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Chapter Text

Little fire-haired Sigrid had always been curious about the world. The four year old loved to dream and wonder, and was fascinated by every blooming flower, fall of a dewdrop, and baah of the sheep. It was only natural that she'd be intrigued by the countless of flame filled nights, where dragons flew above and through Berk, leaving only rubble behind by the time the light hit the mountain, as Berkians were left to clean up their mess.

Her mother, Valka, had always made sure that the adventurous girl stayed safely in their home, as she and her husband - Chief and father of her children, Stoick the Vast - made sure to defend their island. And whilst Valka didn't agree with Berk's ways of aggression towards these creatures, she would do anything to protect her children.

The night was dark, only fire lighting the path around the mountain of Berk, where Vikings let out their battle cries and swung their axes at the overgrown reptiles infiltrating their land. Stoick had long run into the battle. As Berk's strongest man and Chief, he could not be missed when he had so many to protect.

At first, Valka stayed inside their hut, noting all weapon placements incase it was needed, but she prayed it wouldn't come to that. The thundering of dragon's spewing rang loudly through her ears, but her eyes could only focus on one - or rather two - things. Her children, four year old daughter Sigrid, and newborn son Hiccup, were the lights of her life. She'd give everything for them, even if that meant sacrificing herself.

But the angered yelling and continuous screams was starting to become too much for her to handle, and she struggled to stay safely inside the house. And soon enough she'd run out there herself, after putting an excited Sigrid back in her bed, shutting the door behind her... or so she thought.

Watching her mother leave their home and run towards the menacing beasts had the girl curious, wanting to run after her in the rising flames. With little steps, soundless in the hellish night, she snuck outside of her home, ignoring her mother's previous commands to stay inside, and exploring the battle of dragon and man.

The other vikings didn't seem to notice the small child, too focussed on the reptiles in their line of vision, and not the small figure so low on the ground. Sigrid looked around with wonder, squealing in delight as she spotted the long braided-haired figure of her mother, who'd grabbed the axe from a warrior, stopping him from beheading the fallen Monstrous Nightmare.

"Mommy!" Sigrid giggled as she walked up to her mother, who jumped in fright at the sound of her daughter outside in the arena of danger, dancing through the fires of Berk.

Valka's blue eyes widened in fear.

"Sigrid!" She yelled out in panic, rushing towards her baby girl and scooping her up, holding her tightly to her chest. "What are you doing outside?"

Sigrid cheered, not realising her mother's turmoil, as she put her arms around Valka's neck, wanting attention.

The woman looked around, wanting to take her daughter back home - safe - as quick as possible. But when her eyes fell on her home, her heart plummeted to the ground.

"Oh no." She gasped as she saw the large, wide shadow of a dragon clawing its way into the straw and wood covered roof, making its way inside the home where her baby slept, alone and unprotected. "Hiccup!"

Valka had never run as fast in her life, and for the first time in her life she was prepared to kill at any cost, if it only meant protecting her children from danger. Swiftly, she threw Sigrid safely in the fur covered corner of their home, before yanking a sword from the entrance wall. Adrenaline running through her veins as she prepared herself for the worst.

But what she saw was completely different to what she had feared, and confirmed everything she'd always thought. The dragon, which had entered her home so roughly, was leaning over her son's crib with large caring eyes. Its singular claw held out in front of the babe, as little Hiccup put his hand near it, giggling in amusement as the creature inspected him.

Out of the corner of it's eye, the dragon noticed her presence. It flinched, scratching baby Hiccup on his chin, causing the baby to cry out, wailing in his crib, as it slowly approached Valka, who held her sword up protectively, preparing to pierce its heart if it came any closer to her or her daughter.

Somewhere in the distance, Stoick heard Hiccup's cries and became greatly alarmed before spotting the broken up roof. His face paled in fear and he rushed to protect his family, hoping he wasn't too late.

The dragon wasn't attacking, nor did it seem hostile in any way. It simply seemed curious, much like the child hiding behind her, as it approached in small steps, head moving side to side as it observed.

Suddenly, its own eyes reflected back on the dragon, as a shining silver axe was thrown mere inches from its snout. The beast cried out in alarm, pupils slitting as it prepared to defend itself from the towering viking that had launched himself past the reptile.

"Valka, run!" Stoick yelled out before ducking past the dragon, as it spewed deadly flames, lighting their wooden home on untameable fire.

"No, don't!" Valka begged as she put her hands on the dragon's wings, gaining its attention as its pupils widened once more to the puppy eyes she'd seen before.

Stoick rose from the flames, his worried green eyes darting from the crib to his wife, who was stanced protectively in front of their daughter. Sigrid's blue eyes landed on her father, glossed over with tears as her mind was left twisting with confusion. She realised that something bad was happening.

The Chief of Berk wouldn't let a tear fall from his daughter's eye, as his determined gaze was set on his children's rescue.

"Hold on!" He called out to his daughter, who curled deeper into the corner with the fur tightly gripped in her small hands.

Diving for the crib, Stoick pulled the boy safely to his chest. Twisting towards his daughter, he was prepared to throw an axe at the beast, and protect his family. But he was too late.

"No, Stoick!" Valka called out from the sky, as she was pulled away by the beast that had infiltrated their home moments before, disappearing into the night filled distance.

"Stoick!" She called out one final time, until they couldn't hear her anymore.

Hiccup cried as his father stood still, defeated. Young Sigrid sniffed in the corner, tears flowing down her cheeks as she silently watched her mother being carried away, not knowing if she'll ever see her again. Stoick cradled the young girl in his arms, pulling her away from the warm pile of fur, as shivers ran up her spine from both the cold, and the fear.

"Mommy?"

Chapter Text

The news of her mother's death had spread like wildfire. The people of Berk believed she'd gone to Valhalla, eaten by the dragon that took her after she protected her children from the foul beast. She would be remembered fondly, as an example to all mothers, and as a warrior.

It's been eight years since that night. And it seemed that Valka's death had lit a fire in Sigrid's very soul, and she was determined to become the greatest viking that Berk has ever seen. If she had been stronger that night, her mother would still be here - at least that's what she'd convinced herself.

Stoick saw the fire in his daughter's eyes, everytime she raised the axe that was way too heavy for her with deep grunts, ready to throw herself in the battles of Berk. Eventually, every battle turned out the same; dragons would attack, Stoick would be called, and Sigrid would try to run along with him to the battlefield, which ended in the small girl being picked up and thrown back into the Chief's hut. But every time she'd try again, resulting in a lonesome tantrum in her bedroom, kicking and failing to throw the axe at the closed door.

The - now - twelve old girl was stubborn, to say the least. Exactly like her father, as Gobber would say. The Berkians joked that the bright orange hair had indeed been a bad omen for the Chief's family, as if their fighting spirit showed through in their appearance, warning the outsiders of the raging Viking with a single sight. This became especially true when her younger brother, Hiccup, with deep chestnut hair, seemed to be nothing like either mentioned Vikings. Even at eight years old, the boy was small, hunched over with no apparent muscle on his body. Sigrid yelled, burped after chugging a horn of yak milk, and threw axes every morning. Whilst Hiccup stuttered, spoke softly, was insecure and seemingly no good at anything...well...Viking.

But today wasn't about that. No, today Berk would be the honorable host of the Chief of Berserker island, as they were every year for the signing of the annual peace treaty. Four years ago, Oswald the Agreeable - Chief of the Berserkers - decided to bring his son, Dagur, with him to these signings, which in turn made the children of Berk's life miserable. The boy was a tyrant, unhinged and filled to the brim with burning mania, so unlike his gentle father. Ever since his first visit, he had proven the Berkian's joking theory to be correct once more, red hair is a bad omen.

"But what if I just happened to be training when they arrive, would that be a problem?" Sigrid tested her father, following him around Berk as he prepared for the Berserker's dreaded arrival.

The girl would use any excuse to get out of seeing the deranged boy again, which in turn really tested her father's patience.

At least Hiccup took it on with little complaint - and a lot of fake smiles - even if he had more reason to hide from the red-headed tyrant, who threw knives at his head any moment he could. Target practice, Dagur claimed.

"Yes, that would be a problem." Stoick's tone told Sigrid that this was not a time to argue. But like her father, Sigrid was stubborn. "It'd be very impolite."

"Well, tell them I'm dead. Can't be impolite then!" Sigrid grinned as if she just concocted a master plan.

She watched her father's thick brow furrow, large fingers reaching up to rub the lines, sighing at his daughter's antics.

"You're staying with us, and that's final."

Sigrid groaned in despair. Maybe she could bribe Hiccup to hit her over the head with a hammer, but then she realised he probably wouldn't be able to lift it. She could ask some of the other children, but she didn't really know them, so she couldn't trust them enough to not snitch to her father about her plan.

Stoick's ceremonial belt, engraved with their tribal crest - the Monstrous Nightmare -, hung proudly on his firm stomach, as he stood at the dock of Berk with a wide stance, watching the ships in the distance come closer. The dark skrill crest was clearly noticed on the fabric of the flag that wiggled back and forth on the large ship as the wind pushed it along.

At his side stood his tense daughter and son, both glancing back and forth towards each other nervously, they really weren't looking forward to this. Sigrid had been forced into a ceremonial outfit of her own for the first time, with a long light colored fur pulled over her shoulders, held together with Monstrous Nightmare crests of her own. She felt slightly uncomfortable to be dressed up in front of Dagur, of all people. She'd already mentally prepared for the uproar he'd cause as soon as he caught sight of her outfit.

But it turned out that the embarrassment of wearing special clothes for the Berserkers was the least of her worries. After a day of trying her hardest not to kill Dagur at every snide he took towards her younger brother, the Berkians and Berserkers had settled down in the great hall, where the peace treaty would be signed by the Chiefs, and they would leave Berk until the next year to come.

"We have an announcement." Stoick spoke, his voice booming with his strong accent, as he rose from the chair after Oswald the Agreeable signed the scroll.

The Berserker Chief sat besides him with a smile, seemingly excited about the news that was already known to him, but unknown to the confused children at the table.

"Oswald and I have come to an agreement, one that will settle the peace between Berk and the Berserkers once and for all." Stoick started, as Sigrid leaned in curiously, her brother at her side.

Dagur didn't seem to care much about Stoick's announcement, as he preferred to pick at the tip of the small blade he carried. Yawning obnoxiously before staring at the Chief's daughter, seeing if she would react at his antics - positively or negatively, it didn't matter.

"In eight years time, our eldest children will marry to unite our tribes as a part of one another.-"

Sigrid's heart plummeted.

"-In the time of Sigrid's twentieth year. On the day of the peace treaty signing, Sigrid will go with the Chief to Berserker Island to marry Dagur, where she will stay."

At least one of the children seemed delighted at the announcement, as Dagur turned towards the girl with a wide grin. Sigrid didn't return that same excitement, in fact, she only sank deeper in her seat with a deep frown.

She couldn't believe her father would do something like this to her, did she do something to anger Frigg to where she would curse her with a fate like this? She must've, or else her future wouldn't look so gleam.

Eight years was a long time, and she not-so-secretly hoped that final year would never come. The day she'd have to leave her family and tribe behind, never to see them again. If only Dagur wasn't...like that, the marriage wouldn't have been half bad. But he was like that, so Sigrid was sure she was doomed.

During her twentieth year of living, she would be taken away from Berk, and forced to live the life of a Berserker Chieftess, besides a maniacal husband, and forced to bear him children, and fight in all his chosen wars. She'd lose her freedom, but Berk would be safe.

If only her mother was here, she would've never allowed this to happen, would she?

Chapter Text

Berk was an island of kill or be killed, that was something Sigrid learned very early on. Ever since she was a wee lass, sentenced to a future of doom in a place that wasn't her home, she had become resentful. 

Her axe was her most trusty weapon, having preferred them ever since she was strong enough to lift one. For years she trained everyday, punching trees and scaring wildlife as she let out her anger. Until one day her father - Stoick the Vast - decided that the time was right for her to start dragon training, a decision he was sure of and never regretted. 

Flames licked the wooden roofs of many Berkian's homes, crackling with heat as it spread. They'd surely have to be replaced, but that wasn't anything new to the Hooligans. The vikings were stubborn, and they would never back down from a fight, no matter the costs. 

Sigrid ran through the burning path, freshly sharpened axe in hand as she watched the flying reptiles like a hawk. Her father trusted her to keep their people safe, and the nineteen year old girl didn't need to be told twice. 

Down the road, she spotted the small skinny bundle of fur overcoat and raggedy brown hair running up the hills. Sigrid sighed, what was he doing out here?

The running boy was halted by the spews of a determined Gronckle, as Sigrid sprint towards it as fast as she could. Her slitted fur skirt blew in the wind as she slid down the path at high speed. Hauling her axe, she aimed with confidence and threw it, landing the sharp metal in front of the dragon's head. 

The Gronckle flinched, flying up in surprise. Figuring he preferred the cabbages and rocks compared to the raging viking, and fled.  

Sigrid hauled up to the boy, grabbing him by his green shirt collar and pulling him off the ground.

"What are you doing here? Get back inside!" She yelled as she pushed him further down the path, urging him to run as fast as he could. 

Hunched over, she was ready to fight any dragon that might want to take a bite of her brother. 

Hiccup uttered a small thanks to his sister before continuing on his path towards the smithery. Sigrid could only pray that he would listen, but he never did.

"Sigrid!" Sven came running from the distance. "Deadly Nadders, on the herd!"

"I'm on it!" Sigrid yelled as she took up the pace.

Her steps were heavy as she darted with purpose towards the struggling, watching as her father stepped forward to throw the heavy net on the reptiles, trapping them to the ground. 

But any dragon hunter knew that it wouldn't be that easy, as the Nadder's heads rose, spewing deadly rays of fire from their hellish mouths. Stoick jumped towards the heaviest spitter, clamping its mouth shut as he wrestled it to the ground. 

"Mind yourselves, these devils still got some juice in them!" He warned, eyes locked on the Nadder underneath him as it struggled to free itself from his dangerous grasp. 

"Watch out!" Sigrid shrieked as another Nadder rose up, ready to defend its herd member, only to be tackled to the ground.

"Hold them down, Sigrid." Her father encouraged her, and the viking used all her strength to hold the wriggling death to the ground. 

The Nadders seemed to be giving up, slowly stopping their struggled movements as they laid defeated on the ground, still held down by the net. It seemed they were all out of fuel, and Sigrid was delighted. They would make fine training material for the new recruits, once they start their training.

"AAAAH!" 

The screeching from the distance alarmed the Vikings, as it sounded awfully familiar. Looking up from the herd of Nadders, Sigrid felt her heart drop as she witnessed her little brother sprint away as fast as he could - with a Monstrous Nightmare on his tail. At the sight, Stoick let out a sigh of disappointment. 

"Sigrid, protect your brother." He commanded. "I'll take the beast."

The redhead nodded, jumping off the Nadders with a grunt.

"Make sure they stay down!" Stoick told the others, who responded in choir. 

"Yes, Chief!"

Hiccup was running as fast as he could, as the dragon spewed fire towards his small figure, barely missing him at every try. With a shriek, Hiccup hid himself behind a tall wooden pillar that surely wouldn't help him for long, as the Monstrous Nightmare blew spreading flames at the wood, engorging it in heat as it started to slowly crumble. 

With a loud cry, Sigrid pulled back her axe, before throwing it at the dragon's head. The blade narrowly scraped the top of its snout as it cried out, its attention driven away from the small boy. The dragon snarled at the raging Viking, who wavered from side to side as if to challenge the beast, and it seemed to take the bait. 

As the dragon snarled its nasty breath towards the young viking, Stoick ran in front of his daughter in an instant. Raising his merciless fists at the beast, he punched it in its jaw with a hefty yell, challenging it to a game of life or death. 

the Chief's children looked on. Sigrid quickly tended to her brother, making sure he was unharmed, before punching his shoulder in frustration. Why must he always be so stupid? Hiccup gave his sister a small apologetic smile, growing sheepish at the realisation that consequences would soon be coming his way, in the form of his father's scolding. 

The Monstrous Nightmare stood back from the burning pillar, attention on the Hooligan Chief with a fighting stance, ready to flare his skin of his burly body. But, sadly for the beast, it seemed had no fight left in its body, as it coughed sad drops of lava on the floor, snorting in embarrassment at it realised it was done for. 

"You're all out." Stoick spoke in a dangerous tone, hauling his fists once again as he delivered blow after blow at the dragon's snout, before it flew away; pained and defeated. 

The burning pillar finally gave it, as it snapped from its base and tumbled to the side with a loud thud. The fiery lit up top fell on the side, almost crushing a few Vikings before setting everything in its path on fire. Yeah, this would take a long time to recover from, and Stoick was not happy about it. 

Hiccup cringed as the vikings tried their best to stop the flames from spreading, almost cowering in his father's gaze.

"Sorry, dad."

 Stoick sighed. "Sigrid, I need you to help whomever needs it most. Make sure nothing is left on fire."

Sigrid nodded, before sparing her brother once last disappointed, angered glance. Tonight had cost them a fortune of cattle and materials that they could never recover. Her fingers were already starting to cramp at the thought of all the rebuilding and renovating she'd have to do, she shuddered; rolling her shoulders, releasing the trapped air with a crack. She was not looking forward to waking up in the morning.

When will Hiccup learn? Never, probably. 

---

Sigrid groaned as she entered the main hall, cracking her back as she threw her axe to the side. She was definitely ready to go to bed.

Vikings filled the room with hundreds, all listening carefully to the Chief's booming voice; which echoed in the wide high-ceilinged chamber. The golden impaled dragon chandelier hung shining from the ceiling, morbid but beautiful.

"Either we finish them, or they'll finish us. It's the only way we'll be rid of 'em!" Stoick spoke through the hordes of vikings, hovering over the wide world map with a determined gaze.

"If we find the nest and destroy it, the dragons will leave, they find another home.-" He stabbed the dagger through the fabric. "-One more search, before the ice sets in."

Sigrid pushed through the crowd, making her way up to the front as vikings protested.

"Those ships never come back!" One spoke, and few nodded.

"We're vikings, it's an occupational hazard." Stoick declared, nodding to his daughter in acknowledgement as he spotted her moving to his side. "So who's with me!"

"I am." Sigrid spoke, but she appeared to be the odd one out, as all the others just mumbled to themselves; uncertain on their choice.

"Alright," Stoick mumbled. "Those who stay will look after Hiccup."

That seemed to do the trick, as suddenly every viking was more than happy to join. It didn't surprise Sigrid. However, she was sure none of them would've wanted to look after her either, when she was young, or any child for that matter.

"That's more like it."

Slowly, the hall emptied as the vikings left to prepare, leaving only the Chief - and his daughter - and Gobber left in the hall.

"I'll ready my axe." Sigrid beamed with broadened shoulders, peering up at her father as if asking for his permission.

Stoick shook his head sternly. "No, lass. I need you to stay and look after your brother."

Sigrid groaned, disappointed that her father wasn't letting her go on a mission, again.

"But dad, I can help!" She assured him, flailing her arms to the side in desperate exaggeration.

"I don't doubt that, lass. But right now I need you to protect our home, can you do that?" Stoick questioned, but he already knew her answer.

Straightening her stance, Sigrid sighed her final thoughts of sadness away, nodding proudly.

"Of course, dad."

Stoick sent her home with a pat on the shoulder.

"You did well tonight, Sigrid." He complimented, and she could tell it was genuine.

The red-headed Viking wasn't that happy about the arrangement, but if her father believed that she was most needed on Berk, she would follow his orders. However, if Hiccup believed that his father's scolding was all that was coming his way, he would surely be mistaken. Sigrid would give that boy a piece of her mind, after she'd made sure to keep him alive in her own burly-relentless-older-sister-way.

But when Sigrid got home, Hiccup wasn't there. Typical, she thought. He could never sit still for long, especially if he was told to. So now, Sigrid was at home with nothing to do. Her muscles needed a break from the ravaging night, so training was definitely not an option - unless she wanted to pull something - and with Hiccup out of the house she had no one to talk to, until her father got home.

So, Sigrid decided to do something she hadn't done in a long time; read. Pulling out all of her father's books on dragons and their quirks, she sat them all on the big wooden table as she read page by page, intrigued by all of the strong Vikings that had died for this knowledge, so her people could survive. That sense of bravery was something Sigrid admired greatly, and she could only help to be just as strong as all of those Vikings before her, and make her ancestors - and father - proud.

Stoick got back before nightfall, but Hiccup still had yet to prepare. Sigrid was starting to worry, but her father told her not to worry. 

"He'll be fine, lass." He assured her. "We'll have a quiet night, for now."

Who knows how long it'd take for the next dragon attack, but for now Hiccup would be safe, out there alone by himself.

"I've assigned Gobber to train some new recruits." He spoke with her, the father-daughter nightly small talk.

"Cool." Sigrid nodded. "They'll enjoy it, I'm sure."

The young teens in the village were determined. Clumsy, stupid and inexperienced for sure, but with the right training, and the right goals, they'd be sure to turn into deadly vikings. And if not, oh well, they won't be around for long.

