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Chapter Text

The icy waters crashed on the sides of the Berserker ship. A muscular man with red hair and a beard stood at the wheel. His eyes were trained on nothing in particular, and yet he seemed to stare with a fierce intensity. His expression was neither that of joy nor sadness, just blank. Blue, bear claw tattoos stood out as the sun came over the light clouds. A long scar decorated the man's face, going from above his right ear and over his eye down to his chin. There was a red mark on his right arm, but it did not affect the man's smooth movements with steering.

"They have to be here somewhere," he thought worriedly. Suddenly a tightness formed in his chest, "Something happened, but what if it was worse than I thought?"

He felt a sense of fear for his friends and continued searching. As the day turned into night, the man ran a hand through his messy hair. Absent-mindedly, he hummed the Berserker anthem, mixing it with a tribal song of the Defenders of the Wing. A smile formed on his face and he bobbed his head to the beat he had created. Dagur looked at some maps and crossed off a location, adding it to a large pile of now useless maps like itself. He was officially out of maps to look to for help. He was on his own, but the man did not mind. If he knew where the Berkians were not, he could at least use that to narrow down his search. He had to be closer, unless, well, that alternative was not to be considered for longer than the cruel mind's few moments of contemplation. Dagur looked and saw no land to either side of him, so he decided to go straight ahead. In the past, he would have lit a small fire for light in the evenings. Now, though, his eyes were accustomed to the darkness without any aid. Similarly, his body was used to not consistently sleeping once night had come.

Dagur smirked at himself. "It must have been when I was four that I actually always went to sleep at night. Too many things to do since then."

Fatigue was lately little more than an annoying pest who would come to Dagur every couple of days. As the sun came over the horizon, Dagur thought the old pest had finally caught up with him again. "Making me see things now, huh?" he chided, blinking several times. He let his eyes adjust to the sun and realized that it had not been exhaustion who created the mirage. In fact, there was no mirage at all. A wide grin spread over Dagur's face as he saw a large mass of clearly inhabited land. Trepidation, despite his initial optimism, clawed at Dagur.

"What if there are just other people here and still no Berkians?" He frowned and then looked determined. "Then, I'll keep looking. They're hard to kill, so they're still around here somewhere. If this isn't it," he paused, feeling depressed at the thought, "I'll find them somewhere else."

Dagur pulled the ship into the harbor of the land and looked around for some Vikings. He had known through plenty of experiences that it was best to find them first and explain your presence than for them to find you coming onto their land. Unfortunately, no one was around the coast and after some painfully long minutes of waiting, Dagur decided no one would come for a while. He disembarked from his vessel and cautiously went ashore.

"Here, Viky, Viky," he called, almost more to himself than anyone else. Excitement came over him as he spotted another Viking.

He was one with a short ponytail who wore clothes that did not fit the standard Berkian customs. Dagur's heart sank a bit as he approached the other man.

"Hey, do you happen to know any Berkians? I've been looking for them si-"

He was cut short by the other's viking's harsh glare. "Why are you looking for them?" he questioned.

Dagur immediately got annoyed by the interruption and aggression but stayed calm. "They're friends of mine. I haven't seen them in a while, so I'm just hoping they're okay." There was a brief pause and Dagur started back up. "So, you seem to know them. Are they here or do they live on another island?" The other man looked unwilling to give any information and Dagur could sense it. "I really am their friend. If you want me to try to prove it, I will."

The man still looked unconvinced and looked around them. "Hey," he called to another Viking.

"Great." Dagur thought sarcastically, "Someone else I don't recognize."

When the viking came over, the other man pointed to Dagur. "Keep an eye on him. I'm going to get the others."

The new guy nodded and got into a fighting stance just in case as the other one left to retrieve the rest. Dagur fought the urge to roll his eyes at the man's weak stance.

He quietly scoffed. "That wouldn't even keep a baby yak back." After a couple of minutes, Dagur looked at the viking. "Are you just going to stay like that until he returns?"

When no response came, Dagur sighed and took out a knife, starting to sharpen it and regretting his action as soon as it was made.

"Drop the weapon," The guard ordered.

The man grunted and placed the blade on the ground, bored. When the one man came back, it seemed like it had been forever. Behind him were several Vikings. They looked older, yet familiar to Dagur and he was quick to brush past the other two Vikings to hug the tallest one who had grown a beard. Hiccup looked shocked at first but then smiled.

"Dagur?" The name sounded almost foreign to him after all these years and yet nothing seemed like a better reminder of the past. Dagur's bone-crushing grip was not as bad as before. "It must have been all those years hugging Mala," the Berkian chief thought.

Before he could ask any questions, the Berserker got to his. "What happened?" Dagur asked, "I went to Berk and it was almost all in ruins."

The Berkians looked sad at the reminder. Hiccup nodded grimly. "That was because of a dragon hunter named Grimmel. He had wiped out almost all the other Night Furies and was going after Toothless. We came here instead to get away from him."

His friend glanced around, "Speaking of T, where is he?" A worried look came over his face. "He's okay, right?"

Hiccup looked downcast as he replied. "He is, but he isn't here anymore. None of the dragons are. We decided it would be safer for them all to go somewhere they wouldn't be found by any hunters."

An unreadable expression came over Dagur's face, but it vanished just as quickly. "What's been going on since last time? You all never stayed in touch," the chief said, hurt audibly in his voice.

The Berkians looked sheepish. "It's been a lot," Astrid said.

She looked behind where they stood and motioned for two kids to join them. A big smile came over the visitor's face.

"Mini Hiccup and Astrid!" he beamed.

The blond boy half hid behind his mother, uncertain of this newcomer, whereas his sister looked at him fiercely. She looked up at her parents with askance in her eyes.

"This is Dagur the Deranged," Hiccup told her. Her eyes widened a bit at that information. "Dagur, these are our kids, Zephyr and Nuffink."

The Berserker gleefully waved at them and Nuffink shyly returned the motion. "So," Dagur began, "H and Blondie got together-no shock there-Fishy has a mustache, the dragons are gone, and you've moved. Also added some new members I see."

Ruffnut nodded and pointed to the viking Dagur had met upon his docking. "That's Eret," she said excitedly, earning a glance from Fishlegs. She noticed the glance and held his hand.

"He used to be a dragon hunter," Tuff added.

Dagur chuckled as he went back over to pick his knife up, "Been there. These Berkians wear you down, don't they?" Eret looked unsure of how to respond and decided to remain silent.

Hiccup's eyes lit up. "And you've got to meet my mom."

"What? Really?" Dagur could hardly believe it. She had been gone for longer than he had even known Hiccup. "I know Stoick is loving having her back here." The atmosphere changed once Stoick's name was mentioned and Dagur worried he knew what that meant. "Hiccup, I'm sorry," he said, sincerity evident.

Hiccup just nodded and continued to lead his friend through the village. This Berk felt so different to Dagur. It was by no means bad, but it was so altered from how everything was on the Berk with the dragons everywhere. As he thought more about the dragons being sent away, an unexplainable bit of anger crept into him. The chief pushed down the odd emotion and followed as they went up to another viking.

"Mom, this is our friend, Dagur the Deranged," Hiccup introduced.

Dagur grinned at the lady. "It's great to meet you."

Valka smiled back, "We've heard a lot about you and the Berserkers."

The man's grin faltered a bit. "I hope not too much," he thought.

Hiccup noticed his concern and put a hand on his shoulder. "We focused on the good."

Relief flushed over Dagur and his smile returned. The other Vikings came up and Zephyr watched as her grandmother and father spoke with the visitor. A small frown formed on her face and she pulled Eret aside.

"Can we talk?" she asked.

The older viking curiously nodded and followed her as she pulled Nuffink along with them. They went to a library when Eret finally stopped her.

"Okay, Zephyr, what's going on?"

The girl looked worried and took out a big book. On it was an insignia with a Skrill.

"What's going on is that we shouldn't be so welcoming of newcomers. You might be the only one I'll be able to actually get to listen to me since you won't be blinded by fond memories."

Sensing a long conversation starting, Eret and Nuffink sat down and waited for Zephyr to begin her explanation. As Zephyr spoke to the two, Valka had to leave to check on some of the New Berkian youngsters.

"Sorry," she said, hearing shrieks coming from where the kids were. "I need to see what the problem is."

She hurried off and Hiccup's expression turned serious. "Are you okay, brother?" Dagur asked him.

A small smile formed on the Berkian chief's face. "I haven't been called that in years."

"Good." Dagur puffed up, "That's for me. Not just anyone can go around here throwing 'brother's at you."

Hiccup laughed and shook his head. "I might be lying if I said I haven't grown to miss your…zaniness."

Dagur smirked. "Sure you don't mean 'craziness?'"

Hiccup mocked defensiveness, "I said zaniness!"

The Berserker laughed his trademark one. "I've sort of just come to accept it as it is. No point in trying to convince others I'm sane if even I know it's not true. But what's fun about being sane anyway? You've got some craziness too for all you've done with and for dragons."

