Chapter 51: Misgivings

The dragon riders took a couple of days to rest after their big adventure. Once she was ready, Heather decided she wanted to say goodbye to her father with only Astrid, so the two of them set off for Vanaheim together. Johann stopped by after they left and offered to help Hiccup find the jewels he needed to complete the Dragon Eye Two, and the twins agreed to go along for backup.

Meanwhile, the rest of the riders accompanied Dagur to Berserker Island to retrieve his Dragon Eye lens. "I'm glad you guys came with me," Dagur said. "Hate to admit this, but I might need the backup."

"Really?" said Snotlout. "For what?"

Dagur scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Well, when I was a kid, I was bullied."

"Aww..." Eira and Ingrid said.

"You?!" Fishlegs exclaimed.

Dagur frowned. "Yes, me." He cleared his throat. "By one kid. Older, monstrous, tough as a Quaken, mean as a Speed Stinger. Ansson. Ansson the Abominable."

They arrived at the docks and were greeted by a laughing man. "Ansson the Abominable, you say?" he said.

"Abominable!" a woman laughed.

"Oh, he's right here," said the man. "Except we call him, Ansson the Incompetent." He pointed to a skinny man on a ship who slipped and fell into the water.

"I'm sure he was terrifying as a child," Eira said.

"He was!" Dagur insisted. His eyes narrowed at the man, and he stormed to the ship. "There he is! Ansson the Abominable."

Ansson turned around and smirked at Dagur. "Oh, well, if it isn't Dagur the Dainty," he said. Snotlout and Fishlegs started laughing.

Dagur chuckled. "Yeah, nobody calls me that anymore, Ansson, now that I'm chief and all."

"Oh, is that right? What brings you to the docks, Chief Dainty?"

Dagur continued to chuckle awkwardly. "Uh, hey, when we were kids, Ansson, you borrowed something from me."

Ansson gave him a look. "I took a lot of things from you."

"While there may be some truth to that, there is one little thing that I kind of need back. It's no big deal. Just a decorative glass, doohickey, with a metal rim."

Ansson nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I remember that thing. I used to set things on fire with it. I may still have it around here somewhere, Dainty."

Dagur groaned in frustration.

"Excuse me for a minute, Mr. Abominable," Snotlout said. He pulled Dagur off to the side and huddled with the others. "What are you waiting for? Look at that guy. Just take it from him."

Dagur looked anxiously from Ansson to Snotlout. "I can't. Look, old Dagur would've snatched it back by now and thrown him overboard. But I promised Heather I would lead by example from now on, so -"

"You know what?" said Fishlegs. "Good for you, Dagur."

"Put a sock in it, Fishface!" Snotlout snapped.

"No, it's great," Eira said. "You're doing the right thing, Dagur."

Ingrid nodded. "It's very chiefly of you."

Snotlout rolled his eyes. "Ugh! Listen, all bullies want things. Find something he really wants and then trade him for the lens."

"You know, Snotlout may be right," Fishlegs said.

So, Dagur gathered a piled of random stuff and offered each one to Ansson to trade for the lens. However, Ansson did not appear interested in anything. "I don't get it," Dagur said in frustration. He doesn't want gold or silver or anything."

"Maybe you could try asking him?" Eira suggested.

With a defeated sigh, Dagur turned to the skinny Viking. "Please, Ansson, what do you want?"

"The Thunderfish," Ansson replied.

Everyone stared at him blankly. "Wha?" Snotlout said.

"I want you to help me catch the Thunderfish."

Dagur scoffed. "The Thunderfish is a myth. How are we to help you catch something that doesn't actually exist?"

Ansson's eyes tightened. "It exists. I've seen it. Been chasing that giant for years. It's why they all laugh at me."

"And if I help you catch this Thunderfish?"

"I'll give you your doohickey, Dainty."

Dagur nodded. "Alright, I'll do it." He looked back at the others. "This should only take a few minutes." He left them to join Ansson on his boat.

"He is quite impressive," Ingrid said once they set sail. "He really has learned how to be a proper ruler."

Eira smiled. "That's for sure. He's come a long way."

"He's quite presentable now. Haldor liked him. I think Mom and Dad would approve of him as an ally if they met him."

Eira felt uneasy as she looked at her sister. "I suppose that's true..."

"And to think Dagur figured it all out on his own without my help... unlike this guy." Ingrid smirked at Snotlout.

"Hey!" Snotlout said indignantly. "I'm a great learner."

Ingrid shrugged. "Dagur wasn't trying to learn anything. He just did it."

Fishlegs looked around at his friends in confusion. "I'm not quite sure what's going on, but I have a question. Why is Snotlout spending so much time with Ingrid?"

"I'm learning how to be a prince, Fishface," Snotlout replied.

