For this story, please suspend your disbelief enough to accept that the Bewilderbeast evoked a Submaripper to swim underneath either Berserker Island or Defender of the Wing Island so that they now are connected. Also, the story was originally uploaded here, but after moving it to AO3 as well, I decided to go through it with some edits and a change to the ending.
It was a beautiful day. Everything seemed to be going right and nothing proved that more than what the Berserker Chief and Defender queen were currently doing. Dagur smiled as he put the wedding ring on Mala's finger. She returned the look as she put one on his and they kissed one another tenderly. Their friends cheered as they were united into marriage.
"Congratulations, Brother. We're really happy for you," Hiccup said, giving the Berserker a pat on the shoulder.
Dagur brought him into a bear hug and Fishlegs came over.
"You didn't look nervous at all, Dagur. Were you?"
The new king shook his head. "Not one bit, Fishy. There was no reason to be. Our union shall be blessed by Odin," he said dramatically.
Meanwhile, Astrid and Heather were giving their congratulations to Mala.
"Thank you, friends," the new chieftess stated gratefully. "I am most glad that you all introduced me to my king, Astrid Hofferson."
The warrior smiled. "It's nothing. Honestly, I'm still a bit surprised that you two are in love."
Mala chuckled. "Very much so. I have never felt the way I do about anyone else."
Ruffnut came over with an ornery air. "Yeah, Sister, but watch out 'cause he is still deranged, after all."
Astrid nudged her and Heather gave Ruff a death glare.
Turning to Mala, the Berserker said, "Ignore her. We normally do. My brother loves you a lot, Mala. He might never be the most sane person you'll meet, but he'll make sure you're safe. I'll promise you that."
Mala smiled appreciatively and on the groom's side, Tuffnut went over to Dagur.
"So, chief and king now, huh?"
The man puffed out his chest proudly. "Yep. Do you know how powerful our alliance will be?"
Tuff thought and shrugged. "Nope, but aren't you worried about all the stress? I mean, you gotta make sure the Berserkers are fine–not even talking about Heather being new to the lifestyle–the Defenders are fine, and that Mala still, you know, wants to be with you."
Dagur looked at him calmly. "I know how to lead people and so does Mala. We'll work together to figure out how to combine our knowledge to best service our, now combined, people. And as for her wanting to be with me, we love each other more than you could imagine. We'll figure things out when hard times come."
Tuffnut gave an uncertain shrug and Snotlout joined in.
"And they will come, my friend, they will come."
Fishlegs frowned. "What are you talking about now? Can't it end with Tuff?"
"Nope," Snotlout said. He put an arm over the Berserker's shoulder. "Dagur, my man, you have a horrible temper. I mean, horrible. Mala's a classy lady. Just look at her first choice."
He went into a pose, hand resting against his chin.
"Your point being?" Dagur questioned, annoyed.
"My point is that you've got a lot of baggage and Mala just might not have the upper body strength to carry everyone."
The Berserker's face twitched and Hiccup had had enough.
"Okay, both of you, go," he said firmly.
Tuffnut and Snotlout shrugged before taking part in the rest of the celebration.
"Don't listen to them. You'll be fine," Hiccup insisted.
Dagur gave him a weak smile. Their words were difficult to ignore completely. That night, there was a grand feast and everyone left, content. Mala and Dagur finally had some time alone. She caressed his face and he held her closely. She loved how she felt in his arms and he loved holding her in them
"I love you, Malapoo," he told her.
"And I you, Dagur the Deranged," she said, in her royal way.
They went to bed and fell asleep after a while. Mala kept thinking about what Ruffnut had said.
"I know about his past but also his present. He's a different man now. Dangerous still? Yes, but only to our enemies and that is incredibly attractive," she thought.
Unbeknownst to her, Dagur was on the opposite side of the bed, also deep in thought.
"She's so used to order and properness. Can I provide that? I can keep her safe, but will she be happy?" he wondered unhappily.
Neither slept that night but jovially greeted each other the subsequent morning.
"Morning, Love," they said, in unison and rose.
Dagur chuckled. "Jinx! I always get you with that."
Mala shook her head in amusement. "I just need to learn the rules of this 'jinxing' better. Then, I will be prepared for you."
"Good luck. You'll be needing it," the husband teased.
Lightly shoving his shoulder, Mala got up and they both started to get ready for the day. They met up for breakfast. Dagur made meat and Mala fixed a sweet treat. They walked around their kingdom and Throk called to them.
"My Queen and King, the Great Protector has become ill. I fear that he might not be able to eat enough lava to prevent our destruction."
The couple looked at each other and went to the dragon. Dagur and Mala found the reptile looking lethargic. The queen bent down and rubbed the Eruptodon's skin, resulting in a small noise.
"He almost sounds sad," Dagur thought, aloud.
Mala rose up to her feet. "I can see nothing wrong with the Great Protector. Perhaps, he is only fatigued."
Throk nodded reluctantly and the three exited the volcano. Defenders quickly crowded around the royal pair.
"Is the Great Protector all right?" they questioned.
More Vikings began to ask their questions, but Mala held out her hands to calm them down.
"We shall wait to see if the Great Protector needs rest and if in three days, he does not regain his vigor, measures to ensure all of our healths will be taken," she assured them.
They agreed to the plan and dispersed gradually. Once they were gone, Mala turned to her husband.
"It should only be fatigue, yes?"
Dagur looked at her. "I don't know. He didn't look wounded or like anything was wrong. Could there be something in the lava that might cause whatever the issue is?"
"No, this volcano has served as nutrition for the Eruptodon for centuries. Nothing new could be there."
Less than enthusiastically, they continued their walk throughout the kingdom.
"You cannot put your dragon over here," a defender complained.
