know we're going to fight to protect them, but I just-"

Dagur wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. "It's alright," he said gently. "You have a right to be worried. Let it out."

"Thank you," Eira whispered. She held onto him tightly. Gradually, she calmed down and relaxed in his arms. "Will you stay with me? I don't want to be alone."

Dagur smiled. How could he say no to that? "Of course. Whatever you need."

Eira spent the day helping Dagur and Heather fortify Berserker Island. While it was good to spend time with her friends, she could not help the anxiety that plagued her. It was nerve-wracking to know they could be attacked at any time. At least Dagur had a cool head about it - as much as was possible for him.

Then it happened at night. The trio were patrolling the island on their dragons when they were stuck by a flying fireball. The Shellfire! The Vikings flew in the direction of the attack and soon saw a giant dragon nearly submerged in the water.

"It's huge!" Eira exclaimed. "We can't take it on our own."

"Good thing our backup has arrived," Heather said, nodding at the dragon riders headed their way.

"Brother!" Dagur exclaimed.

"Hiccup!" Heather said. "It came at us out of nowhere!" The riders dodged another blast.

"Hiccup, staying together won't help," Astrid said. "We need to split up."

"You're right," said Hiccup. "You're with me." He turned to the others. "You guys, go with Heather and Dagur. Save who you can, then meet us back at the Edge."

"And where are you two going?" Snotlout said suspiciously.

"To find out whatever this Shellfire is and stop it, once and for all."

"Come on," Eira said before flying back to Berserker Island.

The dragon riders worked to bring all of the Berserkers to safety. In the process, the island was heavily damaged by the Shellfire. Eira wished they could have stopped the attack, but the lives of the people were more important. She felt bad for Dagur as she noticed his unusually sulky mood. All they could do now was fly back to Dragon's Edge to meet Hiccup and Astrid.

Once there, Hiccup gave them surprising news. Apparently, before arriving at Berserker Island, the dragon riders ran into Ryker waving a white flag. He gave the same story Viggo had with flipped roles. Allegedly, the attack on Berserker Island was proof. He wanted them to bring them Viggo in exchange for the Dragon Eye.

"And Dagur, Heather, I'm sorry about Berserker Island," Hiccup said. "We all are."

"At least we managed to save most of our people," Heather said. "But to rebuild..." She shook her head sadly.

"I've been trying really hard to manage my anger, Hiccup," Dagur said. "But Viggo? He gots to go."

Snotlout shot him a look. "Hey, that's my line."

"Sorry, Snot-hat."

Snotlout blinked. "What are you looking at? No laughing."

"So, what's our next move?" said Astrid.

Hiccup hesitated. "I don't know. The only thing I do know is we've got to find Viggo soon or Ryker and the Dragon Eye could be gone for good."

"Good luck with that," Snotlout said. "What do you think Viggo's going to do? Walk in here and turn himself in?"

Fishlegs looked at him sharply. "Not helping, Snotlout."

"Maybe Ryker will give us more time?" Astrid suggested.

"I highly doubt that," Hiccup said.

Eira felt like she was missing something from the conversation, and then it clicked into place. "Wait a minute," she said. "You believe Ryker? You really want to give Viggo to him?"

The riders exchanged looks. "It's not that we believe him," said Hiccup, "but we have no other leads. Ryker may not give us the Dragon Eye, but if there's a chance we can stop Viggo by handing him over..."

"That's what I'm talking about. It sounds like you believe Ryker's version of events rather than Viggo's."

"Viggo did run off on us," Astrid said.

"You were keeping him prisoner and the island was under attack. He was probably just looking after himself."

"Wait, do you believe Viggo?" Snotlout said incredulously.

"Viggo is the more cunning brother," Dagur said. "It would make sense he's the one who's lying."

Eira shook her head. "You're not looking at it right. We all agree the dragon hunters are behind Ryker, correct?"

"That's right," Hiccup said.

"So, either Viggo went rogue or Ryker and the hunters committed mutiny and cast Viggo out. Forget about how you think they act and focus on their motivations. Ryker clearly has motivation to overthrow Viggo. He's not as patient and may have grown tired of Viggo's long-term approach. And perhaps he feels he hasn't been treated well."

"That does make sense," Fishlegs said thoughtfully.

"But why would Viggo go off on his own?"

"To take down Hiccup," Dagur said. "That's what I would do."

"But he's not you. Yes, he wants to defeat Hiccup, but I don't think it's an obsession like it was with you, Dagur." Eira turned to Hiccup. "He's a game-player, right? I think that's what he enjoys. He wouldn't act rashly just to end you. As weird as it sounds... I think he respects you as an opponent. That may be why he was willing to go to you for help. Also, I don't think he would leave the hunters behind. He takes too much pride in his leadership role. He wants to create something for himself within the organization. Giving all that up just for revenge doesn't make sense."

Hiccup frowned and furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "Even if what you're saying is true, it doesn't mean we can trust him. Viggo may take us out along with Ryker."

