Oswald and Heather eventually stopped hugging and wiped the tears from their eyes.
"Where have you been?" the father asked.
"I'd been living on this one island before Alvin attacked it. I have some really great foster parents who I managed to escape with," Heather revealed.
Mia and Axel smiled as they heard this and descended down the ramp to meet the Berserker.
"I owe you everything," Oswald told them, clasping their hands in his. "She's my world."
Mia looked at Heather. "It was our pleasure."
The eldest Berserker beamed. "I have the perfect hut for you both. It's right next to mine, so it'll be easier for Heather to visit you."
Dagur nearly facepalmed at this and quickly intercepted, seeing the not so comfortable looks on Mia's and Axel's faces.
"What he's trying to say is that you all are welcomed at both places. Of course we would love having Heather stay with us, but it makes sense that you would want to get to know us better before that happens."
His words eased the minds of the parents and they visibly calmed down. The chief chuckled to himself.
"Future me must be a good influence," he thought . "Since when do I edit what Dad says?"
Oswald was just as surprised by this fact. Annoyance trickled its way into the man, though he did not show it in front of the newcomers. Instead, Oswald forced a smile.
"Whatever you all wish to do is fine by me."
Axel glanced at Mia. "I think we'd mainly like to get settled in first, if that's all right."
"Of course. Of course," the former chief speedily stated.
He led them to their hut and once they reached it, the Dagurs slipped into their own hut.
"What do I do about this scroll?" pD asked, closing the door. "I can't leave Heather. I just found her, but I need to do something. Skrills are too lethal to be in Alvin's clutches."
FD stroked his beard. "Maybe Heather will be up for joining? Like you said, we have to respond to this and it'd be better to mention it before you take off."
Open to trying, the chief exited the hut and unloaded his ship, putting the boxes in the hut next door. When he was done, he tried to be casual.
"So, I just got this dragon letter, telling me that the Berkians found a Skrill, but it got caught by Alvin. I should probably go help get it back. He doesn't really need an electric reptile at his command. I'd understand if you never want to be near Alvin again-"
"Not a chance. If there's a way to ruin something for Alvin, I want in," Heather informed her brother, eliciting an enormous grin.
Dagur laughed. "Our first team up!"
He almost hugged her, but tried to keep his cool. Having overheard them, Oswald walked over to the two.
"You're going to Berk? It's been a while since I've gone. I'll join you."
For the second time that day, Dagur surprised himself. This time, it was by refraining from glowering at the news his father had just delivered.
Heather smiled at this. "This'll be great," she thought. "By the time we're done, I'll have gotten to know both of them."
"I'll go ask my…" the Viking trailed off.
Oswald gave her a comforting smile. "It's fine. I don't expect that habit to be broken today. Anyway, they deserve it for all that they've done."
Heather nodded, thankful for him being understanding, and went to find Axel and Mia.
"Are you sure that you're up for another voyage so soon?" Dagur asked Oswald.
The Berserker turned. "I'm sure and either way, the signing of the treaties was supposed to have happened by now. I need to see what the state is between our lands, now that it's been in your hands."
Dagur frowned. "We're still at peace." He recalled something. "I actually have something that I need you to sign."
Going back to his hut, Dagur grabbed the treaty and brought it to hand to Oswald. The Berserker turned up his nose as he took the scroll.
"I suppose that this was low on your list of things to do?"
The chief grumbled. "Kind of was busy trying to find Heather."
His eyes widened as he heard Oswald laugh.
"Stoick didn't trust you, huh? I bet that he only agreed to sign this if I signed the other part. Can't say that I blame him." Dagur let out a low growl and Oswald wrote his signature. "I'll just keep this to give to Stoick, myself."
He put the scroll in his pocket and brushed past Dagur, heading through the village. The Berserker headed down to the docks, but he wanted to find some Vikings to go along with him to Berk. He found Captain Vorg talking to another viking and started approaching them.
"...even brought Heather back too." Oswald heard Vorg say.
Realizing that his presence had not yet been detected, the Berserker slowed his pace and listened.
"Maybe he could actually be a pretty good chief. I mean, he did step up and take charge while Oswald was gone."
By now, the man had heard enough. He went over to the two, pretending to have heard nothing.
"We'll be leaving for Berk today and I want the two of you to accompany us," he stated.
The man could see in their eyes that they were uncertain.