Hiccup grinned, "I'm crazy now?"

"In only the best way. That's why we became friends."

The Berkian looked at him amusedly. "I could have sworn it was because you stopped trying to kill us."

"Well, I mean, I guess that didn't hurt any," Dagur added, chuckling.

The two laughed and Hiccup looked from the Berserker to the village. "It's been so long, brother. Too long."

"Didn't have to be," Dagur pointed out, "You didn't send a Terror Mail or anything."

Hiccup looked a bit guilty. "I know and I'm sorry. Things started picking up so much after we left the Edge. It felt like we were just destroying the Dragon Eye and then suddenly, we were at Berk, my dad was trying to get me to become chief, mom showed up again, and then…then I did become chief."

Dagur heard the pain in his friend's voice as he finished. "I really wanted to reach out after that happened," Hiccup admitted, "I couldn't bring myself to do it, though. Too much time had passed for me to have our first talk be about Dad."

The older man looked him in the eye, "Hiccup, you're my best friend. I wouldn't have been able to handle losing my dad if you hadn't been there with all your Hiccupiness. If you wanted to talk, or even if you still do, I would have been and am fine with that."

Hiccup frowned as he thought of Toothless's plasma going into Stoick. "I just haven't wanted to talk about it with mom. She loved him too, so we'd both just be sad. And the others don't get it. They haven't experienced something like that before. That's kinda why I wanted to talk to you. At least it wouldn't be me trying to explain a totally foreign thing to somebody." He paused and felt a tightness in his chest. "Does it ever stop? Does the pain ease up the more time passes? It's already been over a decade and I still feel like it happened yesterday."

Dagur sighed, "I wish I could tell you that it does. That you'll be feeling good as new by tomorrow, but I can't. From my experience, it stays. You remember how you felt because you never really stopped feeling it. You just did more things in between, but the pain didn't change."

Hiccup looked nearly horrified, "Then it just never gets better?"

The other chief was silent for a few moments. "I don't know. Sorry." He frowned, then an idea came to mind and he went on. "Maybe it changes you but not totally for the worse. Could make you appreciate those around you more. You've got a big family, H, so maybe that experience helped prepare you for living every moment with them to the fullest."

Hiccup mused over what he heard and looked at the Berserker. "I think so," he said hopefully. Hiccup jokingly nudged the other viking. "Where was this Dagur when I was trying to negotiate all those years ago?"

Dagur chuckled, "Long in the making." He added in an ornery tone, "Can't get genius like this from beauty sleep."

"I bet Mala's been loving it. How is everyone? I'm a bit surprised they didn't come with you."

Dagur looked at some families in the village. "Yeah, they're all home."

"They're doing well, though? I'm also a bit shocked you don't have any kids yet. You and Mala seemed to get along so quickly."

Dagur smiled, "Soon. Mala's pregnant."

Hiccup clapped him on the back, "Congratulations! Is that why you came? To tell us?"

The Berserker mumbled, "I guess that must have been it." Louder, he said, "Saw how Fishy and Ruff were. I might not have good news for Heather when I get back."

Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, they've been together for a while now. I think it really happened just after the dragons left."
The two sighed. "So many things have changed," Hiccup noted, then his eyes lit up. "But it's not all permanent."

"You're losing me, H," Dagur told him, one brow raising.

"We could go to the Hidden World." Realizing that explanation hardly clarified anything, he elaborated. "That's where all the dragons went. Zephyr and Nuffink have never seen any dragons and I'd really like to get them there before Zephyr decides they're all evil just because of what she reads in books. Plus, you can get to see Sleuther and Shattermaster too."

Dagur grinned, "Sounds like a plan to me."

"Then it's all set." Hiccup stated, "Tomorrow, we'll be going to the Hidden World."

Chapter Text

Nuffink and Eret looked at Zephyr expectantly as the girl plopped a big book onto a table in the village library.

"If Dagur's a Berserker, he's more dangerous than just another visitor."

Nuffink's face scrunched into a frown. "But Mommy and Daddy trust him."

Zephyr sighed. "That's only because he started helping them out while they were in the middle of all the dragon hunter problems. As soon as that was over, they stopped being in touch with one another. Had they stayed in contact, he would have gone right back to his old ways and they wouldn't be friends now." She raised her arms emphatically. "Even if he didn't immediately change, it's been over ten years! They don't know him any more than any of us do. Who knows what happened during all that time? He was crazy before and he probably still is. He could be crazier now than ever. Maybe he came here to kill us all. It's not like he hasn't tried."

Eret looked concerned. "He's tried before?"

Zephyr nodded. "Mom and Dad told me how he used to be their enemy. He even killed a whole village of people that his sister used to live with. He was a loose canon at best." The man looked conflicted and Zephyr noticed. "What's wrong?"

Eret sighed. "I don't know if I can judge people based on what they've done in the past. We did all sorts of things working for Drago."

Zephyr frowned at him. "Did you kill a whole village?"

Eret was silent for a moment. "We've done equivalent things."

The girl huffed and crossed her arms. "I thought you'd listen."

"I am listening," Eret insisted. "I don't disbelieve that he was crazy. I'm just saying that we should see a bit more of how he is now before we accuse him of anything."

Zephyr's eyes lit up. "I know what'll convince you. We should talk to the twins. They'll tell you about him."

She grabbed Eret's hand and pulled him along. Nuffink followed and the three of them found Valka with the twins. She had a stern frown on her face.

"You can't give children clubs and maces to settle arguments with."

Tuffnut tried to say something, but she lifted a hand to stop him. Valka's face brightened when she saw her grandchildren.

"I'm glad that you're all here," Zephyr said.

Valka noticed the serious tone. "What's going on?"

Zephyr pointed to the twins. "I wanted to ask Uncle Tuff and Aunt Ruff about Dagur the Deranged."

Ruff and Tuff, who had just started sparring with each other, using the confiscated mace and club, looked at her upon hearing their names called.

"What do you want to know?" Tuff asked.

"What was he like when you all were young?"

Ruff and Tuff tapped their chins. "Kinda fun in a 'you might die if you don't watch your step' way," Ruff answered.

Tuff laughed. "You should have seen Fishlegs then. He kept getting caged and force-fed rotten cod heads."

Ruff punched her brother who continued to laugh. Zephyr watched as Valka's and Eret's expressions changed.

"Why did he do that?" Valka asked.

The twins shrugged. "Never asked. Same reason he tried to use Hiccup as a knife-throwing target, I guess," Tuff offered.

Ruff chimed in, "And tried to drown him. Can't forget about that." Valka looked horrified and Eret's expression mirrored hers.
Zephyr kept going.

"But he wasn't much better older either, right?"

The twins looked at one another. "For a while, no," Tuff said. "He got really mad after finding out about us riding dragons and started trying to kill all of us-especially Hiccup-after that. When he got out of jail, he was way worse for a long time."

Ruff frowned. "Even was there when I got abducted by the hunters."

"And he was the one who suggested one of us get pushed off the ship when Astrid, Fishlegs, and us got caught."

They paused, remembering the moment and how fortunate they were that Heather had dissuaded Ryker. In the next moment, they were cheery again.

"But that's all in the past now. He's fun in a much safer way these days." Tuff smiled. "What else do you want to know?"

Zephyr saw the shocked faces on Valka and Eret. "That's about it for now. Thanks." The twins happily went off, leaving Eret and Valka with the kids. "Believe me now?" Zephyr asked Eret.

The man nodded slowly. Valka opened her mouth to speak, but she was interrupted when Hiccup and Dagur returned. She saw the brightness in her son's eyes and felt discouraged.

"What do you all think about going to the Hidden World in the morning?" Hiccup inquired. He saw his daughter's face drop when he said this. "It'll be good for you and Nuffink to see the dragons," he explained.

Zephyr was unconvinced and frowned, quietly sulking.

"What about you, Mom?" Hiccup asked, snapping the woman out of her thoughts.

Valka paused and looked between Hiccup and Dagur. The Berserker's stomach knotted a bit after seeing her expression. It was one he knew all too well. The look of someone who had found out about who he once was.

"Um, could we speak with you for a moment, Hiccup?" Valka asked, as inconspicuous as she could.

Hiccup turned to Dagur who light-heartedly shrugged. "I'll go see what's going on with the others."

Hiccup nodded and went off with the rest. "What's wrong?" he asked them once they were out of earshot.

Valka and Eret looked at each other. The man began, "We were just hearing more about Dagur and…"

"And do you think we should bring him to the dragons' hiding place?" Valka completed.

"I do," Hiccup stated matter-of-factly, "I don't know what all you heard, but I know the Dagur that we've gotten to know over the years. I get that, though, it can seem a bit odd to only hear about everything. You had to be there. If you saw the same change we did, you wouldn't doubt him. He's really worked to make up for all he's done by doing things from risking his own life to prove we were about to go into a trap to helping us out on Old Berk when we didn't have any willow bark." Hiccup shot a meaningful look at Zephyr. "So, I'd personally appreciate it if you all gave him a chance before deciding what type of person he is."