Stoick paused, before speaking quieter than before.

"I want Hiccup to join them." His tone told the redhead that arguing was not an option, but Sigrid wasn't going to.

"That's great!" She beamed, taking her father by surprise, who'd honestly expected more of an uproar. "He needs to learn."

The Chief noted her reasoning. He sighed, a sorry look in his eyes as he spoke.

"I agree." He was glad his daughter was on the same page with him, for once.

"You don't believe he can do it." The look on her father's face told Sigrid enough, that she was right.

"I just- I don't know what to expect from him." He confessed.

Whilst that might've been true, he also hadn't been given the chance yet -under normal circumstances that is.

"Give him a chance." Sigrid shrugged, a small smile on her face as she looked up at her father. "He might just surprise you."

That he surely did. Stoick and the other adults had long left in their shield-barred ships, on their way to find the dragon's nest, and Hiccup had just had his first day of dragon training with the other teenagers.

Sigrid had once again been left by herself, surrounded by her own boredom, and the overwhelming need to do something. She'd long slept her muscle aches away, so now the young woman spent the entire day throwing her axe back and forth - from tree to tree - in the deep wild forest. But it seemed that even the cracking of the tree bark didn't satisfy her thirst today, leaving for her chambers with disappointment. At least she'll spend dinner in company, instead of in her home alone.

It had taken a while for Sigrid to arrive to the great hall, entering just in time to see the teens rising from their table, on their way to exit. She saw the group tense, eyes widening with surprise as they slowed their steps as she walked past. Sigrid wasn't sure if they looked at her with admiration, or with fear.

Her brother was left by the table, hair dripping wet from whatever shenanigans he'd been up to, staring at the wood in sadness.

"Hey." Sigrid greeted after grabbing a plate of chicken. "How did it go?"

"I'd rather not talk about it." Hiccup sighed.

That was all the redhead needed to know, giving a small nod as she sat beside him.

Hiccup seemed to hesitate, as he glanced towards her, as she took a bite of her chicken.

"Could you... uh..." He mumbled. "Could you.. give me some space?"

"Oh." Sigrid mouth stood agape, visibly disappointed at her brother's rejection. "Alright. I'll... uh. I'll see you at home, okay?"

"Yeah." Hiccup nodded, sliding the dragon manual - that laid abandoned on the wooden surface - over to himself, with the intend to start reading.

Sigrid grabbed the bone off the plate, discarding the stone to the side as she made her way out of the great hall, going home once again; by herself. She couldn't wait for her father to come home.

The old blacksmith could tell that the lass was bored out of her mind. Hiccup had taken their father's absence as an opportunity to do what he wanted, which apparently didn't include his sister; as everytime Sigrid suggested that they'd do something, spend some time together as brother and sister while they still can, Hiccup seemed to have other plans, leaving her alone with a half-hearted apology.

"Cheer up, lass." Gobber told her, seeing the redhead pace back and forth -arms crossed with a pout on her pink lips. "How would you feel like helping me during tomorrow's training session?"

Sigrid stopped in her tracks, her head slowly turning towards the short stubby man in disbelief.

"Are you sure?" She questioned, as if she didn't believe he needed her help at all. 

He'd trained her after all, it was clear he knew what he was doing.

"Of course I am!" The half legged, half armed viking spoke with certainty. "The kids admire you. And besides, I think you could use the distraction."

He sure was right about that one. 

The girl grinned with excitement. "Well then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

Chapter Text

"Alright recruits.-" Gobber greeted the teens as they entered the arena. 

Sigrid could see the excitement on some faces, whilst the others seemed nervous. They were right to feel that way. 

"-Today I won't be teaching alone, as I've invited a special guest to join us for today's session"

"Oh no." Hiccup mumbled, it didn't take a genius to think of who Gobber might've brought in.

 The boy only knew of one stubborn Viking, one that just couldn't sit still. Astrid glanced over to him with a glare, what did he know? 

"Our special guest is not only a great warrior, but also the winner of the last dragon tournament." Oh yeah, he was right. "Allow me to introduce; the slayer of demons, snapper of spines, and firstborn of our great Chief, Stoick the Vast.-"

"Perfect." Hiccup mumbled with great sarcasm, whilst the others seemed to stare on with wide eyes.

It was obvious that the twins had no clue what was going on - and honestly didn't care - whilst Fishlegs looked anxious no matter what, and Snotlout stood awfully arrogant as if nothing bothered him. As the only exception, Astrid seemed to be the most excited, but also slightly twitchy. Hiccup could swear it was the first time he'd seen her eyes shine with something other than bloodlust. 

"-Sigrid the Relentless!"

With heavy steps, the tall viking stepped forward from the shadowed entrance of the arena. Feeling all eyes on her, she smirked, her cheeks tinting pink with a slight flush of shyness.

Glancing over towards her brother, she noticed that he stood awfully uncomfortable besides the others, but perhaps he was just embarrassed to have his sister watch him train. Fair enough. Sigrid remembered when her father insisted on watching her progress, and how tense she felt to have him witness her every mistake. It still send shivers up her spine.

"Morning everyone." Sigrid greeted.

"Morning." The group responded in harmony, making the redhead smile.

Gobber stepped back in, taking over the room with a booming voice, you could tell he was excited for today. 

"Sigrid here will be watching you closely, so be sure to not embarrass yourselves." He grinned mischievously, watching some of their faces cringe.  

"Zippleback, huh?" Sigrid asked the man.

She and Gobber took their watchful place from outside the metal ringed bars, looking down on the nervous teens as they paired off in two's, bucket of water in hand. 

"Yep." Gobber spoke, picking his ear with his pointed hook. "Can't wait to see this mess."

Sigrid chuckled, as she remembered her training days. 

"It's not an easy dragon, that's for sure." She studied the figures below, watching them bicker back and forth. "And they don't seem very...close."

She was absolutely correct. Not one of the group members seemed to get along, and to be successful in the battlefield they'd have to work together. Suddenly, Sigrid had a suspicion on why Hiccup seemed so tense to see her; this was embarrassing. 

The teens fell one by one, failed by their own lack of attention, as not one seemed to find the correct head, all wasting their only savior; the water bucket. She saw Fishlegs throw the water at one of the heads, soaking it. If only it was the right head. 

But Hiccup was lucky, he was the only one left, and he just saw that he had to hit the other head. Sigrid was at the edge of the seat, and she couldn't help but yell. 

"Throw it, Hiccup!"

The boy listened to her commands, but the Zippleback heads had raised up too far - or perhaps Hiccup was too short - and he completely missed. Sigrid rose up, ready to jump in and protect her brother from the ugly reptile, but her brow furrowed as he surprised her completely.

Suddenly, the Hideous Zippleback backed off from the short boy, cowering back towards the metal cage as Hiccup approached them with raised arms, warning them to stay back. She didn't know how he did it, snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of the metal and wood clashing, as Hiccup closed the dragon back in the cage. 

"That was amazing!" Sigrid cheered as she ran towards her brother. 

She hugged him tightly, picking him up and twirling him around as he protested. 

"Yeah, yeah, it was- whatever." He shrugged sheepishly.

The red-head couldn't believe it. Her brother, a dragon whisperer. 

"It wasn't 'whatever', you did great!" She chuckled, giving Hiccup a playful punch to the shoulder. 

"-Ouch." He whimpered, caressing the place of assault. 

"Dad's gonna be thrilled!" Sigrid assured, giving him another gentler hug. 

She sighed, leaning her freckled cheek on top of Hiccup's mop of brown hair.

"I'm so proud of you." 

Hiccup seemed to freeze in her arms, which were loosely wrapped around her waist, in surprise at her actions. Sigrid was never that much of a cuddler, she'd made that very clear over the years. More of a 'shoulder pat and playful nudge' kind of person. 

"Thanks, Sig." He muttered. 

If only he could tell her the truth. 

---

It seemed that with every training session since, Hiccup got better and better. From stopping a Gronckle in its tracks, to paralysing a Deadly Nadder to the ground. Even the Terrible Terror didn't stand a chance against him, as he lured it back into its cage, without gaining any scars. Sigrid didn't know what he was doing, but it was definitely working.

But now was another day off, to Sigrid's regret. But at least this gave her more time to train, rather than sit on her butt. She came to the same spot in the forest, just as she always did, with her freshly sharpened axe in hand, but was surprised to find another occupying usually private training ground. 

The blonde was talented, she had to admit. Strong, hard headed, determined and fast. Plus she seemed to like axes, which made Sigrid happy to see.

Astrid hauled the weapon back, swiftly throwing it to another tree, leaving deeps marks in the wood. 

"Nice work." Sigrid complimented, watching the teen flinch at the sudden voice. 

Astrid panted, her stance straight as she stared at the Chief's firstborn with wide eyes. 

"O-oh," The blonde stuttered, before recovering herself with a cough. "Thanks."

Sigrid pointed towards the double-sided axe, leaning back against a tree with a friendly smirk on her face. 

"Good choice." She complimented. "But I prefer one-sided, myself." She chuckled, raising her own weapon for emphasis. "I find it has a greater impact."

The blonde smiled, seemingly more relaxed than before, as she pulled the sharp blade from the tree. 

"That might just be you." She shrugged, mentioning to Sigrid's muscly arms, slightly covered by the leather of her armor.

Sigrid laughed.

"Want to train together?" She suggested, making the other's eyes widen in surprise. 

Relaxing her shoulders, Astrid nodded, the tiniest smile on her pale face as she blew a strand of blonde hair out of her face. 

"I'd like that."

Sigrid grinned. "Show me what you can do."

---

Stoick had come home in a foul mood, with torn sails and chipped wooden ships sailing behind him. Another raid, completely failed. But Sigrid only had good news to bring him.

"You should've seen him, dad!" Sigrid beamed as she bragged about Hiccup's accomplishments. "He was incredible, he dominated the beasts like it was child's play! Honestly, he completely shocked me. I was afraid he didn't have it in him, but he proved me wrong alright." 

Her father had been silent, letting his daughter ramble in peace. But he couldn't stop the wide grin overtaking his face as pride filled his beating heart. His son, a dragon slayer, he couldn't believe it. It wasn't until Gobber confirmed Sigrid's words that Stoick puffed his chest out, so incredibly excited to get home and greet his son, who had finally become a Viking. 

"I'm glad to know he'll be okay." Sigrid confessed to the blacksmith, as she watched her father walk away with dancing steps. 

Gobber huffed. 

"It's not like you have much choice in the matter." He joked. "I wanted to strangle Stoick, when he told us about the arrangement. I remember thinking, 'what in the devil are you doing?' Sending away our only hope for a proper Chief."

Sigrid sighed, hands placed on her waist as her smile wavered. "He'll make a good Chief someday, I know it."

---

The redhead sat quietly in the living room, reading in front of the lit up fireplace. She glanced up when she heard her brother enter, her father had long gone to bed, and by the look on his face Stoick had done exactly what she thought; been overly excited, and completely overwhelmed him with a very one-sided conversation. 

"Hey." Sigrid greeted her brother, who seemed to huff and puff with every step. "Long day?"

"You could say that." Hiccup sighed, looking down at the floor. Suddenly his feet seemed to be very interesting.

Something in his hands caught Sigrid's eye. 

"He finally gave it to you?" She questioned, looking at the well-made helmet, made from metal, horns and hide. 

Hiccup looked up in surprise, and slight disgust. 

"You knew about this thing?" He asked, seemingly offended that she'd conspired against him like that.

But their father had insisted, way too excited to give his children their own, official,Viking helmets. 

"Of course." Sigrid chuckled, not taking her brother's offense seriously. "You know he means well, right?"

"Yeah, I know." Hiccup muttered, the silence falling between them once again.

The small brunette lad widened his arms, yawning dramatically - and fakely - before speaking again. "I think I'll go to bed, I'm exhausted."

"Sure." Sigrid nodded with a raised brow, smirking at his antics. "Goodnight, Hiccup."

"Goodnight."

Hiccup was quick to flee upstairs, leaving his sister alone in front of the fireplace. It was getting late, Sigrid realised, perhaps it would be wise for her to also take her nights rest. But as she laid in her comfortable fur covered bed, she realised there was no way for her to go to sleep with this awful feeling in her stomach. If it wasn't for her head filling with wandering thoughts, she'd thought she got food poisoning. 

She was proud of her brother, don't get her wrong. But all of this training, and Hiccup changing, had her think about the future way too much. Seven years had passed to quickly, and soon she'd be forced to leave Berk forever, thrown into the hands of a disturbing little boy; who honestly wasn't so little anymore, but her point still stands. 

In a years time, the Berserkers would return for the peace treaty signing. But this time they'd be leaving with Sigrid besides them, and she'd never see her father again. At least, that's what she figured in her head. Chief Oswald the Agreeable was a kind man, but his son; not so much. Who knows what he'd do to her, or what his father would do once she kicked his ass for it. 

Until she was twelve years old, everyone in Berk had prepared her for the day she'd one day be Chief. Sigrid had been excited, as she admired her father greatly, and to imagine that one day she'd step in his shoes made her wish for nothing more. But then her whole life's prophecy changed when her father decided that 'oh, right, I have two children', and that yearly peace signings just weren't secure enough. Sigrid wanted to hurl, or cry, maybe both. 

But Hiccup had proven himself to her. Right now, it didn't matter if he went to the finale, or if he was in line for it at all. Her little brother had changed, and it was clear that he could hold his own; atleast to a certain degree. 

She hoped it would stay that way. 

Chapter Text

Sigrid was almost five years old when she was able to carry her first axe. The weapon was small, fit for more delicate hands, but it was still a bit too large for the young girl. 

But the firstborn child of Chief Stoick the Vast was stubborn, much like her father. Every raid, when the Vikings let out their battle cry and dragons spewed hellish fires on their wooden homes, Sigrid was prepared to go out there and fight. The problem; that she was merely a child, and there was no way that her father would allow her to go out there, especially by herself. 

Tonight they were ambushed once more, and little Sigrid had jumped out of her bed with excitement. Her father had long tucked her in, and by the slamming of the front door she could tell he must've run outside already. As always, Sigrid was left home with baby Hiccup, who stayed silently in his crib, fast asleep. 

Sneaking downstairs, the girl tried her best not to wake her baby brother, and snatched her newly favored axe from the floor; which she put there as she was in no way tall enough to reach the weapon rack. 

"Aaaarghh!" Little Sigrid yelled as she burst out of the doors, axe raised above her. 

If she were to slow down, she'd surely fall backwards, as the weight of the axe was still a bit too much for her smaller body.  Suddenly, the girl noted that she wasn't running anymore, but instead lifted up -higher and higher. 

"AAAH!" She screamed, frustrated as her plans were foiled. 

The axe was pulled from her tiny hands, and her sky blue irises made contact with the frowning greens of another. 

"Daddy!" Sigrid whined, struggling in Stoick's large hands. "I was going for it!"

"You're not going for anything, young lass." Her father spoke sternly, pointing a rough finger towards her accusingly. "You're staying home."

"But dad!" Sigrid whined as she was pulled back inside, almost waking up her baby brother as she was thrown back in bed, with an angry Stoick in front of her. 

Stoick sighed. This had been the dozenth time already that she decided to run out there into the deadly battlefield. After she's grown up she'd make a fierce warrior for sure, but she wasn't there yet; she was way too young even for Berk's standards. But it seemed that no matter how many times the Chief tried to explain this, his daughter just didn't understand. 

"Go to bed." He told her, pulling the covers over her figure, which she kicked off immediately.

Ignorantly, Stoick went back downstairs to run back into the field -the people of Berk needed him, and here he was playing child's games with his stubborn offspring. Tiny footsteps followed behind him, Sigrid wasn't giving up so easily. 

"Sigrid, no." Stoick scolded at the little warrior, who glared at him at his refusal. 

"But daddy, I can do it." Sigrid insisted, desperation clear in her small figure. 

She just wanted to help, Stoick knew that.  He sighed, kneeling down as he put a careful hand on her small shoulder. 

"You can't, lass, not yet." He spoke, and he could see the sadness in his daughter's eyes. 

He needed to do something to cheer her up, but what?  Glancing over to the crib, where his son slept soundly, Stoick got an idea. 

"I need you to stay home-" he started, watching his daughter frown, "-and take care of your brother, can you do that?"

Sigrid's eyes widened, still shining with tears, but now filled with purpose. The girl nodded quickly, before hesitating as she glanced from the floor to her father, hands clasped together behind her back as she spoke shyly. 

"Yes." She started, swaying from side to side. "But, for that, I need my axe."

Ofcourse, Stoick sighed, but gave in nonetheless. Placing the heavy metal in his daughter's opened arms, they caved in slightly as the weight was put on, but Sigrid didn't falter. She smiled at her father, a small smile that told Stoick all he needed to know; that she was thankful.

"Take care, my dottir." Stoick spoke softly, reaching down to place a quick kiss on her forehead, before going off once again, leaving Sigrid - and Hiccup - alone in their home. 

Sigrid inhaled deeply, swaying the axe over her shoulder - and almost falling over at the impact - as the handle rested on her collar. She gripped the handle with two sturdy hands, shoulders wide as she stood tall and proud. With determined heavy steps, Sigrid stomped back and forth around her brothers crib, ready to attack any reptilian intruder; but there came none. 

Ever since that night, Sigrid vowed to always protect her little brother. And she kept true to that, even fifteen years later. 

---

Hiccup had made them proud, and for the first time their father was also there to witness it. He and Astrid had fought hard for their place in the finale, but Hiccup had overthrown her by a landslide. But Sigrid was impressed when she saw the girl pull a few moves they practiced before, she sure had potential. 

Sigrid and her father cheered from above the arena. 

"That's my boy!" Stoick boisted, proud fist waving up in the air whilst his daughter whistled, giving her brother a proud thumbs up. 

Hiccup had left the arena abruptly, and Sigrid could only assume he'd gone to prepare early. Killing a Monstrous Nightmare wasn't for the weak of heart, she knew that from experience. That reptile was fast, snappy, nasty and very fiery. But, after seeing her little brother work over the weeks, she believed that he did have to potential to do it, and be one of the greatest dragon slayers Berk had ever seen. 

The following morning, the arena was filled with celebrating vikings, who cheered and yelled out in glee as they prepared for one of their favorite times of the year; the final test. The Berkians were proud, that much was clear, but no one was nearly as happy as Stoick. 

Sigrid remembered the sight well, when she stepped into that ring for the last time. She remembered grabbing the broad stone hammer off the rack, glancing up at her father and thinking 'this is everything I've ever wanted'; to be a viking her tribe could be proud off. Granted, she'd nearly lost her arm to that Monstrous Nightmare, but in turn she'd beaten it to a pulp, slamming its face with the stone hammer - nearly knocking it unconscious - before chopping its head off with the sharpened axe. Morbid, but very successful. 

"Go Hiccup!" Sigrid whistled to her brother, as he entered the arena. Hiccup glanced up at his sister, seemingly embarrassed at her excitement, which only made her chuckle.

The Monstrous Nightmare was flared up and ready, bursting out of his cage as it was released in the carved out ring. But something wasn't right.

Sigrid couldn't believe her eyes, as she saw her brother drop his dagger and shield, discarding it to the side as he held his hand up to the beast. She needed to get in there, for fear he'd soon need a metal hook replacement. 

Hiccup spoke to the dragon gently, as if it were a scared child. His hands moved up to his helmet, one of the only remnants left of their mother - aside from Sigrid's own counterpart - and threw it aside, as if it were rotten. 

"I'm not one of them."

The crowd was in shock, leaving redhead was confused; what is he doing?! 

"Stop the fight." Stoick commanded, but Hiccup refused. 

"No." The boy spoke, gaze fixated on the Nightmare. "I need you all to see this."

Slowly, and confidently, as if he'd done it a dozen times before, Hiccup moved his hand closer to the dragon, letting it approach with curious sniffs. 

"They're not what we think they are." Hiccup assured. "We don't have to kill them."

"I said, stop the fight!" Stoick slammed his hammer into the metal ringed bars, dented it as it rung with a booming clang, sure to startle anyone close by. 

The dragon's pupils slitted, alarmed. It took merely seconds before it darted its head towards Hiccup, snapping towards his outstretched hand, almost biting it clean off. Hiccup screamed in alarm, running as fast as he could as the Monstrous Nightmare spewed its deadly flames at him. 

Stoick pushed through the crowd, running to boast through into the arena as quick as possible before his son was burned to a crisp. Sigrid wasn't as careful, however, as she quickly made her way up the metal bars, grasping onto the tightly pulled chains that covered the top of the fighting ring as she wormed her weaponed figure through the gaps. 

If she were to jump down, she'd put herself in great danger, with no way out. But if that meant protecting her brother, she wouldn't hesitate. Her strong hands let go of the chains, letting herself drop to the floor, bending her knees as she steadied her fall. It was clear that the dragon got distracted at the new approaching figure, and that was exactly what Sigrid wanted. 

The beast opened its mouth to spew another ray of flames towards her brother, but Sigrid was faster. With a heavy cry, she launched a grounded hammer towards the creature's face, hitting its jaw as its head slammed to the side, just like she'd done all those years ago. 

