Chapter 50: Closure

"Thank you for coming with us, Eira," Dagur said excitedly.

"It's no problem," Eira said with a smile. Her brother recently returned home, leaving Runa with Asmund. Now Eira, Dagur, Fishlegs, and Hiccup stood outside the clubhouse with their dragons, ready to go on a new adventure. Heather had recently become obsessed with finding her father, and Dagur was worried for her safety. Their father's journal suggested they search Vanaheim, the final resting place of dragons that the riders had been to once before. That was where they were headed now.

"Are you sure Snotlout does not mind?"

Eira had not even thought to ask him. Her boyfriend had not shown any jealousy towards Dagur at all since she chose him. She looked into the clubhouse to see Tuffnut, Ruffnut, Snotlout, and Ingrid discussing the whereabouts of Chicken. "He's fine. I think he's really into Chicken's case."

"I'll make sure he doesn't get into trouble," Ingrid said.

"And I'll watch the other two," said Astrid.

"Thank you," Hiccup said.

So, Eira and the others took off. It was a pleasant flight to the foreboding island. Eira hoped their visit would go better than last time. The Sentinel dragons that guarded the island really did not like their presence.

"All right, gang, here's the plan," Hiccup said when they neared their destination. "We land, look for Oswald, and then cover ourselves in fruit."

"Not that I don't appreciate a good fruit bath now and again," Dagur said, "I mean, the last one was just... Uh, but I really don't see how it's gonna help."

"To escape, Dagur. To escape."

Dagur peered at the Sentinels in the distance. "So, those statues are really dragons?"

"Don't worry," said Fishlegs. "They're not gonna bother us on the way in. Maybe on the way out."

But he spoke too soon. The Sentinels flew from their posts and surrounded the dragons. They must have remembered their scents from last time! They were forced to fight off the dragons as they made their way to the island.

"Are those sick dragons?" Fishlegs said when he noticed the Sentinels allow a flock of dragons to pass by.

"Must be," Hiccup said.

"Oh!" Dagur exclaimed. "So they're letting those little shifty dragons on but not us? I didn't come all this way not to get Heather some answers. Follow me!" He darted straight for the beach, and the others had no choice but to follow him. All four of them crashed into the sand and fell off their dragons. At least the Sentinels no longer bothered them.

"That was brilliant, Dagur!" Fishlegs said. "You knew the gust of air from the wing clap would slow us down just enough so we wouldn't be smashed to bits."

Dagur gave him a sheepish smile. "Yeah. Let's go with that."

"We should be fine for now," Eira said, watching the Sentinels fly off. The riders dusted themselves off and began their search for Oswald. Soon, it seemed they had scoured every part of the island but found no clues.

"Trying to think positively here, but it feels like we've been walking in circles," Dagur said in frustration.

"Wait, I found something!" said Fishlegs, peering at the ground. "I've never seen teeth like this before. Maybe Sharp Class?"

"And there are more over here," Hiccup said from across the way.

"Great!" Dagur grumbled. "So, besides finding a bunch of dragon teeth, the diary led us to another dead end. Yippee!"

Eira gave him a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure we'll find something soon."

"We've got to be missing something," Fishlegs said.

"Uh, gang," Hiccup said suddenly, "you might want to see this." He stared up at a large dragon skull, the inside of which appeared to contain a tunnel.

"Oh, my Thor," Fishlegs breathed.

"'Oh, my Thor' is right!" Dagur exclaimed. He paused. "Wait, what is he right about?"

"The skull," said Hiccup. "It was in the diary, Dagur. It proves Oswald was here."

"And possibly still is," said Fishlegs, following Hiccup into the Skull's tunnel.

"Ahh... I hadn't thought of that," Dagur said. "Hadn't thought of that at all."

Eira caught the sudden change in his tone. She moved in close to him and spoke quietly while they walked, "Are you alright?"

Dagur chuckled nervously. "Me? I'm great. I'm fine. I'm-" His smile fell. "No, I'm not alright."

Eira touched his arm comfortingly. She did not know what she could say right now to make him feel better, but at least she could stay with him. She sensed he needed some time to process his thoughts and emotions.

The riders and dragons made it through the tunnel and came across a new area. They also spotted the dragons from earlier a little ways off. Fishlegs picked something up from the ground. "Hiccup, these are the same teeth we found earlier," he said. "These dragons aren't sick."

"They're hunting," Hiccup said ominously.

"Hey, look at that!" Eira exclaimed. She pointed to some sort of wooden structure concealing a cave up ahead. "That looks man made."

"We better check it out." They raced to the cave to examine the structure. Hiccup ran his hand along the wood. "This wood has been salvaged from a Berserker galleon."

"He was shipwrecked," Dagur said softly.

"So, do we knock?" Fishlegs questioned.

Dagur suddenly backed away, eyes wide. "Uh... Maybe we should take a snack break before heading in. Anyone hungry? Feeling a bit peckish." He smiled weakly. "I'm kidding! Gotcha!" He looked around anxiously. "I mean, someone had to do it, right, Hiccup? The Berserkers needed a leader!"