"What's the problem?" Oswald inquired, brows furrowing.
Vorg hesitated, though spoke. "It's only that, Dagur told us to keep watch over the island while he's gone. Um, I'm sure that Herald will be going. He went last time."
The shock on Oswald's face was abruptly replaced by anger. "I don't ca-" He stopped and bit his tongue, grinning a winning smile. "Sorry. I should have asked before assuming."
With that, he turned and went to the ship. Dagur was already on the vessel, as was Herald, when Oswald arrived. The chief noted the scowl that was sent his way and frowned back at Oswald in reply.
"Real mature," fD scolded.
"He started it," pD whispered.
Herald tilted his head. "What did you say, Chief?"
Dagur cleared his throat. "Nothing, Herald."
As this ensued, Heather was talking to Axel and Mia.
"Mom, Dad," she started, entering the hut.
They pivoted to face her. "Yes?"
"Dagur received a note from the Berkians that said they need help with something."
Axel pressed for more. "Help with what?"
For a split second, Heather considered telling them all that she had learned. "I can't tell them what I plan on doing," she thought. "They'd think I'm crazy and would make me stay." "They need help finding a dragon that escaped. It's really powerful and they don't want it to fall into the wrong hands," she decided to say.
The elder Vikings glanced at one another before nodding.
"You can go," Mia said. "It'll be a nice way to get to know Dagur and Oswald."
Heather grinned and hugged them. "Thanks. I'll see you when we get back. Love you!"
She hurried out the hut, leaving her parents to think over what they had done.
"Do you really think that this is a good idea?" Axel asked.
Mia shrugged. "Not sure. She's keeping something from us, I just hope it's not too big. I might be reading this wrong, but I think she'll be safe with that new brother of hers."
Her husband agreed and they peeked out the hut door to see as Heather went down to the docks. Once she was out of view, they felt their nerves go into overdrive.
"All we can do now is hope their voyage is a safe one," Axel mentioned, holding Mia's hand.
Heather boarded the ship and they set sail. The Vikings arrived at Berk shortly and disembarked. Stoick and Hiccup were on the docks again, waiting for the Berserkers. Their eyes widened as Oswald stepped off the vessel, then enlarged when Heather did as well.
"Oswald!" Stoick exclaimed, smiling. The Berkian went over to the other chief. "We feared the worst. Where were you?"
Oswald handed him the signed treaty. "On an exhibition of mine. I had an extended stay, but I am back now and wanted to visit."
While Hiccup was shocked to see Oswald, seeing his newest friend was the most surprising part of this experience to him.
"Heather? What are you doing here?" he asked.
The girl went near him. "Well, the Vikings that you helped me save last time were my adopted parents. This-"
Before she could finish, Hiccup jumped onto it, "Is your birth family. You're Dagur's sister?"
Heather smiled. "He found me yesterday and we thought that this would be a good way to spend more time together."
All Hiccup could do was congratulate the family on being reunited. "On another note, the more help we get finding this Skrill, the better."
Dagur thought of a question that had been nagging him since he read the scroll. "How did it escape? You said it was frozen in an iceberg."
Looking sheepish, Hiccup said, "True, but I left it with Snotlout and the twins."
The Berserker chief nodded. "Makes sense now."
Despite how much Dagur wanted to lay siege to Outcast Island, he remembered how adamantly his future self warned him to be covert in their interactions.
"By now, Alvin's already put Skrilly somewhere he thinks he won't get out of," he said.
Hiccup's brow rose. "'Skrilly'?"
The chief nodded. "If we're stealthy, we should be able to sneak in and out without being noticed." A twinkle shone in the Berserker's eyes and he turned to his sister. "Heather, you've been on Outcast Island for a while. Can you give us its layout?"
She agreed and took out a scroll, drawing what she could recall. "That's all I remember. I think that there's this one spot right...here. Alvin was pretty secretive about it and whenever I went anywhere near it, he'd get paranoid. Not sure what's there, but it's definitely something that he doesn't want anyone to know about."
They looked at the drawing and Hiccup spotted a location. "That looks like a back entrance. We could sneak in there."
Dagur eyed the spot. "The only problem is that Alvin made sure his back entrance could still let Vikings be seen from the West side. My guess is that you'd have to know where to look, but the only real place you could be to see this is..." He scanned the area, "about here. If we have someone on lookout duty, they'd be able to see the Outcasts before they see us."
