Alvin sailed after the Skrill for days. Whenever he got too close, the dragon seemed to vanish, but he could not stay hidden for long. The Outcast was always a few steps behind him, watching for any peculiar formation of lightning. It tested Alvin's patience, but he was determined to not stop until he had the dragon. When the Skrill became too tired to fly any further, he landed on a stony island to rest. He did not notice that he was still being followed. Hissing, the Skrill felt a metal net getting thrown on top of him. Alvin stepped his boot on the dragon's snout, keeping its mouth from blasting him with lightning. He pointed a mace at his new captive.
"I've been hunting you for a while, dragon. You're going to help me with a little task."
The Skrill tried to nip at him, but he could not lift his head. Charging his body with electricity, he decided that he could electrocute Alvin instead. He was stopped as the mace went into the side of his neck. The dragon let out a roar of pain and the Outcast scowled at him.
"I've had enough of Vikings and dragons opposing me," Alvin hissed. His eyes trailed over the reptile. "You're not enough. Alone, that Night Fury could stop you. The others would too. Where are more of your kind?"
Automatically, the dragon snarled. Alvin lifted the mace again and the creature closed his eyes in anticipation of being hit.
"Lead me to them. Hiccup seems to think that dragons aren't mindless beasts. If you can understand things, understand this. I'm going to skin you alive if you don't lead me to more Skrills and have them fight for me."
Indignant, the Skrill refused to move. Alvin was at a standstill with the creature and knew this. His threat needed to work, but it would also be unhelpful for him if he killed the dragon before learning the location of the others. Just as the reptile felt happy about not helping, he heard another dragon call. Alvin turned, eyes lighting up in realization.
"Seems like someone heard your roar from earlier."
The Skrill tried to make a warning call to stop the dragon from approaching, but Alvin hit him in the head to knock him out. Satisfied, the Viking awaited the newcomer. He heard it flying through the air at top speeds. In the clouds, the other Skrill was watching the Outcast and his kin. It dove for Alvin, who moved to the side to avoid getting bitten. He swung his mace, nearly hitting the dragon. When the reptile could not bite him the second time, it returned to the sky to gather more lightning. Alvin hovered his weapon above the unconscious dragon's head. Hesitantly, the free Skrill stopped its attack. It did not want to cause the other dragon to be killed. Alvin saw this and smirked.
"Apparently, Hiccup was right," he commented.
The Outcast continued to deal with the Skrills as the Berkians worked on strengthening the prison. They had been working for hours, but this task was necessary. It would need to be secure if it was meant to hold Alvin. The Riders told the other builders that they could handle it for the time being. Doing this, it allowed them to work and talk with the Berserker.
"I'll ask my mom if she knows how to make Berserk chicken," Snotlout said. "It sounds pretty good."
"If she doesn't, I could give you the recipe," Dagur offered.
"Is it spicy?" Ruff asked. "Tuff's face always turns bright red when he eats something hot."
Dagur tapped his chin. "I don't think it is, but I've heard some Berserkers say that. Guess it's worth a try to find out what happens."
The twins looked intrigued by the experiment. Dagur helped lay down some stones for the new cells. Afterwards, Astrid went over to inspect.
"Is this thicker than those on Outcast Island?" she asked.
Taking a closer look, the Berserker frowned. "Not yet. We'll need another layer."
Snotlout groaned. "This is taking forever. We could just drop Alvin in a Whispering Death pit. He seems to like those a lot."
Hiccup shook his head, frowning. "We can't do that."
"He'd do it to us. He's probably planning to."
The trainer started to disagree, but he paused when he heard the sound of dragons roaring. Tensing up, the youths looked at one another. Only Dagur started to have his face brighten.
"What was that?" Fishlegs asked.
"A skrill!" the Berserker answered. His grin fell and his face clouded over. "But it sounds like it's in distress."
Several sounds of crashes were heard from outside. Hiccup went to the prison's entrance, but Dagur caught his arm and pulled him back. This happened just in time as the Berkian had to cover his face to not see a blinding flash of lightning. Another blast fired into the prison, making the Vikings drop down to take cover. Toothless shielded Hiccup with his body and Fishlegs held his hands over the back of his head.