Hiccup looked at him in concern. "Dagur, are you all right?"

"I mean, oh, uh, yeah, sure, maybe it was a bit of a power grab, taking over the tribe the moment Oswald went missing. It's crazy, but I never really regretted it until just now."

"You never gave yourself the chance," Eira said gently.

Dagur spun to face her. "Huh?"

"That's what you do, right? You're constantly engaged in activity so you don't have time to think or feel. But you have to do it, Dagur. You have to face those things if you want to move on. But you don't have to do it alone." She touched his arm and smiled at him.

Dagur visibly relaxed as he gazed at her. Finally, he nodded. "Okay, I can do this." He took a deep breath and pushed open the door. "Uh, Daddy?" Then he let out a loud gasp.

Eira was immediately by his side. "Oh no..."

They were too late. All they could do now was bury Oswald's remains and pray for his soul. Eira remained beside Dagur while a melancholy mood took over him.

"This is all my fault," he said sadly. "He he was stranded, Hiccup. He died here all alone."

"You had no idea where he was," Hiccup said gently.

Dagur looked at him anxiously. "I-I-I never sent a search party! I mean, I-I had a lot going on back then, being evil and all. But I should have tried."

"You feel guilty. That's totally normal."

"I was a villain."

"No, you were a kid. A misunderstood, diabolical, slightly maniacal-" Hiccup paused. "Yeah, okay, fine, so you were a bad kid. But none of that makes a difference. He was your dad. He loved you no matter what."

Dagur stared glumly at the mound of dirt. "I guess we'll never know."

Hiccup looked at Eira helplessly. She nodded in reply. She walked up to Dagur and touched his arm once more. "Dagur," she said softly, "look at me."

"What?" Dagur mumbled. The pain in his eyes pierced her heart.

Eira moved so she was facing him and placed both her hands on his arms. "It's good that you're feeling all this. Take all of it and gather it together, alright?"

"But it feels like it will crush me!"

Eira smiled lightly. "I won't let that happen." She waited until she saw him wince in pain. She wanted to move straight into comforting him but knew she couldn't skip anything. "Remember this feeling, Dagur. Remember it so you will do what you can to avoid it in the future."

Dagur took in a shaky breath. "I - I will."

"Good. Now take everything and... let it go. Let it wash over you like water and leave you in peace." She watched as he closed his eyes and breathed deeply. "You can't changed the past, and that means it can't hurt you anymore. You are better than you were then. Focus on who you are now and who you want to be."

Dagur remained silent for an impossibly long minute. When he finally opened his eyes, they were clearer and brighter. "Thank you, Eira," he said with a smile. He pulled her in to hug her, which she gladly reciprocated.

"Uh, guys?" Fishlegs said from the makeshift house. "I think you need to see this." Eira, Dagur, and Hiccup entered the cave. Fishlegs held out a notebook with a drawing of the dragons they saw earlier. "Look, you were right, Hiccup. They're hunters. Oswald named them Grim Gnashers."

"They prey on the sick dragons," Hiccup said grimly.

"And apparently, Oswald would help the Sentinels drive them off." Fishlegs looked at Dagur in awe. "Your dad was a hero."

Dagur stood proudly. "Of course he was. He was a Berserker."

Toothless moved to a pile of rubbish and sniffed around. "Bud?" said Hiccup. "What is it?" He bent down and picked up two sealed letters. He handed them to Dagur.

"One for Heather," Dagur said, accepting the first letter, "and this one's for me?" He stared at the second letter in his hand.

"Do you want to be alone when you read it?"

"Yes. Wait, I mean-" Dagur glanced at Eira.

The young girl nodded in understanding. "I'll sit with you."

Dagur smiled slightly. "Thanks."

The two of them made their way to the top of the cave, where they sat together with their legs dangling over the edge. Dagur read the letter silently, occasionally making a comment. Eira was curious about its contents but knew he just wanted her to be there with him.

When he was finished, Dagur set the letter down, took in a deep breath, and let his breath out slowly. "Whoa. That was heavy." But he was smiling.

"You feel better now?" Eira said tentatively.

Dagur nodded. "Yes. Thank you for everything, Eira." He placed his hand over hers on the ground. She did not think to pull away. "Hiccup was right. My dad did love me all the way until the end."

Eira smiled. "I thought so too. I'm sorry it ended this way. He sounded pretty amazing. And I just thought of something. If he helped the Sentinels, that means he realized dragons aren't evil independent of Hiccup's discovery."

Dagur brightened. "That's right! He was pretty sharp."

"And that means it's not so crazy to leave at peace with dragons. Maybe it won't be terribly difficult to spread the idea and show others how amazing dragons are."

Dagur grinned. "That sounds like an excellent idea, Eira. I'm in!"

Eira chuckled lightly. "I'm glad."

A sudden noise caught their attention. They peered over the edge to see several Grim Gnashers surrounding a sick Gronckle. The Vikings looked at each other and nodded. They called their dragons, hopped on, and raced to defend the Gronckle.