"Here! You ugly beast!" Sigrid yelled with a booming voice as she snarled at the Nightmare, twirling her axe around as she taunted it. 

But just as it prepared to dash at her, it was hit by another stone hammer, from the exit's corner. The aggressor stood stiff, blue eyes fixated on the beast as she tried to protect the older Haddock from it's rage. But in turn, it only made the creature go for her.

"NO!" Sigrid yelled, as she prepared to drift the creature's attention from Astrid.

But it seemed that she didn't have to save Astrid from the flammable beast, as her father threw upon the protective gate, motioning for them to come to him.

"This way!" He yelled, pulling the young blonde Viking into safety, she was lucky to be close by. 

Hiccup ran as fast as he could to his father's towering figure, his sister hot on his tail, they needed to get out of here. 

The Monstrous Nightmare blasted a ball of fire to the side of the door, startling Hiccup as he slid on the ground, getting up and darting in the opposite direction, making Sigrid yell out to him.

"No Hiccup!" She swore, turning her pace around to protect her brother. "Leave!"

But her brother didn't listen, too panicked before he was tackled by the fearsome creature, who pinned him beneath it's long pointed claws. Sigrid's heart dropped to her stomach, her eyes glazed over with tears of rage, as the raised her axe to defend her brother from the beast. 

The dangerously familiar blaring siren from the distance alarmed every Viking around, as a creature - swift as the light - blasted it's way through the metal bars, throwing itself into the arena, and filling the area with a thick layer of smoke.

Sigrid coughed as she slid to the floor. She couldn't see anything through the blackened mist, and she could only pray that her brother was alright. Slowly, the smoke cleared, and the screeching became louder. Sigrid's eyes widened at the sight before her. 

"Nightfury." She gasped, seeing the black reptile tackle the Monstrous Nightmare to the ground, snapping towards its neck as the dragon tried its hardest to fight back. 

Her sky blue eyes darted towards her brother's cowering figure, as he stared at the fighting dragons with worry. The Nightfury stood in front of Hiccup protectively, snarling at the Monstrous Nightmare, ready to defend the boy at any cost. 

Sigrid couldn't believe it. A Nightfury, the number one mystery of the people of Berk was standing before her in broad daylight, saddle strapped on its back as it covered her Hiccup's small figure. It had her think twice about what her brother had been doing all these weeks, when no one was there to watch. 

Vikings jumped down, left, right and around the arena as Hiccup ran up to the dragon, pushing against its snout, begging it to leave, but the Nightfury refused. The dragon easily swiped away any viking that ran at it, until her father ran at it with an axe in hand, watching as the Nightfury tackled him to the floor.

The dragon opened its mouth, green smoke clear in its pink throat as it prepared to fire. 

"NO!" Hiccup yelled as Sigrid jumped on her feet, running towards the strong reptile to protect her father. 

At Hiccup's cry, the dragon hesitated, before closing its mouth with a snort. Its head leaned to the side, glancing back at the short viking with large pupils, and for once Sigrid thought it seemed innocent. 

Sigrid froze, but it seems she was the only one. Vikings tackled the reptile, who fell to the ground with a pained cry as men pushed down on its snout with great force, rendering it helpless as it flailed around. There was no way it was getting out.

The brown-haired boy begged them not to hurt it, pulled back by Astrid as he tried to run towards them. At this point, Sigrid didn't know what to think, as she watched the men carry the large beast towards the forged cages, with her brother calling out in protest. 

Hiccup trained a Nightfury, and lived?! She felt sick to her stomach, but whether that was because of the betrayal to their tribe, or her brother's pained cries as he reached for the dragon - who had protected him from certain death - she wasn't sure. 

Chapter Text

They had been preparing for days, the final search for the dragon's nest. The sole thing Stoick had been hoping for, for years, was coming to an end. Finally, Berk would be rid of dragons forever. 

Stoick had refused to speak to his son ever since that day in the arena, and it seemed that Hiccup had the same mindset with not only his father, but his sister as well; since everytime Sigrid went to speak to him, he turned back around with a huff. She couldn't find it within herself to blame him.

For the first time since she started training, Sigrid didn't feel that same sense of excitement as she sharpened her axe to prepare for the battle. It was strange, she wanted this for so long, and now her father was finally allowing her to come with him so she could complete her goals before being married off. But instead of cheering at the thought, Sigrid felt sick, and wanted nothing more than to retreat back in her room and hurl. 

The morning of their departure, Sigrid said goodbye to her brother, not expecting any response -as he hadn't spoken a word to her since. With a sad sigh, she turned around, ready to leave for the nest with the other adults, but she was halted by a grasp on her wrist. 

Looking back, she saw her brother's frowning face as he refused to look her in the eyes. Instead, his grass-green irises were locked on the wooden floors of their home, as he spoke quietly. 

"Please, protect him." He begged.

Sigrid tensed, a sigh on her lips as she frowned in concern. If only she could promise him that. 

"I'll try my best." She compromised.

Hiccup didn't seem satisfied with her answer, letting out a disappointed sigh, before releasing his grip on her wrist. He didn't even bid her goodbye. 

Sigrid left to Berk's docks with something extra in hand, which she hadn't worn for ages. 

"What's with the helm?" Gorm joked as he saw the approaching figure, immediately reminded of their days in the training arena. 

The others looked up at his jesting, eyes on last year's brawl winner as they welcomed her warmly.

Sigrid shrugged, feeling a bit strange at the curved horns weighing down on her scalp. "Well, I figured that if we're going to kill the beast that ate my mother, I should bring a piece of her with me." 

Her knuckled tapped against the strong hide covered metal, the material clanging in response. 

Frida put a comforting arm around the taller woman's shoulders, hugging her side. They'd all been put together when they were teenagers, training to become dragon slayers. Sigrid, Gorm, Frida, Holger and Erika, all together in the arena. Today wouldn't be their first battle as a group, but they hoped it would be their last - against dragons anyway. 

For this travel, Stoick had assigned them a boat to themselves, believing them to be experienced enough to handle it. 

"Make sure you follow my father's ship, no matter what." Sigrid told Holger, who was voted to steer the ship.

Against his wishes of course, but he knew better than to argue with Sigrid unless he wanted to be challenged to a fight. 

The long black-haired Viking nodded, dark eyes staring into the distance, focusing on the Chief's boat leading the line. "Got it." 

The thick fog surrounded the boats. So impenetrable that the shapes of the large oak wooden boats were barely visible, as they rowed by towering rocks and wrecked ships, moving towards their final destination. Sigrid studied the view carefully, as she stood at the front of the boat, seeing the edge of an island come closer in sight. Soon, the battle would begin. 

Everyone exited their boats, parked in parallel rows across the shore line. Sigrid readied her axe as they neared closer to the rocky entrance of the giant mountain, taller than any she'd seen before. Her father led the battle-ready vikings further, stopping at the darkened path, before motioning for the catapults to shoot their scouting hay-ball of fire. 

The fire lit up the long wide cave, showing hundreds - maybe thousands - of dragons covering the walls and ceiling as they flinched at the sudden intrusion, but stayed glued on the rocks. Sigrid held her breath, she'd never seen so many dragons before, and who knows how many more were inside. 

Stoick raised his hammer, shield barred at his front as he yelled, charging forward and prompting the others to do the same. But something wasn't right, as no dragon seemed to want to fight them, flying over their heads and scattering in the never ending sky. 

"We've done it!" Vikings cheered, but Sigrid could tell that her father wasn't so convinced, as he stared in the distance towards their boats. 

Toothless. 

The Chief's thick brow frowned. 

"This isn't over!" Stoick boomed. "Form your ranks, hold together!" 

He stood at the entrance, back turned to the tribe members with a wide protective stance. A loud bellowing cry came from within the depths of the mountain, the stone cracking as their boats swayed in the wind. Whatever was in there, it wouldn't be held for long. Stoick was stubborn, keeping stand near the entrance until he could not longer. In seconds, the floor crumbled beneath him, and he was forced to jump back on the gravelled grounds. 

"Get clear!" He commanded, as vikings scattered back to their boats in panic. 

The other groups faltered back, but Sigrid refused to back down. The mountain crumbled apart as the biggest dragon she'd ever seen pushed itself from the depths, giant boulders flying off the sides, almost flattening them dead. 

"Catapults!" She heard her father yell, but the shooting rocks did little to nothing to the titan-like beast. 

It seemed they only angered the beast further, as it threw its head back with a loud roar, before spewing hellish rays of spreading flames at their boats. Now, the vikings had no way out. 

"Sigrid!" Stoick boomed. "Get everyone to the other side of the island!"

The redhead nodded, blue eyes wide with focus as her heart beating rapidly. Adrenaline rushed through her veins like a Nightfury through the darkened skies. Never before had she felt like this.

"Let's go!" She yelled to the others, pushing them along and telling her group to guide them, making sure no one was left behind. 

She glanced back, scared as she saw Stoick and Gobber challenge the Red Death, taunting it with raised hands and booming voices. With heavy breaths, she saw as the fire on their boats spread, her focus leading to a dark wriggling figure. With a gasp, Sigrid remembered her promise, and ran for the trapped dragon. Ignoring the yells from her other group members as they pleaded with her to stay with them, she continued to run. 

"Oh! that's fire." She mumbled to herself as she looked for a way in, one that didn't involve burning herself. 

Screw it, she thought, before taking a leap of faith as she jumped on the burning wood, wincing as the heat tickled her skin. She made it. 

"Hey, bud." She greeted the dragon awkwardly, who just looked at her with curious eyes. 

Sigrid was in a hurry, the wooden floors wouldn't make it for long, but the trap was too strong. Logical, ofcourse, but really not convenient at the moment. First, she pulled the muzzle of the dragon's head, who wriggled it in relief. She was able to snap one off the chains off the wooden surface, but struggled with the thick wooden neck trap. The loud thud besides her had Sigrid snap her head in alarm, only to spot her little brother scurrying over with hurried breaths. 

"Hiccup?!" She questioned. 

Where did he come from?  

But the distanced roaring of multiple dragons told her enough, as she witnessed each one ridden by the teens. Gronckle, Hideous Zippleback, Deadly Nadder and Monstrous Nightmare. Ofcourse, she shouldn't be surprised. 

Both siblings pulled at the restraints, but they weren't able to try for long. The large flattened foot of the giant beasts stomped the boat, destroying it with its unbelievable strength. Water surrounded them, and as Sigrid regained focus, she saw the panicked dragon sink deeper into the water, but she had a bigger problem at hand. Sigrid grabbed Hiccup by his color, as he tried to swim lower. With great protest, she pulled him to the surface, leaving him to cough the water out of his lungs as he laid on the gravel, eyes panicked before Sigrid dove in once again, swimming deep down to the trapped Nightfury. 

The dragon was glad to see her, but she still couldn't break the wood open. She tried, again and again, using all of her strength to try and splinter the wood, but to no avail. She felt a small sense of victory when she felt the metal lock budge, but she didn't have the energy to pull again. Her vision was starting to blacken, as she suddenly lost all strength in her muscles, starting to float loosely in the water. Toothless' worried cries were all she heard, before her head started to feel light. 

Suddenly, a strong arm gripped at her waist, pulling her away from the depths, and away from the dragon.

Back on the surface, Sigrid coughed as the water spilled from her lungs, blinking as her vision returned. Hiccup was by her side in a second, cold shivering hands on her back as he asked her if she was okay. Sigrid looked back at the water, seeing the towering broad figure of her father dive back into the blue ocean depths.

"Dad?" She questioned, face red with shame. 

She failed her brother, she couldn't save his dragon. But Stoick could. 

The Nightfury darted from the water surface, Stoick held tightly in his claws before letting him go as they reached the ground. Hiccup ran towards the dragon, determined in his cause. Stoick let his son fly off, and Sigrid was becoming increasingly anxious as she saw her brother enter the battlefield for the first time. 

She looked on in fear as Hiccup and Toothless rose high up into the sky, the now flying Red Death hot on their tail, leading it away from the fight. Sigrid could only pray he would be careful. 

The dark skies lit up with thunderous strikes, the titan illuminated with every strike. The sight was almost god-like, something the Hooligans would remember forever. Suddenly, they disappeared once again, before noting the smaller figure of the Nightfury skurry downwards, the Red Death burning up as it roared in pain, before crashing onto the surface -exploding in deadly rays of scalding flames. 

"Hiccup!" Sigrid yelled. 

Her brother was still in there, and she was afraid he wouldn't be able to make it out. Stoick pushed through, his daughter hot on his tail as they scurried to find the freckled boy, only to find Toothless alone. 

Sigrid cried as she rushed towards the Nightfury, who let her warm hand gently lay on his snout. 

"I'm so sorry." She whispered, not only to the dragon, but to her brother. 

Blue eyes looked back towards her father, tears falling down her cheeks as she looked at him with pleadingly. 

"Dad?" She asked, silently begging him to come closer, to mourn with her.

The thick-bearded Viking did just that, his dark green eyes glossing over as he broke down besides her. 

"Oh, son." He whispered, hunching over as he prayed for his loss. 

He looked the dragon in the eyes, as it was cradled by Sigrid. For the first time since her mother's death, Stoick felt lost. 

"I'm so sorry." He apologized, staring at the dragon intently, watching as the reptile's eyes softened, before it's wings slowly started to open.

Sigrid gasped in relief, as the tired dragon opened its protective cave, revealing the young boy in his grip. Her father sighed in relief, darting over to grab his son, hands running over his face as he held him softly. Lowering his head to the boy's chest, he almost cried out in glee as he heard his heartbeat. 

"He's alive." Her father spoke. "You brought him back to me alive."

The vikings cheered, and Sigrid flailed down besides her brother as she cried in relief. 

"Thank you, for saving my brother." She smiled at the dragon with flushed red cheeks. 

Toothless purred, leaning his head back onto the ground, exhausted. 

"Well, you know... most of him." Gobber commented with a shrug. 

 Guess she would have to go back to smithing after all. 

---

"Come on, Hiccup, you can do it!"  Five year old Sigrid encouraged her brother, as he looked at her with puzzlement. 

She'd been trying to get the little boy to walk for weeks now, much to her father's amusement. Today, Stoick was too busy to keep his full attention on his children, as he had another Chief's company. The annual peace treaty signing with the Berserkers. But, as Stoick had discovered, Oswald the Agreeable didn't mind the kids running around, in fact, it seemed he actually enjoyed it. 

"Your kids are so sweet together." The Berserker Chief complimented. "You must be delighted."

Stoick grinned. 

"Oh, I am." He started. "It hasn't been easy since Valka's been gone, but they're doing better now than I could've ever hoped for."

Oswald nodded in agreement. He'd lost his wife too, after his daughter's birth. But it seemed that Dagur didn't really remember his mother, and if he did he certainly didn't mention it. As he continued watching the Haddock siblings interact, he couldn't help but wish that fate would've turned out differently. He didn't blame his son for Heather's loss, but that didn't stop him from missing his happy baby girl. 

Sitting in the grass field, Sigrid opened her arms wide once again, wiggling them for emphasis, as she continued to coach her little brother. 

"You can do it, I've got you." She repeated with a smile. 

Hiccup's green eyes gleamed, stood up against the wooden barrel. He'd figured out how to stand against things a while ago, but he'd yet figured out how to walk, and Sigrid was determined to teach him. The boy giggled, spurred on by his sister's encouragements. His small body wobbled as he attempted to step closer to her.

Attempted being a big word here, as he got exactly one step in before tumbling to the ground, if it wasn't for his sister's quick catch. 

"You did it!" She cheered. 

Although the accomplishment wasn't much in reality, it warmed both Chief's hearts to see the two young children so happy. They'd already been through a lot together, and they were only so young, but Stoick was certain that they could face whatever was to come together. 

---

Hiccup's eyes opened at the deep cooing sounds next to his head. Toothless looked thrilled to see the boy awake, as he immediately went to rub his snout against his cheek. 

"Hey Toothless." Hiccup greeted softly, his throat felt dry as he spoke. 

The dragon continued to push his snout against him, almost causing him to fall of the bed. 

"Happy to see you too, bud." 

All was fun and games, until Toothless accidentally pawed him in the stomach, and it hurt way more than is should have. Hiccup shot up, groaning in pain before quickly coming to the realisation of where he was.

"Uh... I am in my house." He stated with wide eyes, glancing around the room, whilst Toothless just sat innocently next to him, before causing a ruckus. "You're in my house." 

"Does my dad know you're here?" Hiccup asked, but Toothless obviously couldn't answer. 

A chuckle from the other side of the room caught Hiccup's attention, as his wide green eyes locked onto his sister, with a cup of water in hand. 

"Hey." Sigrid greeted.

Hiccup was still very much in shock. 

"Uh...hey?" He awkwardly greeted back, watching with careful eyes as she walked up to him, completely unfazed by Toothless' presence. 

"I got you some water." Sigrid stated, showing off the cup.

"Yeah, I can see that." Hiccup nodded, and Sigrid snorted at his sarcasm. 

Even after a near-death experience, her brother still couldn't stop his witty remarks. Meanwhile, Toothless was restless, climbing on top of everything he could as he stared at his trainer with big wide pupils. He looked like such a puppy, climbing up on the wooden beam. 

"No, no, Toothless.-" Hiccup tried to gain the dragon's attention, but failed. 

"-Toothless!" He called again, hands held out towards the Nightfury, a small indication that he needed to calm down.

The dragon simply continued to stare at him, as Sigrid smirked. They made a funny pair. 

"Oh, come on-" Hiccup paused as he leaned up from his bed, feeling that something was different. 

With a slightly fearful look, he lifted the blankets to find his new leg, which he didn't realise he'd lost in the battle. Toothless cooed as he walked over towards the boy, as Sigrid sat on the mattress in front of her brother. She wanted to apologize, for everything, but right now Hiccup wasn't looking for pity; he just wanted some normalcy.

Her brother's green eyes looked hazed as he sighed, this was all so much to take in. Shifting over the side of the bed, Hiccup let the metal drop on the floorboards next to his foot, still looking at the ground. Sigrid stood up, ready to help stabilize her brother as he lifted himself up from the ground, almost immediately falling forward. 

"Oh! I got you." Sigrid grunted, before smiling at the young viking. "I've always got you."

 At his sister's gentle face, Hiccup couldn't help but give a grin in return, even if it was a small one. It took the boy a few more attempts, and steady hands from his sister, to be able to hop over to the wooden door. Toothless had been by his side the whole time, and as soon as Sigrid saw his hand hover over the dragon's back, she smiled as she backed away, letting Toothless carry Hiccup the rest of the way. 

"I'll be right behind you." She reassured gently, as Hiccup looked back at her with questioning eyes. 

Hiccup nodded, his hands reaching for the metal handle as he pulled on the door. Jumping at the Monstrous Nightmare's face that appeared right outside, Hiccup got back into his old habit of slamming the wooden door shut in an instant. 

Sigrid chuckled as her brother gained the wary courage to open the door once more, now seeing Snotlout clearly on his dragon, Hookfang, as he called out to some others. 

"Come on guys, get ready!" He shouted, before other Vikings on various dragons flew after him.

Hiccup couldn't believe his eyes, as he gazed over the new changes in Berk. Nadders calmy perching on top of roofs, Zipplebacks eating from bowls, and Gronckles getting the best belly rubs of their life. 

"I knew it, I'm dead." 

Stoick the Vast gave a heartfelt laugh as he approached his children, patting his son on the back as he spoke. 

"No, but you gave it your best shot." He started, before gesturing around the place. "So, what do you think?"

Berkians cheered in delight as they saw the youngest Haddock appear from his hut. Glad he was alive and well, they all greeted him with smiling faces. Sigrid smirked, it seemed her brother was just a tad bit overwhelmed with all of the positive attention, but he'd get used to it. 

"Turns out, all we needed was a little more of... this." Stoick gestured to the boy. 

Hiccup raised a brow. "You just gestured to all of me."

His father nodded, a gentle smile on his face. Hiccup was right. 

"Well, most of you." Gobber jumped in, pointing at the metal leg. "That one's my handiwork, with a bit of your sister's spirit, and a little Hiccup flare thrown in. You think it'll do?"

Hiccup lifted his leg, sarcastically looking over it as he shrugged his shoulders. "Ah... I might make a few tweaks."

Sigrid laughed. Everything was changing, and she couldn't be happier about it. Her tribe was thriving, and her brother had officially proven himself to be a great future Chief. Right now, she had at least a little sense of security, before she'd be forced to leave forever. 

Chapter Text

Hiccup's stubbornness had lit a fire under the butts of the Berkians, and they changed for the better. The boy wasn't exactly delighted to find out he lost his leg, but he supposed it was better than not being alive at all. Now, instead of hunting dragons, they trained them, and Hiccup was -for the first time in his life- in charge of something. All was good, at least on Berk. But, if Sigrid had to be honest, it was still pretty strange to have dragons live inside her home. Especially because Hiccup had developed a habit of taking new critters in.

"So, what even is he?" Sigrid asked as she studied the small, iron-headed dragon that her brother had placed on the table.