"Why is he attacking Berk?" he asked fearfully. "I thought he forgave us."
Dagur frowned at the opening. "Skrills aren't wishy washy. He wouldn't just decide to go after us again randomly."
The Berserker got up and pressed against the wall on his way to the exit.
"What are you doing?" Snotlout asked him. Ducking again, the boy avoided another blast. "You're going to get fried!"
Dagur shushed him, making the Berkian frown.
"Don't shush me!"
The redhead frowned back. "I'm counting. Be quiet."
Reluctantly, Snotlout stopped talking. Dagur counted until there was another blast, then repeated the process until it happened again.
"It's every five seconds," Dagur informed the group.
As soon as there was another blast, the Berserker popped out of the prison. Hiccup and Toothless waited until they heard the electricity, then they did the same. Astrid followed them, then the twins.
"Everyone's crazy now," Snotlout said, shaking his head.
The boy took a breath and hurried outside with them. Fishlegs went after him, narrowly avoiding the electricity. His friends were still trying to find the source of the lightning. Several huts had been blasted, so the Vikings divided into groups to put out the fire or try to stop the problem. Turning his head, Dagur noticed the blasts coming from a different side.
"There's more than one," he said.
Quickly, the Berserker followed the sound and scowled. Hiccup and Toothless went with him and saw the same unpleasant sight. Outcasts had spiny collars on the Skrills. They were attached to long chains that allowed the reptiles to be high enough in the clouds to recharge their firepower. Whenever the Vikings wanted to cause a blast, they pulled on the chains, making spines dig into the dragons' necks. Dagur felt a pit in his stomach.
"He used my idea with the reins," he realized. His hands balled into fists and he bared his teeth. "He's using my idea to hurt them!"
Hiccup turned his head to another sound. It was from clashing metal.
"They've got more than just dragons," he said. "They've also got Outcasts attacking our Vikings."
Speedily, the other Riders went to the Academy to get their dragons. They returned, ready for the fight.
"Ruff, Tuff, and I can help the others put out the fires and get everyone to safety," Fishlegs said.
"And Snotlout and I can help fight off the Outcasts," Astrid offered.
Hiccup nodded. "Dagur and I will work on freeing the Skrills."
The group split up with Meatlug using her sturdy body to keep some huts standing long enough for Berkians to escape without being crushed. She did this as Barf and Belch carried various buckets of water to the buildings. With their help, the village was in less chaos. Meanwhile, Snotlout and Astrid helped Stoick, Gobber, and the other warriors fight the Outcasts. Hookfang blasted an enemy who tried to sneak up behind the blacksmith as he was fighting off two others and Stormfly pinned another Outcast to a hut's wall before he could throw an ax at Stoick. The group worked together, but they still had the issue of lightning being blasted at them from every side. Hiccup got on Toothless's back to solve the Skrill problem. In surprise, he saw that Dagur did not join him.
"We'll get it done faster if we split up," he said.
Hiccup nodded. "Looks like there's a Skrill on each corner of the island. Toothless and I can go after the ones on the east side."
Agreeing, Dagur headed to the west. The dragon-Viking pair hurried and found the first Skrill. Its eyes looked pitiful as the metal dug into its skin. Some blood dripped down as the chain was pulled on harder. Toothless prepared a plasma blast, but he had to avoid getting shot with lightning first. Another blast came after this, making him do a barrel roll. Hiccup tensely kept an eye on the tailfin to be sure it did not get charred.
"Let's go behind them," he suggested.
Swiftly, Toothless went into the clouds to hide, then came back around to behind the Outcast. The man did not see them before he was shot in the back with a blast that sent him falling down the cliff and into the sea. To their surprise, the dragon did not fly away yet. Toothless looked downwards, following the chains, and saw that they were connected to a ship docked nearby. The Outcast that had gone into the water was swimming towards it to get control of the chains again. Toothless got to the ship first and blasted the chains. No longer trapped, the Skrill began flying upwards and out of any Outcast's reach.