The leaders turned to see a Berserker boy and his dragon. Heather was trying to mediate between the people.
"Mjir, this is his property. Please, just go somewhere else to play."
Mjir pouted. "But, this isn't his property. His starts over there." He pointed to a fenced in area. "I was going to train and he came out to stop me."
Dagur went over to the scene. "I think it might be better training if you go towards the stables. We already have everything set up too. You can throw swords at the targets while you do loops," the chief offered excitedly.
The boy brightened. "Really?"
Dagur nodded and the Viking hopped onto his dragon and flew off as the Defender went inside. Heather smiled gratefully.
"And that's why you're chief." She laughed and waved to her sister-in-law. "Hey, Mala."
The queen grinned. "Hello, Heather. Thank you for trying to stop this."
Heather shrugged. "I don't really get what the problem was. Mjir actually was right. Bur's property isn't over here. I'm not sure why he was upset."
The couple frowned and told her that they had to keep looking around the island. Nothing else seemed to be off and they went to the stables themselves. The pair greeted Sleuther and Dagur put his head on the dragon's affectionately.
"Ready?" he asked his wife, with a deranged smile.
He gave an exaggerated bow and offered his hand. Mala laughed at the gesture and took his hand as they got on the Triple Stryke's back. They did some loops and practiced gaining speed sooner in flight. They did this a while longer and then sparred on the ground. They loved sparring. It was the activity that had been the start of their respect and attraction for each other.
"Watch it, Malapoo. You're slipping," Dagur said, taunting as Mala barely dodged a tackle.
"It is so sweet that you worry about my well being even when you yourself are doomed," she taunted back.
He laughed and they kept going. As time passed, exhaustion was settling in and they both breathed heavily.
"Perhaps...we can…continue our quarrel...tomorrow?" Mala suggested, panting.
Dagur nodded and literally swept her off her feet.
She laughed. "Dagur, what are you doing?"
He grinned and kissed her cheek. "You are tired, aren't you?"
Mala wrapped her arms around his neck. "My love, this is truly the best way to travel. Not even dragons could compare."
The chief proudly accepted the compliment and brought the queen back to their home. The next day came and Mala woke to see that she was the only one in bed. Surprised, she did not let a small feeling of disappointment linger. She readied herself for the day and went to the living area. Dagur had made some breakfast for her that she ate, but he was not there this time. Mala ate alone and afterwards, the Defender went back to see the Great Protector. He was the same as the previous day. Dagur was already there and they greeted each other.
"Come on, big boy, get better."
His response was a low humming noise from the dragon. It sounded pitiful and hurt the couple's hearts. The pair left the area and were greeted by Throk.
"Is there any improvement?"
They shook their heads and Throk fought to not slouch in depression.
"I will guard the Great Protector in his time of need, my queen and king," he volunteered, bowing.
"Such an act is unnecessary, but appreciated, and must endure longer," the chieftess told him.
"But I might be able to…" Throk trailed off, knowing there was nothing he could think to do which would benefit the dragon. "I will continue to pray for his health."
Mala put a hand on his shoulder. "It will do more than you expect."
He gave a small nod of his head before returning to the rest of his duties. Dagur and Mala kept walking around the island and could not help but think that the temperature was a bit warmer than usual. They heard a shout.
"Stop sneaking around here like that!" a Berserker yelled at two Defenders.
"We are just walking. Maybe if you were to be more aware of your surroundings, we would not have frightened you," one said calmly.
The Berserker shook with rage and reached for his weapon. Dagur came from behind him and touched his arm, stopping him.
"Chief and Chieftess. Good, you can settle this. Do I need to be more aware of my surroundings or should they stop sneaking?" he asked.
The couple looked at one another. Dagur smirked.
"Did you know I was right here?"
The Berserker soldier hesitantly shook his head.
"More awareness never hurts anyone," the chief reminded him. "It's helped me more times than I can count!"
This calmed the Viking down and as the Defenders began to sneak away, Mala stopped them.
"Also, you two were sneaking. From here, you cannot see an approaching enemy ship, so it leaves one to assume that your goal in being amongst the barrels was to cause a fright."
The Defenders sulked off and the Berserker returned to his business. While they did, the chief and queen shook their heads and went to continue keeping track of matters. Another day came and again, Mala found herself alone in the bed. A new breakfast had been prepared and in it she partook. She found her husband checking on things.
"Morning, Mala. Sleep well?"
She nodded. "Thank you for the breakfast."
"No problem." He wiped his brow. "I hope that our Eruptodon eats more of that lava. We'll melt by next week if he doesn't."
Another confrontation occurred that day and the newlyweds had to correct everything. A group of Defenders and Berserkers argued about a piece of land in between where the islands met. The couple sighed heavily.
"Can this land not belong to everyone?" Mala inquired. "There is no border to where one group ends and another begins. We are all one kingdom now. Please act like it."
She and Dagur went to their home and he leaned against a wall.
"What do we do if the Great Protector isn't better by tomorrow? Everyone's so tense," he noted. "This heat isn't helping."
Mala looked unsure. "I have no idea."
The final day came and the royal pair went to see the Eruptodon. Seeing his state discouraged them. Still, he was lethargic. He did eat lava but slower than what would be preferred.
"There is still nothing visibly wrong with him. We must tell the others our news," Mala stated.
"Wish we had something better to say," Dagur commented, mouth curving downwards.
Holding hands, they went to the center of the island and summoned both groups. The Defenders and Berserkers crowded around them, anxiously awaiting the news.
"For now, the Great Protector's not any better," Dagur told them. "We're still looking to understand what's wrong with him, but we wanted to keep you updated on our progress."
The Vikings were silent for a moment, then burst into shouts targeted at the other side.