Chapter 42: Berserker Island

Eira, Ingrid, and Dagur met up a couple of times to help Ingrid figure out their relationship. Later on, Dagur and Heather invited all of the dragon riders to Berserker Island for some sort of Berserker apprenticeship graduation ceremony. Eira did not remembering hearing anything about this from Dagur, so she was curious to find out what it was all about.

The riders landed at the entrance to the village and were met with a bored looking Berserker soldier. Welcome to Berserker Island," he said in a monotone voice, "where dreams become realities. Name?"

"Nice motto," Eira giggled. She could imagine this guy's reaction when Dagur ordered him to say it.

"Haddock," Hiccup said, seeming startled by the question. "H-Hiccup."

Astrid moved to stand beside him. "And Hofferson, Astrid."

"Uh, we're here for the ceremony."

"Did not ask you that," the soldier said boredly while staring at a piece of paper in his hands. He appeared to mark off the correct names. "Next?"

Fishlegs stepped up. "Ingerman, Fishlegs."

"Move, move," Snotlout said as he pushed his way to front. "Jorgenson, Snotlout Gary." He started to move past him, but the soldier pushed him back.

"Hold it. Not on the list."

Snotlout frowned. "What?"

"Oh, no, it has to be on the list," Hiccup said in worry. "Can you look again?"

The soldier moved the paper closer to his face. "Only Jorgenson I see is a Snothat."

Hiccup and Astrid laughed. Eira thought she saw Ingrid giggle, but she quickly looked away when she glanced at her.

"That's not my name!" Snotlout said indignantly.

"Brother!" Dagur exclaimed as he descended with Sleuther.

"You all made it!" said Heather, who landed beside him.

Dagur strolled towards the group of riders. "Stand down, guard. They're on my personal guest list."

"Yes, chief," the soldier said in the same tone of voice.

Dagur grinned at Hiccup. "You hear that, H? 'Chief!' Hey, Eira!"

"Hey, Dagur," Eira said with a smile. She greeted him with a quick hug, sensing two sets of eyes on her.

"It's good to see you again, Ingrid!"

The younger girl nodded. "You too, Dagur. And you, Heather."

Dagur looked around at the group. "Any problems getting here?"

"No, it was an easy trip," Astrid said.

"Right up until the time that my name wasn't on the list," Snotlout muttered.

Dagur looked aghast, though the expression seemed oddly forced. "It wasn't? Oh, heavens."

"No, no, it was," Hiccup said quickly. "It was just a slight-"

"'Snot-hat,'" the soldier said.

Dagur stifled a laugh. "I'm so sorry. I'm usually dead on with remembering names, Snotpocket." He turned to the guard. "They are all more than welcome on our little slice of Berserkedness." He smirked at Snotlout. "You too, Snotlip."

"'Snotlip,'" Snotlout mumbled. "You too, Dagfart."

Eira gave him a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry about it. He's just having fun."

Snotlout ignored her and headed for Hookfang. She glanced at Ingrid, who shrugged. Perhaps his name was a sensitive subject.

The riders followed Dagur and Heather on their dragons as they led them across the island, pointing out landmarks along the way. When they got a little too far inland, the dragons started action funny, twisting around as if trying to get rid of fleas.

"Our dragons have been having a little trouble adjusting," Heather explained.

"Yeah, had to build the stables over the village," Dagur said, pointing to a hill.

"They look very familiar," Astrid said.

"We may have stolen- borrowed the plans from you. But having them way up there keeps the dragons much calmer."

"That's odd," Fishlegs said. "Dragons are normally very adaptive creatures."

"Yeah, I've never heard anything like that," Eira said.

"Maybe they're just reacting to living amongst all the crazy Berserkedness!" said Tuffnut.

The dragons finally calmed down once they landed on the hill next to the stables. "They seem fine now," Hiccup said.

"Weird, right?" said Fishlegs.

"Definitely."

Snotlout cleared his throat and approached Dagur from behind. "So, Dagster-"

Dagur turned around and gave him a harsh look. "Dagur. It's Da-gur. No 'S,' no 'T.'"

Snotlout's eyes widened. "Yeah, no, no. I know. I was just, um-" He hesitated when Dagur's face hardened. "Uh, so, Dagur. The Berserker Apprentice Program. What's up with that? Why would you want to be an apprentice? Answer all my questions."

Dagur's expression lightened somewhat. "It's not just an apprentice, Snothole. It's the apprentice. A Berserker apprentice. We spent months combing the region for the baddest, smartest, craziest Viking in and outside the archipelago."

Snotlout blinked. "You did?"

"Oh, yeah. And who'd have thought the candidate would be right in our neighbor's backyard the whole time?"

Now Snotlout appeared genuinely interested. "Really? Do we know him?"