Hiccup shrugged. "We're not sure, this is the first time I've ever seen a dragon like this. But Fishlegs really liked the name Typhoomerang, so I guess we're sticking with that."

"Cool." Sigrid nodded as she watched the dragon's flame-colored wings.

So cute.

"Are we keeping him?"

"No, no, no." Stoick spoke firmly, marching downstairs with his arms filled with firewood. "He's not staying here, I've got a one dragon limit."

"Oh come on, he's not a very big dragon!" Hiccup protested with a whine. "Think of him more like...a flaming squirrel."

Sigrid chuckled at her brother's comparison, that dragon was definitely nothing like a 'flaming squirrel', but she enjoyed the imagery. Stoick, however, was not as amused with it.

"Don't want one of those either." Their father grumbled, letting the wood fall down in the fire pit.

Straightening his back, Stoick turned towards the Nightfury in the corner with an expecting look on his face.

"Toothless?" He questioned, as the dragon peeped in question. "What are you waiting for?"

The Nightfury opened his mouth, preparing to shoot a blast to light the wood on fire, but it seems the new dragon was quicker, as it lit the wood aflame instantly.

Sigrid laughed at Toothless's face, he looked absolutely bewildered. "I think you just got torched."

The Nightfury huffed in annoyance. With a chuckle, Stoick approached his children by the table, as Sigrid looked at him with fake sternness.

"That's his name, by the way, Torch." She spoke with certainty, reminding him of when she was just a wee lass, wanting to have her own sheep.

Gertrud, she named it. Sadly it got snatched by a dragon during the next attack, she cried about it for a week.

"So, he can stay?" Hiccup asked, after their father didn't seem to protest.

Stoick shrugged, a gentle smile on his face. "Well, can't throw him out now, we've just named him."

Toothless snarled, he definitely wasn't happy about the arrangement.

---

"Sigrid, I think Toothless is jealous of Torch." Hiccup approached his sister, after she arrived home from her early morning training.

"Well, yeah." Sigrid shrugged. "It's like, when you've been the only child for so long and then suddenly you get a sibling, and your parents start giving the new baby all the attention, so then you get jealous and try to overthrow the baby, which just ends up in a whole mess."

Hiccup stared at her with silent contemplation, a brow raising in wonder at her quick rant.

"...It's like you're speaking from experience." He accused.

"Maybe." She grinned, but stopped her joking as she realised her brother needed actual advice. "I don't know what to tell you, Hiccup. Maybe find out more about Torch before you make a hasty decision?"

Hiccup sighed. Toothless' attitude was really throwing him for a loop, feeling like he was left with not much of a choice.

"Yeah, probably. Thanks, Sigrid."

"Anytime." She gave him a thumbs up, even if she wasn't so sure that her advice had been helpful in any way.

Whatever it was, she hoped her brother could figure it out. She was really starting to like Torch, it would be a shame if they had to get rid of him at this stage.

---

When the moon hit the sky, Torch had grown a sudden interest to Hiccup's old helmet. Sigrid was cosying up in her brother's room, watching the Typhoomerang with great amusement. At least someone still wanted to wear that helmet.

"Okay, Torch, hold still." Hiccup told the flailing dragon with a chuckle. "I'm trying to draw you."

Leaning over from Hiccup's bed, Sigrid spoke to the dragon with a gleeful voice.

"You're getting your own chapter, how exciting!" She cooed, as the dragon responded with a scratchy squeal.

Her brother leaned down as well, hunching over from his desk chair as Torch came up to his face.

"Rawrrr." Hiccup jested with curled fingers, as he held his hands in front of him like they were claws.

Torch seemed to really like that, as he responded with a roar of his own.

"Rawr!" Hiccup roared once again, and again, and again. Playing with the Typhoomerang as his sister watched with amusement. They were really getting attached to the mysterious dragon.

It was when Sigrid went to bed when stuff really went down, so much so that parts of Hiccup's room were lit on fire, but he dealt with it before it raised any alarm. Toothless' weird behavior was getting out of hand, and he had to do something about it.

---

"So, what you're telling me is that you left Toothless in a hole, went into the forest without a dragon, found Torch's mother, and set him free to go with his family?" Sigrid summed up what her brother had just told her.

"Yeah, something like that." Hiccup agreed, a little apologetic in his expression. "I'm sorry, Sigrid. I know you really liked him, I did too."

Sigrid sighed. Whilst it was true that she had grown attached to the little Typhoomerang, she also realised that dragons weren't her field to argue with. her brother had done everything he needed to do, and that was all she could ask for.

"It's okay." She shrugged. "I'm glad he's safe."

Reaching over to put a hand on her shoulder - which was really difficult, seeing as Sigrid was at least two heads taller - Hiccup's green eyes turned serious as he spoke in his iconic 'I'm a leader' tone.

"We'll get you a dragon someday, Sig. I promise."

"Oh no, that's alright. I don't need a dragon." Sigrid smiled, but she could see from the determination in her brother's eyes that he would not let the subject go so easily.

Hiccup was a viking alright; stubborn and hardheaded. But she couldn't have asked for a better brother, ever since the day he was born.

Chapter Text

Sigrid was furious as her father pulled her aside in the separate workshop hut. The news of her arranged betrothal had hit her hard, and when Stoick seeked to talk to her about it, she snapped.

"What did  I  do to deserve this?" Sigrid cried whilst pointing a finger towards her chest.

Stoick sighed, this had taken a completely wrong turn. "You didn't do anything, lass."

"Then why are you sending me away?" Sigrid spat, angry tears sliding down her cheek like dew drops. "Am I not the Chief you wanted?"

"No. That's not true, Sigrid." Stoick protested. "Listen to me, lass. -"

"Then why?!" Sigrid yelled.

"-I'm doing what's best for our tribe!" Stoick's voice boomed as his own frustrations rose.

Sigrid huffed. "By sending me away? Is that what's best for our tribe?"

She couldn't believe it, so she didn't. She didn't believe anything her father had to say. To her, it sounded like nothing but excuses; a reasoning that wasn't genuine. Had she really failed her tribe so badly that keeping her had lost its worth? Is that why she was being sold off to a tribe she didn't know, to a boy she didn't like?

"Right now, yes it is." Stoick's brow furrowed. "I don't know what'll happen in the future, so I'm making sure that our people will be safe, no matter what."

His daughter's red face broke his heart in two, as her eyes widened, tear stains glistening on her cheeks.

"And am I not one of those people, am I not a part of the tribe?" Sigrid cried, her voice small. "Don't I deserve your protection?"

Stoick sighed. "I am protecting you, lass."

"No you're not." Sigrid shook her head. "I'm not safe with him dad. Dagur's a lunatic!"

Stoick's breath stopped for a second, at his daughter's proclamation. She'd never shown fear for the lad, who admittedly was a bit of a Berserker tornado, but so far she'd never taken any of his nonsense; not afraid to punch him in the face - as shown on multiple occasions - or to threaten him with an axe against his throat. But he realised after all of this, it shouldn't surprise him that she didn't trust Dagur.

"I would not let you go off with someone I believe would put you in danger." Stoick assured. "And I have trust in Oswald that he wouldn't either."

Sigrid huffed, her face scrunching up in disbelief. "Oswald's a softie, he can't control him even when he tries."

"Y'know what, lass." Stoick spoke softly as he kneeled down, putting his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Give it time. But if I feel at any moment that your safety is at risk, I'll rip that betrothal agreement to shreds."

Sigrid chuckled with a sniffle, she liked the sound of that. "Okay."

The creaking sound of the wooden door opening surprised both redheads inside. Sigrid quickly wiped the tears still cascading down her face before turning around to face the intruder.

"Hey, bud." Sigrid greeted as she spotted her little brother at the entrance, a shy look on his face as if he knew he interrupted something. "What's up?"

Little eight year old Hiccup's wide green eyes shifted from their father's tall figure over towards his sister, and back, before he spoke quietly.

"You didn't finish the game with me."

Maces and Talons, they'd been playing it before Stoick had pulled Sigrid aside to talk.

"Oh, of course." Sigrid gave a dramatic groan before playfully slapping her own forehead. Smirking, she spoke teasingly. "Dad and I totally weren't discussing strategies. No way, I'd never to that to you."

Hiccup gasped. "That's cheating, Sig!"

"Hey, I said I didn't do it, didn't I?" She giggled, before beckoning him out of the door. "Come on, I'll race you."

"Not fair!" Hiccup giggled as he ran off with his sister. "You're way faster than me, I'm only little!"

Stoick let out a deep breath, smiling as he watched his children run back into their hut. They loved each other so much, and it broke his heart that - some day - they'd be broken apart.

---

"Oh, no." Sigrid gasped as she entered her sacred home, only to see her father being forced into his ceremonial belt by Gobber, who seemed to really struggle with clasping it shut.

Hiccup didn't seem nearly as upset about this as her, as he simply groaned in acknowledgement. "Ah, the ceremonial belt. That time again?"

"Yeah." Stoick groaned as Gobber pulled the belt tighter. "Tomorrow's the annual treaty sIGNing, with the Berserker tribe."

Gobber chuckled. "They've gotta change that name. When your Chief's Oswald the Agreeable, and you haven't been to war in fifty years."

"Please tell me he's not bringing that lunatic kid of his." Sigrid prayed to the gods above, already planning to run off the nearest cliff.

The blacksmith shrugged, a mischievous grin suddenly appearing on his face. "You mean your beloved fiancé?"

Sigrid threw a stool at his face, which her father greatly scolded her for.

"But yeah, Dagur? He'll be here alright." Gobber assured, not joking around this time.

Hiccup groaned, already thinking of the many tortures he'd have to go through tomorrow.

"Oh great." He spoke sarcastically, arms crossed over his torso. "And let me guess, we get to keep him from breaking things."

"Actually, I have a more important job for you." Stoick spoke, and Sigrid was filled with immense jealousy, without even knowing what it was. "You get to hide all the dragons."

"From Oswald the Agreeable?" Hiccup questioned, not seeing the point. "Why?"

Their father sighed. "Hiccup, just because we've had peace for fifty years doesn't mean they still can't go... well..."

"Berserk." Gobber answered for him.

"Exactly." Stoick nodded. "The dragons could be seen as a sign of aggression. Better blissful than bloody, as I always say."

Gobber huffed from behind the Chief, almost as a warning to the two kids. "And the last thing we want is another Berserker skirmish, they tend to play for keeps."

"Just hide the dragons, son." Stoick spoke before being pulled back by Gobber's harsh yanking of the ceremonial belt.

"I'll help." Sigrid volunteered a bit too enthusiastically, she didn't even have a dragon to scout with.

Her father shot that idea down immediately.

"No, I need you to get yourself ready. It'll be a big day for you too." Stoick pointed out. "And please, try not to kill the lad?"

"Can't promise anything." She grumbled, rolling her eyes as she was already dreading the incoming day.

At least Hiccup got to do something in the meantime, whilst she just sat there; bored.

---

Luckily, it seemed that Hiccup's group was just as excited as she was, which meant not at all. Except for Snotlout, who seemed genuinely cheerful, as he rambled on about how amazing Dagur was, which earned him a rightful smack from Sigrid.

Stoick practically dragged her out of bed the following morning. Hiccup had long left to make sure all of the dragons were safe and hidden, so there was no one else so save her from what was to come; the dreaded ceremonial cape. Sigrid cringed at the sight of the light-colored fur clasped around her shoulders with Berk's tribal crest. It stunk of Berserker - specifically, Dagur - as Sigrid had refused to wear it for any other occasion, only when forced to by Stoick. She'd tried to burn it once when she was a child, but sadly she'd been unsuccessful. At least the burning fires left a nice darkened ombre effect near the bottom. Very stylish.

The viking groaned as she heard the blaring horn from the distance. The Berserkers were here. Stoick dragged her to the boarding dock, where she stood besides him with tense shoulders and folded up arms, poker-faced and ready to deal with a lot of bullshit. But her brother was still nowhere in sight.

As the ships neared closer - the Skrill symbol clear in view - Hiccup finally decided to join them, but not under calm circumstances. Hiccup tried to warn their father of something bad, but Stoick had shut his speech down. They had something worse at hand, and Hiccup quickly realised that too.

Hiccup stood besides his sister with wide eyes. Oh boy, they were in for a ride. If they couldn't find Barf and Belch in time, it could mean war between Berk and the Berserkers, and it would be all his fault.

The boat came to a halt, as the walking plank was laid out in front of them. Their captain stood at the front, preparing his great introduction speech as he waved his pointed metal spear around. Sigrid frowned, she didn't remember Oswald being such a man of theatrics.

"Presenting the high-Chief of the Berserker tribe, cracker of skulls, slayer of beasts. The great and fearsome-"

"..Oswald the Agreeable?" Gobber questioned with a nervous shiver.

"-Dagur the Deranged!"

Sigrid wanted to throw up right then and there.

Sorry? Chief? Yeah, no... not cool, not cool at all. If she knew Dagur - and she did - today wouldn't pass by easily. She took note to be careful that he wouldn't try and kidnap her again, but now that he was Chief, what could she do against him that wouldn't risk starting a war?

The spokesman moved out of the way, revealing the short - in Sigrid's opinion - newly crowned Chief, who spat to the side of the ship before turning towards the Berkians with a mad grin. It was obvious that he was trying to look at intimidating as possible, which made Sigrid roll her eyes.

"Dagur?" Stoick raised a brow.

Gobber frowned. "Deranged?"

"Oh no." Hiccup's shoulders sagged as he pushed to hide behind his sister as much as possible.

With a grunt, the menacing red-head with the stupidly high horned helmet threw a knife at the boy's head. Hiccup gasped as he ducked in advance, but the knife never zoomed past him, at it was stopped in its path by his sister's swift grasp. Sigrid glared at her dearly betrothed with the fire of a thousand helheims, planning to throw the knife right back in his face, but couldn't as her father's hands lifted themselves in front of her. Rolling her eyes, she threw the knife down at the wooden boards with a huff. She only wanted to give Dagur a taste of his own medicine.

Dagur marched down the wooden blank, his chin held high as he stared down at them with arrogance.

Stoick stood in front of his children, hands on his hips as his broad figure shielded them, before questioning the new Chief.

"Dagur, where is your father?"

"My father has been...retired" The Berserker mocked. "He lost his taste for blood. I, on the other hand, am starving."

Dagur chuckled, adding a level of madness that seemed suspiciously new to the young woman. Yeah, sure, he was always weird - to undermine it greatly - but this sudden attitude was really starting to irk her.

"So, where are you hiding them, Stoick?" The Berserker questioned.

Stoick stared back in confusion. "Hiding what, Dagur?"

Dagur raised his hand to his temple, brows furrowing as his frustration rose. Always the short tempered.

"Do I look stupid to you? -"

"Yes." Sigrid whispered in Hiccup's ear, who had to hold back his laughter.

"-We both know what's going on here. I have it on excellent authority that you're massing an army of dragons." Dagur threw his axe around, the blade hissing as it cut through the air.

Weak throw. Sigrid thought. You'll cut your nose off like that.

"Excellent authority?" Stoick questioned, not buying it at all. "And who would that be, Dagur?"

The Chief frowned, seemingly displeased that he'd been caught out in a lie. But his arrogance overthrew him, to Sigrid's great surprise. What kind of idiot would want to taunt her father, Stoick the Vast? This one, apparently.

"Nevermind." Dagur rolled his eyes. "Just know that if I find it to be true, then my armada will attack with the force of fifty thousand brave Berserker soldiers."

The flailing of his arms reminded Sigrid of a toddler, pretending to be high and mighty to get their way.

"Stand down, Dagur." Stoick spoke, his hands raised as if to calm the Berserker. "There won't be any need for the armada. Now, let's get to the treaty."

Hiccup took this opportunity to scatter away, as his sister watched on with wide eyes filled with betrayal.

Don't leave me here with him! She wanted to scream after the boy, but she couldn't.

"Yes, let's." Dagur stroked the blade of his axe with an arrogant smirk, before putting it on his back once more. "According to the treaty, my visit starts with a tour of Berk, the armory, the feast in the great hall, the killing arena -you do still kill dragons here, mmhm?"

He questioned, but it was more of a mockery. Dagur was obviously dying to get a reaction out of them, but he wouldn't get far.

Stoick was having none of it. "Your father never found the tour necessary."

To the Berserker Chief, it might've sounded like a spoken fact. But to Sigrid, it sounded like a warning.

Dagur's brow furrowed, before he sneered. "As you can see, I'm not my father. Am I?"

Oh boy, he isn't going to make it to the end of the day if he keeps doing that.

It was ironic really, thinking back on how Stoick had begged her the day before to not kill Dagur, but now he seemed overly close to doing it himself. She would've laughed if it wasn't for the fact that her father was already reaching for his sword, but Gobber was quick to stop him.

"Not in front of the armada." Gobber whispered to him, as Stoick put his hand off his sword.

He'd get him later.

Finally, Dagur decided to let them guide him through Berk. Sigrid jumped at the arm curling around her waist, her mouth curving down in a disgusted snarl as she was met with the devil's grinning face.

"Hello, my sweet." He purred, making her want to gag. "Aren't you happy to see me? Your future husband, already turned Chief. What more could you dream off?"

He cackled, not really caring for what Sigrid had to say.

"Congratulations." The red-headed Haddock muttered sarcastically.

But it didn't matter to Dagur, as his arm - still tight around her waist - pulled her along for the tour.

Sigrid couldn't think of a worse torture.

---

If she thought Dagur was a whiny brat before, she hadn't seen anything yet. The new Berserker Chief found everything in the tour boring, and complained every second there wasn't any action.

Yeah. Sigrid huffed. maybe that's why your father didn't find it necessary.

His attitude was putting Stoick in an even fouler mood than before. Even Gobber seemed absolutely done, and it hadn't even been half a day!

"Boring!" Dagur whined. "I wanna see the dragon killing things."

See, toddler.

Stoick rolled his eyes.

"Follow me." he grumbled, leading the way to the armory, filled with 'dragon killing things'.

Sigrid hated to say it, but at the moment Dagur was really reminding her of Snotlout. Watching the Chief swing a chosen sword back and forth, talking about slaying different types of dragons with taunting words, she couldn't help but think off the similarities. That just made her day even worse.

"That's right, plead, plead for your pathetic dragon life."

She was sure he'd never actually fought a dragon... ever.

"He's really got a handle on that whole deranged thing." Gobber mutter from besides her, staring at the boy playing with the sword. What a weirdo.

Stoick was ready to slice his head off, but Gobber stopped him once again. If only he'd just let her father do what he pleased, Sigrid would be over the moon.

"How about we see to signing that treaty, now?" He suggested.

The Berserker Chief put his axe away, sighing in disappointment. "Sounds like my father. Sign the treaty, Dagur- Leave that chicken alone, Dagur- Put down that axe, Dagur!"

Okay, that insinuation was disturbing. Was she the only one hearing this?

"Your father is a great man, and I'll not have you disrespect him." Stoick spoke sternly, pacing closer to the red-head.

"My father was...a coward." He sneered. "I intent to return the Berserkers to their former glory, something he was incapable of doing."

Does he have a speech impediment or something? There's really no need to exaggerate that many words, with frequent small pauses in between them.

The green movement past the wooden doors had Sigrid's blue eyes widen with fear. Barf and Belch, what are you doing here? She almost gasped, but her father wasn't as secretive about his thoughts.

"Zippleback." Stoick muttered in shock.

Dagur gasped, twirling around in excitement, cheering about wanting to kill the beast first. Gobber - who'd already impressed Sigrid a lot today - was quick on his feet, or well...foot, once again. Closing the wooden doors with a chuckle.

"He's joking, Dagur." Gobber laughed, his hooked hand turned on his back nervously. "That Stoick, always the prankster. Tell me, Dagur, what are some of your deranged plans for the Berserkers?"

The thought of her father as a pranking maniac made Sigrid chuckle. Stoick side-eyed her with a warning glare, but she knew not to take it too seriously, he was just grumpy from the long day of watching over Chief Tantrum. Who could blame him.

"Remember, you're marrying me off to that." She whispered in her father's ear.

Stoick sighed. He was definitely starting to regret his decision now.

---

Luckily, Hiccup was able to save Barf and Belch from the Berserker's rage, for now. But Sigrid had never wanted to cut someone's tongue off than she had now, watching her oh-so-lovely betrothed act like an angry child during the great feast. She just wanted to drink her ale in peace.

Sigrid was on Dagur's left, as his future wife he had decided that she needed to be close to him, and with her father being the Hooligan Chief, he was sat in his designated stool on the Berserker's other side. At least she had Gobber to gossip with. Elbow on the table and head in her hand, she looked over towards her brother. With a silent plea, her blue eyes asked if everything was alright. But to her fear, Hiccup shook his head.

She almost jumped back when Dagur harshly stood up from his seat, wooden tankard raised high as he stood proudly -and arrogantly.

"A toast to death, in battle!"

"To your father!" Gobber replaced, and the others soon followed, as Sigrid begrudgingly got out of her seat. "To Oswald!"

Dagur didn't seem pleased with the change, his grinning face immediately replaced with a frustrated frown.