Hiccup left to rejoin the other Berkians. Zephyr looked slightly sheepish, though her opinion was unchanged.

"Dragons and Dagur," she huffed miserably.

Eret sighed. "I guess that's settled." He glanced at the others to see if they were in agreement and he saw they were not. "What else is there to do? We're going tomorrow."

A stern frown came over Valka's face. "I know my son means well, but I have seen the trouble his big heart and poor judgment of people can get everyone into. We tried addressing him, so let's address Dagur tomorrow. We can see where he claims to be standing on the matter of his visit."

Eret and Zephyr agreed, and the group split up, Nuffink being pulled along. As Hiccup met back up with the rest, he saw that Dagur was not there with them. He walked around for a short bit before finding the chief looking at the village.

"It's really nice here," Dagur complimented, almost absent-mindedly.

Hiccup smiled proudly. "It took some time, but I think it was worth it."

They returned to join the others and spoke of how things had been on New Berk.

"They still aren't letting me be the head of testing out weapons," Snotlout complained.

The other Berkians laughed, and the rest of the day was spent with the Berkians and Berserker catching up on various things. As the day came to an end, Hiccup led the visitor to the lined-up huts.

"These are the guest huts. Don't forget about the dragons in the morning," Hiccup said excitedly.

Dagur grinned back. "Wouldn't dream of it."

As the Berserker went into the hut, he suddenly felt light-headed. He put a hand to his head and tried shaking his head to clear it. He heard some Viking kids gleefully playing and his head only felt worse.

"What's wrong with me?" he wondered. "Maybe I'm just tired."

Dagur got ready to go to sleep, but it was a decision he quickly regretted. As soon as he closed his eyes, he saw red and heard terrified screams. He reopened his eyes and grunted before attempting once more. When Dagur was met by the same result, he gave up and decided to just get ready for the next day's trip. Everyone was relatively up on time. The twins and Snotlout were the only ones to push it a bit, but they all made good time for at least boarding the vessel. Dagur watched the Berkians laughing with each other and noticed as Eret and Valka came over to him.

"Do you two also have dragons that you're hoping to see?" he asked them.

Valka looked hesitant to share at first but decided it was a safe enough bit of information. "I had a Stormcutter."

Dagur nodded, impressed. "Haven't heard of those. I bet they're cool."

Eret kept his eyes on the chatting Berkians. "I had Chief Stoick's old dragon, Skullcrusher. What about you?"

Dagur smiled. "A Gronckle-which I thought was the worst possible dragon Hiccup could have given me until I found out how fun they are-and a Triple Stryke."

Having already started with mild questions, Eret continued. "So, what brought you here?"

Dagur paused. "I actually don't really know."

Valka's eyes widened. "You tracked us down all this way without knowing why?"

Dagur frowned self-consciously. "I knew at the time, but it was a while."

Eret looked confused. "'A while?' How long was the trip?"

The Berserker turned pensive. "A nice while maybe."

Valka was unsatisfied by the answer, though she moved onto a different question. "We heard about how you and the others weren't necessarily friends at first. Why were you so violent with them?"

"Knew it was a matter of time before these questions started," Dagur thought. "I wasn't trying to be," he said.

Valka looked shocked. "You tried to drown Hiccup and use him as a knife-throwing target and were not trying to be violent?"

Her tone annoyed Dagur. It was the same tone so many people have had. That 'what in Thor's name is wrong with you?' tone.

"Berk was an island. Hiccup needed to learn how to swim. I tossed him in, but I thought he'd follow my lead and start swimming," he explained. "The whole knife thing was just because he was so small. I didn't want everybody to be able to pick on him, so I figured he'd be fine if he had agility. The knives certainly gave him incentive." He chuckled and then realized that he probably should not have. The two glared at him and he lowered his head a bit. "I get now that I should have handled the situation differently, but I really did think it was for the best at the time."

Valka looked at him. "But I assume you knew what you were doing when you tried to get them thrown off the hunters' ship or the reason why you went to prison."

Dagur bit his lip, thinking, "Of course they had to share those details." He cleared his throat. "I did," he admitted. "I thought they were my enemies. I don't anymore, though. They're my friends and I wouldn't do anything to intentionally hurt them."

Valka's expression hardened. "That is quite the change," she noted, audibly doubtful. "Almost an unlikely one."

More annoyance bubbled irritatingly inside of Dagur. He met her hard gaze with a calm one despite this. He had worked on his temper far too much for him to let it all be undone by one interrogation.

"If you get mad, that'll just prove that you haven't changed at all," the Berserker thought. He took a deep breath and continued. "It is a big change, but it didn't just happen overnight or anything. I changed because I had to think about what really matters in life. I realized that if I died, I didn't want to just have lived making enemies and attacking people everywhere I went." He paused. "I really changed because of my sister. She's a friend of theirs and it was between bonding with her or continuing the way I was. Wasn't that hard of a decision when I thought of it that way."

Though not really dissuaded, the two Vikings gave up on their questioning. Zephyr and Nuffink were by their parents and Eret met Zephyr's eyes, subtly telling her of the talk they had. The girl moved over to him.

"We spoke to him about it."

"And?" she asked, with anticipation.

Eret looked upset. "And I'm not really convinced he is a threat, Zephyr." He saw her disappointment. "I think something's up with why he's here, but I don't think he's any danger to us."

Zephyr solemnly nodded and went over to her brother. "If the crazy Berserker doesn't kill us, the dragons will."

Nuffink's eyes got big with horror at the thought. His eyes only widened further when he heard his father call out, "We're here!"

The Berkians hurried over to the edge of the ship and saw all the fog in the surrounding area. For a few moments, they saw and heard nothing. Dagur took in the silence and it sent an unwanted chill down his spine. Breaking the silence, a Gronckle approached. It looked at the Vikings with mild hesitancy until it saw the Ingerman. FIshlegs's face lit up and the dragon flew over to him.

"Meatlug!" he cried, happily.

The Gronckle and Viking hugged before the dragon made a noise resembling a call. Several baby dragons followed and Fishlegs squealed.

"You're a mom?!"

"Mini Meatlugs," Tuff noted.

A big smile came over his face and Ruff's when they saw a Hideous Zippleback charging towards them with joy in its eyes. Similarly, Snotlout was unable to contain his happiness when he saw a certain Monstrous Nightmare coming over.

"Took you long enough," he playfully complained. When he thought nobody was looking, he pet the dragon's head. "It's been too long, Hooky."

Soon Stormfly, Cloudjumper, and Skullcrusher reunited with their riders. All the while, Zephyr and Nuffink were trying their best to hide from the reptiles. Dagur and Hiccup looked over the edge, then at one another. Answering their silent calls, a sleek, black Night Fury and a large Triple Stryke and green Gronckle came over. Hiccup gleefully hugged the dragon. The Light Fury followed a bit behind Toothless and with her were three baby Furies. The Berkian chief watched as the babies started going over to his own kids. A smile crossed his face as Nuffink cautiously pet one. He looked around him and could only grin at the reunion he was witnessing.

"I'm glad we came," he said, turning slightly to Dagur. "We might not have if you hadn't come to visit."

When he did not receive a reply, he looked at the other chief. Dagur had an odd expression on his face and had each hand gently placed on Strykie and Shattermaster.

"They left," he intoned. "The dragons all left."

Hiccup went over to his friend with a concerned look in his eyes. "Yeah, they did. Are you okay?"

Dagur said nothing for a second, then nodded, replacing his previous face with a smiling one. "Of course." He ran a hand through his hair. "Just was thinking-or remembering, I guess."

Hiccup nodded, "It does feel like they left so long ago."

Dagur silently nodded as he continued to pet the reptiles. The Vikings spent the entire day out with the dragons, meeting new friends and families. Ruff and Tuff looked shocked when they saw that Barf and Belch had kids.

"Aw, they're kinda cute," Ruff noted, holding a small Zippleback baby.

The two heads quarreled in her arms and Tuff watched in fascination. Nuffink started to play with one of Toothless's kids, but Zephyr was still hesitant. Hiccup noticed and signaled for Toothless to follow him. Zephyr looked suspicious when she saw the Night Fury and then conflicted when she saw her father with the reptile.

"He won't hurt you," Hiccup promised.

Zephyr frowned, slightly but did not run. Calmly, Toothless went over to the young Berkian and looked at her with his big eyes. Against everything she wanted to do, Zephyr pet the dragon. She began to grin as Toothless gave a little smile. Dagur looked at Strykie and Shattermaster and leaned in to whisper.

"Do you two remember leaving?" They looked at him, knowingly, and he sighed. "I guess I'm the only one who doesn't."

He looked up and saw a Razor Whip. The two locked eyes for a second, then the dragon flew away. As the day came to a close, the Vikings reluctantly left the dragons.

"We should do this again," Hiccup said.

Dagur raised a brow. "Wouldn't it be dangerous to do this too often? What if hunters find them?"