"I get that, but shouldn't you still want to be with Eira as much as possible? I spend more time with Heather and we're not an official couple yet... and we live on two different islands."

Snotlout frowned at him. "What are you implying?"

"I'm just saying, if you want a healthy relationship, you should-"

"I'll show you a healthy relationship!" Snotlout took off after Fishlegs, who ran away in fear.

Eira exchanged a look with her sister. "What just happened?" she said.

Ingrid shrugged. "I'll fix this." She watched Snotlout chase Fishlegs in a circle for awhile. Then she reached out and pulled Snotlout back by his shirt. "This is not how a prince behaves!"

Snotlout winced. "Sorry, Ingrid."

Eira chuckled lightly. There was never a dull moment around here. She set to waiting for Dagur. Eventually, he returned with Ansson, but she could see no fish on the boat. By then, a crowd had gathered around to hear about the adventure.

"I don't see no Thunderfish," a Berserker said.

"Ha! What a shock!" said a second man. Everyone started laughing.

"What happened?" Fishlegs said in concern.

"The Thunderfish turned out to be a Scauldron," Dagur replied.

"Huh?!" a Berserker said in shock. Then everyone started laughing. Anson began to sulk off, but Dagur pulled him back.

"A Scauldron!" Dagur repeated. "A massive, killer dragon whose water-strike burns the skin off your bones." The Berserkers began to murmur. "Ansson here faced the beast down eye to eye and bravely helped chase it away. Now that it's no longer around to eat the fish, all your nets will be fuller."

"Is this true?" The Berserker said suspiciously.

"You dare question the word of your chief?" Dagur said in a commanding voice. He placed his arm over Ansson's shoulder. "This man saved my life, and he improved yours." The Berserkers murmured some more.

Snotlout broke the awkwardness by starting a chant. The Berserkers soon joined in. They cheered and surrounded Ansson, who appeared much happier. Eira smiled at the scene.

"Dagur, what about the lens?" Fishlegs said when Dagur left Ansson's side.

Dagur smiled sadly. "A Berserker deal is a Berserker deal. We didn't catch a Thunderfish. I didn't earn it."

"Yes, you did," Ansson said as he tossed him the lens, "Chief."

"That was great, Dagur," Eira said when he returned to the riders. "You were amazing." She gave him a quick hug.

Dagur smiled at her. "Thank you, Eira. It seems this new method is quite effective."

Eira nodded. "Keep it up!"

The Vikings returned to their dragons and headed to Dragon's Edge. Their upbeat mood was soon destroyed when Hiccup relayed terrible news: Johann was working with the enemy. Everyone appeared stunned.

"So, Johann has been playing us all for years," Astrid repeated. "And the twins are the reason you figured it out?"

"And you're sure my lens will help us find this King of Dragons?" said Dagur.

"I hope so," Hiccup said as he put the last jewel in the Dragon Eye Two.

"So do I, brother. So do I."

Hiccup placed a lens in the Dragon Eye Two and held it out to Toothless. "Okay. Hit it, bud." Toothless blew fire into the device, lighting up a strange map on the wall.

"Five different classes," Fishlegs explained.

"And we have lenses for three." Hiccup placed another two lenses in front of the Dragon Eye Two, causing more images to show up.

"First person to find all five lenses -" Astrid began.

"-reveals the King of Dragons," Fishlegs finished.

A look of resolve came over Hiccup's face. "Game on."

Needless to say, the news of Johann's betrayal enraged Chief Stoick. He destroyed all Berk's goods from the trader, so Hiccup was forced to look for new merchants. The dragon riders stayed on Berk while everything was sorted out. To get away from it all, Snotlout helped Ingrid train in close combat at the arena.

"You're doing really well," Snotlout said when they took a break. "You might even be better than Eira at this. She's more hesitant to fight."

Ingrid lowered her axe and grinned. "Thanks! I prefer peaceful tactics myself, but when I do get riled up, I go all out!"

"Like your dragon?"

Ingrid smiled. "Exactly." She returned to her bags to fetch some water. She could feel Snotlout's eyes on her, but it was not uncomfortable. Something nagged at her though, and she knew she had to get on with it. She took a deep breath and turned to him. "Listen, we need to talk."

"About what?" Snotlout said with an air of obliviousness.

Ingrid looked at him with a slightly uneasy expression. "About what Fishlegs said about you and Eira the other day."

Snotlout's face hardened. "He's a muttonhead. Don't listen to him. Eira and I don't have any problems."

"Maybe that is the problem."

Snotlout frowned. "What do you mean?"

Ingrid hesitated. "Maybe things are a going smoothly because you're not doing anything."

"We do plenty of things!"

"All things that friends do. When is the last time you kissed her?"

Snotlout's cheeks turned pink. "We're just being cautious. We don't want to go to far."

