Chapter 58: The King of Dragons

For the second night in a row, Eira could not sleep, so she slipped out of Heather's bed and exited the room. She should not have been surprised to see Dagur standing in the main room, staring hard at the house's door. "Watching for intruders?" she said lightly.

Dagur seemed surprised to see her, but then he grinned at her. "You can never be too sure with those nasty dragon flyers around!"

Eira smiled slightly. "Right."

"Why are you up? You really should get some rest. We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow."

Eira hesitated before responding. "I had a bad dream. Then I woke up from it and was alone in the dark, and I had to get out of there." She bit her lip and looked away. She knew she probably sounded foolish.

Dagur, however, gasped loudly and exclaimed, "You had a nightmare? That's intolerable!"

Eira's eyes widened at his sudden intensity and fierce expression. "You can't defeat a nightmare like it's an enemy. I'll be fine. I just-"

Dagur grabbed her arm and pulled her into his chest. "I can still fix it!" He wrapped his arms around her securely, and she relaxed against him. "Stay with me. I'll make it better. You don't have to be alone." His tone softened as he held her.

"Dagur..." Eira closed her eyes and breathed in his comforting scent. She wanted to stay in the safety of his arms forever. "Thank you, but I do need to sleep."

"Stay with me," Dagur repeated softly. "I promise I won't try anything. I just want to make you feel better."

Eira pulled back and looked up into his eyes, noting the sincerity there. For a previous villain, he really could be quite adorable sometimes, and she loved him for it. She felt compelled to kiss him but held back to help him keep his promise. Instead, she simply smiled sweetly at him. "Okay. Let's go."

Dagur gently took her hand in his and led her to his room. She was too tired to think of anything but sleep as they crawled into bed together. He pulled her so she lay partially on top of him and kept his arms around her. "Good night, my princess," he whispered before kissing her forehead.

Though she felt herself quickly drifting off, Eira still managed a smile. "I love you, Dagur."

"And I love you... I love you very much, Eira."

Eira had no more nightmares that night. She awoke feeling well-rested and content. However, she found she could not move because Dagur held his arm tightly around her. She nudged him gently, but he did not budge. "Dagur," she said, "wake up."

This did not work either. She would have to wait for him to awaken naturally, not that she minded all that much. She took the time to admire his handsome features. He looked so peaceful when he slept. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but her arms were pinned down. This did give her another idea.

Eira managed to move enough so that her face was near Dagur's. She lightly kissed him on the lips, hoping it would be enough to wake him. When it did not work, she kissed him harder. She almost pulled away in surprise when he kissed her back. He moved his arm to pull her body close to his. This allowed her to finally move her own arms, which she did so she could tangle her fingers in his hair.

After a minute, Dagur moved over her, straddling her. "This is quite the good morning," he said huskily before kissing her jaw. "Dagur likey." He trailed kisses down her neck, making her moan.

Eira could hardly remember why she originally wanted him to wake up. Her mind grew fuzzy but not fuzzy enough to miss the sound of someone moving in the next room. "Dagur," she groaned, "did you hear that?"

Dagur paused his movements for a second to listen. "It's probably Viggo or Runa." He kissed her lips, and she lost all desire to protest.

"Dagur!" Heather shouted from next door.

Dagur pulled back and growled in frustration. "Okay, it's not Viggo or Runa."

Eira gasped. "Heather is back!"

This brought energy to both Vikings. They quickly got up and made themselves presentable. Just then, the door opened and in stepped Heather. She opened her mouth to speak but froze when she saw the couple.

"Uh, hey, Heather," Eira said. "This isn't what it looks like. I couldn't sleep, and..."

"Dagur!" Heather scolded her brother. "You took advantage of Eira in her time of need?"

"I did no such thing!" Dagur retorted. "And she started it anyway."

Heather rolled her eyes. "Right."

"How are you feeling, Heather?" Eira asked cautiously.

Heather gave her a small smile. "I'm feeling much better, thanks."

"That's a relief!" Dagur said. "Next time, I'll be the one to show those dragon flyers who's boss."

"But this time it was Hiccup. I just received word from the dragon riders. They successfully repelled the dragon flyers from Vanaheim, and they found the last Dragon Eye lens!"

Eira gasped. "So, now we can find the King of Dragons?"

Heather nodded. "Exactly."

"Woo!" Dagur cheered. "Let's go!"

Eira grabbed his arm to prevent him from running off. "Hold on. Heather, we're worried Berserker Island might be targeted since your dad was caught up in all this. Someone needs to protect the island."