Hiccup nodded. "We'll be stealthier if we go on the dragons."
That said, the Berkian led the Berserker siblings to the training arena. Oswald stayed behind with Stoick, who still was curious about all that occurred.
"So, are you resuming being chief now that you've returned?" he asked, having wanted to ask that as soon as he saw the other father.
Oswald did not look him directly in the eyes. "I am still thinking about it."
Stoick regarded him, askance. "Still thinking? Oswald, your people need a leader and even if that leader is going to be Dagur, he should know."
The Berserker sighed. "He does know. I gave him the position by leaving."
Stoick tried to mask his concern. "Well, I guess that's settled then."
As much as the chief wanted to support his friend's decision, he could not help the feeling of disagreement.
"Are you sure this is in the island's best interest?" he inquired.
Oswald shook his head. "I don't even know if he's ready. I just had to get away and didn't think about what all that would mean."
Another Viking joined the duo. "He's got to be a bit ready. He's been leading for however long you've been gone," Gobber stated, going over to them.
The fathers simultaneously gave him disbelieving expressions, with Oswald's also being on the side of hurt.
"Did you hear about his plan?" the blacksmith asked.
Oswald shook his head. "Plan? He's got plans now?"
Gobber smiled. "Suggested that we interact in more ways than just these treaties. He said we should help one another out with supplies and things like that. I'm not saying that your concern is unwarranted, but he might not do a bad job as chief. Honestly, the normal goal is for the successor to be even better."
Oswald was rendered speechless by this and looked as though he were in a trance. Stoick put a hand on his shoulder.
"I'll say this, Dagur cares about your people and wants the best for you all."
That was the most comforting statement the Berkian could conjure. Unable to offer any more words of solace, the trio also headed down to the arena. In the training center, the Berkians were happily greeting Heather and hesitantly regarding Dagur.
"Who's on the lookout because I wouldn't mind joining them," Fishlegs said, nervously petting Meatlug and having just been told the strategy.
Snotlout rolled his eyes. "More importantly, who's on the inside because the answer should be me."
Dagur shook his head. "Not a chance, Snot-"
"Be nice," fD interrupted.
"-lout," pD finished, with a low grunt. "Heather, Hiccup, Astrid, and I will go inside. You four can stay here."
The Jorgenson's jaw dropped. "I'm being left with Fishface and Tweedledumb and Dumber? Hiccup, come on. You know my skills could be better weaponized than this."
The heir sided with the chief. "No, Dagur's right. This isn't a mission for barging in. We're sneaking and I just think that you guys would be better suited for alerting us."
The twins frowned. "But staring at things is boring," Tuff complained.
"And being quiet is worse," Ruff added.
Dagur sighed at them. "Then think about it like a game. Whoever's the quietest and keeps the best watch wins."
The twins' eyes sparkled with intrigue. Ornery smiles grew on their faces and the Thorstons wrung their hands in a scheming manner.
"If it is a challenge you want, then challeng ers you shall receive!" Tuffnut said, gesticulating wildly.
He and Ruff rambled on about who would be the most silent as the Vikings took to their dragons' saddles. Heather hopped on Stormfly with Astrid and Hiccup got onto Toothless's back. Dagur awkwardly stood where he was for a moment before the Berkian motioned for him to come over.
"You can ride with me," Hiccup offered, warranting a huge smile from the Berserker.
Dagur got onto the Night Fury's back, though the Vikings did not yet fly. Instead, they saw Oswald, Stoick, and Gobber approaching them.
"Vikings riding dragons. It's amazing," Oswald awed, looking at the creatures. "I'm coming with you."
"In the tagging along mood, isn't he?" Dagur thought, annoyed. He added aloud, "This is going to require a lot of stealth. If all goes well, we won't do much more than free the Skrill."
Undeterred, the older Berserker smiled. "Then it would do no harm in my joining you."
Before anyone could protest, the Viking hopped onto Hookfang's back.
"Hey!" Snotlout frowned.
"Actually, it could do a lot of harm," Dagur told him. "Dad, you're not stealthy. Why not just stay here? You normally hate getting involved in matters like this."
Indignant, Oswald stayed planted on the Monstrous Nightmare. "I developed enough stealth while I was gone."
Hiccup looked at him. "We have to get going, so I guess Oswald's coming too."