Ingrid raised her eyebrows. "But are you even tempted? When is the last time you've felt desire to kiss her... or something more?"

Snotlout turned away from her, clearly uncomfortable. "There's more to relationships than that."

"Yes, I know. But I was talking to Runa, and-"

"You can't compare us to Runa and Viggo. They have a lasting passion that you admitted is rare."

Ingrid took in a deep breath. She really wished he would calm down so they could talk about this rationally. She thought about using Shadowwhisper, but she did not want Snotlout to think she was manipulating him. "That is true. However, I also said passion is something that should grow. That is why I have given you and Eira plenty of time to progress. It seems to me you're exactly where you started."

Snotlout stared hard at the ground. "We've been busy with the dragon hunters."

"Not that busy."

Snotlout shot her a look. "Okay, if you're so smart why would I be with her if I didn't actually like her?"

Ingrid had hoped he wouldn't ask her that, and now she felt compelled to give an answer. "It could be for the same reasons she chose you. You'e comfortable with her. She's safe. Maybe you're afraid you won't find anyone else you could like."

"Oh, I could find plenty of girls to like. Finding a girl who likes me is the problem." Snotlout's eyes widened as if he had revealed more than he intended. He quickly looked away.

Sadness clouded Ingrid's eyes as she gazed at him. "Snotlout, there will be plenty of girls who will like you," she said softly.

"You're just saying that."

"No, I'm not. I know because..." She took a deep breath. "I like you."

Snotlout turned to face her, his eyes huge. "What?"

Ingrid immediately became nervous. "I - I mean I would like you if you were available and not dating my sister and all..." She gave him a timid smile. "But that's not the point. If I like you, there will surely be other girls who do as well. You just haven't met them yet."

A small smile formed on Snotlout's face. "Yeah, maybe you're right."

Ingrid let out a breath of relief. Talk about nerve wracking! "Good."

Uncertainty flashed in Snotlout's eyes. "So, what do I do about Eira? I do like her, but I don't want to drag this on forever."

"You don't have to do anything drastic just yet. Keep what I said in mind and maybe try to see if you can push things along. You could even talk to Eira about your concerns. And if either of you ever need anything, I'm here." She gave him a bright smile.

Snotlout smiled back at her. "Thanks, Ingrid. You're a good friend... and sister." Then he hugged her. It was short and sweet like she knew it had to be. Afterwards, they resumed their training. There was nothing more that needed to be said.

Krogan set a clever trap for Hiccup and Stoick. He led them away from Berk in search of medicinal herbs while his flyers attacked the island. Thankfully, they returned in time, and together with the riders, they fought off the attack. After a couple of days helping Berk with the damage, the riders returned to Dragon's Edge.

"It's good to be back here," Eira said as she entered the clubhouse with Snotlout, who had asked to speak with her privately.

Snotlout gave her a weak smile. "That's for sure." While he enjoyed the chance to show off his combat skills, he could not get what Ingrid said to him out of his mind. Did she really like him? Why had he not seen that before? And why did he care?

"Snotlout, are you okay?" Eira stood before him with a worried expression on her face.

Snotlout looked at her sheepishly. "I'm fine. I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"About... us."

Concern flashed in Eira's eyes, but she quickly hid it. "What about us?"

"Why do you never kiss me?"

"W-What?" Eira said in alarm, her eyes going wide. "I-I'm sorry if you want me to. I can try, but you can kiss me too, you know." She blushed and looked away.

Snotlout frowned. "That's not what I meant. I don't need you to kiss me. I mean, I - I don't mind if you want to, but..." He paused. "Shouldn't we want to?"

Eira relaxed slightly as she looked back at him. "Should we want to kiss? Eventually, I guess. We're not really there yet."

"Don't you think that's a problem? I mean, Hiccup and Astrid aren't overly clingy, but they still act more like a couple than we do. I feel like everyone would forget we are one if we didn't mention it every now and then."

Eira furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "Well, we're on the same page, which is good. It's not like one of us is madly in love while the other is not. I think we still have something to build on. Maybe we just need some practice with the romantic aspects."

Snotlout smiled in relief. "Yeah, maybe you're right." Maybe he was making too much out of this. That's what he got for thinking too hard!

"Good. So, if you want to kiss me..." She trailed off and looked at him expectantly.

It took Snotlout a moment to realize she meant now. "Oh. Okay." He moved in close to her, and his palms became sweaty. He did not know what to do with his hands, so he placed them on her arms before leaning in. His lips lightly brushed hers. It felt good, but there was little desire for me. He pulled back and stared at her.

Eira gave him a timid smile. "Thank you. That will do for now."

Snotlout smiled weakly in return. "Right. We'll practice later." That was all they needed. Practice.