"Or Viggo and Ryker are working together to set us up," Astrid suggested.

"You both make good points," Eira said. "There is still a lot we need to think about, but can we agree we shouldn't trust Ryker or give him Viggo?"

Hiccup hesitated. "I guess you're right." He sighed. "There is a lot to think about. I need to clear my head." He turned to the clubhouse door.

"I'll hold things together while your gone," Astrid said. "Take your time. We'll be fine."

"Do you really believe Viggo would keep his word?" Fishlegs asked Eira one Hiccup left.

"I don't know," Eira said honestly. "I should have talked to him longer. If I knew him better, I might be able to figure it out."

"If his offer was serious, maybe he will return," Snotlout said.

No one else believed it until Hiccup came back a few minutes later, holding the Dragon Eye. With a serious expression, he said, "Viggo is back."

Hiccup and Astrid decided they could not trust Viggo. Eira followed them as they threw him into a cage in the stables. She wanted to say something to stop them, but she did not yet have sufficient evidence to justify her request.

"Hiccup, you must reconsider," Viggo said anxiously.

"I'm sorry Viggo," Hiccup said. "There's just too much bad blood for us to trust that you'll do anything but try to, well you know."

"And the Dragon Eye's return, it did nothing to assuage your concerns?"

Astrid scoffed. "Not enough."

Viggo looked at them earnestly. "Ryker will attack this island with my Shellfire dragon. I'm afraid he won't stop until all of you are, well, you know."

Hiccup frowned. "That's encouraging, as always, Viggo."

"You see that's just it! I could be of considerable assistance in helping you defend your home if you would allow me."

"We'll take that under advisement," Astrid said.

"Eira, surely you can talk some sense into them."

Eira hesitated. "Well..." She turned to Hiccup. "Do you want if I talk to him alone?"

Before Hiccup could respond, the twins rushed into the room in a frenzy. "They're here," Tuff said. "Well, I mean not here exactly but very soon, soon they will be here. I'm thinking we might need to start getting ready."

Hiccup blinked. "Translation, Ruff?"

"Dragon hunters," Ruff said. "Multiple ships headed this way."

"Thank you." Hiccup glanced at Eira. "Talk to Viggo if you want. Just make sure he doesn't escape."

"And don't let him out," Astrid said.

Eira frowned. "Why would I let him out?"

"Because you're too trusting."

"But I was right about Dagur!" Eira called after her as she left with Hiccup.

"They mistake your kindness for stupidity," Viggo said. "It's a pity."

Eira looked at him uneasily. "You would take advantage of it if you could."

"No, I think you're smarter than that. Otherwise I would have tried a long time ago. Ah, before a forget." Viggo reached into his bag and pulled out a stack of parchment paper. "Here. This is everything I have gathered about the potential attack on your home."

Eira reached through the bars and grabbed the papers. "Thank you." She slipped them into her own bag. She could look them later.

Viggo regarded her with mild curiosity. "Now, what did you want to talk about?"

Eira took a deep breath. "Look, I don't know if the others will listen to me if I tell them to let you help us, but I need to know if I should at least try."

"Everything I have done is not good enough?"

"Sorry, I need more. You can start by telling me why you want to help us."

"I thought I made that clear. We have a common enemy. Why wouldn't I want to help?"

Eira took a moment to think about how to ask this correctly. She knew Viggo kept his emotions in check, so exposing them would be difficult. "Our common enemy is your brother. His betrayal had to have affected you. How did it make you feel?" She decided the direct route was her best bet here.

"Ah, I see." Viggo paused, seeming to be thinking. "Ryker and I were never as close as some brothers. Competition for power will do that. I suppose it was inevitable he would one day grow frustrated with his role. His ability to rope the hunters into his scheme, though, was unexpected. I do not dwell on unpleasant emotions - I prefer doing something about my problems, which is why I came to you - but it did hit me hard."

Eira nodded. "Okay. And you have no qualms about killing your brother?"

Viggo's expression darkened. "Ryker ceased to be my brother the moment he turned his back on me. But this is not about revenge. Ryker and the hunters know more about me and my plans than anyone else. They still see me as a threat and will stop at nothing to eliminate me. I must strike first."

"It is about survival. That makes sense. And you're not above turning to your enemies to survive?"

Viggo gave her a wry smile. "If that is what is necessary. And despite the troubles Hiccup has caused me, he is an honorable opponent, the same of which cannot be said of my brother."

Eira searched his face but saw no sign of deception. Everything he told her fit with what she already knew. And though he tried to hide it, she could see hints of his resentment against his old allies. She understood why he would think it more important to defeat them than the dragon riders. "For what it's worth, I believe you. I'll tell Hiccup, but it might not change anything."

"Do not let it bother you. It is his fault if he lets his paranoia blind him from the truth. He and Astrid may say you let your emotions cloud your judgment, but it seems to me it's the other way around, don't you think?"

Eira had not thought about it that way, but she had to agree. Always distrusting someone could be as dangerous as always trusting someone. Now she had to try her best to share what she believed to be the truth.