"Fine. Whatever." He huffed, his body dropping down on the stool with a thud. "To Oswald- To Oswald- To Oswald. Bladebebladebebla!"

After his little tantrum, he angrily stabbed his knife in the pie in front of him. Sigrid was already starting to regret ever letting him live, and they were barely halfway through the day!

"Well, on that cheery note, shall we sign the treaty and send you on your way?" Gobber asked, unrolling the paper in his - human - hand.

Please do.

"Great idea!" Dagur boasted, rising from his seat once again. For once, Sigrid hoped he'd be reasonable. "Let's sign that treaty. Bring us the dragon's blood!"

Sorry, what? Luckily, it seemed that Sigrid wasn't the only one left slightly disturbed at the notion, as she saw her little brother practically panic at the notion.

"Uhh- did you say dragon's blood?"Hiccup questioned with a disgusted frown.

Stoick let out an awkward chuckle, before also rising up from his seat to tower over the new Berserker Chief.

"Don't be ridiculous, Dagur. Your father and I haven't signed a treaty in dragon's blood for years."

"Why would that be a problem, Stoick?" The Berserker asked with a raised brow. "Unless of course, you don't kill dragons anymore?"

Sigrid's hand fell to the axe at her side. Her eyes locked onto her father's green ones, her brow raising in question as she asked for permission to cut the Chief's head off. Stoick's eyes twitched, he really wanted to say yes, but now wasn't the time. His daughter's hand fell from the axe's handle, frowning as her father slightly shook his head. Leaving Dagur oblivious to the predicament.

"We still kill dragons!" Her father insisted.

Gobber stepped in. "The problem is, we've killed so many there isn't a dragon within- uh, two hundred miles from here."

As if trained on cue, the lost Barf and Belch burst into the great hall with a cry. Sigrid's eyes widened, oh no.

"Except that one." Gobber mumbled, baffled at the sight. There was no question in mind that that was the twin's dragon, just as stupidly inconvenient.

Dagur gasped.

"The Zippleback, it's a sign!" He cheered, turning to Stoick with a mad grin. "A head, for each Chief!"

"It's gonna be amazing!" He cackled maniacally as his grabby hands pulled Sigrid from her seat, twirling her around before she could even react. "Tonight, we hunt dragons!"

Great.

As the Berserker prepared for the dragon hunt, the more Sigrid started to wonder if he'd actually killed a dragon by himself before, or if he always expected his men to practically do it for him.

"Don't you feel honored, Sigrid? You get to see me kill a dragon for the first time! And I'll do it in your honor." Dagur spouted at her as they marched through the forest, hunting down that poor riderless Zippleback.

She could only hope that Hiccup would find the twins soon.

"Wow, I'm flattered, really." Sigrid spoke sarcastically, but Dagur didn't seem to notice, as he chuckled madly.

The redheaded Haddock spotted Barf and Belch in the distance, and her heart sank. It seemed that Hiccup would be too late, as the Berserker men held the Zippleback down with sturdy hooks, letting their Chief approach it with an evil grin as he pulled out his sword.

"Dad?" Sigrid turned to her father with a panicked gaze, he had to help them.

It seemed Stoick had already thought ahead of her, as he was quick to approach the Berserker Chief as he swung down his sword, heroically blocking it with his own. The metal clanged against each other, saving Barf and Belch from sudden death, but not without angering the Chief.

"How dare you." Dagur spoke threateningly.

Stoick the Vast was at least three times the man he was, and Sigrid knew her father would never back down from such a low threat.

"No, how dare you." He scolded. "We're supposed to slay this dragon, together, and that's what we'll do. In the arena, where dragon killing is done."

His words were enough to have the Berserker lower his sword, and throw it back on his back -securing it in its holder.

"To the arena!" Dagur commanded to his men, who started to aggressively move the poor Zippleback in the right direction.

Gobber cleared his throat. "According to the treaty, the killing of the dragon must be-"

"Bored!" Dagur pushed past Gobber, who silenced his speech. "I want the head on the right."

Stoick grumbled from his daughter's side, it seemed he was finally past his limit.

"I'm putting an end to this." He muttered, striding up to the held down dragon. "If it means war, it means war."

"Please, don't let me stop you." Sigrid raised her hands in defense as she let her father go, not-so-secretly excited about watching her betrothed get beheaded by her father's hands.

What a beautiful tragedy.

Stoick pulled his sword from its harness, the metal swooshing dangerously through the air as he raised it above his head in a menacing stance. Dagur, of course, wouldn't know any different -too focussed on his claimed head of the Zippleback as it took him a really - really - long time to swing his already raised sword.

Just as her father was about to deliver the deadly blow, Hiccup's voice rang through the arena.

"Help!" He yelled, grabbing everyone's attention. "Dragon attack!"

Pointing up towards the arena's chained ceiling, where Hookfang's neck poked through before he spewed fire at a Berserker warrior.

"What is going on?" Gobber asked.

"Gobber, dragon attack!" Stoick emphasised.

Gobber gasped.

"Oh." He realised. "Dragon attack, everyone out of here!"

More of the teams dragon's entered the arena. Sigrid could tell that the group had been training, and doing marvelously at it. Stormfly shot rows of spikes at the shielded men, and Meatlog seemed to hug one to death. But the biggest target still laid before them, Barf and Belch.

"We must protect our honored guest!" Gobber dramaticized as he grabbed the Berserker, who didn't take kindly to the 'protection'.

Raising his sword, Dagur stood proudly.

"Run if you want, but Dagur the Deranged will not retreat!"

Preparing for the attack, Sigrid was surprised to see the Zippleback actually coördinate together, as they gassed and fired at the right moments to blast the Berserker Chief to the walls. She chuckled as she saw Stormfly whack Dagur to the ground with her tail, and she remembered to thank Astrid for that later.

Stoick pleaded for his daughter -who had been casually standing against the arena's entrance with a pleased grin on her face- to do something, anything to make this attack look even more real.

Sigrid sighed as she picked up her axe, hoping the dragons trusted enough to roughhouse.

The Deranged Chief let out a battle cry as he threw a spear at the two-headed dragon, but it was snatched by the suddenly appearing Toothless. Hiccup always had a bit of a dramatic flare. With a roll of her blue eyes, she stanced infront of the Berserker, only her axe in hand as she lazily twirled it around.

"Back off, fiend you." Her brother spoke with a dramatic tone as he side-walked towards them with a shield and knife in hand. "You'll not harm my friend...Dagur."

He slammed his shield against the Berserker's face as a distraction, before giving Toothless the command. If only her brother slammed the shield harder, she'd have a real laugh, but now it was her turn to make this show convincing.

"Please, Dagur, leave. Save yourself." She begged, pushing the Berserker out of the way of Toothless' plasma blast.

She kept on pushing him towards the arena's exit -perhaps a bit too harshly, as Dagur almost tripped over his own feet. However, instead of anger, he looked on with admiration towards the strong-stanced viking before him, before she ran to 'rescue' her little brother from the Nightfury's grasp.

She protected him, he couldn't believe it. No one had ever done that for him before.

Seeing that the Berserker still wasn't leaving, Sigrid rolled her eyes. Her strawberry red hair twirling behind her as she snapped towards him.

"Please, go! You owe it to your people." She almost whined, really - really - wanting him to get away from Berk as fast as possible.

It seemed to do the trick; combined with the added danger of Hookfang's fireball.

"I'll be back for you, my love!" Dagur promised. "Berserkers, to the boat!"

"What about the treaty?" Gobbler questioned, paper in hand as he hollered behind them.

Dagur seemed in a real hurry to get away, hands protecting his face as he yelled back.

"Consider it signed!"

Sigrid hoped she wouldn't have to see his ugly face ever again, even though that was unlikely, she prayed it would stay this way for a very long time.

Chapter Text

"For the last time, Hiccup. I don't need my own dragon." Sigrid insisted, for what felt like the hundredth time. 

Hiccup has been craving for his sister to find her own dragon, and ever since her father tamed Thornado he was convinced that Sigrid needed a dragon of her own. But the redhead didn't seem too keen on the idea, still a bit uncomfortable at the thought of cuddling up with a dragon after having killed so many over the years. It just felt too awkward!

"Well, you can't just ride Thornado whenever you want." Hiccup argued, struggling to keep up with her fast pace as she marched through Berk. "What if we need you, and dad is using Thornado? You saw what happened with us and Toothless, it just doesn't work!"

"That won't happen." Sigrid shrugged her shoulders, stubborn as ever, and she sure wasn't about to let her little brother tell her differently. 

Hiccup rolled his eyes. 

"Fine." He grumbled. "You're the boss."

Sigrid smirked, puffing her chest out in victory. Continuing to make their way towards the arena it was like a spark lit up above Hiccup's head, as he suddenly got a great idea. 

"Hey, Sig?" He asked. "How do you feel about joining us for tomorrow's training mission? It's Astrid's turn to make the plan, so I figured you might enjoy it."

A very tempting offer, Sigrid thought. She'd taught the young blonde practically everything she knew, and if the gang's complaining had been held even the slightest bit of accuracy, Astrid's training would be tough and merciless. Just how she liked it. 

Well, it's not like she had anything else to do. 

"I'd love to." She smiled, letting her brother guide her towards the others, as they readied for Astrid's plan. 

Sigrid couldn't wait to hear what she had come up with. Entering the arena, the gang's brows raised in question as her figure entered by Hiccup's side. 

"Sigrid will be joining us for tomorrow's training mission, if that's alright with all of you?" It wasn't really a question, as Hiccup had already decided, but he allowed them to have the illusion of a choice. 

How sneaky. 

Astrid smiled, standing at the wooden board, a hand-drawn map stuck in the middle of it. 

"That would be great!" She spoke. "At least someone will take my plan seriously."

The others groaned, making Astrid frown.

"What?" The blonde questioned, arms waving around in offence. 

"Your training missions are so hard." Fishlegs complained with a defeated look on his pink, chubby face. 

Astrid rolled her eyes, hands stanced on her hips defensively. 

"They are not!" She insisted.  

"Hand to claw combat?" Fishlegs reminded her, raising his bandaged hand for all to see. 

His Gronckle, Meatlug, licked his hand apologetically. That can't be hygienic, Sigrid thought. Fishlegs smiled at his dragon, before giving her a good cuddle. 

"Spine dodging?" Snotlout sneered.

"Hot lava swimming?" Tuffnut shrugged. 

Astrid raised a brow. "We never did that."

"Yeah, but we should've, way better than hand to claw combat." Tuffnut added. 

Their constant complaining was making Sigrid overly curious about what 'hand to claw combat' actually entailed. I mean, she got the gist of it - obvious name and all - but she'd be sure to ask Astrid about it later. Maybe she'd let Stormfly take her for a tumble. 

"Well, this mission is easy." Astrid assured, pointing on the map. "Dragon island. You just have to go from this beach on the east side, to this cave on the west side."

Until this point, the plan seemed horrifyingly boring, but at least the others seemed pleased. Snotlout was the loudest to hum in agreement, but by the smirk on Astrid's face, Sigrid could tell that wasn't the end. 

Thank Thor.

"At night." The group flinched. "With no camping gear." They protested. "And, no dragons." They cried. 

"What!" Snotlout shouted. "That's crazy, what's the point!"

"To work on our stealth skills, and our wild dragon defence." Astrid grinned.

Hiccup - surprisingly - seemed to agree with the plan. Sigrid didn't think he'd have it in him, but she supposed he did go after a wild Nightfury in the woods. 

"Astrid's right." He spoke. "We all know how strong we are with our dragons, but we have to be able to survive and defend ourselves if we ever get separated from them."

"That's what I've been saying this entire time." Sigrid grumbled. 

That was the exact reason why she didn't want a dragon, she didn't want to depend on it, unlike the rest of them. 

Astrid smiled. "Trust me, it will be fun!" 

The others didn't seem to agree.

Sigrid couldn't wait. It was almost like the rush of dragon hunting came right back to her, but this time she would leave everyone of them unharmed. She really missed dangerous missions like this, fearing that the new kids were becoming soft, so she was glad to see that Astrid still held her spirits.

---

The crew landed on Dragon island with the immediate need to fight, as they first had to decide who was going to stay with the dragons. It seemed that most of them were really looking for an excuse to get out - namely Fishlegs - but they eventually decided on Tuffnut, because as he said, "Me first!"

"I thought this was supposed to be a solo challenge?" Sigrid questioned, brow raised as she looked back at her little brother who seemed to follow her every step. 

Hiccup shrugged sheepishly. Secretly, he hoped she wouldn't notice that the actual reason Hiccup wanted to bring her along was to find a dragon for her to train. But he should've know his sister was smarter than that, and with the added addition of a loud mouth, he realized he'd probably have to play it differently. 

"Yes, you're right!" Hiccup gave an awkward chuckle. "I'll just... uh- go this way." 

Shuffling to the side, Sigrid chuckled as she shrugged her shoulders, axe in hand as she continued on with the mission; in the dark, without a lantern. Hiccup thought he was sly, and she'd be happy to knock him down a few steps. 

To say the island was fascinating would be an understatement. Sure, some would find it a little scary to wander around the wild forests at night, but it wasn't like this was Sigrid's first time doing this sort of thing. But now, she wasn't here to hunt the wildlife, she was here to treasure it. 

Wandering past the hoards of wild dragons made Sigrid realize even more what Hiccup meant back in that dragon killing arena. They had defended themselves from raging vikings like herself, back when Berkians and dragons were at a constant war. Now, as she quietly glided past with a gentler nature, the dragons didn't even bother to take note of her, as the redhead showed to be no threat, just an innocent bystander. Luckily they didn't spot her axe.  

The wild Typhoomerangs reminded her of Torch, and she had to blink rapidly to not tear up. Man, she really missed that little rascal. Well, he definitely wasn't so little anymore, but that's besides the point. Sigrid smiled, funny how the tables turn when you open yourself to change. And to think she owed it all to her little brother. Hiccup really was a treasure, even if she didn't always see it in the beginning. 

"What the-" Sigrid's head whipped up in confusion at the loud howling sound in the distance, before mumbling with suspicion. "There's no way that's a dragon."  

Honestly, it sounded more like a rabies filled yak, rather than a screaming dragon. But Sigrid couldn't shake the feeling of dread off her shoulders. Something wasn't right, and it was her job to find out what. She could only hope Hiccup wouldn't get involved. 

With a determined pace, she snuck through the forest, trying to make herself as invisible as she possibly could. She was no Changewing, after all. Trying to find whatever could have raised the alarms in her head so clearly. And then, she spotted it.

Suddenly, she had the feeling that after over a decade of yearly Berserker meetings her brain had created its own version of danger-tingles, activating when her darling betrothed was in range. 

Oh you've got to be kidding me, Sigrid thought, seeing her brother walking besides him, as well as Snotlout and Fishlegs in tow. Dagur's figure moved around, crossbow in hand as he was hunched over in his step. Of course, the Berserker just had to be hunting dragons on the same island they were on. What a dreadful coincidence. 

Aiming her axe, she prayed that her tracking skills were just as good as before. Hissing, she had to pause as Hiccup just had to stand closer to her target. 

"Come on, brother." Sigrid whispered. "Get out of the way."

As if he heard her, Hiccup fell back. Sigrid snarled as they slowly started to walk out of her line of sight, if she was going to throw her axe, she had to do it now. 

The Berkian boys screeched in fear as the axe flew right past them, stopping Dagur - who was leading the group - in his steps as the axe stopped right in front of his face, lodging itself in the tree on his left, much to Sigrid's disappointment.

With a huff, she moved out of the darkness of the forest, exposing her presence to the group. 

"Sigrid!" Hiccup gasped in surprise at his sister's deep frowning face. 

It didn't take long to guess who had thrown the axe, after that. 

"My sweet, Sigrid!" Dagur cheered. "What a surprise! I was afraid I wouldn't see you again after that dragon attack on Berk. But then Hiccup showed up, and I just knew that you were alive. Because- well, if he was still alive, that must mean you certainly were."

Sigrid simply stared back at him, poker-faced and stiffened shoulders at the backhanded compliment. Pulling her axe from the tree, Dagur seemed way too excited to keep on rambling. 

"You looked so beautiful, protecting me from that Nightfury, like a Valkyrie in battle!" He complimented, making the woman almost gag as her face turned away from him. "Are you here to hunt dragons as well? Because if you are, I'd probably improve your aim first, you completely missed me with that throw." 

Oh, I'll show you a good throw, Sigrid grumbled internally as Hiccup cringed nervously, silently begging his sister not to raise her axe at the Berserker, again. 

"Yeah, sorry about that." Sigrid spoke sarcastically, looking back at him with a dangerous glare. "I mistook your humongous head for a Monstrous Nightmare." 

To her great annoyance, Dagur didn't seem to take any offence by it, rather seeing it as a challenge. 

"You really think so highly of me, my sweet?" He grinned, before cackling madly, making Sigrid sneer as they continued on their way.

He won this round. 

"You almost had him." Snotlout whispered in her ear, an annoyed grumble to his tone as he practically scolded her for not killing the Berserker. 

His attitude earned him a rib-crushing elbow to the side.

Leaning down to her brother's level, Sigrid whispered in his ear. "What's the plan?"

"I have no idea."

Sigrid couldn't ask more before Dagur turned to put his arm around her waist, pulling her along with him as he raved on about all of his Chiefly accomplishments.

She would recall what he said, if it wasn't for the fact that she wasn't listening... like, at all. Not even when he tried to threaten her father's life, if Hiccup so wished, which - in reality - Sigrid would like to see him try. She was sure Stoick the Vast could crush his skull between his burly hands without much effort. 

Pausing at the deep rustling up ahead, Dagur raised his fist - a sign for the others to halt - as he pulled Sigrid down with him to kneel on the ground. Letting go of her waist to ready his crossbow, she heard Dagur grumble to her brother.

"Which one of your friends is it gonna be, this time?" He sighed. 

Hiccup shrugged sheepishly. "It's hard to say."

Glancing off to the side, Sigrid saw Astrid sneaking around them. She made eye contact with the girl, nodding in acknowledgement. She hoped the blonde could get them out of this mess, and Astrid's determined gaze told her she would try her best, and that's all the redhead could ask for. 

To Sigrid's horror, it turns out that the rustling in the bush had indeed been Toothless, who shot a plasma blast at Dagur's feet, which he sadly dodged. Toothless screeched, daring the Berserker to come closer, and Dagur was fascinated. 

"The Nightfury!" He yelled with a big grin on his face. Turning towards her, Sigrid cringed at his excitement. "Sigrid, your skills never fail to impress me! You've led me right to it!"

With wide eyes, Sigrid glanced towards her brother, who stared up to her in shock. If Toothless was here, that means that the other dragons must've also been loose. That's what they get for trusting Tuffnut, which they'd surely never do again. 

Aiming down his sides, Dagur took his sweet time, all the while mumbling to himself. If they were to come up with a plan, they had to do it now.

"Arrow, meet dragon. Dragon meet-"

"Wait!" Sigrid spoke sternly, hand raised out to lower the Berserker's crossbow, who looked back at her in offense. "I want to do it." 

Dagur glared at her, which made her return his anger two-fold. 

"I saw it first!" He whined. 

Oh Thor, he really is a child. Sigrid had enough, she wouldn't let her little brother down this time. Forcefully taking the crossbow from the Berserker's hands, she towered over him as she spoke. 

"But I led you to it, you don't deserve this kill." 

Yanking his crossbow back - at least his attention was now on her - he continued his tantrum.

 "But I brought the crossbow!" He pointed towards himself to emphasise. "You just brought the axe!"

What's wrong with my axe? Sigrid thought in offense, but shook her head as she reminded herself that the group could not use a real argument right now. 

"Now, sweetheart, stand aside." Dagur sneered, not an ounce of sweetness on his tongue as he spoke to her. 

He roughly pushed her aside. Sigrid stumbled, not having expected that micro-aggression from him, which - honestly - she should've. Filled with rage, she grabbed her axe from its holder once again, preparing to hit her target this time. 

"Sigrid, no." Hiccup whispered besides her, trying not to alarm the Berserker and out them as the enemy. But he had to stop her. 

Sigrid groaned, he was really starting to sound like her father. Sigrid, don't throw that axe! Sigrid, don't fight that boar! Sigrid, stop choking that boy! So boring, and in her father's case, so hypocritical. 

Suddenly, three Terrible Terrors were flaunched towards Dagur's face as he prepared to shoot, causing him to miss entirely. With a quick sign, Hiccup told Toothless to scatter, which luckily the Nightfury listened to. Sigrid had to stop herself from laughing at Dagur's red angry face, watching Astrid appear from the dark forest, and smiled at her. 

"What's wrong with you!" Astrid spoke with faked anger. "I almost had those Terrible Terrors, they were right in my hand!"

"Terror Smerror." Dagur mocked with a roll of the eyes. "We're hunting a Nightfury here!" 

Turning towards her brother, Dagur looked at him with annoyance. "Did you leave anyone back on Berk?" 

Hiccup laughed at his question, as the Berserker stomped on his way, pulling Sigrid with him. 

"Haha, very funny, Dagur." 