Hiccup looked uncertain. "The hunters were mainly defeated. I don't think they'll be an issue. We mainly just want the dragons to be hidden to prevent any new hunters from coming. Since the dragons have all been in here for so long, I'm sure that the hunters have given up by now."

Silently disagreeing, Dagur went onto the vessel with the other Vikings. The people set sail for New Berk and as Hiccup got prepared to steer, he paused.

"What's the matter?" Astrid asked him, noticing his pause.

"Want to say hi to Heather?" he inquired.

The chieftess's face brightened. "Always."

Hiccup smiled. "Hey, Dagur," he called. The older man turned and saw the Berkian's happy face. "What would you saw to us going over to Defenders of the Wing Island? It'd be nice to see everyone."

Dagur nodded. "Yeah, they'd love it."

"I'll go tell the others," Astrid told them.

She hurried off to give the good news as Dagur looked out over the horizon.

"Maybe this is what I need," he thought. "Just to be back there with them. I probably shouldn't have left home, but at least we'll all get to go." A hopeful smile appeared on his face. "Mala should be almost due now. If I'm lucky, I'll get there in time for the birth." He glanced at Zephyr and Nuffink and chuckled. "Can't wait until they have some Berserker-Defenders to keep them on their toes."

Contently, he leaned against the edge of the ship and watched as the Hidden World faded to a spec. For the first time in a long while, the Berserker actually felt something which had to be excitement.

Chapter Text

Dagur stayed by the edge of the ship for a little while and Snotlout came over after some time had gone by.

"So, did Heather ever find somebody? Settle down?" he asked, as casually as he could manage.

Dagur chuckled. "No, but I wouldn't get your hopes up, Snotty."

The Jorgenson's face dropped pitifully. "Maybe I'll have better luck with one of the Defenders."

The Berserker shrugged, amused. "Worth a try, I guess. Plenty of people, so you'll have a lot of chances."

Snotlout smiled. "Of course! That's what I'm talking about, Dags-" he stopped himself from completing the nickname and cleared his throat. He peeked at the Berserker to see if he noticed. When he saw no reaction, the Berkian tilted his head. "You know, I thought you'd seem happier about going back or just in general."

Dagur turned to regard him curiously. "What do you mean?"

Snotlout looked uncertain. "I don't know. You just don't seem as energetic as before."

The Berserker frowned slightly, deep in thought. "I guess I've just been thinking about a lot of things. It'll be a long trip. I'll probably use that time to just clear my head. There's definitely enough time to think."

Snotlout nodded. "Okay. I think the others are in the lower compartment. We'll be there if you're wondering where everyone is."

Dagur gave a grin and the other Viking left him to his thoughts. As Snotlout went down, Valka went past him and over to Hiccup who was still at the wheel.

"Hey, Mom," he greeted happily. When he saw her troubled expression, his brows furrowed. "Is everything all right?"

Valka sighed. "It's just about Dagur."

Hiccup sighed too. "He's not trying to kill us," he said, a bit exasperated.

"He doesn't even know why he was looking for us," Valka pressed.

The chief's frown deepened. "Yes, he does. He came here to tell us about Mala-she's his wife-being pregnant."

Valka's expression turned intrigued. "That's what he told you?" Hiccup nodded and she rubbed her chin. "He told Eret and I that he didn't know why he came here."

Hiccup paused for a moment. "Well, he was probably just getting mixed up after all the questions."

"That answer shouldn't change," Valka insisted to Hiccup's dismay.

The chief tried to focus on steering. "I don't know why he didn't tell you guys. You aren't close, so maybe that's why."

Valka looked frustrated. "What will it take to make you believe us, Son? Something's wrong with him."

Hiccup laughed scornfully. "We already know that, but there's not anything so wrong with him that we can't trust him."

Valka gave up and walked past Dagur on her way back down to the others. The chief sighed after she was gone and went up to see Hiccup.

"They think I'm going after you all, huh?" Dagur asked, already knowing the answer.

Hiccup reluctantly nodded. "I think they're just a bit paranoid because of what they've heard. It didn't really help that you didn't just tell them the reason why you came."

Dagur heaved a sigh. "Because I don't really know."

Hiccup looked at him strangely. "You said it was to give us the news about the baby."

The Berserker shook his head. "Actually, Brother, you said that. I just figured that must have been it."

The Berkian looked concerned. "Is something wrong, Dagur? You've seemed a bit…different."

The other Viking put a hand to his face and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I don't know, H."

When he lowered his hand, Hiccup finally saw how tired his friend looked.

"When's the last time you've actually slept?" he asked.

Dagur laughed at the concept of true slumber.

"I guess that's my answer," Hiccup noted worriedly. "What's been going on?"

The older man just shook his head. "I don't know," he repeated.

Without another word, Dagur went back to look over the edge of the ship. Hours passed and he remained there. He could not shake this odd feeling that something was wrong. The time began to fly by and Dagur suddenly wondered how long he had even been looking at the water. Soon enough, the ripples in the water became less pronounced and Dagur realized they had docked. He heard the others coming up from the lower compartments and made his way to the other side of the ship. When he reached it, he saw a large mass of lined, lumpy, and mostly gray land. There were a few remains of homes, but there was no sign of life. Dagur frowned, confused. The Berkians looked at the scene, horrified.

"What happened here? Where's everyone?" Hiccup asked.

"They're home," Dagur said, quietly. The Berserker snapped his fingers. "Right. The volcano. I forgot that it was active. We evacuated to Berserker Island after the dragons all left since the Great Protector wasn't here anymore to help us out."

Hiccup forced himself to tear his eyes away from the cooled lava and he exhaled the breath he had been holding. The others shakily moved around the ship and Dagur stayed where he was, looking at the land.

"I'm glad you all were able to get out safely," Hiccup stated, sincerely.

Dagur nodded. "I'm remembering a bit more now. It was tricky, but we managed to get everyone out."

Hiccup gave a small nod and shifted the vessel's directions. Astrid came over with an apologetic look in her eyes.

"Sorry you all had to leave. I know the Defenders were probably hurt to have had to lose their home like this."

Dagur bobbed his head in agreement. "Luckily, we had been alternating islands anyway, so this wasn't as big of a change as it could have been."

When Dagur went down to the lower compartment, Eret went over to Hiccup. The chief raised his hand.

"Don't start," he began, seeing Eret's mouth open.

"But, Hiccup, you have to admit that it's odd for him to just forget this."

"People sometimes repress memories," Hiccup countered.

Eret looked unconvinced. "Because this was so traumatic? They just relocated."

A deep sigh escaped Hiccup's lips and Eret got the hint to leave him alone. Instead, Eret found Dagur who was sitting with his hands around the top of his head.

"You might have the others tricked, but we know you're up to something. If you hurt any of our friends and family-" he began.

Dagur stood up. "What? You'll throw me in a cell or worse? Have to try better than that. I've heard it and worse since I was a teenager."

Eret looked a bit shocked, but the frown did not leave his face for long. He wanted to say more, but the other man glared at him until he left. Dagur plopped back down in his seat angrily.

"Not in the mood for your paranoia, pal," he thought, annoyed.

The painful headache that Dagur had been ignoring for days continued to knock on his skull. As annoyed as he was with the constant mistrust, he could not completely rule out the validity of their concern. He really could not remember much, and he felt as off as they sensed.

"It's been a while since I've felt this lost," he mused. "The last time must've been on that island when I was first shipwrecked." A small smirk appeared on his face. "Right after I convinced the Grimborns that I was actually following their lead. Between them and Alvin, when will people learn?" Just as his grin came, it vanished and the Berserker looked concerned. "Maybe I'm untrustworthy even when I'm not trying to be."

He sighed and leaned his head against the wall behind him. The voyage from Defenders of the wing Island to Berserker Island was not as long as the last trip and Hiccup called down to the Vikings when they reached the spot. A confused tone was in his voice and Dagur understood it when he saw the island. It was completely abandoned.

"I thought you said you all relocated here?" Hiccup asked.

Dagur was silent for a moment and stared at the land. He got off the ship and went down to look around. He went up and down every place he could think of and saw no one. After Dagur was done, he realized that it was indeed empty. He walked a bit more and reached his final spot to search. He looked down, something catching his eye and in an instant, his knees gave out on him. His breaths became short and quick as the world around him started to spin. The Berserker started to shake, and when Hiccup found him, he went over, slightly shaking him.

"Dagur!"

The Berserker did not respond and only started mumbling, "The lava. All the lava."

The memories all poured back into Dagur's mind like water after a dam was hastily broken. The Berserkers and Defenders all gathered at Defenders of the Wing Island to celebrate Mala's pregnancy. Heather and Throk had made sure everyone was there and they seemed just as excited as the royal couple. Mala and Dagur were throwing baby names at each other, seeing which ones stuck depending on the child's gender. They were overcome with joy. Dagur never thought he could even be as happy as he was. He had a kingdom and tribe, friends on Berk and a friend in Throk, a loving sister in Heather, the love of his life in Mala, and now the chance to be the father he had always wanted his own to be. It was the best day ever. It was so good that the people hardly even noticed when Shattermaster, Sleuther, and Windshear nuzzled against them that evening. The day was so full that the Vikings were all too tired to really know what more the reptiles were doing other than just wanting to show some love. It was not until the morning that everything became clear.