"This is for you, Daddy!" Dagur cried.

Soon, Hiccup and Fishlegs joined in the mission. Working together, they were able to successfully drive off the Grim Gnashers. They then decided it was time to head home. The Sentinels approached them once more, but this time they let them pass in peace.

"I need to get this to Heather," Dagur said, holding up the letter.

"Well, maybe sometime you could bring her back here," Hiccup said. "Seems like we've earned the Sentinels' respect, which is pretty impressive."

Dagur blinked. "Oh, wait, so I earned respect? I'm so used to just demanding it. That's crazy."

"I think you'll find earning respect more useful," Eira said. "You can get more done."

"I will keep that in mind."

"You know what, Dagur?" said Hiccup. "Going in that hut may have been the bravest thing I've seen you do."

Dagur smiled at him. "Well, I couldn't have done it without all your Hiccup-y guidance. And, you know, if you ever go on a seemingly impossible wild-goose chase and need a little company-"

"Happens all the time."

"You can always count on this ax, brother."

And with that, they all started for Berserker Island to tell Heather the news.

Finding Heather proved to be more difficult than it first appeared. Upon arriving at Berserker Island, a soldier told Dagur that Heather and Johann had set off for the Northern Markets to meet a man who claimed to have seen Oswald alive. Of course, this had to be a trap, so Dagur, Eira, Hiccup, and Fishlegs immediately set off for the Northern Markets.

When they could not immediately spot Heather, the Vikings took to interrogating the merchants. Hiccup advised everyone to keep a low profile. If someone was up to something, they did not want to attract unwanted attention.

"Are you listening to me?" Dagur shouted as he held a merchant up by his shirt. "Am I speaking in some foreign tongue? Huh? Tell me where my sister is, or your head will end up on the end of a long pole attached to my ship!"

"I guess he didn't get the part about being discreet," Hiccup said.

"Actually, that is pretty discreet for Dagur," said Fishlegs.

"That's actually fair."

"He's just worried about Heather," Eira said. "His intensity show that he cares."

"Hiccup!" Dagur called. "This one won't talk. What do you think we should do?"

"Dagur, call me old-fashioned, but I'm not sure that this is the way we want to go about getting people to help us," Hiccup said.

Dagur blinked. "Oh, it's not? Oh, I'm sorry. Too soft, right? I should really work them over!" He immediately grabbed another merchant and threw him into a barrel of corn.

"No! No, please. Do not work anyone over."

"Oh, all right, I'll tell you! I'll tell you!" the merchant exclaimed.

Dagur pulled him back up and set him on his feet. "Huh. I guess you're right, Hiccup." He turned to the merchant. "Well, let's hear it."

The merchant explained he saw a loud-mouthed Viking there to buy chicken feed (Snotlout) with a raven-haired woman (Heather) and Johann. There was a fight that ended in a stalemate. The dragon riders fled north, followed by a large group of dragon flyers. Dagur appeared frustrated at the news.

"This is all on me," he said woefully.

"It's not your fault," Eira said, giving him a sympathetic look. "Heather is the one who is obsessed. You were just trying to look out for her."

Dagur seemed to accept this for now. The four of them got back on their dragons and headed north. They flew through most of the night without spotting a thing. Finally, they approached several sea stacks where Vikings and dragons perched.

They got there just in time to watch a caged Windshear fall into the ocean. Heather dove after her, and Dagur and Sluether followed suit. Thankfully, Sleuther was able to carry the cage with Windshear and Heather out of the water.

Eira helped the riders fight the dragon flyers, who had obtained a Dragon Eye lens from Heather. The lens traded hands many times, but in the end, Krogan flew off with it. At least Heather and Windshear were safe. With that in mind, the riders retreated to Dragon's Edge.

Once home, Hiccup and Heather explained their adventures to the other riders. Apparently, Heather wore a Dragon Eye lens on her belt for years without knowing what it was. While everyone quibbled about this, Eira noticed Dagur watching Heather anxiously. She approached him and placed a comforting hand on his arm.

"You have to tell her," she said softly.

"I know, but she's going to be so disappointed," he said.

"Then it's a good thing she has a big brother to console her." She gave him an encouraging smile.

Dagur took a deep breath. "I'll do it." He approached Heather and led her away from the group.

Eira smiled faintly as she watched them. They both had come so far since she first met them. She was glad she could do something to help. They both deserved the best.

"Eira?"

The young girl turned to see Hiccup and Astrid watching her. It was the former who had spoken. "Yes?" she said in reply.

Hiccup hesitated before continuing. "I just wanted to thank you for your help today. You did a great job with Dagur."

Eira smiled slightly. "Thanks, Hiccup."

"I know I said I wouldn't get involved, but... You seem to understand him really well, and you have a strong connection. Whatever shape your relationship takes, I think you should try to hold onto that."

Eira was surprised by his analysis, but he was not exactly wrong. "I... will." She had not thought of anything today except helping Dagur. She was just being a good friend... right?

A/N: Season 5 is over. We're 5/6ths of the way through!