Dagur immediately deflated. "Fine, I'll stay," he grumbled. "You two go ahead."

Heather hesitated and looked from Eira to Dagur. "Actually, why don't I stay and watch over things here? You go with Eira, Dagur."

The chief brightened. "Really? You mean it?"

Heather smiled slightly. "Sure. It's your turn for an adventure, brother."

Dagur grinned. "Thanks, Heather. You're the best! Come on!" He grabbed Eira's arm and practically dragged her out of the room. Laughing, she followed close behind him.

The dragon riders finally returned to Dragon's Edge, and they all gathered in the clubhouse as Hiccup fit the last Dragon Eye lens into the device. Then he held up the Dragon Eye, and Toothless lit it up with his fire. Ingrid watched excitedly as images began to form on the wall. Appearing to depict a large Dramillion surrounded by dragons from the five dragon classes.

"A Dramillion," Fishlegs said in confirmation. "That's a Dramillion."

"The King of Dragons is a Dramillion?" Astrid said skeptically.

"No, it's a Titan Wing Dramillion." Fishlegs approached the wall and pointed at the image. "Look at the Titan Wing in relation to the other dragons. It's bigger than this Monstrous Nightmare right next to it." He looked around at everyone with a grin. "This must mean that the giant skeletal remains on Vanaheim belong to another Titan Wing Dramillion."

"Okay, okay, sounds great," Tuffnut said, "but what can it do?"

"How does it kill its enemy?" Ruffnut asked. "Fire?"

"Spines?"

"Liquid, hot magma?"

"Actually," said Hiccup, "legend has it that the King of Dragons uses its mind."

Tuffnut blinked. "What, like as a bludgeon?" He swung his head at Hiccup. "Pah!"

Hiccup ducked out of the way, pushing Tuffnut when he came at him again. "No, Tuff, it uses its mind to control other dragons, to make them do whatever it tells them to do."

"Which is pretty cool," Ingrid said. She appreciated good mind tactics.

"But it could also be catastrophic. We have to get to Dramillion Island as quickly as possible, find the King of Dragons, and move it out of there." Hiccup led the way out of the clubhouse. Everyone stopped when a dragon was spotted flying toward them.

"Snotlout, is that your dad?" Astrid said.

Snotlout squinted his eyes at the figure. " Huh. What in the name of Thor is he doing here?"

Hiccup ran to greet the Viking as he landed. "Spitelout. Oh, no, Dad!

"Aye, Hiccup," said Spitelout, "it's the chief." He held up his hands when Hiccup gave him a dejected look. "He's alive. He's alive. But he's gotten worse. Gothi is trying, but I'm sorry, son. She's not hopeful. The Elders called a council meeting and -"

Hiccup shook his head. "Don't you say it."

"You have been voted Acting Chief."

"Uh, I think my man here was pretty clear, in that, he did not want you to say 'it,' assuming that was 'it,'" said Tuffnut. "Hiccup?"

"Um, I-I don't mean to be insensitive -" Fishlegs said hesitantly.

"Fishlegs, I know," said Hiccup. "We need to get to the King of Dragons before they do."

Spitelout placed his arm around Hiccup and steered him away from the others. "Sorry, Chief. You're going one place and one place only: Berk."

So, it was decided. The riders retreated to their huts to gather their belongings. Ingrid sadly grabbed what little she had in Eira's hut. Upon exiting, she was surprised to see Snotlout outside. "Hey," she said, "are you ready to go?"

"No," Snotlout responded. "I mean, yes, I'm packed, but I'm not ready to go."

Ingrid gave him a sad smile. "I know what you mean. We've had some fun adventures here. It's never easy to part."

Snotlout twisted his fingers together while giving her an anxious look. "Do you think your brother will make you go home with him now that we're leaving the Edge?"

Ingrid frowned. She had not thought that far ahead. "I... I guess so. There's no reason for me to stay. Eira is the representative..." But her heart squeezed at the thought of leaving her new friends... especially him.

Snotlout took a deep breath and stepped closer to her. "Maybe you could have a reason, if..."

Ingrid's heart picked up speed. He couldn't be insinuating what she thought, could he? No, it was probably just wishful thinking. Still, she had to know for sure. "If what, Snotlout?" She bold moved closer to him so there was barely any space between them and dared to place a hand on his arm. To her relief, he stared at her hand but did nothing to remove it.

"If... I was jus thinking..."

"Snotlout." Ingrid placed her free hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat at a pace that rivaled hers, and his attention snapped to her. "Do you want me to stay?"