The young redhead managed to look more upset about this than Snotlout did and the dragons began flying. Something that brought smiles to both of their faces was Oswald's shout of horror when he went into the air. The chief's smile faded as he too felt a twinge of terror. Winds blew past and his stomach entered his throat as he realized how far away they were from the floor; however, he refused to let out a scream as his father had. Clenching onto Toothless's saddle, the Berserker maintained a sense of composure as they flew to Outcast Island. After a half hour, Dagur started to enjoy the flight. It was more than just scary–it was also enchanting. They arrived at Outcast Island not too much later and landed in the designated spot. All but Oswald got off of the reptiles. The Berserker more so fell off of Hookfang and onto the ground, kissing it and thankful to have survived the flight. Dagur smirked, then peeked around a boulder. Seeing no one, he turned back around.
"We're in the clear." To the twins, he said, "Don't forget the game."
They saluted playfully. "Never fear. We won't stop until we're the sure fired winners. Can't let any snotty fish have that honor, if you catch my drift," Tuffnut said, winking.
Once the four Vikings started to move towards the entrance, Oswald got to his feet and joined them. The five crept through the opening and stalked along the sides of the cavern. Heather took the lead and brought them to where the dragons were normally kept. There were a few guards in front of the cells, but the reptile was still visible. Chained to the ground and muzzled, the Skrill snarled at the Outcasts. They glared back at him and one slammed his club against the cell, causing a loud ringing. The dragon prepared to try to blast the Outcasts, but another one threw a large bucket of water onto it. Dagur looked at the other Vikings and each gave an agreeing nod. Dagur and Astrid charged at the guards, each taking out two. After they did, Dagur took their keys and unlocked the door. Quickly, he went to unravel a rope that he had brought, but Hiccup stopped him.
"We don't need that."
Calmly, the Berkian went over to the Skrill with one hand extended and the other with the keys to the chains. The dragon backed away, though Hiccup only smiled.
"We're not here to hurt you. We just want to set you free."
The dragon cautiously moved his snout close to the hand, finally making contact. Hiccup unchained the Skrill and it crawled out into the open. Dagur looked at the dragon and thought about the drawing again.
"You all get him out of here. I want to see if I can find out what's in that place that Alvin was trying to keep hidden," he said.
Heather stopped. "No, I'll go with you. That way, you definitely know where it is."
Oswald glanced between the two and the Berkians. "I'll go too." he decided.
Knowing that it was pointless to dissuade him, Dagur simply followed Heather. They had to go past more crowded areas, with the chief being the one to tell them when it was safe to proceed. When they reached the location, they found large eggs. Oswald went over and started to pick one up.
"What are you doing? We can't carry all of these and they'll just slow us down," Dagur whispered harshly.
The older Berserker frowned. "It will be one less egg."
The two had a mild stare down until Dagur relented. "Fine."
Again, they set off through the cave but now to leave. The issue was that it was becoming gradually more congested. The same room that they were able to slide past before was filled with Outcasts.
"We'll need to go fast," Dagur mused.
As soon as there was an opening, he motioned for the two to move. He and Heather were able to get to the other side, however the egg's smooth sides made it difficult to have a firm grasp. In his attempt to not drop it, Oswald went too slowly and was seen. Dagur half-yoked him up and the three began to run. Heather was in the front with Dagur staying in the back and cutting things to provide obstacles for their pursuers. Just as they had nearly reached the exit, a sword came down mere inches from Heather. Alvin blocked the exit and had a sickening smirk on his face.
"Never thought I'd see you back in here, Heather, and certainly not willingly."
He raised his weapon and brought it down, causing a clank of his metal clashing with Dagur's. The chief's ax stopped the sword and he swiped it with enough speed to cut the Outcast's arm. Alvin let out a grunt of pain and glared at the Berserker whose own eyes looked bloodthirsty.
"That was a dumb move, boy. Now, you'll have to die like the Berkians."
The large Viking swung his weapon and though his slashes were blocked, Dagur admitted to himself that Alvin was a rather strong individual. Several times, his ax was nearly knocked from him.
" Might not be able to beat him head on like this," he realized.
Right as fD was about to give a suggestion, pD changed tactics. His movements relied less on force and more on precision and agility. He gave Alvin an onslaught of attacks that forced the Outcast to back up.
"Go!" Dagur told the two Berserkers, once there was a clearing.