Sigrid rolled her eyes as she watched the Berserker struggle to pull the arrow from the tree. Shouldn't use anything you're not strong enough for to retrieve, she thought. 

"Need any help with that?" She questioned with a raised brow, arms crossed as she continued to stare at the struggling redhead. 

This is just too sad to watch any longer. 

Dagur shook his head, pulling the arrow once more, before it lodged free from the bark. 

"As you can see, my love, I'm doing perfectly fine." He mocked, waving the arrow in his hand. "Come on, my future wife, whilst the trail is still fresh!" 

Okay, Sigrid would take every awful pet name on earth just so he'd never call her that again. 

"Actually." She paused in her step, Dagur almost falling over as his arm was still stuck around her waist as he continued his pace. "I think you should take Hiccup with you." 

Emphasising her brother's name, she glanced back to see the small lad look up at her with wide eyes. Surprise turned to relief, as he realised what she was doing. When it came to Toothless, she wasn't sure what to do, but if there was anyone who did, it was Hiccup.

Dagur raised a brow at her suggestion, before Sigrid continued to explain. 

"It's just- you've never hunted together. And as future brothers-" she almost gagged at the term "-I thought it would be nice for you two to... bond."

Hiccup was going to kill her for this, but it seemed that the Berserker found it a brilliant idea. With a mad grin on his face, he swung his arm around Hiccup's shoulder, pulling him along with him; almost choking him as he clenched his bicep. 

"Good idea, Sigrid!" He gleamed. "Let's go, brother!"

Her brother fumbled with his words nervously. 

"I- I can't hunt with an entourage." He scurried. "Go back to Berk! Leave us to our business."

Although she felt slightly guilty for leaving her brother in the hands of a lunatic, she was relieved to get rid of him, for now. 

"That's just great!" Snotlout complained with a whine. "How are we supposed to find our dragons?"

Fishlegs smiled, looking at the approaching dragons, behind the fussy Viking. 

"Actually, it shouldn't be that hard." He said, pointing behind Snotlout. 

Snotlout turned around as Hookfang blew smoke in his ear, eyes full of surprise as he twirled around to see the rest of the group's dragons there as well; except for Toothless, of course. As they all gathered their dragons, Astrid noticed that Sigrid wasn't with them. Glancing behind, she noted the redhead still standing in the same spot, glaring towards where Hiccup had been dragged off to. 

"Sigrid?" She questioned, wondering what she was planning to do.

Sigrid didn't respond immediately, continuing to stare off towards the further side of the island, before sighing. She'd made her decision. 

"I'm going after my brother." She spoke sternly. 

Astrid nodded. "Okay." Her eyes darted back and forth from the ground, to the viking before her. "If you need us-"

"-I'll whistle." Sigrid interrupted, a small grin on her face as she stared back towards Astrid. "Now go, stay safe."

"We will." Was the last thing Astrid could say before Sigrid marched her way through the island, following her brother's previous steps. 

As she continued her path, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to find Hiccup on time as she had to choose between going straight or sideways. Adrenaline rushed through her as she heard the sounds of many arrows being shot towards the island's grounds, and she could only assume the worst; Dagur wasn't alone. 

With a quick pace, Sigrid ran over the uneven stone paths, she had to find Hiccup - and Toothless - now. Whilst she knew that her brother's shield could save him from many situations - from good to bad - she had no telling what Dagur would do if, or when, he found out the truth. 

Toothless loud growl and the sound of something harshly hitting the ground was all she needed to track her brother to his final steps, right upon the highest edge of the island. What she saw filled her rapidly beating heart with rage. Toothless, bound to the ground, struggling as two bolas' wrapped around him -preventing him from moving. Her brother, Hiccup, was thrown on the floor, forced to protect himself with his multi-purpose shield as he blocked the Deranged Chief who was holding him down. 

"Get your nasty hands off my brother!" Sigrid yelled, grabbing the Berserker by his stupid red braid and throwing him off of Hiccup, who immediately went to release Toothless from his bounds. 

With green eyes full of furious betrayal, Dagur stood back on his feet, hands on his sword before he pulled it from the harness. 

"You!" He started, eyes lacing over with tears before he harshly blinked them away. "You lied to me!"

"I don't care!" Sigrid snapped back, her axe swinging in her hand, prepared to fight him to the death if it came to it. 

It was clear that Dagur was hesitant in going to fight the older Haddock, having pulled his sword more out of defense than aggression, in hindsight. In his head, he was sure he could take her in a fight; but in his heart, he didn't want to find out. Although, she did look magnificent when she was angry.

In the end, Dagur didn't get to decide as Toothless threw plasma blast after plasma blast at him, chasing him off the island, making the Berserker run back to his ship, crying with his tail between his legs. In the meantime, the other group members had come to land beside them -after Astrid had been concerned when she hadn't heard anything from Sigrid yet, only to find that they were perfectly fine; for the most part. 

"Dragon attack!" Dagur screeched, letting Hiccup know that they had to get out, fast. 

Turning towards the others, he nodded to the sky. 

"We better go now." Hiccup told them. "His men are on the way."

"Come on!" Snotlout pleaded. "We can take them."

I'd like to see you try. Sigrid thought, as her brother shook his head in disagreement. 

"Not today." He spoke, before frowning as his voice lowered sternly. "Dagur will be back, and when he is, we will be ready."

Turning towards his sister, he patted the part of his saddle behind him. 

"Come on, Sig."

Sigrid rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."

Flying far from Dragon Island, Sigrid's heartbeat finally seemed to calm down as the sight of the island started to leave them. Letting out a deep sigh, she tightened her grip on her brother's waist, whilst gently patting Toothless' side with her other hand. 

"Thank you, by the way." Hiccup spoke, as his sister hummed in question. "For helping me back there. It meant a lot."

"Of course." Sigrid spoke, as if offended he would think she'd do anything different. "You're my brother, I'll always be there to save you."

"Well, you didn't really save me-"

"Shut up, Hiccup." They laughed.

What a day. At least Hiccup hadn't been able to try and find her a dragon. Seems like she had something to thank Dagur for, after all. 

Chapter Text

"Sigrid, please tell Snotlout that he's being dramatic." Hiccup sighed, waving his hands towards the panic-stuck Viking. 

Sigrid stared at him with raised brow, crossing her arms over her chest as she frowned at him.

 "What is it now, Snotlout?" She questioned annoyance. 

"What 'it' is, is that I've seen three of the five signposts of Valhalla!" Snotlout screeched, obviously very grieved about the situation. "I'm going to die, Sig!"

Sigrid couldn't believe the ridiculousness that was spouted at her today. I mean, she was used to being the mom of the younger group, but this was really getting out of hand. Hiccup was their leader - or so he claimed - so how did this counseling thing suddenly become her job?

"You're being dramatic." She nodded, agreeing with her brother's words. 

Hiccup sighed, relieved that his sister was taking his side. "See? I told you. It's just an old wives tale." 

"Oh no, it's very real." Sigrid countered, immediately filling the dark-haired boy with more fear. "Just doesn't apply to you." 

"What do you mean, 'doesn't apply to' me?!" Snotlout gasped in offense. 

Sigrid simply shrugged, not taking his lament seriously at all, which really bothered him. She was supposed to take his side in this whole ordeal! He expected her to start crying, grieving over the fact that she'd lose such a loved person in her life. But, in reality, there was none of that.

"Well, the signs of Valhalla only appear to great warriors." She spoke in a teaching tone, as if talking to a small child. "And you certainly don't qualify for that, so you have nothing to worry about." 

Snotlout did not take her words too positively. 

"How could you say that, Sig!" The boy squeaked in offense. "I can't believe none of you are taking this seriously!" 

Yeah, she was definitely not dealing with this anymore today. 

"Okay, enough!" She huffed, silencing the rambling idiot in his trainwreck of thoughts. "I'm not talking about this anymore, got it?"

With a sniffling frown, Snotlout nodded. Gods, she really was becoming their mother. Sadly, it also turns out that that wasn't the last of Snotlout's crazy antics. Hiccup informed her that he was now determined to train Gustav to be his follow-up, to which Sigrid heavily protested. 

"Come one, Hiccup! The kid doesn't even know his left foot from his right!" 

However, not too long after Snotlout had come to her, practically begging for her to be present for his final speech. Sigrid wanted to say no, but he just looked so incredibly sad in the moment, so she couldn't help but give in. Her brother had raised a brow at her sudden appearance in the arena, it seemed that Snotlout's plan hadn't been much of an informed idea, and a bit on a whim, as the others seemed way too busy with preparing for the upcoming mission. 

"I know it's going to be hard on you all, when I'm no longer here, especially you Astrid." The blonde rolled her eyes at Snotlout's words, but he continued. "But I don't want any tears, I want you to remember me with joy in your hearts."

It would've been a beautiful speech, if it weren't for the fact that the reasoning of it were quite ridiculous. 

"So, think of the good times we all had together." He scratched his butt with a cringing face. "It is by the power vested in me, that I hereby pass the Hookfang horns to Gustav. Go with Thor, little man, for he will watch over you, with lightning bolts and a giant hammer."

"Okay, this has gone on long enough." Hiccup butted in. "First of all, you are not dying!"

Snotlout shushed him, a finger pointed in his face with closed eyes. 

"Hiccup, it's okay, denial is part of the grieving process." He spoke, voice low and calm. 

Hiccup wasn't anywhere near calm. "Second of all, no one vested you with any power!"

"No one." Tuffnut spoke in the background, as he sat on one of the wooden crates. 

Hiccup continued "And even if they did-"

"Which, they didn't." Tuffnut interrupted. 

Hiccup walked up to Snotlout, arms waving around, expressing his frustration. "-Gustav is in no way ready to be a member of this academy!"

"No way." Tuffnut repeated.

Sigrid just looked at him strangely, what was this kid on?

"That's correct, Hiccup." Fishlegs agreed, looking up from his book. "There's way more to being a dragon rider than just feeding it, and getting on its back." 

"Neither of which he can do, very well anyway." Astrid spoke.

Sigrid couldn't help but feel a little sad for the kid. Sure, he was a bit of a disaster at times, but he was so young, he wasn't as experienced as them by the long run, but was that really his fault?

"That's enough, guys." Sigrid spoke, not able to stand Gustav's frowning face any longer.

Snotlout seemed to agree with her, but in the completely wrong way. 

"None of us are perfect." He made a good start. "Except for me." 

Oh boy, there we go.

"Fishlegs, is afraid of heights. The twins can't count past nine. Astrid has obvious anger issues-" The blonde in question glared at him with the strength of all of Helheim. "Sigrid can't hit a moving target-" 

Oh come on, that was one time! Not only was it late at night, making it super dark, there were also a lot of trees, bushes and multiple idiots surrounding her target. Not her fault she missed Dagur's fat head.

"-and Hiccup." He stared at her brother, who just raised his brow in question, wondering what degrading thing he was going to tell him next.

Snotlout simply looked him up and down, before speaking again. "Well, enough said."

Her brother groaned at the insinuation, as Snotlout strutted over to a very angry looking Astrid, putting a hand on her cheek, gently caressing it. 

"Oh Astrid, what could've been." The blonde quickly pulled his hand off her cheek, cracking his fingers as she bend it around, making him cry out. "I won't feel pain in Valhalla." 

"Snotlout, for the last time, you are not going to Valhalla!" It was Sigrid that spoke this time, before being interrupted by Tuffnut's yelling.

"Runaway sheep!" He cried in alarm, as, indeed, a hoard of sheep ran into the arena, surrounding Snotlout.

Sigrid glanced over to see Ruffnut up the slope of the entrance. Sneaky bastards, she grinned, they've set this whole thing up. She knew she should probably scold them for it, but to be honest, it was pretty entertaining to see them get away with it.

"The shepherd's curse!" Fishlegs spoke. "That's-"

"-the fifth signpost!" Astrid gasped, as if she couldn't believe that Snotlout had been telling the truth. 

Hiccup grumbled, his head hunching over as he put his hand up to his forehead in frustration. "Oh, this cannot be happening."

"Avenge me!" Snotlout cried out, before sinking in the pile of sheep. "Have lamb for dinner!"

Oh Thor, he fainted. 

"Alright, I'm leaving." Sigrid spoke clearly, getting up from her position of leaning against the stone wall. "Call me when there's an actual emergency."

"Yeah, we'll do that." Hiccup waved her off, still angrily mumbling about the ridiculousness of it all. 

She was starting to regret praying to the gods to have her never be bored again. She was starting to get bothered a whole lot more lately - namely by the twins or Snotlout, in this case. So much so, that for the first time in years she was longing for a nice calm evening, bundled up in her warm bed, and taking a nap. 

---

"Wake up, lass." Came the booming voice of her father as he forced his tall figure into the room. 

Sigrid groaned, but awoke nonetheless. If her father was seeking her out in such a hurry, it must've been for a good reason. 

"What's happening?" She questioned with a yawn, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. 

"Trader Johann just got back from outcast island, he overheard Dagur talking about testing a new weapon. I need you to take Thornado, and go with your brother." 

Sigrid frowned. Sure, the thought that Dagur - of all people - was building a new weapon was alarming, but why did this suddenly become her problem? Last time, when he'd somehow gotten a - legendary - Skrill, Hiccup had got the dragon back in the ice all by himself, without her help. 

"Okay..." She slowly agreed, before the question reigned in her mind. "But what does that have to do with me?"

Her father shrugged. "Your fiancé, your problem." 

Sigrid groaned, flopping back down on the fur covered bed as she buried her face in her pillow. She knew he was only joking; seeing as the second Dagur had claimed Hiccup as his enemy, her father had torn up the marriage agreement, but she still couldn't believe he said that to her. She begrudgingly got out of bed, grabbing her axe from the wall as she bolted downstairs. This time, she wouldn't miss.

Thornado seemed joyous to go out in the field with her, as the Thunderdrum purred at her warm touch as she went to get him out of the stables. Such a flat little pancake, she absolutely adored him. 

"Remember, this is a scouting mission, not a battle mission!" Stoick called after her, making Sigrid sigh in disappointment. 

Together, Sigrid landed with her brother, Snotlout and Astrid on a farther sight on the stoned island. Hiccup studied the distanced Berserkers with his spyglass, and by the look on his face it seemed that whatever they were doing, it wasn't good. 

"There are a lot of Berserkers out there." Hiccup stated. "What's our diversion?"

Astrid, who had been looking through her own spyglass, answered immediately. 

"Allow me." She spoke, before soaring off with Stormfly, to gain the Berserkers' attention off of the others. 

Hiccup kept his eye on her, before he felt it was safe enough for them to continue. 

"Astrid's drawn them far enough away." He assessed. "Let's get down there and see what Dagur's up to."

He didn't have to tell her twice, as Sigrid instantly dove down to the ground. Thornado purred as he was finally able to move a little, sitting still for that long definitely wasn't his thing. Carefully, they glided down between the dead trees. For an island supposedly full of Berserkers, the place seemed suspiciously quiet. Sigrid knew Dagur, there was no way he would allow all of his men to run after one dragon rider. Something wasn't right. 

Her suspicions seemed to be right, as a loud horn sounded and countless of flaming arrows were launched towards them. 

"No, it's a trap!" Hiccup shouted.

Luckily, the arrows narrowly missed them. But at the moment, that didn't seem much of a concern, as a loud victorious cry was heard from above them, sitting on a Monstrous Nightmare.

"Gustav?!" Snotlout peeped.

Sigrid and her brother groaned simultaneously, overly annoyed at the fact that the boy decided to one, come along, and two, instantly throw himself into the crossfire, and ultimately ignore Hiccup's wishes. 

"Oh, great." 

The Berserker's rolled their dragon netted catapult forward, launching at the wriggling dragon rider... if you could even call him that. With the net weighing Fanghook down, both him and Gustav instantly sank to the ground, hitting it with a hard thud. 

Oh come on, really? Sigrid sighed. 

"Whokay, that solves the Gustav problem." Snotlout shrugged. "Interested in a lamb dinner on the way home?" 

With a gentle tap on his side, Sigrid signaled Thornado to whip the boy with his tail, which he did; making Snotlout cry out in pain. It's what he deserves. 

"Are you kidd- Snotlout!" Hiccup shook his head in disbelief. "We have to save him!" 

"Ugh, fine." Snotlout groaned, before following the Haddock siblings in their flight. 

Dagur seemed really determined to catch all of them - well, mostly Hiccup - as he pointed at Hookfang and ordered his men to shoot. The net flew towards Snotlout and his dragon, only to be blasted by a much faster Toothless, before he and Hiccup disappeared into the night again, as he went to save Gustav. Sigrid and Thornado appeared from the other side, hoping they could catch someone off guard if needed. Her father's voice echoed in her mind, 'this is a stealth mission, not a battle mission' it mocked over and over again. 

Now, Gustav was freed, but Hiccup had become the Berserker's next target. It was too fast, and Hiccup wasn't paying attention, before he was hit with the net from behind, him and Toothless tumbling to the ground. 

Okay, now it had become a battle mission. Sigrid spoke back to her father's voice in her head. 

"I'm on my way, Hiccup!" She could hear Snotlout promise in the distance. 

She certainly wasn't going to wait on him to save her little brother, she'd let Thornado explode some heads if needed. In reality, she wouldn't go that far, but it's the thought that counts. Signaling the dragon to fly downwards, the pulled the rains forward, telling Thornado to scream when she'd pull them again. 

"Cover your ears!" She yelled to her brother, who definitely didn't need to be told again. 

It was obvious that Dagur didn't know what was going to hit him, and before he and his men could even try to get close to the netted Nightfury, Thornado blasted them away with his sonic scream, twirling around to hit each and every one of them with a deafening blast. Their ears would be ringing for days. With Thornado's distraction, Snotlout and Gustav could go in and save Hiccup from the left over Berserkers, chasing them away with rays of fire. Toothless wiggled himself free, and soon him and Hiccup were in the skies once again, as the Nightfury blasted the catapult on fire. They certainly weren't going to be able to use it, ever again.

 Dagur looked absolutely distressed as the group started to fly away, and Sigrid was loving it. Even though she knew he couldn't hear -from Thornado's scream, and all- she still taunted him all the way through. 

"Suck on it, you ugly bi-!"

"Sigrid!" Her brother scolded with a chuckle, before she could even get the swear out. 

Instead, she just continued to make very offensive gestures, making it very clear to the Berserker that she was making a mockery out of him. It seems he took the hint, and the redheaded Hooligan was oh so pleased to see his face turn an obnoxious red. She'd won this round. 

There might have not been a new weapon, but at least she got to throw profanities in her ex-fiancé's face. 

Chapter Text

"My axe! Someone's stolen my axe!" Sigrid ran out of her hut, fuming about her missing weapon.

It seemed that she wasn't the only one in such predicament, as multiple vikings were complaining to her father about missing goblets, helmets, weapons and even shields. Tuffnut seemed the most upset, falling into a full blown meltdown at his miserable loss.

"Sigrid!" He cried when he saw her, throwing his arms around her as he sobbed, before sending an accusing glare his sister's way. "Someone took Macey!"

"Macey?" Sigrid questioned, glancing over at his twin for more information, but Ruffnut only rolled her eyes.

"I didn't take your stupid mace!" She repeated with a scowl.

But Tuffnut didn't believe her, as he kept sobbing in Sigrid's arms. Hiccup approached the pair, with an odd look at Tuffnut before his eyes landed on his sister's.

"Well, it seems that all missing items have one thing in common." Hiccup started. "They're made out of metal."

Sigrid shrugged. "Everything is made out of metal."

"That's what I said!" Astrid chimed in from behind, making Hiccup roll his eyes.

"Please, just work with me here." He begged the both of them, before promising his sister that he'd get her axe back no matter what.

You better, Sigrid thought.

The axe had been a gift of her father, for her thirteenth birthday. She'd treasured it ever since, she needed it back.

---

"Okay, Sigrid. When was the last time you saw your axe?" Her brother questioned, as he walked around her room with a studying gaze.

Sigrid rolled her eyes, before gesturing to the weapon holder on the wall. "Right there, where I always put it before I go to bed."

Hiccup raised his hands in defence at his sister's anger, realizing she was very much on edge.

"I'm just trying to see if there are any signs of our thief." He explained, before his fingers cradled his chin as he frowned. "But there don't seem to be any, not in here or any of the other places I've looked."

"So, what are you saying?" Sigrid questioned, but Hiccup didn't seem to have an answer.

"I don't know... Not yet anyway." He shrugged.

It seemed that he didn't get much further, as the next morning almost every viking was without their helmet, with sad expressions on their face. Snotlout looked absolutely humiliated to walk around without his helmet, cradling his arms as he kept looking to the ground in shame.

But Hiccup had proven her differently, when he spoke after dismounting Toothless.

"Hey guys, I think I might know who our thief is, or should I say, I know who our thieves are. -"

This gained Sigrid's curiosity, what did he mean with that?

"-Adolescent, Smokebreath dragons."

Oh.

"Of course!" Fishlegs spouted in amazement. "Smokebreaths steal metal to build their nests!"

Stoick didn't seem to be as amazed about it as Fishlegs.