While the pair were doing this, Dagur was going to the armory. There was a new weapon added to the arsenal that he wanted to use. Finding Alvin's sword, the boy headed after the blasts. He could recognize the sound of the roars. They were so pain-filled that they hurt the Berserker's heart. Soon, he found the dragon and Outcast leader.
"This ends today, Dagur," Alvin warned, glaring and yanking on the Skrill.
In discomfort, the dragon's head was forced downwards and he let out a blast. Dagur rolled out of the way and got closer to Alvin. He looked at the chains on the Skrill, then saw where they were connected. Dagur laughed at the Viking.
"Ooh, paranoid, are we? Looks like you were worried what would happen if someone got that chain out of your hand. Scared you'd lose?"
Alvin let go of the chains and grabbed an ax. "Just wanted to make sure I could kill you myself."
The Outcast stalked over to the Berserker. Dagur got in a fighting stance and dodged a slash from Alvin's weapon. He kept their last real fight in his mind. This time, he knew more about the Outcast and more about his own limits. He also knew his strengths. Dagur had no intention of charging in or fighting Alvin head-on. He was faster and more agile. Those were advantages he planned on using. Skillfully, the boy cut Alvin's leg with the sword, ducking just in time to avoid losing his head. The Outcast grunted in pain and Dagur slashed his back. Alvin still was not going down.
"I could try to incapacitate him," the redhead thought, "but it's risky and I need to free the second Skrill too." He started to smile. "It's faster if I don't do this alone."
Dagur started running to the ship. He was too fast for Alvin to catch, so the man painfully began to limp towards the dragon. When Dagur got to the vessel, he lifted the weapon above his head and lowered it onto the taut chains. This broke them, separating the dragon from the ship. The Berserker turned his attention to Alvin. He was holding the chains so that the Skrill did not get loose. A sinister smile was on his face when he made the dragon blast again. Dagur's eyes moved from Alvin to the Skrill, mind racing. When he settled on a plan, a deranged twinkle shone in his eyes. He put the sword in his mouth and charged at the Outcast. Alvin prepared for a lunge, but Dagur hopped up onto his shoulder. The older Viking swung at him, but the Berserker jumped off to catch the Skrill's tail.
It was more difficult to cling onto than Dagur expected, but he did not fall. Holding on, the boy started to climb upwards on the Skrill's back. He stopped when he got to the dragon's neck. Carefully bringing the sword to the collar, he found a weak point and broke it so that it fell to the ground. Alvin's eyes widened as he realized he had lost control of the dragon. Dagur realized this too and started to laugh. He patted the reptile's head.
"Ready to take him down as a team this time, Skrilly?" he asked.
The dragon's eyes lit up as he charged his body with electricity. It made Dagur's hair stand on end, but it did not electrocute him. Alvin started to run when the lightning passed through the Skrill and fired out. Alvin jumped to the side to avoid the blast, but it was not the only one of its kind. The second shot hit the Outcast in the back, filling him with electricity. He jolted and fell to his side, twitching. The Skrill readied another attack, but Dagur stopped him.
"This is enough, little buddy," he said. "Let's grab him and free the other Skrill."
Obliging, the Skrill picked up Alvin in his claws and flew off to the last corner of the island. Getting close before the Outcast could make the dragon fire, Dagur was able to easily hop onto its neck. He broke the collar again, then jumped back on the other Skrill. Both dragons turned on the Outcast and the newly freed one killed him. Dagur watched, then saw Hiccup flying over on Toothless.
"I didn't tell him to do that," the redhead said.
Unsure what he meant, Hiccup turned and saw the dragon mauling the man. He cringed at the sight.
"I believe you. I see you caught Alvin and he looks like he's alive."
"He is," Dagur declared proudly. "Could've killed him easily too. Even could right now, but we spared him."
Hiccup looked down at the island. Outcasts were being apprehended everywhere. The battle was ending and they had won. Two wars won in Berk's recent history. When Hiccup looked back up, he saw nothing but teeth.
"Hey, Hiccup," Dagur said, eyes bright, "I'm flying on a dragon."
The Berkian smiled. "I take back what I said. You are doing it."
Dagur beamed and hugged the Skrill's neck. "We make a great team! I think he likes me."