"Do you know him? Come on out, boy! Reveal yourself and your many skills and talents! The first Berserker apprentice to ever grace this crazy land. I present to you-"

From out of the stables emerged... "Gustav!" The boy struck a pose as he said his name.

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged glances. "Gustav?"

"Gustav," Dagur said, nodding.

"The super Berserker apprentice," said Gustav.

Snotlout stared at the kid. "What?"

"Turns out, some people truly understand the value of the Guster and relish the qualities he brings to an apprenticeship program. It's like I was born to be Berserk."

"Who is Gustav?" Ingrid whispered to her sister.

"I'll tell you later," Eira whispered back. While she did not share the same distaste for the kid as the others, she did find it odd that Dagur would choose him as an 'apprentice.' Was he impressed with the way he outsmarted him when they met, or was there something else going on here?

"Oh, hey, Eira!" Gustav said brightly. "You came to see me? Maybe later we can go off alone and-" Dagur cleared his throat and gave him a harsh look. Gustav chuckled nervously. "Uh, never mind."

"I don't understand," Snotlout said.

"I didn't either, Snotnose," said Dagur. "I thought, 'who could possibly live up to the high standards that I, in particular, would demand of an apprentice to call my own?'"

Snotlout looked from Dagur to Gustav. "This guy?"

Dagur smiled. "This guy."

"But it's Gustav. He's just a fake me. Why accept imitation when you can have the real thing?"

"Snotlout, that's not very nice," Eira said. Ingrid nodded in agreement.

"Silly, Snotface," Dagur said. "He's been studying Berserk history, learning all the Berserker songs."

"And I've been practicing all the latest Berserker fighting techniques," Gustav said. He moved his weapons around rapidly.

Dagur chuckled nervously and took a step back. "Can't wait to see that. My little super apprentice is even graduating two weeks early."

"Oh, stop it, you."

"No, you stop it."

Ingrid gave them an odd look and leaned in close to her sister. "Is this normal behavior for them?"

"For Gustav, yes," Eira said. "But something seems up with Dagur..."

"I thought so. Well, he's the chief, so we best go along with it."

Eira nodded. "Right."

"Oh, I'm gonna be sick," Snotlout muttered. He suddenly looked up and gasped. "Dagur! Dagur!" He ran and pushed Dagur and Gustav out of the way off a falling boulder.

"Boulder!" Gustav cried as they landed in the grass.

"Good lookin' out, Gusterama!" Dagur said.

Gustav grinned. "Guster on the spot, bro."

Snotlout stared at them blankly. "What?"

"I thought you were pretty brave," Eira said softly to him. Now she was sure Dagur had an ulterior motive. It seemed he was trying to boost Gustav's ego for some reason. Until she knew what it was, Ingrid was right; she had to go along with it.

"What do you say you lead these guys on a tour of my domain?" Dagur said to his apprentice.

"It would be my pleasure, oh, chiefly one," Gustav said. He stood up straight and started forward. "Everyone choose a buddy. Don't want anyone to get lost in the ol' tour de la Berserkers."

"Is that French?" Dagur said. "I love French! Oui, oui."

"French," Snotlout scoffed. "He doesn't know French. What's French?"

"Just relax and have fun," Eira said to him. She wondered why he was getting so worked up. She would say something to Dagur if she was sure it wouldn't interfere with whatever plan he had going on. For now, she would keep an eye on Snotlout to make sure he didn't get too down.

Although Eira had been to Berserker Island before, she enjoyed the tour. It was good to see all the improvements they were making after the destruction Ryker caused. Afterwards, the riders settled in for the ceremony. The crowd talked amiably to each other while Dagur stood on stage with Gustav.

"Shut up!" Dagur shouted to quiet everyone. "It is in times like these that I'm reminded of something my great-uncle Haggard used to say, 'There we were, three against a thousand. Toughest three we ever fought.'" Everyone stared at him blankly. "Anyhoo, today's about only one man. One man who I'm going to miss as his apprenticeship comes to a sad but beautiful end. There will be a huge hole here and a bigger hole here." He placed his hand over his heart.

The crowd "awwed," but Eira's attention was on the two soldiers advancing towards Dagur from behind. Her eyes narrowed and her body tensed. Something was not right.

"And that man is none other than-" Dagur stopped abruptly when the two soldiers grabbed him. "What the?"

"Uh, part of the ceremony?" Fishlegs said nervously.

"Dagur!" Eira cried, leaping to her feet.

"Eira, wait," Ingrid said, holding her sister's arm back. She nodded to the horde of soldiers on stage. "You'll never get to him without being captured yourself."

Dagur looked at the leader in surprise. "Savage? What in Thor's name do you think you're doing?"

"Something I should have done a long time ago," Savage said gruffly. "I'm takin' control." He pointed at the dragon riders. "Seize them!"