Dagur awoke after smelling smoke and hearing a sizzling sound. He quickly went to check on the island and saw it. He saw the lava coming down and towards the village. It was so close that it must have been going down from the volcano since the prior evening. That was when he realized that the dragons had been saying goodbye. They all left-including the Great Protector. Faster than lightning, Dagur went and told Mala what was happening. He had never trusted that the Eruptodon would keep them completely safe, so he started implementing his backup plans, but they did not work. Most of them involved help from the other dragons who were now gone. The other plans worked better in scenarios to prevent the lava from getting where it was. They were supposed to help in the beginning stages and the dragons would be used in case of emergencies. It was so far gone that there was little for the people to do. Dagur tried to get the others to leave, but they would not. He even ordered Throk and Heather to take Mala and leave, but the Defender chose this time to refuse an order and Heather would not leave her brother. As the lava got closer, Dagur practically begged them to leave. He did not know how to stop it, but he could stall it well enough for them to all leave. They could take the Berserkers and Defenders with them to safety on Berserker Island. Soon, all but two ships were destroyed by the volcano's spouted lava blasts. Some people would not be able to fit or come, so these brave souls stayed by the chief's side and helped him dig trenches.

The chief's heart hurt knowing that not everyone would be alive by noon. Still, he tried to get his family to leave. Dagur saw Mala helping families get out of burning huts and he rushed over to help her. She was lifting some of the fallen roof so that the kids could escape and before some burning debris fell on top of the queen, Dagur shielded her. It fell onto his right arm, burning as it did, but he was too consumed by adrenaline to feel anything. Mala looked at him with concern in her eyes, but she went deeper into the home.

"There are more children inside," she explained.

Dagur scooped out the ones from under the roof. "Then I'll get them."

A large chunk of debris fell between him and Mala. The lava was getting worse. He saw Berserkers and Defenders alike falling. He jumped over the debris to reach Mala and lifted several kids, taking Mala by his free hand so that they would not be separated again.

"Please leave with Heather and Throk," he pleaded, moving his hand to her stomach. "I can't lose all of you."

Mala looked at him with tear-filled eyes. "I cannot lose you either."

She lowered her head before reluctantly agreeing to go, and they found Heather and Throk. Dagur held Mala's hand for a moment longer, then looked at the others.

"Take the last ships and as many Vikings as you can."

Throk frowned and Heather shook her head.

"We're not leaving you."

"Not on your life," Throk added.

Dagur stood firm. "You'll do what's necessary to protect the heir," he told the Defender.

The obligation of everything hit Throk and with a sad look, he bowed slightly.

"I will, my king."

Heather still frowned. "I'm staying then. You're not sending me away twice."

Dagur gave her a hug. "Love you, sis, but I'll knock you out and drag you to that ship myself if I have to."

When he let go, he saw tears in Heather's eyes. "We just became a family again," she said, choking up.

"Make another one," he said, hopefully, giving her hand a squeeze.

The king saw how things were worsening and gave Mala a kiss on the lips. "I need to stay to make sure the lava doesn't reach you."

They ran to the ships, taking as many survivors as they could with them. Dagur got to work on finishing with the trenches. He could see the ships from where he was, and he felt like he was losing a part of himself with the idea of them all leaving. He was glad, though. The Berserker could keep them safe and that was worth it all. He would happily die a million deaths if I meant they would be all right.

Dagur was forced back by the lava, some more of it burning him as he worked. When he looked back up at the ships, he saw them setting sail. He felt relief and sighed, the stress fading. As he did, the volcano spat out giant lumps of lava. They shot out farther than the previous ones had and hit the ships. Before even realizing what he was doing, Dagur was running towards the docks. More lava hit the vessels and he continued. The Berserker reached the water and dove in, swimming over to the ship he saw the three enter. It was flaming and several rooms had dead Berserkers and others had deceased Defenders. His chest tightened into a knot when he reached the last room. Throk had a board from the ship through his chest. Next to him, Heather's lifeless body was badly burned from some of the lava blasts entering from the roof of the room. Lastly, Mala's head was surrounded by blood caused by some debris blunt force trauma. Dagur heard a small murmur coming from her and ran over, cradling her head to stop the blood. She opened her glossy eyes and looked at him lovingly.

"You'll be okay, Malapoo. You all will," Dagur insisted, the unwanted panic sounding through his words despite his attempt to hide it.

Mala smiled. "No," she said, calmly. She winced. "I love you, Dagur the Deranged."

A lump in Dagur's throat came and he struggled to speak. "I love you too, but you're not going anywhere."

The queen leaned her head back in his hands. "See us again someday but not soon." Her eyelids closed. "Meet us at home."

With that, she went limp in his arms and Dagur stayed there quiet for several moments. After too much time to register passed, he gently set her down and looked around the room which had contained his family. Dagur repaired the ship to the best of his abilities to keep it from sinking and the rain that morning helped wash away the fires. The Berserker steered the ship to Berserker Island and put the bodies in small boats before sending them adrift with flaming arrows. After he was done, he set up a grave for all the lives lost. He was numb and only thought of finding the Berkians. They were the only ones he had left.

As the memories stopped returning, tears began to fall down the Berserker's face. He roared like a wounded dragon and covered his eyes with a hand. Hiccup looked between the chief and at the graveyard which had been built. He had not noticed it when he first approached, but he now saw many names. These names included those of Throk, Heather, and Mala. His eyes got watery as he looked back at Dagur. Without looking at the Berkian chief, the Berserker spoke.

"I was wrong," he said, quietly. "We didn't evacuate."

Chapter Text

Hiccup stood by the Berserker, trying to process what he had heard. He felt a pit in his stomach as realization hit him.

"The volcano killed them," Dagur said quietly. A flicker of rage appeared in his eyes. "The volcano that only erupted because the Eruptodon wasn't there to keep it at bay." His tone changed and he rose to his feet, glaring at Hiccup. "The reason the Eruptodon left was because you all decided that we'd all be better off without the dragons!"

Dagur clenched his hands into fists and tried to say a chant, but it was not helping. It had been years since he was this furious at Hiccup, so he stepped away from the Berkian. Hiccup looked at him sadly.

"We didn't know that would happen."

The Berserker glared with cold eyes. "Because you all forgot about us."

He opened his mouth to say something else and stopped himself. Biting his lip, he began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Hiccup asked him.

Without turning back, Dagur answered, "Somewhere I won't be tempted to do anything I might regret later."

The other Berkians came in just as Dagur was leaving. They had questioning looks in their eyes, and it was supported by the devastated look Hiccup had in his. He gestured to the tombs and they gasped.

"The lava," Fishlegs said, heartbroken. "It got them?"

Hiccup nodded solemnly. "He didn't go into details, but it did." He paused for a moment. "It was my fault."

Astrid went over to him. "No, it wasn't. You can't take that burden. Whatever Dagur said was out of a place of pain."

The chief shook his head. "But he was right. The volcano only got so bad because I sent the dragons away and that included the Eruptodon." He looked horrified. "We even tried to help Mala and the Defenders get the Eruptodon back that one time because the lava comes so quickly without it, but I just forgot. I forgot about our friends and now most of them are dead because of it. I was only thinking about our dragons and what they needed-not about anyone else. If I had, Mala, Heather, Throk-two kingdoms of people would still be alive right now."

Before anyone could say anything, Hiccup went to go walk on his own. As he did, Dagur was on the opposite side of Berserker Island. He thought back to when he and Mala had just gotten engaged, and he had to be separated when the Berkians needed help with getting rid of excess scrap metal. At the time, he had said that his heart felt as though it had been ripped out of his chest and left on a distant rock. That feeling was enviable at the moment. At least the heart was still there and could be potentially put back in its rightful place. Now, the Berserker just felt like his heart had been crushed, shattered, and stomped into the dirt. Rage boiled inside of him again.

"All this could have been avoided if Hiccup hadn't sent the dragons away," Dagur thought angrily.

His imagination ran wild with ways to make the Berkian pay and he had to stop himself.

"Don't go back down that path. Hiccup wasn't trying to hurt anyone. It just happened."

Dagur sat and looked at the water for a short time. Abruptly, he stood and went back to where the Berkians were. The Viking did not see Hiccup, but he was not mad about that. Instead, he found Fishlegs by Heather's tomb. Without bringing himself to look at the tombstone again, Dagur went over to the Berkian.

"There are guest huts when you go past the first five homes in the village. You're welcome to them or you all can return to New Berk. It's up to you." He turned and began to walk away. "I'll be back some time tonight."

Fishlegs looked at him worriedly. "Where are you going?"