The dragon let out a happy noise and Hiccup chuckled. "I think so too."
"Even found a way to get rid of those collars, so we can get those off the other two Skrills."
Without waiting for a response, the duo flew off to find the remaining reptiles. Dagur excitedly hopped onto them to break the collars. When he was done, he found Stoick and had the Skrill drop Alvin near him. The chief looked up in surprise. His eyebrow was lifted to the boy when he landed.
"You have a Skrill now?"
"Kinda?" Dagur said unsurely. "Not sure, but here's Alvin."
This made Stoick regard him in further shock. "He's alive."
"Yeah, not really what I wanted to do, but I'm trying to be…less violent. Most of the time anyway. Can't promise there won't be times when I'm not like that."
After a moment, Stoick grabbed the unconscious Viking and began taking him to the prison. Dagur and Hiccup joined the others with helping to clear away debris from the attack. The new Skrill addition to the group also assisted them, working with Toothless. When they were finished, Dagur looked at Hiccup.
"Have a moment?" he asked quietly.
The boy nodded and moved away from the others to go between some buildings.
"What's going on?"
Dagur had a worried expression on his face. "The new cell's not finished." He paused, feeling nervous. "Am I going to be cellmates with Alvin or the others until it is?"
Hiccup had not thought of that. The timing of the attack had affected their plan. The other cell would have been done had they been able to go retrieve Alvin themselves. Hiccup never intended for Dagur to share the same cell with the Outcasts. It seemed cruel to do given their history.
"I have to talk with my dad about that," he said.
Dagur gave a small nod of his head, feeling even more anxious. He realized that since he could no longer be useful in defending Berk from Outcast attacks, he might be locked in the cell again. Being trapped in a small space with Alvin or his Vikings was not a thought he enjoyed keeping in his mind. Hiccup saw how nervous he was and put a hand on his shoulder.
"I'll ask him not to do that," he added. "I could talk him out of it if that's what he's planning."
The Berserker gave him an appreciative smile and the Berkian went to find his father. Things seemed busy still, but they were calming down. The other Riders spotted Hiccup and began walking with him.
"Are you going to talk with your dad?" Astrid asked, thinking of the most likely reason.
"Yeah. Dagur helped us. It doesn't seem right to force him to be stuck there with Alvin after all that."
"I agree," the blonde said, surprising her friend.
"Did I hear that right?" Hiccup asked, shocked.
She nodded her head. "You did. I'm still not completely sure about Dagur, but he hasn't done anything since being here to make me think we can't trust him. I wouldn't feel right either if we locked him up with Alvin. It would be more of a punishment for him than anyone else."
Hiccup smiled at her. "I'm really happy to hear that. He would be too."
The boy's smile faded slightly when he saw the Berk council together in the Great Hall. He regarded them in mild confusion. One of the members half-turned to him, but they kept talking. It seemed like he had arrived at the end of the discussion because the Vikings separated and began going back outside to help rebuild. Hiccup went over to the chief.
"What was that about?"
"Prison matters."
"Ah, I was actually going to ask you about that too," Hiccup admitted. "Since the stronger cell isn't finished yet, we really don't have enough for everyone." He stopped, frowning a little. "Could we not put Dagur in with the Outcasts? He's had a lot of that already."
Stoick's expression was unreadable for a moment, then Gobber came over.
"We've got good news," he said.
The redhead stopped him. "Not again, Gobber. This time, I'm telling him."
Reluctantly, the other Viking stopped sharing information. Hiccup just looked between the two of them in a state of bewilderment.
"What's going on?"
"Well…" Gobber said, pausing when he saw Stoick frown.
"We learned that Oswald left again," the chief informed him.
Hiccup blinked for a moment. "I suppose that shouldn't be too surprising since he's done it before."
"But considering recent events, it changes things," Stoick added.
"What do you mean?"
"We didn't expect the Outcasts to be our prisoners so early. Like you said, the prison isn't ready and we don't know when it will be. Instead of hoping that the current state of the prison can hold them, it would be better to put them in a place that we know could. It also would help the Berserkers to have a chief again."
Hiccup's eyes widened. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
The man nodded. "Get Dagur, so he can find out."