"But why would Smokebreaths be on Berk?" He questioned with a frown.

Her father had a point. This wasn't the type of dragon to originate in their area, and this was Berk's first time dealing with them personally. It just didn't make sense.

"Chief, coming in for the big win!" Fishlegs cheered, before explaining. "Smothering Smokebreaths normally don't stray far from their home on Breakneck Bog."

"That's the part I'm still unclear about." Hiccup thought out loud.

The cries of a hobbling Viking alarmed the group of the incoming one-armed, one-legged man as he darted towards them.

"I've been robbed!" Gobber cried. "The thief evaded my booby traps and took all the metal I'd bought from trader Johann. Left me with nearly a scrap of... well...scrap!"

Ah, so that's where their problem came from. Sigrid reminded herself to slap the shorter man over the head when she saw him next, he should really start checking his stocks before selling them.

"Dad." Hiccup spoke, turning towards their father with a knowing look. "I think I know how the Smokebreaths got here."

Time to kick a trader's ass.

They found Johann in the tavern, telling his vast array of stories to whatever viking was willing to listen - although his choice of two seemed very unwilling at the moment. The man saw the three approaching vikings, and greeted them with glee.

"Ah, Master Hiccup, Master Sigrid, and the great Chief." He bowed to them, chicken leg in hand. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Hiccup got straight to the point. "Well, Johann, uh. We were wondering where you may have gotten that scrap metal you sold Gobber."

"Unfortunately, old friend, I can't possibly reveal my sources-"

That comment didn't sit well with Stoick, who grumbled as he moved closer to Johann, towering over him threateningly, which seemed to do the trick.

"-Of course, there are times where it's best to share." He winced. "I procured it from a Berserker, who was offering it at a price I could not refuse, it'd just come from an island that we both well and equally fear."

Gods, always something with these Berserkers. Can they go even a day without hearing about their atrocious antics? It was really starting to do Sigrid's head in.

"Breakneck Bog." Her brother concluded with an angered frown.

The look on trader Johann's face said enough.

"You didn't hear that from me." He gave a nervous chuckle.

Hiccup groaned. "Well, that wasn't just a pile of scrap metal, Johann, that was a Smokebreath nest with hatchlings inside it."

Johann didn't seem to know how to react to that information.

"Well- uh- well, that's just unfortunate news."

Sigrid groaned, as her brother signaled that they were leaving. The redhead followed behind them, but not before dealing a hefty slap to the back of Johann's head, who let out a satisfactory wimpy cry at the impact.

"No need to thank me!" He called after them. He never did know when to shut up.

---

Berk was a mess. With almost every piece of metal stolen, they had nothing to hold themselves up with anymore. Benches were collapsing, catapults were breaking, and there were more axe handles than axes. They couldn't even properly move their vegetables around anymore, because those carts were also broken!

Most importantly, without weapons, Berk was vulnerable.

"We've still got the dragons." Hiccup assured, but that didn't help them very much.

"And Dagur has an armada." Stoick sighed. "Five dragons are no match for a large scale attack."

As much as Sigrid hated to admit it, her father was right. Man, now she was secretly regretting not letting Hiccup get her a dragon, she wanted to grill that Berserker to the bone.

With Berk at an all time low, Sigrid was practising her weaponless combat more than ever. She even challenged her father to a brawl, who had outright refused, leaving her a little disappointed. However, the twins were more than willing to participate, and they had a good little fun in the mud - even if the Thorstens were a bit sad that it wasn't a boar pit. But this still didn't help Sigrid with preparing for the inevitable.

She could only hope that Hiccup would find the nest in time. But turns out that it was too much to ask for.

"What is this guy, like the 'King' of armada's, does he go anywhere without one?" Hiccup questioned with offended tone as he looked through his spyglass, studying the approaching ships.

"It's like he knew we were gonna be defenseless." Astrid spoke with an angry frown.

Sigrid huffed from her brother's side, wanting to strangle the Berserker. "That's because he did."

Hiccup had formulated a plan - with the surprising help of Tuffnut - all Sigrid and her father could do was hope they could waste enough time, as Hiccup gathered the all leftovers of Berk's metal.

"Arm yourselves with whatever you can find." Stoick boomed with a sturdy stance as he stood at the dock, watching the Berserker ships get closer and closer, a long heavy log in hand. "We will battle to the end."

Sigrid had chosen a very pointy stick, which she had spend all evening sharpening into the perfect point; like a spear, but without the metal. It was really tempting to just throw the wood towards Dagur, hoping it would impale him on impact, but the risk of missing was way too high. But Sigrid never got the chance to find out just how strong the spear actually was, as her brother had arrived right on time - as usual - with a flock of thick dark fog billowing behind the group and their dragons. Smokebreaths.

The group soared towards the Berserker ships, hovering right over them before dropping the nets of metal over the boards, as it fell with a clang on the wooden decks. The smoke started to surround the ships, as the Smokebreaths stole each and every bit of metal they could find. Sigrid was having the time of her life hearing the struggling cries coming from the boats, watching on with anxious excitement as the smoke cleared -as the Smokebreaths left.

It took a second for the ships to fall apart, but when they did, the redhead couldn't help the billowing laughter that sounded from the depths of her joyous soul. The mere sight of Dagur the Deranged sitting ever so embarrassed on a floating piece of wood - after he'd pushed Savage off - was the peak of humor in her opinion, especially when the Smokebreaths also stole his stupid helmet, and one of his knee-braces.

Well deserved. However, Sigrid wasn't sure if this round counted towards her, or her brother. She'd have to talk about him with that.

At the end of the day, Sigrid got her axe back, and Tuffnut could stop crying in her arms at the mere thought of Macey, as he too had gotten his beloved weapon back.

Chapter Text

"Tough day, dad?" Hiccup questioned as he entered their house, after Sigrid had just given their father an ice-block to hold up to his head.

Stoick sighed, the leftover headache from today still bonking in his mind. "Aye, some days it's not so easy being a leader."

"Tell me about it." Hiccup groaned.

Sigrid chuckled. 

"Let me guess, Snotlout?" She questioned with a teasing smirk, to which her brother nodded with a deep annoyed grumble. 

"What's he done now?" Their father asked, handing his son a smaller block of ice. 

Hiccup gratefully grabbed the ice, holding it up to his own head. "He disobeyed my order, so, I grounded him, and now he's refusing to obey that order!"

"Sounds familiar." Sigrid mumbled at the thought of her brother merely a year ago. 

Her brother, wisely, decided to ignore her jesting. "I-I don't know what to do, do I expel him from the academy for good?"

"Is that what you really want?" Stoick asked, putting down the ice block and getting up from his chair.

"No!" Hiccup sighed, before handing their father his own ice block. "But I also don't want to put the other riders at risk."

Stoick hummed. 

"Tough one." He started. "Decisions like this are never easy, I've made more than a few in my day."

Yeah, like betrothing me to that deranged idiot. Sigrid thought. 

"Then, how do you do it? How can you be someone's leader, but also be their friend?"

Stoick shook his head. "You can't, not always."

Hiccup looked disappointed by that answer, the cogs in his brain turning as his green eyes looked at the floor, thinking about what to do. 

"Son, someday you will be Chief, and when that day comes you'll have to make choices -not for your friends, or for yourself, but all of Berk."

On the other hand, Sigrid was kind of glad that the responsibility of becoming Berk's Chief no long laid in her hands. Sure, becoming a Chieftess would've been a lot too, but since that also wasn't happening, she could do whatever she wanted without fate weighing her down.

Although, a fateless life could be incredibly boring sometimes. 

---

Her boredom wouldn't last forever, as Snotlout had led her father's sworn enemy - Alvin the Treacherous - into their home. 

Every Viking in Berk had been riled up ever since his arrival, seeing him as an obvious traitor to their tribe -and their Chief. In the meantime, Alvin had been locked up in Berk's prison, before he'd be getting his proper sentencing. After that, to Sigrid's surprise, he had asked to see her and her brother. 

Berkians rallied outside of the prison, yelling profanities and just straight up screaming towards the building. Sigrid didn't remember ever really having prisoner's on Berk, that happened before her time. Alvin sat down at the furthest wall in his cell, waiting for the Haddock siblings to arrive. 

"Astrid said you wanted to see us." Hiccup spoke first, making the Outcast look up.

Alvin chuckled. 

"What do you want, Alvin?" Sigrid said, more of a statement rather than a question, as her arms folded over her chest. 

"I have a proposal for you two, princess." The Outcast told her, as he walked towards the cell's gate. 

The redhead raised her brow at the nickname. 

"Oh, this should be good." Hiccup smirked, making Sigrid roll her eyes.

"This.. Dagur, he's a bit of a loose cannon ball, wouldn't you say?" Of course, people only wanted to talk to her when it came to her dear - ex - fiancé, how boring.

"I prefer completely insane, but that works too." Sigrid shrugged, making Alvin laugh at her demeaning comment, before his gaze turned serious once again.

"Well, he forced me off my own island, and I want it back." He spoke with anger.

Can't imagine why. Sigrid thought with sarcasm.

"Why? So you can get back to the business of destroying our island." Her brother accused with a waving arm. 

Sweet brother. He totally didn't understand the ways of rageful Vikings, yet. 

"Oh, Hiccup, I was upset!" Alvin defended sheepishly, making Sigrid shrug with a humm.

Understandable.

Hiccup wasn't so understanding. 

"...For twenty years?" He questioned. 

Fair point.

"Very upset!" Alvin emphasised. "You know, losing everything tends to make a man see things differently."

This made Sigrid raise a brow. 

"So, you're saying you've changed?" The redhead questioned with disbelief.

"I'm saying, I'm trying to."

Sigrid's firm gaze softened. Man, she really felt that in her heart. But could they really trust him after all he had done? Was it worth the risk of possibly losing Berk? Maybe.

"Alright, let's say we accept this proposal." Her brother theorized. "What's in it for Berk?"

Alvin seemed very keen to explain. "The Berserkers gone, and, the Outcasts as your allies."

That's a very tempting offer, Sigrid thought, and it seemed that her brother agreed. They'd have to think about it, first, but right now it seemed that their decision was very clear. 

---

After a very tense dinner with their father, Sigrid was woken out of bed by the alarm horn booming loudly in her ears. With wide eyes, Sigrid yanked her axe off the wall and scattered, making sure Hiccup was safely at her side when they left the house. 

"What's going on?" Sigrid called to Astrid when she spotted her running past. 

"Dagur's been spotted by the arena, and the dragon's are in trouble." She panted in a hurry, silently begging the redhead to come along, which she did without question.

Why can't he just leave them alone?! It was getting really annoying.

Hiccup and Toothless circled the arena, whilst the other dragons fought inside. At this stage, none of them would be able to go in safely. 

"Dagur put dragon root in the arena, so the will attack each other." Her brother explained after he landed, before being interrupted by an alarmed Snotlout.

"Hiccup!" He shouted, before coming to a halt before them. "Listen, I need to tell you something."

"Snotlout, not now!" Hiccup spoke sternly, they had no time to mess around.

"It's important!" The curly-horned-helmet boy begged, but the brunette was having none of it.

Raising his hands for Snotlout to stop, he spoke again. "I said, not now!"

"Alright, Fishlegs, this is all you." Hiccup turned to the vast blonde Viking. "Toothless and I can't go in there because he'll be affected by the root. You and Meatlug have to fly in, and get that root out of there, whilst the others distract their dragons."

Fishlegs looked down as his beloved Gronckle, and clenched his fist in determination. 

"You hear that girl? It's up to you and me." He nuzzled her gently with his hand, as Meatlug licked his cheek affectionately.

"Sigrid." Her brother turned towards her, and she looked back at him in question. "I need you to make sure everyone stays alive."

Just like the old days, she smirked. "I can do that." 

She nodded to her brother, who in turn did the same. 

"I'll cover for you." Hiccup promised her.

Sigrid chuckled. "Wouldn't expect anything different." 

The group rushed into the arena, darting for their dragons with Sigrid hot on their tail, axe raised in case she needed to throw it; but she'd have to be really careful not to harm any of the dragons. 

The dragons were crazed, tackling each other and spewing everything they had, all because of one dragon root. It was impressive, but also very alarming. 

"Stormfly, no!" Astrid called out as she ran in front of her Nadder, who's spikes were raised and ready to be thrown. 

Sigrid had to yank the blonde out of the way by her belt, or else she would've been ash, as Stormfly spat a sparking blast of fire at her defensive figure. 

As she looked around, Sigrid realised - with a deep sigh - that her job wouldn't be as easy as she thought before, as she watched Snotlout run away from Hookfang's constant rays of fire, and seeing the twins almost get zapped by Barf and Belch. 

The redhead made sure to clear the path for Fishlegs to fly through, as Meatlug snatched the dragon root from the stone floor, speeding towards the exit -with the twins running in front of him.

He's going to make it! Sigrid thought. In hindsight, she shouldn't have jinxed it, as the Gronckle squished the twins as they crashed into the suddenly closed arena door, a loud clang ringing as they groaned in pain. They were trapped.

Chuckling Berserker warriors stood outside of the arena door, and Sigrid could hear Dagur's annoying voice from above. Her blue eyes darted around the arena, she had to find a way out.

Suddenly it hit her, if she could get in from the chained ceiling, who was to say she couldn't get out that same way? She turned towards Astrid, who blocked a ray of Stormfly's spikes with a stray shield. 

"Will you guys be okay without me?" The redhead asked her.

The other group members immediately shouted no, but Astrid disagreed. "We'll be fine, go!"

It was the only opinion that mattered to her, and so she jumped for it. Jumping up, her hands grasped the lowest metal bar, pulling herself upwards as she reached for one higher, climbing her way up to the chains. It took a few tries, but eventually she managed to push her body through it successfully, hurrying down the arena ceiling in search for her brother. 

As she got down, Sigrid heard the chains pulling as the arena door opened once more. Wow, all that trouble for nothing, she sighed. But she got a little more pep in her step when she saw her fellow Berkians kicking Berserker asses. Jumping into the battle, she cheered in victory as she saw Meatlug zoom out of the arena, dragon root in her mouth as she soared away. Her victory lasted a short while, as excruciating pain hit the back of her head, her vision blacking before she could even begin to fall to the ground. 

She was out cold. 

---

Her head pounded as she started to wake. Sigrid's vision slowly returning to her as she kept on blinking, but as she tried to get up, she realized that she couldn't move... or, at least, barely. Squeezing her eyes shut, she shook her head to gain some sort of consciousness back, but ended up regretting that deeply as she opened her baby blues again, only to be met with an overly cocky face way too close to hers.

Sigrid jumped in her place, screeching at the Berserker's ever growing grin. Dagur seemed glad that she was awake, and as Sigrid came to the realization her arms were bound by rope, she figured he'd definitely kidnapped her. Great.

"Sigrid, you're awake!" The redheaded Berserker stated the obvious as he cooed at her disgusted face. "I hope you find your accommodations adequate?" 

"Do you have to be so close to my face? Your breath stinks." It was a lie, obviously, he wasn't nearly close enough for her to smell that. 

But that didn't matter, as Dagur's flushed angered face was all worth it in the end. Even in his anger, Dagur seemed to take a step back from her, making Sigrid smirk. She won this round, for sure. 

"Don't get too cozy, Sigrid." He warned with a pointed finger. "By sundown tomorrow, you'll either be back on Berk, or-"

"-At the bottom of the ocean?" Sigrid guessed, and by the Berserker's frustrated frown, she was right. "And let me guess. This is all up to my brother, no?"

Her further jesting seemed to anger him enough to now really get up close and personal with the oldest Haddock sibling, pulling her to him by her collar, snarling at her still smirking face. 

"You're awfully cocky, for my liking." He sneered.

Sigrid thought she had him twisted around her finger, in a negative way of course. But Dagur was never one to let her enjoy her obvious victory for long, he always had to give one back to her. It seemed he thought of a way to do just that.

Letting loose of Sigrid, he stood up once again, towering over her kneeled figure and smirked.

 "No, I have a better idea." He mused, arms crossed as his arrogant grin returned to him once more. "How about I marry you after all, and then I'll be sure to force that nasty attitude out of you, one way or another."

The thought of it made Sigrid physically gag at the possible insinuations that statement held, making Dagur laugh at her misery.

"I'd rather take the ocean, thank you." She rolled her eyes. 

Dagur chuckled, obviously that would be her answer. Sigrid, much like her brother, was way too predictable. But she made the bickering so much fun. 

"That's not your choice to make." He marveled in her disgusted face once again. 

"Savage!" Dagur called one of his men forward. "Deliver this ultimatum to Berk." 

Oh, Hiccup, please get here soon. She begged internally, not able to stand another second in her ex-fiancé's presence. 

As for the other Berserkers, well, it seemed they quite enjoyed the girl's presence. She didn't speak to them, which was a plus, and she also took their Chief's attention off of them by mocking him herself. And besides, it was also very entertaining to see the two bicker back and forth like an old married couple. Much better than having their Chief threatening their life at every single mistake. 

---

Toothless plasma blasts were nearly impossible to recognize, even from the outside. It seems that Hiccup wasn't taking her rescue mission as stealthy as she had imagined. Dagur seemed delighted by it. 

"Wait right here, my sweet." He purred in her ear, making her cringe. "You'll be with your brother soon enough."

For once, it seemed that whatever Dagur had been doing had gone completely according to plan, as soon enough Hiccup was thrown besides her with his own arms bound. 

Sigrid raised her brow, silently asking him if this was the entire plan. Hiccup shook his head, telling her that it wasn't over yet. At this point, she could only stand still and hope that was true. She knew her brother, he never liked to share his plans.

As Dagur rambled about giving Toothless a new name, Hiccup nudged his sister in her side, spurring her on to watch his plan unfold. As the redhead kept rambling, many of his Berserker warriors were snatched through the ground - one by one - and he didn't even notice! Definitely amusing to watch.

Eventually, the crumbling of the stone floor below was way too much for anyone to ignore. Suddenly, a Whispering Death burst through the ground, leaving the Berserkers to screech in alarm, as more and more of the same dragon burst through as well, ramming themselves through the metal bars above and leaving wide holes in the ground as they soared away. 

Oh no. Sigrid thought, as the leftover floor slowly started to crumble away and split. How in the world would they get out of this alive?

A warrior cry got her back to her senses, as the largest Whispering Death came sliding back, with Alvin the Treacherous on its tail, with Mildew in tow. 

"So, this was your plan?" Sigrid questioned her brother in amazement. "Alvin, Mildew and Whispering Deaths?"

Hiccup chuckled. "Did not see that coming, did you?"

Alvin came to their rescue, untying them from their bonds with a greeting smile. Sigrid gave him one in return, rubbing her wrists as she thanked him. 

"Don't mention it, princess." He told her, making Sigrid wonder once again why he was so keen on calling her that.

Much like her father, Alvin was an absolute beast in battle. Wild as a boar, and vast like a god, he took the Berserkers on with ease. The Whispering Deaths were beautiful -yet terrifying- in battle, but Sigrid couldn't be awed by them for long. 

Without weapons, she thanked her younger selves for punching so many trees and boulders, as she punched every Berserker that came at her in the face. Sure, her knuckled hurt a bit, and they'd probably be bleeding at the end of the day, but at least she knocked them out.

The ground snapped, and the metal ceiling crumbled, and suddenly she was once again forced to make a choice. As the floor disappeared from beneath her, Sigrid jumped, but quickly realised she wouldn't make it. 

Preparing herself to fall to her death, she was surprised when a strong hand latched onto her wrist. 

"Alvin!" She cheered, looking up at the burly man who'd just saved her life, who smiled back at her. 

With a loud yell, Alvin threw the girl over the collapsed ceiling, where she knocked down a Berserker while landing. Only to laugh when the same happened to Mildew. Alvin the Treacherous - sworn enemy of her father - had just saved her life. 

Sigrid was overjoyed to see Astrid, Ruffnut and Tuffnut fly into her sight. They were no longer alone. Fighting side by side with Alvin, the Outcast bellowed with laughter before clapping the older Haddock sibling on the back.

"You fight just like your father, back in the good old days." He complimented, making Sigrid smile. 

That was definitely one of the biggest compliments he could've given her.

A distanced cry alarmed the redhead, and her eyes widened as she saw Fishlegs and Meatlug soar towards the island, with the Screaming Death right on their tail, leading it towards them.

"Why, in the name of Odin, did you bring that here?!" Sigrid asked her brother when he landed besides her. 

"This might be the only chance we have to get rid of it." Hiccup explained. "I saw the Screaming Death's mother, it's been destroying those islands, looking for her!"

"That thing has a mother?!" Sigrid screeched, wide eyes gazing back at the giant terrifying spiky white-and-red dragon. 

"Yeah!" Hiccup sounded, before his focus was back on the big Whispering Death as it called outwards, towards her child.

Astrid landed behind them, asking Sigrid if she was alright, to which the redhead assured her that she was. 

"They've seen each other." Hiccup realised. "All we have to do now it get them together-" his shield blocked a swung bolas coming at his face, "-and clear off this place."

Stormfly blasted some Berserkers. 