Dagur shrugged, still facing away. "I'll find out when I get there, I guess."

He kept going, ignoring the following questions about whether this was a good idea or not. The Viking went until he found a ship and he set sail for the unknown. All he knew was that he wanted to get away from there for a while. Away from the tombs, the people, and the reminders.

Dagur thought of the violent ways the people all died. He wanted them to live for a while, but he would have also preferred a peaceful demise if they had to go so soon. He mused over the life they could have had.

"I wonder if Heather or Throk ever would have had their own kids? Since Fishy and Ruff got together, maybe those two would've wound up together one day."

A small smile tugged at his mouth from the idea of the two warriors raising children. Their kids would have likely been great cousins to the child he and Mala were about to have. The former king then imagined he and Mala raising the child. After a bit more of these thoughts, Dagur mentally scolded himself.

"Kind of defeats the purpose of leaving if I'm just going to think about it all anyway."

He frowned and looked back at the water, seeing how dark the sky around him had become. The Berserker went a bit further and almost shipwrecked into some land that was nearly hidden by the night.

"I should have been able to see that…maybe I just didn't care," he realized.

Dagur let out a heavy sigh, but something in the distance caught his eye. There was light from a fire up ahead of him. Curiosity got the better of the Berserker and he redirected the ship to see who it was. He docked the vessel far enough away to not be seen by anyone, then descended onto the land. He could now see how large the fire was.

"That must've taken half of the trees for all the wood they'd need to keep it burning," he thought.

As Dagur got closer, he heard some Vikings talking. He could not make out their words, but they seemed annoyed about whatever the topic had been. Staying hidden, he crept closer to see who they were. Instead of seeing the Vikings first, a large object stood out. Keeping the large flames going was a Monstrous Nightmare blowing a steady stream of fire. It was not as large as Hookfang, but it looked thrice as vicious. Next to the Monstrous Nightmare, there were two small Speed Stingers, a medium-small Gronckle, and a Deadly Nadder about three-fourths the size of Stormfly. Internally, Dagur gasped.

"How do they have dragons?"

The only more disturbing part was when he peeked around and saw the people themselves. On their clothes, they wore the symbols for dragon hunters.

"Dragon hunters with dragons," Dagur thought miserably. "It's Krogan all over again."

He did not want to get too close but was close enough to hear what the hunters were saying.

"There still hasn't been any luck in finding other dragons," a large hunter complained.

"I don't know what he's expecting. It's been years since a sighting. He's just being delusional at this point," the smaller of the two stated, annoyed.

The first one looked at him, suspicious. "I don't suppose you'll be the one to tell the boss that?" The blood drained from the other Viking's face as he laughed. "Thought as much."

Dagur lifted an eyebrow and looked down. "'Boss?'" he thought, "Who's leading them now?"

The smaller hunter looked frustrated with his companion's laughter. "We should get going. We still need to search all the islands up North."

A frown instinctively crossed Dagur's face when he heard that. "If they're scouring the whole northern area for dragons, they're going to run into the Berkians." When he looked back up, he saw the Deadly Nadder tilting its head and sniffing the air. The Berserker tensed. "Forgot about them having great noses."

Quietly and quickly, Dagur went back to his ship and marked his course for Berserker Island. It was early morning when he arrived. He was glad to see that the Berkian vessel was still docked. The Berkians were just awakening when Dagur knocked on one of the doors. Hiccup semi-tiredly opened it. He saw the Berserker's concerned face, but before he could ask what was wrong, Dagur started talking.

"The hunters are back and they have dragons."

Hiccup stared at him blankly for a few more moments than Dagur's patience allowed. He waved a hand in front of the Berkian's face.

"Anyone there?" he asked.

Hiccup came back to reality and his mouth gaped slightly. "That can't be right."

He moved out of the doorway and started going towards the other huts. Hiccup knocked on each door and, one by one, the other Berkians popped out.

"What's going on?" Snotlout asked groggily. "I need my beauty sleep. You don't get all this by just doing nothing."

Hiccup's concerned expression did not change as Dagur addressed the group.

"The dragon hunters are back. In fact, they likely never left in the first place. Either way, they have dragons of their own and are looking for the rest of them. The good thing is that they think they'll never find them, so that should buy us some time. They were talking about heading up north. If we go there and get them with a surprise assault, your island will still be safe."

There was a brief silence before Dagur spoke again.

"Are you guys not shocked or something?"

They looked a bit sheepish. "It's not that we were expecting that," Fishlegs began. "It's just-um-were you the only one who saw them?"

The Berserker frowned for a moment, then his eyes widened in realization. "You don't believe me."

"It's not that we think you're lying," Astrid said. "You've just been through a lot and might not be thinking too clearly."

Dagur frowned. "I am thinking clearly."

Eret stepped forward a bit and gestured around them with his arms. "We understand why, but this whole situation proves that you aren't seeing things the way they really are."

The Berserker glared at him, tapping his foot in frustration. "I'm not seeing things."

Eret's eyes widened, appalled. "You saw a whole group of people arrive here when they didn't. You can't blame us for doubting your judgment."

Dagur's glare turned sad for a second, but he looked away from the Berkians. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and huffed.

"Fine, don't believe me. If they end up entering New Berk territory, you can see them for yourselves."

He turned and left the group. The Berserker went past the guest huts and to those for the residents. He tried to not look at the ones owned by Heather or Throk. Dagur got past them, but then he saw his former home he and Mala shared. He stopped just as he reached the door.

"And here I thought the hardest hut to enter would be Dad's on Vanaheim."

Dagur took a deep breath and opened the door. As he did, the wind seemed to accompany a blend of memories of the past and fantasies of the future. Dagur went by the room which they had decided was to be for their child. It was hardly decorated with specifics, but it did have mini axes. No good Berserker or Defender room was complete without those. Dagur took one of them off the walls and held it, a sad smiling forming.

"Bet you would have been a little tyrant. You would've been able to get your mom and I to do anything if it made you happy."

He thought more of the child and the ax felt as though it had begun to weigh a few thousand pounds. Dagur had to return it to the wall, and he went to his and Mala's room. He leaned against the wall and looked at the bed.

"Am I seeing things, Malapoo? Again? I saw you live," he began, swallowing hard, "so maybe I'm not the most reliable person right now." He frowned deeply. "But why should I be? I've never been dealt this severe a blow and I was pretty far from normal even before this happened. Maybe I want to spend the rest of my life seeing things the way they should be."

The Viking plopped by the bed. His eyes moved to it as a hopeful expression appeared.

"I could imagine you there with the baby and Heather and Throk in the other room." He tried to picture it, but it was like the whole image was ruined by reality which had forced its way into his mind. "But it wouldn't be real," he finally said, defeated. "At the end of the day, I'd never really watch our child grow up or grow old with you. It would just be me here, alone and playing pretend." He leaned his head back. "Thor, that's depressing." He got back up. "I'm not even really talking to you-just myself. It's just me now." As he said this, it sounded wrong, and he shook his head. "I still have the Berkians, though."

Dagur suddenly felt a bit of panic. "But they might not have each other if they go back to New Berk and it turns out that I did see those hunters."

He paced back and forth once before stopping and looking back at the bed.

"You might not be here, but I know what we'd do if you were. Even if there's a chance I'm right, I have to test it out. I can't let them get killed or go through this pain too."

Dagur left the room and went to his supply of weapons in another. With his assortment, the Berserker returned to his ship. He unanchored the ship and set his course for New Berk. He did not know all the hunters had planned, but he knew that it was ending with him.

Chapter Text

The Berkians stood in tense silence after Dagur left. 

"Could the hunters really be back?" Fishlegs asked, worried. 

Eret shook his head. "We took down Drago and Grimmel. Without a leader, they would fall apart." 

Hiccup looked at him. "But what if they got a new leader?" 

Eret looked doubtful. "Most of them were followers. I couldn't really see one of them taking over. Anyway, we haven't seen them for ten years. If somebody's in charge, why wait until now to show up?" 

Astrid crossed her arms and looked between the two Vikings. "Let's not forget that we haven't really left New Berk in ten years either," she added. "It's possible that they were still out there, and we just weren't there to see them." 

Fishlegs let out a nervous moan and the twins exchanged concerned looks. 

"If they're heading for New Berk, we have to beat them there," Snotlout said urgently. 

What had been tension that filled the air turned into worry and anxiety. Valka observed the change and spoke. 

"We shouldn't stress ourselves out over this without any evidence to support the claim." The group stopped long enough to look at her. She continued, "Eret was right and if Dagur is the only one who saw them, it's entirely plausible that we have nothing to worry about. He's still feeling the effects of this loss. In fact, it is fresh again for him."

The Berkian chief shook his head. "No, this is different. Before, I should have been able to tell that something was off. I just didn't know what it was, so I dismissed it. This time, he seems like he's all here. We should at least try to see if he's right instead of just ignoring the warning. He didn't have to give us one." Hiccup started to walk away and stopped. "I'm going to find Dagur." 