"Go!" Astrid shouted.

Eira started to move forward, but she paused to look back at Dagur. She hated leaving him like this. Heather gave her a sympathetic look and then urged her forward. Eira picked up speed as she followed the others. They all tried to call for their dragons but received no response.

"I don't understand," Fishlegs said anxiously. "Why won't they come?"

"They must be locked in the stables," Hiccup said.

"What about Dagur?" Gustav said.

"What's wrong, Gusto?" said Snotlout. "Lost without your hero?"

Hiccup gave him a sharp look. "Snotlout!"

"We have to save him," Eira said.

"We will, but we need our dragons," Astrid said.

Hiccup nodded. "Astrid's right, everybody. We have no chance on our own. We're outnumbered." He turned as Heather motioned to them from a ledge up above. "Heather!"

"Follow me!" Heather said. She lead the riders to a cave. "In here! Quickly!"

Everyone filed into the cave. Hiccup stayed near the entrance to keep a lookout. A minute later, he returned to the others. "It's clear."

"A coup?" Heather said in frustration. "Really? How did this happen?"

"Don't look at me, I had nothing to do with it," Gustav said quickly.

Heather blinked. "I wasn't looking at you."

"Dagur can get so wrapped up in something that he can miss everything else going on around him," Eira said. "And maybe he's become a little too trusting."

"You're one to talk," Snotlout said. He turned to Ingrid. "This looks bad on Dagur, doesn't it? Does that mean I get more points."

Ingrid shook her head. "There are no points, and no. It's not the crisis that matters but how leaders respond to crises."

"Alright, we need to act fast," Hiccup said. "Heather, you, me, Astrid, and Fishlegs will go get the dragons. Snotlout, Eira, Ingrid, and Gustav, go see if you can get a bead on Savage and Dagur."

"Right!" Eira said.

"He's probably in a cell," Heather said. "Fastest way to the prison is through the maze of caves under the island."

"Hey!" Gustav exclaimed. "How come I don't know about those?"

"It's probably a need to know basis, and you don't need to know," Snotlout said.

Heather motioned to a tunnel near the back of the cave. "You can reach them if you continue through here," she said.

"What about us?" said Tuffnut.

Hiccup stared at the twins. "Uh..."

"I know it's a hard decision," Ruffnut said.

"Because of our innate value," said Tuffnut.

"Inane, maybe," Snotlout muttered.

"Yeah, insane, maybe. But we feel our skills can best be used with-"

Both groups of riders got out of there before the twins could finish. Snotlout led the way through the tunnels while Eira took up the rear so she could keep an eye on Ingrid and Gustav.

"Okay, Gusteronimo, time to level with me," Snotlout said. "How did you really end up in this apprentice program?"

"Dagur obviously saw something in me that you didn't," said Gustav. "Heroism. Loyalty. I spent a lot of time with him when he captured me and Fanghook."

"Which is exactly why I don't get it. Anyone who spends time with you wants to kill you."

"I guess we'll have to agree to disagree."

"'I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.'"

Ingrid fell back to whisper to her sister, "There isn't real an apprentice program, is there?"

"Doubtful," Eira said.

The riders stopped when they suddenly reached a deep gorge. Without hesitating, Snotlout took a running leap to reach the ledge on the other side. Eira jumped after him and then looked back at the teens. She was about to ask Ingrid if she was alright when the girl effortlessly cleared the gorge. She smiled at Eira's surprised look.

"Come on, Gustav!" Ingrid called. "It's nothing!"

Gustav anxiously peered down into the gorge. "Uh, well..."

"Come on," Snotlout said, "you can't be afraid of heights. We fly dragons."

"This is different." Gustav took a deep breath and jumped. However, only managed to grasp the ledge with his hands while his legs tangled in the air. "Help! Help!"

"Will you shut up?" Snotlout groaned. "I've got you." He picked Gustav up and held him in the air. "Even though I should drop you."

"Don't you dare drop me!" Gustav cried in terror. Snotlout brought him over to safety and let go. "Thank Thor, thank Thor, thank Thor."

Snotlout rolled his eyes. "Get a hold of yourself."

"Go easy on him," Ingrid said. "We can't all be great adventurers."

"What adventures have you been on?" Eira said skeptically, earning a shrug from her sister.

"But he's supposed to be this amazing apprentice," Snotlout said. He shook his head. "Let's just go."

The four of them continued through the tunnels. Eventually, they found their way out and arrived at the prison, which appeared heavily guarded.

"All right, we're gonna go old-school and simple," Snotlout said. "Gustav and Ingrid will create a diversion, draw the men away, Eira and I will rush in and spring Dagur."

"Sounds too risky," Gustav said.

"Okay, fine. We'll be the diversion and you go rescue Dagur."

"That sounds too risky, too."