As Snotlout gazed into her eyes, his pulse returned to normal and all signs of anxiety evaporated. "Yes. Please stay with me, Ingrid."

"Wow, you calmed yourself pretty fast. Is Shadowwhisper around?" Ingrid turned her head back and forth to look for the dragon, but Snotlout stopped her by placing a hand on her cheek and tilting her chin so she looked at him. The smile on his face made her breath catch in her throat.

"No, that's all you." Snotlout closed the distance between them and kissed her. Eyes fluttering closed, Ingrid kissed him back. It felt amazing, just like a fairytale. When they broke apart, they both had goofy grins on their faces. "So, will you stay?"

Ingrid smiled. Instead of answering him, she slipped her arms around his neck and brought him into another kiss, which he responded to readily. His hands moved to the small of her back to pull her closer to him. Finally, Ingrid pulled back and smirked. "Yes, I'll stay with you."

Snotlout's face lit up. "Really? I mean, good. If that's what you want."

Ingrid chuckled lightly. "Muttonhead." She leaned into him, resting her head on his chest. He tightened his arms around her to keep her close. She sighed contentedly.

"We should find the others, shouldn't we?" Snotlout said after a minute.

"That would be the responsible thing to do..." Ingrid reluctantly entangled herself from him. Upon starting forward, she felt him grip her hand. She looked back at him, and he gave her a questioning look. She merely smiled at him to let him know it was alright. Then they set off together, hand in hand.

They found everyone minus Hiccup and Astrid gathered outside Hiccup's hut. "What's going on?" said Snotlout.

"Shh!" said Tuffnut. "We're eavesdropping!"

"It seems your chief thinks it best to go after this King of Dragons to protect the archipelago," Spitelout said.

"Of course he does," said Snotlout. "Hiccup is always doing selfless stuff like that."

"Which means the Elders chose correctly," said Ingrid.

Spitelout looked from their joined hands back to his son. "And who is this?"

"I'm Ingrid, Eira's sister."

"And my girlfriend," Snotlout said confidently. "And we are going to help Hiccup."

Ingrid grinned. "That's right."

Fishlegs looked at them in confusion. "Wait, when did you two-?"

Before he could get the question out, Hiccup opened the door to his hut, still talking to Astrid, "All right, now let's get the Riders and see if we can ditch -"

"Going somewhere?" Spitelout said.

Hiccup stared at him with wide eyes. "Uh, well -"

"Never mind. I heard it all."

"We heard it all," Tuffnut said.

"Yeah!" Ruffnut agreed.

"And we're coming with ya, Chief," said Spitelout. "Your father would want it this way."

"Then let's go!" Snotlout exclaimed.

"Just give me a minute," Ingrid said. "We have to tell Eira!" She quickly scribbled a note and sent it off with Squirt. Then she joined the others.

Everyone raced to their dragons. Once they were in the air, they were met by Haldor and his troops. "I heard about the King of Dragons," he explained. "I thought you could use some help."

"We appreciate it," Hiccup said. "We're headed to Dramillion Island."

"Then we shall join you."

"Thanks, brother!" Ingrid said.

"You're the best!" said Snotlout. "Aside from me, of course."

Haldor looked from Snotlout to Ingrid, who flew extremely close together and kept glancing at each other. "You two are together now? Good." Then he took off."

"Wow," Snotlout said in amazement. "He's really cool."

Dagur and Eira were on their way to Dragon's Edge when something hit Dagur in the face, making everything go dark. "I'm blind!" he cried dramatically.

"Dagur, it's a Terrible Terror," Eira said.

"Oh." Dagur pulled the dragon away from his face and gave it a dirty look. "Watch where you're flying, rat with wings!"

"That's not a rat, that's Squirt." Eira smiled at the Terrible Terror, who chirped in greeting. "Do you have a letter for us, boy?"

Dagur spotted a scroll tied to the dragon's leg and snatched it. "You're so smart." Squirt gave one last chirp and flew off.

"See you later!" Eira looked at Dagur curiously. "What does it say?"

Dagur uncurled the note and scanned its contents, trusting Sleuther to steer him straight. "It's from Ingrid. She says the King of Dragons is a Titan Wing Dramillion and they're headed to Dramillion Island to find it!"

"A Dramillion? Interesting."

"Do you know where to find Dramillion Island?"

"Yes, follow me!" Eira took off on Swiftwings, and Dagur followed close behind.

When they reached the island, they could see a fierce battle already ensued between the dragon riders and flyers. "Oh ho ho! We're getting some action today! Where should we start?" He looked form the battle on the ships to the ground battle to the air battle.