Zephyr caught his hand and frowned. "Why do you keep believing in him? He's done so many awful things and has even proven that he's not trustworthy just now." 

Hiccup sighed and looked at his daughter. "Dagur hasn't proven that he's untrustworthy. He's proven that he dealt with grief in a different way. And as for our pasts…" He paused. "I don't want you to ever have an enemy, but if you do, I hope that one day you'll see them change."

Zephyr just blinked, lost. 

"People aren't inherently good or bad," Hiccup said. "We always have the capability of being either one. In the end, Dagur stood by us when we needed him. He went down a bad path for a while, but he shouldn't be condemned, especially after trying to turn over a new leaf." The Berkian looked from Zephyr to Eret, then his mother. "He'll need help getting through this and I won't forget about him again. Even if he didn't see the hunters, we can try to figure out how to stop these hallucinations. That can't be done by staying here, judging him." 

Hiccup left and the others followed him to Dagur's hut, Zephyr, Eret, and Valka slightly behind. They went a little distance to get past the guest huts. Hiccup walked up to one he recognized as the other chief's and knocked. When there was no answer, he had a feeling that led him to go down to the docks. His eyes widened as he saw where a ship's anchor had been untied. Worry washed over Hiccup's face as he came to a realization. 

"He's already gone to stop them."

Dagur sailed his ship towards New Berk. Chances were that the hunters would not immediately reach it, but he thought he might have been able to catch them if he were to go somewhere in that direction. A crease formed in his brow. 

"How am I going to stop them all?" he wondered. "They have dragons."  

Instantly, the chief's face lit up with an idea. He went down to the lower level of the ship and found a chest full of dragon root.

  "This will at least turn their advantage against them," he mused happily. 

He returned to the deck and continued to steer. As Dagur went further north, he thought he saw something. Upon squinting, he realized that he had. One of the hunter's ships was up ahead. He saw a couple of dragons flying above them. Taking a breath, the Berserker steered towards them, taking a piece of dragon root out as he did. No sooner had he taken it out that the dragons began to react. They started by growling at one another and that quickly turned into fighting with each other and blasting fire at the hunters. A couple more ships came and Dagur moved his vessel to accommodate the new arrivals. Soon, their dragons were affected as well. The first ship's dragons started to have the effects wear off on them due to the distance and Dagur frowned. 

"Might have to delegate responsibility here."  

He put a piece of dragon root on one edge of his ship near two of the hunters' and grabbed a piece for himself. He jumped onto the first ship of now mostly dead or wounded hunters. The Viking attacked the remainders, running anyone through who was foolish enough to come close. When he was done with that ship, he climbed up the mast and leapt onto another ship. A rush went through him as he stabbed a hunter and he let out a cackle. He kept attacking the hunters, but he started to hear the growls and blasts slow down to a stop. Confused, Dagur went to the edge of the vessel and tried to see what had changed. He saw one more ship had approached. On the deck stood a sturdy-looking Viking with light hair and something in his hand. Dagur could not make out what it was, but he gasped when he saw the Viking go up to a crazed dragon and bring the item to its snout. Immediately, the dragon calmed and some of the others followed suit. 

The Viking turned with a smug smile and his eyes went to the Berserker ship. He looked at one of the hunters and the lackey steered the ship towards where Dagur stood. The older Viking continued attacking hunters, but he noticed the newcomer approaching. 

"A Berserker ship," the hunter called out. "It's been years since I've seen one." 

The dragons started to see Dagur as a threat and they stood by the hunters, snarling at him. Before they could attack, the other Viking raised his hand peacefully. Dagur eyed him suspiciously. 

"There's no need for us to fight," the other man said. "I believe I know you. If your description was accurate, you're Dagur the Deranged." 

Dagur said nothing and he smirked. 

"It's fine. You don't have to confirm. I already know it's true. You're the only Berserker crazy enough to come here like this. I'm Iver." 

"Haven't heard of you."  

Iver shook his head. "No, I doubt that you have. You've somehow managed to be everywhere and nowhere since your tribe died off." 

Dagur felt himself grow hot with anger and Iver saw it. 

"I had nothing to do with that, but I think we both know what did-the absence of dragons. Dagur, what I'm trying to do is just return them. They were meant to roam this world with us. The Viking who took it upon himself to decide how everything will be was out of line. That wasn't his place, but it is ours to fix what he did."

"Why would I help you do that? Like you said, my tribe's gone. I've got nothing to gain by helping you," Dagur replied, frowning. 

Iver tapped his chin. "I wouldn't be so hasty. You might not have them, but if you help me, you'll be given another tribe to lead and can start over. You'll get your dragons back and a chance to build a new family. Has anyone else offered you that?" He did not wait for a reply. "No, they haven't because I'm the only one who can actually supply it." 

Dagur looked at him and gestured to the corpses around him. "You clearly think your people are expendable. Why should I think you'd consider me any different?" 

Iver smiled. "Because you're the only one here besides me with a true mind. Not one of a follower but of a fellow leader." His smile deepened. "I've heard much about you and your time before joining the Dragon Riders. You were one of the best before they converted you into a dragon lover. Then, after all that, they left-forgot all about you. There aren't many places that would see you and not want revenge or to prevent what they think will be an attack." Dagur frowned pensively and Iver looked content. "You've got a reputation. Face it, the only life you can really lead is with my help. There's nothing else for you anymore."

Despite wanting to ignore the hunter, Iver's words made Dagur think. "He's not wrong about there not being much left," he thought sadly. "I don't have my own people anymore and I'd just be tagging along with the Berkians if I go with them." 

As he thought over what life was bringing him next, a crash sounded when a chain shot into one of the ships next to him. The hunter ship started to sink, and more chains followed. Dagur looked and saw the Berkians, their eyes wide at the sight of dragons away from the Hidden World. 

"How's this possible?" Hiccup asked, nearly to himself. 

The Berkians looked at each other in concern. 

"Do we attack the dragons too?" Snotlout inquired, glancing at all the flying reptiles around them. 

Hiccup hesitated and saw Dagur and Iver. The latter's expression turned from annoyed to satisfied and he raised his hand to the dragons once more. Like before, their aggression quelled. 

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the third," Iver greeted, taking a small bow. "I never imagined that we'd actually meet. I always thought you'd just stay safely hidden on your new island away from the world." 

His smile brightened and he gestured to the dragons. "What do you think about our dragons? I have better control over mine than you ever did over yours."

Hiccup frowned. "What do you want?" 

Iver feigned hurt. "I just want the dragons back. It wasn't your call to send them away." He paused for a moment. "It wasn't your call to kill Grimmel either." 

"He died, but I didn't kill him," Hiccup defended. 

Iver's cool started to falter, and his expression turned vicious. "You caused his death and won't even own up to it," he hissed. "You just go around doing whatever you want and expecting no consequences. Everyone else has to have them for you. You decided that the world was better off without dragons and Grimmel, but you were wrong about both." He smirked again. "Grimmel was smart enough to not trust having dragons around who would always follow whatever the king of dragons said." He gestured to the dragons around them. "That's why we kept some babies away from their parents. Clearly, this was a good decision and one of many. He was a better person than any of you would believe." 

Iver glanced between the Berkians and the Berserker, beginning to glare at them. "You want to know what I want? Revenge. I want revenge for Grimmel-the only person I've ever considered family." 

With a flick of his wrist, the dragons snarled and saw the Vikings as nothing more than enemies.

Chapter Text

The Vikings dove to take cover from the attack. Several ships had been taken by the Berkians, some even being Berserker vessels. Dagur saw an opening between some hunters and slashed them. He ran and jumped onto another ship, making his way over to the Berkians. He took out hunters along the way and avoided fire blasts. Hiccup saw the dragon root pieces and was forced to drop down to dodge some flames. 

As Dagur got closer, Hiccup called out, "How are they unaffected by the dragon root?" 

Dagur stabbed a hunter. "Iver's got some type of plant that counteracts the effects." 

A fast duck saved Dagur from a face full of Deadly Nadder spines. Iver pointed at one of the enemy ships and a Gronckle spewed lava onto its deck. Fishlegs and the twins ran to the edge of the ship to get to safety. Dagur glared up at the dragons and then Iver. 

"We'll be better off just taking him out. The dragons might be able to be retrained or at least released." 

Hiccup nodded in agreement and took out a foreign object to Dagur. With fascination, he watched as Hiccup used the item to release Zippleback gas which led up towards the dragons and over to the hunters. When a Monstrous Nightmare ignited, so did the gas. It exploded around them and the Berkians and Dagur found safety behind parts of the ship.

"Neat trick!" Dagur commended once the sound of the explosion had stopped ringing in the Vikings' ears. 

Hiccup smiled. "Made this a few years ago. It worked wonders with getting dragons to see us as something similar and I figured it might come in handy even once they were gone." 

Dagur looked at the destruction it caused. "It definitely helps mess up enemies." 