Quickly, the Berkian went to find the Berserker. He was still helping the others with huts, but he saw the excited look on Hiccup's face.
"You seem really happy for a Viking who was talking about prisons," he mentioned.
"That's not all we were talking about. Come on."
Dagur followed him back to the Great Hall and saw the older Berkians. Stoick's expression seemed warmer than he was accustomed to seeing.
"Dagur," he said, "your father has left Berserker Island again. You helped us in this attack today and according to what Hiccup's told me and I've seen, you haven't caused a problem since being here. I'm hoping I'm not making a mistake, but I think you've served your time. Berserker Island needs a leader and the Outcasts need a prison to rot in. Could you provide both?"
The redhead was so surprised that he felt a little numb. Hiccup nudged him to get him to answer. He jolted and nodded quickly.
"Y-yeah! I can do that," he insisted. Dagur was consumed with uncertainty. "Do I leave now or…wait a day? I don't know how this part works."
"You can leave with one of our ships to transport them, but you're welcome to return."
Dagur grinned happily. "You won't regret this."
He sped out of the Great Hall just in case Stoick changed his mind. Dagur started heading down to the docks, being followed by Hiccup.
"This ship would be a good one to use," he suggested.
Dagur nodded. "I'll do that then."
They worked to start loading the Outcasts on there. The Vikings were livid and cursed at them the entire time. Alvin tried to get Hiccup's attention before the boy went back to the docks.
"Hiccup," he said, voice grave, "you can't leave us at Dagur's mercy."
The boy stopped and turned to him. "The ironic thing is, I think mercy is exactly what he's going to show you, but you'll always think torture is around the corner because that what you did to him."
Alvin called for Hiccup again, but the Berkian did not respond again. He went to the docks and saw Dagur saying goodbye to the other Riders.
"I had fun with our book talks, Fishy," he said.
"I did too," the blond admitted, glum.
The twins looked unhappy as well.
"Now, we won't get to see if I turn all red," Tuffnut complained.
"Yeah, I'll just have to throw berries if I want that to happen," Ruff added.
"And I didn't get a chance to ask Mom about the chicken," Snotlout commented.
Dagur smiled at the group. It felt oddly nice to know he would be missed. That was an entirely new feeling.
"I'll come back." He laughed as the Skrill nuzzled his head against him. "It'll be way faster with Skrilly too."
Feeling a bit better, the Berkians wished him safe travels and he headed to the ship with the dragon. When Dagur saw Hiccup, he smiled brightly.
"I'm happy for you," the younger Viking said.
This lit up the redhead's eyes. "Thanks!" A sincere look was on his face. "Thanks for everything."
"No problem," Hiccup said with a kind grin. "What's next?"
Dagur patted the Skrill's head. "Well, I'll let the Outcasts rot. It'll be fun seeing their own consciences make them paranoid. I won't even have to do anything, so they'll work themselves up over nothing. I also want to go get the Vandals too. Think you'd be up for joining me?"
"A mission to save some poor, unsuspecting Vikings? Count me in."
"I was hoping you'd say that." Dagur glanced towards the ship. "Mainly, I'm just excited to be home again. I want to be the chief they deserve. I know I'm going to be the best chief I can be. Guess we'll see how that works out."
"I think you can do it."
The Berserker grinned and extended his hand. Hiccup shook it, smiling.
"Good luck being chief again…Brother."
This made Dagur smile excitedly and he gave the Berkian a hug. It surprised Hiccup, but he found himself returning the embrace.
"Good luck starting your new team of chiefs, Brother," Dagur responded.
Coming out of the hug, Dagur waved to the Berkians and boarded the vessel with his new Skrill companion. They waved back and for the first time, none of them were happy to see the redhead leave. Still, they believed that he would return and it excited the group. They might have lost an alliance in the Outcasts, but another had been gained in the Berserkers. This time, it would be a true alliance. They would do more than simply not attack one another. The Vikings could hardly believe that at the core of it all would be an unlikely friendship, but if there was anything the boys knew how to do best, it was to surprise people. It was just one of the many ways they were alike, as was fitting for their just as unlikely brotherhood.