"Let's find Hiccup and look for the King of Dragons." So, they set off for the island. It did not take them long to find Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, and Spitelout, who were dodging blasts from Dramillions.

"Hello, brother, we're here to help!" Dagur declared. He paused as he took in the scene. "Why are these dragons chasing you?"

"They must be defending something," Hiccup said.

Eira suddenly gasped. "Look!"

Dagur followed her gaze and watched as a giant dragon appeared after several flyers shot at it with their Singetails. He whistled in appreciation. "That's one big Dramillion." The dragon flyers immediately began attacking the Titan Wing in full force. The other Dramillions began to attack the flyers, who attacked them back.

"Well, looks like they could use our help," Hiccup said.

"Let's do this, Eira!" Dagur exclaimed. The two of them flew straight for the action. Their dragons shot at the flyers while their riders swiped at them with their axes. They managed to down a few of them, but more just seemed to keep on coming. Eventually, the Titan Wing Dramillion was hit by a dragon root arrow, disorienting him.

Eira flew a bit too close to the giant dragon, who seemed to not be able to differentiate between friend and foe. He noticed he was about to strike her with his claw, so he had Sleuther shoot a blast near him to distract him. Eira looked back at him in shock. Dagur quickly caught up with her so he could better protect her.

It was all over once the hunters on the ship managed to strike the Dramillion with a harpoon. The Titan Wing crashed to the ground, where it was netted and dragged to the waiting fleet. The riders immediately flew to the shore in an attempt to avert the tragedy. The flyers created a cage of fire around them, blocking off all paths. Krogan appeared in the middle and fired at Hiccup, causing him to be flung from Toothless.

"Hiccup!" Fishlegs and Astrid cried.

"I'm all right," Hiccup said, slowly getting up. "Krogan, get out of the way. You don't know what you're doing."

"Clearly, that's not the case, Hiccup Haddock," Krogan said coldly.

Hiccup glared at him. "That's it, Krogan. You're done."

"Calm down, boyo," Spitelout said. "There's too many of them. We'll regroup and kick their rears another day."

"Listen to your elder," said Krogan. "He speaks wisely." He and the flyers then flew in the direction of the retreating fleet.

"We're just going to let them get away?" Dagur said incredulously.

"We have more pressing concerns, people," Spitelout said.

"What could be more pressing than getting Krogan off that dragon and out of the sky?" Hiccup said, his face contorted in anger.

"My son and his girlfriend and those two knucklehead twins. Did you happen to notice they haven't returned?"

Eira blinked. "Girlfriend?"

"Your sister. Look!"

Dagur snapped his head to look at the sinking ship in the water, being circled by Hookfang, Shadowwhisper, and Barf and Belch. "Help!" Snotlout shouted from a window.

"So, clearly, they're on that ship," Hiccup said.

"Which doesn't look like it's gonna be a ship for much longer," said Fishlegs.

Hiccup looked at the sinking ship and then the departing fleet. "There's no choice, then," he growled.

"Aye," said Spitelout.

The riders flew out to the ship to rescue their friends. "Help!" Snotlout screamed. "Help us! I'm important!"

"Hang on, guys!" Hiccup shouted. Toothless fired a plasma blast at the window near Snotlout, creating an opening.

"Are you crazy?!" Snotlout exclaimed. "Did you not see me standing there?"

"Hey, can we talk about this back at the Edge?"

Hookfang lifted Snotlout into the air. "Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho, we'll talk about it."

Dagur and Eira flew to meet Ingrid as she was retrieved by Shadowwhisper. "Are you okay?" Eira asked.

Ingrid gave her a weak smile. "Never been better."

"Good. Now, what's this about being Snotlout's girlfriend?"

Ingrid chuckled nervously. "About that..."

"Hiccup!" Haldor called form behind. Everyone's attention was diverted as the prince flew over to them. "The Dramillions are safe, but one of my men was injured."

"I am sorry to hear that," Hiccup said. "You can get help from him back at Berk or-"

"Or you can come with me to Berserker Island," Dagur said. "We've got a pretty good healer too."

"That's a good idea," Eira said. "And we could use the extra protection."

Haldor lifted his eyebrows. "'We?'"

Eira immediately falter. "I, uh, I mean-"

"I told her to help Dagur protect Berserker Island in case it's targeted next," Hiccup explained. "Go with them for now."

Haldor nodded. "Will do."

Dagur looked over at Ingrid and Snotlout suspiciously. He really wanted to know the story about that, but he needed to get home and protect his island. Once Haldor returned with his soldiers, they started off for Berserker Island.