Oswald left, though Heather stayed behind. Dagur almost got in a slice on Alvin's neck, going in for the kill. At the last second, the man moved and threw his arms to the side. The one with the sword swiped the ax from Dagur's hand and the other hit him in the head. The momentum knocked the young Berserker into the cavern wall and had him dazed for just long enough so that Alvin could gain the upper hand.
Grabbing the boy by the neck, he began choking and lifting him off of the ground. Dagur tried in vain to pry off the Outcast's fingers and looked to his future self. FD looked entirely unsure of what to do and tried to look around for things to use. Prior to him finding something, Alvin let out a cry and dropped the boy to the ground. The Outcast fell to his knees and glared behind him. Dagur saw Heather with her brother's weapon and Alvin with a bloodied calf. To prevent him from obtaining the strength to continue, Dagur took Heather's hand and the duo left the cave. The Berkians had stayed and the Berserkers hopped onto the saddles, flying away. On the way back, Dagur could not stop smiling as he thought about his sister. Once they arrived at Berk, the chief went over to her.
"Thanks," he said, still grinning.
Heather smiled back. "To be honest, Alvin meant to kill me today, so I should be the one thanking you."
The siblings then went to the Great Hall with the Berkians and to discuss what would be done with the Skrill.
"We can bring him back home with us," Dagur suggested.
"He's still not trained," Hiccup pointed out. "He's practically wild right now."
"That sounds even more fun!" the older boy said excitedly.
There was a brief silence as the Vikings tried to consider what was for the best. FD noticed this and turned to his younger self.
"You're losing them. Today went well, but they're still trying to trust you. Don't ask them to do that when you have an untrained, lightning dragon. For now at least, let him stay here."
The youth wanted to protest, but he knew he could not without it looking like he was arguing with himself. Reluctantly, he spoke again.
"But you might have a point, Hiccup," he conceded. "Our Berserkers aren't used to any dragons, so I want them to accept the idea of them living with us before bringing in one that's as powerful as a Skrill. Could you find a home for him?"
"I can," Hiccup promised.
Dagur thanked him and went over to the majestic creature. The dragon looked back at him with curious, happy eyes, making it even harder for the chief to say farewell. He decided to not pet him since that would have only made it more challenging to let go. Instead, he smiled at the Skrill as the trainers led their new trainee to the Academy for the night. When they were gone, Stoick approached and actually smiled at the young chief.
"I think that I've underestimated you, Dagur. You're making a fine leader."
The Berserker beamed and the chiefs shook hands on their new deal. The Berserkers did not dock at their own island until late that night. Heather wished the two a good evening and went to Axel and Mia's hut.
"Night, Sis," Dagur called after her.
When he turned to go to his hut, he saw an odd expression on Oswald's face.
"We need to talk," the older Viking informed him.
Suspicious, Dagur asked, "What about?"
Oswald's expression remained the same. "I've been doing some thinking and I just don't like the direction that you've been taking Berserker Island. I've seen the changes that you've made and couldn't disagree more. The final straw was today. Because you wanted to check out the secret hatchery, Heather was almost killed."
Hot rage flashed in Dagur's body. " I almost got her killed? Maybe you didn't notice, but we were fine until you got caught. And how did this happen? Oh yeah, it was because you were running with the same egg I told you would slow us down!" The boy's voice turned cold. "I wouldn't expect you to stay for any other reason, but I thought that you would have at least waited for Heather to get out safely before you left."
Oswald frowned. "You put her in danger again. You're not mentally stable enough to make the heavy decisions that you need to. There are people in this world that only excel when given a weapon and put on the battlefields- not being entrusted with lives."
Dagur regarded him with skepticism and Oswald kept going.
"I'm only ashamed to have waited so long to restore things to the way they always should have been." He looked the younger Viking in the eyes. "You're not meant to lead and if I have my way, you never will for longer than you already have."
The boy's face paled. "Wh-what are you saying?"
Oswald's visage finally altered, turning into a grin. "What I'm saying is that your position as chief has been revoked. Don't try plotting my untimely demise either. Heather will be the one with the birthright. I wanted her to have that for so long, remember? Now, I can finally make that happen and you can't stop me." He smirked at the now ex-chief. "You should be happy. Isn't this why you went to go get me and Heather? Now everything will be just like it used to be."
Oswald strode into the hut, leaving a numb Dagur outside to let sink in what just transpired.