Snotlout gave him a harsh look. "It's all risky, Gustav."

"Yes, and we need to save Dagur," Eira said. "Do you actually care about him, or do you just like the attention he gives you?"

"Of course I care about him!" Gustav said.

"Then find your courage and do whatever Snotlout says!"

Gustav's eyes widened, and he nodded in agreement. Snotlout told him and Ingrid to fetch the key from the guard and enter the prison. Meanwhile, Snotlout and Eira ran straight in front of the guards, catching their attention.

"Have you guys seen the dragon riders?" Snotlout called. "Oh, wait. We're dragon riders."

Snotlout and Eira split up and ran, dividing the guards. When Eira looked back, she saw Gustav run right into a guard, who immediately captured him. Ingrid skidded to a halt beside him. She was a goner as well. Snotlout groaned and pulled Eira into the bushes.

"I'll try getting the key this time," Eira said in a low voice.

"Here we go again," Snotlout muttered. With renewed energy, he leapt out of the bushes to resume his antics.

Eira waited until the right moment, and then she sneaked over to the guard with the key. While his eyes were in Snotlout, she carefully reached out her arm and snatched the key. Then she just as carefully entered the prison, where found found Dagur, Ingrid, and Gustav in a cell waiting for her.

"Eira!" Dagur said brightly. "You came to rescue us!"

"You can thank me once this is all over," Eira said. Snotlout had arrived by the time she opened the cell door.

"And I just took out all the guards," Snotlout said smugly. "You should have seen it. It was beautiful. Poetry in motion."

"Well, now, now," said Dagur. "Uh, Gustav deserves a little credit, now. He did bore those guards to sleep with his long, long story."

Gustav blinked. "Huh? Oh. Oh. Yeah, yeah."

Snotlout frowned. "What?"

"Forget about it," Eira said. It would take too long to explain her suspicions. The group of five exited the prison and set out to find the rest of Savage's men.

They had not gone far when they suddenly found themselves in the middle of a large group of guards. Snotlout managed to find a hiding spot for them all before they were taken out. They took a moment to breathe before coming up with a plan.

"We're trapped!" Gustav cried, his eyes wide with fear. "What do we do?"

"Like my great-uncle Haggard used to say," Dagur began, "'There we were, three against a thousand.'" The others stared at him. "Why doesn't anyone else think that's funny? Anyhoo, if my calculations are correct, it's us against 20 or so of Savage's men. We go four apiece, Berserker-style."

"Me likey," Snotlout said with a grin.

"On my count. One. Two."

"Wait!" Gustav exclaimed. "We-we can't. I mean, I can't." His eyes were wide, and his body shook with fear.

Dagur frowned. "You can't what?"

"I'm not the super apprentice you think I am. I cheated on all the history tests. I was lip-syncing when everyone was singing the Berserker songs. And I never learned a single fighting technique. Look, I'm a terrible apprentice."

"I knew it!" Snotlout said.

Dagur sighed. "Come here." He grabbed Snotlout's arm and pulled him aside. Curious, Eira followed them. "You don't think I knew that, Snotpit? The kid's only here because Stoick needed a break from the little beast. The entire apprentice program is made-up. A sham. I'm terrible."

"Ah, so that's it," Eira said. "I knew it must be something like that."

Snotlout stared at her. "You figured that out?"

Eira shrugged. "If you stopped being so jealous all the time, maybe you'd pick up on a few things."

Snotlout shook his head. "Back to the point, Gustav is not even close to being ready for this."

"Negative, Snotrider," Dagur said.

"Look, can you please stop messing with my name? I know you know it."

"Aww... But it's so fun. Fine. I'll do my best."

"Hey, guys?" Ingrid called. "I think I'll stay here with Gustav. He's a nervous wreck."

Eira nodded. "Good idea." She didn't want her little sister to be put in danger anyway.

Dagur peered out at the guards. "Three against 20? Could be worse."

"We've got this!"

The three of them raced out with their weapons drawn. Eira could not remember the last time she had been in a battle without Swiftwings, but the desire to help Dagur and her friends spurred her on. When they finished with these guards, they found several more with Savage, engaged in battle with the other dragon riders.

Eira, Dagur, and Snotlout swung down on ropes and knocked out the remaining guards. The riders looked at them in surprise.

"Ah, it's a good day to be me," Dagur said upon capturing Savage.

Eira let out a breath of relief. It was over at last. She turned when she heard rustling behind her, relaxing when she saw Ingrid and Gustav approach. Gustav seemed a little better, and Ingrid was grinning.

"That was awesome!" Ingrid exclaimed. "You three make a pretty good team."

Dagur looked from Eira to Snotlout, smiling. "Yes, I'd say we do."

A/N: That was exciting! Not to worry, the next chapter will contain the last part of the episode.