A part of a hunter's ship got damaged by the explosion and a weak point was made visible. Quickly, Dagur went and took hold of a chain launcher. He aimed and hit the weak point, making water pour into the ship. As the vessel began to sink, Dagur targeted the other ships and started finding as well as making weak points in them also. The Berkians followed his lead as Snotlout along with Eret and Valka on one ship fired some chains. They did this until Iver snapped his fingers at the dragons. The reptiles all turned on command and watched the Viking with intensity. He jabbed a finger towards the other Vikings and the dragons' eyes locked onto them. Dagur continued undeterred and decided his tactics had to be changed. He grinned a grin laced with deviousness and Hiccup took notice. 

"What are you planning?" he asked. 

"I still have some bolas that I could use," Dagur told him. "Won't hurt them per se, but it'll stop them from coming after us."

Dagur noticed that Hiccup seemed to have a knowing look in his eyes and the Berserker realized someone was absent. The two exchanged looks and Dagur realized what was happening. 

"We believed you," Hiccup said, just loud enough to be heard by his friend. 

As he said this, dragon roaring grew louder. A Gronckle who was about to spew lava onto the two chiefs was hit by two blasts-one a plasma and the other a red-orange flame. Dagur turned to see Sleuther and Toothless snarling at the dragon. Behind them came Astrid on Stormfly, followed by the rest of the Hidden World.

Dagur's face lit up as he saw the Triple Stryke and he grabbed hold of the dragon's tail which was brought over to him. Sleuther lightly dropped him onto his back and the two took to the sky. Hiccup took his familiar position on Toothless's back as did the other Vikings with their respective dragons. Toothless flew higher above the other dragons and let out a mighty roar. Once he was done, he waited for the hunters' dragons to stop; however, they did no such thing. The Night Fury regarded them with shock. 

"They never learned they had to listen to the king of dragons," Hiccup realized, telling his friend. "Sorry, bud, and you not having the Bewilderbeast's mind controlling abilities isn't going to work the same way." 

The duo went lower and Dagur looked over in their direction, seeing the disappointment on their faces. 

"Toothless can't make them stand down," Hiccup stated dejectedly. 

Dagur frowned a bit, then eyed Iver on his ship, still gesturing orders. 

"I'm telling you, we don't need to tell them what to do," he said. "We just need to take out who does." 

The Berkian followed his gaze over to the hunter.

"We'll need to distract the dragons, so they aren't there to protect him,” Dagur said. 

He felt for a knife and considered using it against the hunter. Just as he did, he heard one of the dragons from the Hidden World cry out. There were arrows piercing its side and it fell onto a ship's deck with a force that almost took down the vessel. While hunters desperately tried to throw out the water that had come on board, Dagur noticed that the dragons had stopped moving. 

"Brother," he said, worry in his voice. 

Hiccup saw the dragon. "It was only shot in the side. Even with dragon root on the tips, it wouldn't cause that." 

Instinctively, Dagur patted Strykie's head lovingly. "They laced them with poison this time." 

The Berserker and Triple Stryke flew over to the others, giving the warning. "Target the launchers, so they can't fire any more arrows," Dagur instructed. 

The Berkians accepted the orders and began refocusing their attacks. Stormfly used her accuracy to take out some launchers, and Hookfang and Barf and Belch combined their less precise attacks to just go after a ship together. Eret and Valka focused on protecting the Vikings from the dragons as they got rid of the arrow threat. Iver knew he was losing. His cool façade was fading fast, but he refused to go out with anything other than a bang. His worried expression turned calm again as he spoke. 

"Fine. Kill me if you must!" he called, loud enough for the riders to hear. "There will always be more hunters." 

His dragons had been successfully distracted, so Dagur took the opportunity while it lasted. Strykie charged and fired a blast at Iver. When the hunter went to dodge, his raised arm covered his eyes for a moment. Dagur used that chance to get off of the Triple Stryke's back and he hit the hunter in the gut, sending him forward as he curled inwards and straight into a blade. The hunter choked on his blood as he hissed at Dagur. 

"All this…for what ?" he coughed. "There's nothing left for you." He paused, heavily leaning on Dagur as the knife remained lodged in his heart. "You can kill me," he began, weakly, "but I won't go out alone." 

He went limp and Dagur let him fall to the ground, looking at the hunter with disgust in his eyes. When Iver fell, the dragons stopped, awaiting an order that would never again come. The once fierce reptiles looked almost childlike in their uncertainty for what was next. Toothless flew high again above the others and called out once more, but this time he spoke to them as an equal instead of a leader. The Vikings had no clue what he told the dragons, but they assumed he was convincing them of the luxuries a life could lead when you were not living your days in servitude. This time, when he was finished, it was evident that the other dragons had paid attention. They lowered their heads in response to the respect the Night Fury had just earned. The hunters watched in tense anticipation to see what their former allies would do. When the dragons lifted their heads again, it was clear that “former” was exactly the type of allies they were to the hunters. They bared their teeth and began attacking them without mercy. The Dragon Riders smiled at the sight and landed back on their ships. Amongst the joy of the victory, the chiefs still felt anxious. 

"There are more hunters out there," Hiccup said, upset. 

Dagur nodded solemnly, then he grinned. "Too bad for them that the Dragon Riders are around." 

Hiccup's troubled expression lightened and he agreed. Despite the stated hopefulness, Dagur felt disturbed when he thought of Iver's last words. His eyes scanned the area around them, looking for anything suspicious-anything that could hurt one of them. As the Vikings stood on the deck, Eret and Valka approached Dagur. Their faces looked apologetic, but before they could say anything, Dagur charged over to where Zephyr and Nuffink were standing.

Dagur slid onto his knees and the kids yelped as they were roughly yoked close to him. As the Berkians rushed over, they noticed Strykie fire a blast in the trio's direction and heard the shrill cry of a roasting hunter. The Berkians reached the scene and saw two arrows protruding from Dagur's right upper arm. Zephyr and Nuffink were shaking in his grasp, but they had been protected from the attack. When he heard the hunter dying, Dagur let them go and his breaths became staggered. Hiccup caught him as he fell backwards and Strykie nuzzled his head against his rider's. Faintly, Dagur heard Hiccup calling for the others to get medicine. He flicked his left wrist dismissively. 

"No real...point in that now, Brother," he said, straining. 

Hiccup looked at him with devastation. "You need the antidote, Dagur." 

"That we don't have or know, Hiccup," the Berserker countered. 

He paused, missing Hiccup's next words. Dagur heard some muffled sobs and he could see that the kids were clinging onto Astrid. Nuffink looked as hurt as his parents did and Zephyr looked like she was in a state of shock. She and the chief made eye contact for a moment and Dagur saw her say, "I'm sorry." Dagur felt the poison going through his veins quickly. 

"I'm not," he replied, almost calmly. 

Hiccup looked at him, confused. "You're not what?" 

"Sorry," Dagur elaborated. "Don't love the feeling," He painfully laughed his trademark laugh, "but I'm not sorry. You're all safe and I get to see everyone again. Seems like a win to me." 

As sad as the Berkians were, they did not verbally disagree with the Berserker. Dagur turned to Hiccup with a far away look. 

"Promise to remember me?" 

Hiccup nodded, swallowing hard. A soft smile came over Dagur's face and he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he saw three faces he never thought he would see again. Mala took his hands in hers and they kissed tenderly. The king was then hugged by Heather and Throk clapped him on the back. Dagur smiled widely and brought them all into a bear hug. Happy tears fell down his face as they embraced and he told them something he had been subconsciously thinking for a decade. 

"I missed you."

Hiccup felt the life leave his friend and felt his own throat become sore. Gently, he set the other chief down on the ground as he rose to his feet. It took him a while to let his eyes be moved from the body. Astrid went over to Hiccup and the two embraced sadly. The twins looked at each other in disbelief as Fishlegs's eyes became watery and Snotlout sniffed. 

"What do we do?" the Jorgenson asked. 

Hiccup paused before answering. "We can't stay hidden forever and maybe the dragons can't either." 

Astrid looked at him worried. "You know what that implies." 

Hiccup nodded. "I do, but the hunters clearly haven't given up. If something happens to us, who'll be around to keep the dragons safe? While we're here, we need to go after hunters; however, the dragons need to learn what threat they're up against too." He struggled to brighten up. "If the Dramillions can learn how to protect themselves and teach one another, so can other dragons. That's how we protect them-by showing them how to protect each other. I never should have tried another way." 

Astrid nodded in agreement. "Then that's what we'll do." 

Her heart hurt as she looked at their friend. Without having to say anything, Hiccup responded to her question. 

"He'll be given a proper Viking funeral, then we'll put his tombstone next to Mala's." He looked at him. "We won't forget you, Dagur." 

Hiccup turned and saw the depressed faces of his Berkians and he looked back at the Berserker. 

"Dagur wouldn't want us all moping. Like he said, he wasn't sorry. He'll be greatly missed, but at the same time, we should be happy for him." 

The Berkians looked confused and Hiccup wiped away a tear.

"Happy for him because they're reunited now. He's finally home."