"And then what?" Astrid asked. 

"I'm hoping it does exactly what I think it should."

Sigrid raised her brow. 

"And what would that be?" She questioned her brother.

Hiccup shrugged in response. "Something.. good."

With her brother's cue, Fishlegs dropped the root into the water, and the Screaming Death eventually came to a halt as it noticed its mother's cries. But then the Berkians were made aware of their original problem; Dagur.

Dagur and his Berserkers threw ropes around the Whispering Death, trapping the blind dragon from reuniting with her hatchlings. 

"No!" Sigrid screamed, before begging Astrid to get her down there, which the blonde gave in to.

"Dagur, no! You don't know what you're doing!" Hiccup shouted as he landed down with Toothless, in front of the struggling dragon. "You let that Whispering Death go before it destroys us all!"

The Berserker Chief smirked as he turned towards the brunette. "And why would I do that? Hello, I'm deranged!" 

Sigrid sneered. "And stupid!"

"Well, can't argue with logic like that...right?" Tuffnut shrugged. 

Above, the Screaming Death flung its body around the stone in a rage, whilst its mother started to struggle even more sporadically in the ropes. 

"Back off, Hiccup!" Dagur warned with a crazed look. "You know if I destroy her, that thing will take us all out!"

"He's right." Hiccup spoke as Toothless' wings raised to push Sigrid back before she could even think to strike. "Everyone, back off."

Dagur chuckled. 

"Wise choice." He grinned victoriously. "Now, I might be interested in a different trade."

"What do you mean, different trade?" Sigrid scoffed from behind the Nightfury, who in turn put his wing back in her face. 

"I mean, that in turn for the Whispering Death, I'll take Sigrid and the Nightfury." He grinned.

Was he really saying that just to spite her? Because it was working. Hiccup didn't say anything, only showing a distressed but unamused face as he glared back at the Berserker, silently telling him that, yeah, that wasn't going to happen.

"Oh come on, really?" Dagur sighed in disbelief. "You couldn't see this coming?"

If only Sigrid had her axe with her, she would've thrown it at his head. 

"Never retreat, never surrender!" Sounded from above them, and the redheaded Hooligan looked up in confusion. 

Who in the world?- Oh, it was Snotlout.

"Snotlout!" Hiccup warned with a raised hand, wanting him to stay back, but the stubborn Viking didn't listen.

With a trained fire blast from Hookfang, Snotlout knocked Dagur right off his feet, freeing the Whispering Death from her bounds. Flying up, she reunited with her children, calming the Screaming Death, who threw a thankful yell in Hiccup's face. 

Sigrid never thought she would be saved by Snotlout, but she supposed there was a first for everything. Whilst Hiccup and Snotlout made up, Sigrid decided to have a well deserved chat with Alvin. Asking the question that had been on her mind ever since they spoke in his prison cell. 

"Why do you call me princess?" The redhead asked with genuine curiosity.

The Outcast simply chuckled, of course she wouldn't know. 

"It's the name I suggested when your mother found out she was pregnant with yeh." He explained, and Sigrid was shocked. "But, your father didn't like it. I suppose 'Sigrid' works fine, too."

Sigrid laughed, giving the Outcast a playful punch on the shoulder, which made Alvin join her in her laughter. 

"You can still call me princess, if you want to." She told him.

"Wasn't planning on doing anything different." The Outcast joked, but took her statement to heart. 

As Hiccup and Snotlout shook hands, finally on each other's good side again, they were interrupted by a loud - familiarly annoying - battle cry. If there was one thing Sigrid could compliment the Berserker for, it was his stamina, but by the gods, Dagur just didn't know when to give up.

Before the girl could even go up to grab his axe from his head, he was blocked by Alvin as he headbutted his strong hand, knocking himself backwards on the ground with a loud thud. Sigrid looked on, heavily impressed, as the dark burly man loomed over the Berserker. 

"Hello, Dagur." Alvin spoke with a low threatening voice, making the Berserker Chief gasp in recognition. "Remember me?"

"Oh no." She heard Dagur gasp before he was pulled up high by his collar, legs wiggling way above the ground as Alvin got in his face. 

Sigrid watched on, highly entertained as Dagur's frightened eyes looked back towards her and her brother with a pleading gaze. 

"Hiccup? Brother?" When her brother didn't respond, his panicked green eyes darted to her blues. "Sigrid? My love, please, help me!" 

Her eyes glanced towards Alvin, her hands on her hips as he looked back at her in question, in the end it was her call, and he would listen. With a shrug, the redheaded Hooligan shook her head as she looked the Berserker in the eyes, who gasped in surprise. Did he really think she would save him, after everything he's done? 

Alvin chuckled darkly. 

"This is for the princess." He told him, before delivering a painful blow to the Berserker Chief's face, knocking him out cold. 

Yikes, that'll surely leave a bruise. Sigrid cringed, but at the end she was glad to be rid of him. She was sure her father would be giving him a hefty sentence, and maybe Alvin would leave them as a free man. 

One thing was clear, when she landed back on Berk - and her father had given her the tightest hug in parental history - he couldn't be more thankful to his friend for saving his only daughter. 

Chapter Text

Sigrid was nine years old when she first met Dagur, and let's just say it wasn't a very pleasant meeting...

The day he arrived at his father's side had been a surprise to the young Haddock children, who had only ever seen Oswald the Agreeable arrive by himself - accompanied by Berserker warriors of course. But Stoick wasn't nearly as surprised, he'd known about it after all.

"Oswald, it's a pleasure to see you again." Stoick greeted politely, an example to his children that they should show the same politeness.

Sigrid was polite just fine, just a little confused. She thought Oswald had a daughter, too? But she found it wise not to ask.

"The pleasure's all mine!" Oswald laughed, not taking this whole ordeal too seriously.

Sigrid wasn't looking at him though, as her eyes focussed on the wee lad behind him, who appeared to be around her age. Actually, now that she thought about it, her father had already told her that the Berserker Chief's son was only a year younger than her. Stoick had said it as if it was something positive, like they could be friends. But Sigrid wasn't so sure...

"Come on, son. Don't be rude."

Against his will, Dagur was dragged out from behind his father, and pushed to face the Hooligans himself.

"Daddy!" He protested with a growl, he didn't like being told what to do. "Don't embarrass me."

Oswald only laughed. "This is my son, Dagur. Dagur, meet Sigrid and Hiccup, Chief Stoick's children."

"Okay.." Dagur mumbled, before looking awfully tense as he walked up to the two Haddocks.

Sigrid raised her brow, not hiding her strange expression as she had no clue what in the world he was doing. But her answer was quite literally thrown in her face as Dagur thrusted his hand out infront of her... for a handshake. It was obvious it wasn't out of his own politeness, and that his father had in fact told him to do this probably since they left home.

Slightly amused, Sigrid accepted his gesture and shook his hand. Her grin took Dagur off guard, and he seemed to blush as his tense expression deepened. He felt made a fool off.

"Nice to meet you, Dagur." Sigrid spoke as politely as her father had always coached her to. "I'm Sigrid, and this is my little brother Hiccup."

"Uhhh- Yeah... I know, my dad literally just said that."

Sigrid's face downturned into a glare at Dagur's snappy words. What a prick.

"Hello." Hiccup squeaked out, a little intimidated by the size difference between the two boys.

To be fair, he was only five.

Sigrid stood there awkwardly, as Dagur still held a tight grasp on her hand. She didn't know if he was trying to intimidate her, by staring at her so intensely, or if he'd simply forgotten he was holding her hand. Suddenly, Dagur let go of her hand, and harshly pulled it back as if her touch had burned him.

Weirdo.

He never even bothered to shake Hiccup's hand...

Sigrid hoped that this would be all from Dagur, but the longer the Berserkers were on the Berk the quicker she realised that Dagur wasn't a shy, slightly awkward boy at all, he was a menace. That tenseness wasn't him being nervous about meeting the Hooligans for the first time, no, it had been his own strange way of appearing 'cool' infront of the Chief and his eldest child.

But now, that the Chiefs were nowhere in sight, Dagur had made it his mission to show Sigrid up in the best way he thought he could; by being a know-it-all.

"Psssh, you still use  regular  bows? Pathetic, cross-bows are way better."

"You still haven't started training?  Ha !  We Berserkers train from birth! You guys must be really bad."

"Have you even killed a dragon yet? And I don't mean a small  stupid  terrible terror, but a  real  dragon. Nevermind, you probably haven't."

What was he trying to do, annoy her? He sure was getting there. But she'd try her best, she'd promised her father and his father, after all.

But she couldn't help herself with what he said next.

"Berk's warriors are nothing compared to the Berserkers. I mean, even your Chieftess got taken. That sends a message."

"Woah!" Dagur yelled out as he was suddenly tackled to the ground by a very angry Haddock.

He expected her to yell at him, insult him back. But he didn't expect the fist against his face, again and again. Dagur laughed as he fought back, as if this was a fun round of roughhousing.

Sigrid had enough.

Standing up, she stomped on his stomach for good measure, knocking the air out of his. Reaching back, she took the child-sized axe from her back and raised it up into the air, until-

"SIGRID!"

Sigrid groaned at the sound of her father's scolding voice, angry eyes darting towards him and a very surprised looking Oswald, as she argued back.

"But he started it!"

"I don't care who started it!" Stoick put his hands on his hips scoldingly. "Let go of that lad right now."

"Fine." Sigrid grumbled, getting off of Dagur's grinning figure.

Stoick sighed, relieved that she listened to him... until he saw her let go of the base of her axe above Dagur's stomach, as the handle hit his gut. Ouch. He was ready to scold her again, but stayed silent as he saw her walk away angrily.

"My apologies, Oswald." Stoick sighed, rubbing his brow in frustration.

"No, no. It's alright." Oswald responded. "He doesn't even realise that she was gonna kill him."

As if puppeteered back to life, Dagur sprang up from the ground, with a bloody nose and playful grin. He truly hadn't realised what had just happened, or perhaps he just didn't care. Stoick fought the urge to stare at the lad with the shock of thunder, out of fear of being extremely impolite. Although... can't do worse than Sigrid today.

But Dagur hadn't learned his lesson in the least bit, as he darted after Sigrid's long departed figure. His father noticed this, and stopped him just in time.

"Dagur!" The Chief called. "It's nearing dawn, son. We're going back home."

"Ahw..." Dagur sulked, instantly forgetting about the girl he was after "I hate being on that ship, it's sooo boring."

Truly the attention span of a goldfish.

Entering the Chief's hut, Sigrid threw herself on her fur covered bed, as her hands shook from the tight grip on the horned helmet she'd thrown on her head.

She was angry, furious, raging... but most of all, she was terribly sad.

"Stupid Dagur." She grumbled to herself, choking back a sob.  "Stupid treaty."

But she couldn't stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks.

She felt humiliated. Such a stupid, ugly little freak got her this wound up over what? A mother who's been pronounced dead for five years? Yeah, okay, that was pretty awful. But she was strong wasn't she? She hadn't yelled, cried or insulted him. Sigrid knew it would've gotten to his head, and he'd use it to hurt her over and over again.

From this day forward, Sigrid was sure of one thing: she  hated  Dagur.

---

In the past three years, barely anything had changed for Sigrid. Sure, Berk was a lot more peaceful now that there wasn't a constant Berserker threat on their horizon. But aside from that, everything kind of stayed the same. 

Hiccup had grown older, that was definitely the most obvious. Going from a small, spaghetti armed fifteen year old boy, to a now taller, spaghetti armed eighteen year old boy. But all jokes aside, his face was the part of him that changed the most; having sharpened and matured over the years. 

For Sigrid, however, it wasn't that much different. Her jaw had sharpened a little, losing the last bits of that teenage roundness. Her blue eyes, that held such fire in them as a late teen, had now becoming shining with wonder; but still deadly when angered. Overall, most would say that the redheaded Hooligan looked happier, and she would surely agree with that statement. 

She was no longer the girl that fought Monstrous Nightmares at her father's side, nor the girl who had been saved by her brother from the Red Death. Sigrid had now turned into her own, true version, of what it meant to be a viking; something that had, regrettably, taken her way too long to discover. 

---

In the morning, Sigrid took her time braiding her long light ginger hair, still getting used to her new way of doing it. She'd only changed it about a year ago, so her muscle memory hadn't really caught up yet. 

Since she was a young teen, she'd been too hurried to pull her hair in something other than a tight ponytail, having to be ready for dragons at all times. But now, after it took her a bit to realise she didn't have to act on a whim anymore, she took care of her fiery red mane very well. 

With skinny tight braids, she secured the sides of her hair backwards, before braiding the top thickly; sitting over her scalp like a faux-hawk, before pulling it all back in a well-secured ponytail. She had to keep some remembrance from her younger years. 

Sitting at the wooden table, Sigrid nibbled on her own piece of bread, as she seat opposite of her father. The chair besides her - normally reserved for her brother - was empty, which had sadly become quite usual these past few years. Stoick was glad that at least one of his children went out of their way to spend time with him. Not that Sigrid had much else to do.

But it seemed that today, Hiccup surprised them, as he barged through the front door, looking a bit down. 

"Hiccup, what are you doing home so early?" Their father questioned, making Sigrid turn herself around to look at her brother, who obviously seemed a bit surprised to see them there.

"Oh, I just -uh, I be- uh- wanted to spend some time with my dear old dad, and loving sister." Hiccup stuttered.

Very convincing, Sigrid thought sarcastically. 

Leaning against the wooden pillar, Hiccup spoke again with a sheepish shrug.

"Ah- you know, we never get to talk anymore, so..."

Stoick looked back at him in disbelief. 

"Alright, what it is?" He questioned, making Sigrid snicker. 

"What! What, what is it?" Hiccup peeped. "Can't a son spend some quality time with his father?"

"Not this son." Stoick pointed at him with his tankard. "Not usually, at least. So, let's hear it."

Hiccup let out a deep sigh of defeat, before flopping down next to his sister, who simply looked at him with a raised brow.

"Did you know, Astrid just joined the Berk guard?" 

Their father nodded. "I'd heard that, good for her."

Her brother still looked gloom. "And the other riders have got their different things going on."

"What are you even saying, Hiccup?" Sigrid piped in with concern of what he was getting at.

Hiccup shrugged. "I'm saying -I don't know. Maybe it's time for me-"

Her brother's lament was cut off by their front door being thrown open. Sigrid whipped her head around to yell at whomever had just almost slammed the wood off its hinges, only to spot the twins carrying a very sick looking Johann. 

Stoick was immediately on his feet. 

"Johann, what happened to you?" He questioned with worry, as his children came to stand behind him. 

"Dagur..." Johann whimpered, filling Sigrid's stomach with dread. 

The hoped she was finally rid of that bastard. 

"What about Dagur." Sigrid spoke way too quickly, making her brother raise his brow at her interest. 

What Johann said next shocked all of them to their core. 

"He's out." The trader spoke, his voice shivering with fright. "He's more Berserk than ever! And, from the way he was talking, Hiccup, you're number one on his revenge list." 

Sigrid knew she probably shouldn't ask, but she did it anyway. 

"Was there anything said about me?" She asked, honestly more curious if she was going to get kidnapped again, but by the mischievous looks on the twins faces, she definitely would be teased about it later. 

Johann sighed, and it seemed that deep down he didn't want to answer, but felt like he had to.

 "All I heard was that he's still got his eyes on you, miss Sigrid, I'm afraid that I do not know more." Was all the trader could muster before he passed out. 

Lovely. So not only was her maniacal ex-fiancé out to kill her brother, he was also probably planning on kidnapping her... again. At least she was glad she asked, or else she might've been in for a hell of a surprise. 

---

Sigrid begged her brother to take her with him and the group as they went to explore where-ever Dagur could've sailed off to with Johann's boat, but Hiccup had outright refused to.

"Ahw, come on Hiccup, Sigrid just wants to see her loving betrothed after missing him for three years." Tuffnut cooed, pushing himself against the woman in question.

Sigrid resisted the urge to slam her fist against his skull. See? She had matured these past few years. 

"My answer is still no." Hiccup said sternly. "Sigrid doesn't even have her own dragon." 

"She can ride with me." Astrid spoke up, like a true hero. 

Hiccup looked unamused. 

"Astrid, are you sure?" He questioned with a sigh, before the blonde nodded with a smirk.

Putting his hand to his forehead, Hiccup rubbed his temple before making up his mind. 

"Fine." He huffed. "Sigrid can come with us."

"Yes!" The redhead boomed, much to the group's amusement. 

She'd really gotten more cheerful over the years. 

---

Sigrid sat safely behind Astrid, and her brother was being a real bossy-boy, as he tested the group to see how 'rusty' they were. The redhead rolled her eyes at his antics, but smiled nonetheless. The shipwreck graveyard was gloomy, as they soared through it in the dark. It seemed that the dragons didn't like it either, as they all seemed overly jittery, even Stormfly. The giant - mostly well kept - ship in the middle, painted with red arrows and skull-shaped sales, was the most obvious. That had to be the Reaper, the ship Johann had warned them about. 

"No sign of Dagur." Hiccup concluded after they'd all landed on a safer looking shipdeck.

Astrid nodded. "Looks like we got here first, what's the plan?" 

"We wait." Sigrid couldn't believe her brother's words. 

"Wow, wow, wow- wait a minute, for how long?" Fishlegs stuttered. "This fog really gives Meatlug the willies."

The redhead had to agree. "He's right, we can't wait around here forever." 

"Well we can't just leave Johann's treasures here either." Hiccup waved his hands around. "Dagur will steal them."

Astrid seemed to agree with Hiccup, brow frowning in thought as she walked closer to him. 

"And use the profits to build a new armada." The blonde speculated, which - to be fair - was probably correct.

"And get Sigrid a wedding ring." Tuffnut teased from behind the redhead, earning a rightful jab in the ribs. 

"Not if we steal them first." Ruffnut grinned to the group, ignoring her brother completely. Her twin scoffed in offense. 

"That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard." Tuffnut frowned at his sister. "I hereby disown you!"

 Ruffnut rolled her eyes in response, not taking her brother seriously at all. 

Hiccup seemed to think about it. "Actually, you know what, I sort of like it."

"Welcome back to the family." Tuffnut cheered, making his sister roll her eyes once more.  

"Here's the plan." Hiccup began, always the quick thinker. "We search the ships, gather up Johann's treasure, and take it back to Berk. But keep your eyes open for Dagur, he can show up at any time."

Ruffnut chuckled. "Oh, Sigrid will keep her eyes open for him alright."

The redhead scoffed, turning around to face the twin with a disapproving look. 

"Not you too." She grumbled, to which Ruffnut simply shrugged. What else could she have expected?

The slithering hisses gallomed from around them, making the group flinch in alarm. Sigrid raised her axe, ready to throw it at whatever would appear.

"What is that?!" Astrid shrieked, but none of them had the answer for that.

Tuffnut paused in thought. "Has Dagur's voice changed?" 

Sigrid would've laughed if it wasn't for the tense situation. Hiccup ran to the side of the boat, peering over from the splintered canon-hole in the wooden wall, to peer deep into the sea. 

"Eels!" He yelled. "Everybody, get to your dragons before they get spooked and take off!"

It seemed that the mere mention of the hideous slimy creatures was enough for the dragons to nope out, as before the riders could even begin to approach their trusted companions, they flew off into the sunset. 

Oh great, Sigrid thought. Really, eels? Out of all things. 

But these weren't normal eels, no, they were giant. Like mythological creatures, Sigrid could've mistaken them for Jormungand, or perhaps his illegitimate offspring. Toothless seemed the only dragon brave enough to have stayed, and so Hiccup was quick to dart towards him, mounting him and flying upwards, overlooking the ship.

Sigrid shrieked as the front of the ship started to sink lower and lower, dragged down by the eels as it was pulled through the ocean-barrier. The others screamed in fright, as the deck became too slanted, and they fell to the wooden floors, sliding down towards the waters with rapid speeds. Snotlout was able to hold onto something, as Fishlegs clung to his legs, and Sigrid clung onto his, one hand stretched down to grab Ruffnut's; who was definitely regretting teasing her earlier, a bit afraid the redhead was going to let her fall out of pettiness. 

"We're gonna live!" Tuffnut cheered from below his twin, before Astrid's hand slipped from his as she fell down into the water. "Most of us are gonna live." 

"Astrid, no!" Hiccup cried as he and Toothless dove down into the waters, able to snatch the fighting Astrid away from the nasty eels. 

Luckily for all of them, the eels had let go of the boat, and they were slowly thrown upright once again. Sigrid finally let out the deep breath she had been holding, never having been more glad to be on her feet. This was a bit too much sudden excitement for this early in the morning. But they still had a plan to complete.  Hiccup had decided he wanted to explore the only boat Johann had told them not to. Typical, but very dangerous nonetheless. Sigrid went to protest, but it seemed her brother saw that coming, as he quickly jumped away with Toothless. If the Reaper didn't kill him, Sigrid surely would if he came back out alive. 

---

Sigrid joined Astrid in her exploring of her chosen boat, as the others went their separate ways -except for the twins, who went together, as usual. It seemed that the two vikings were in luck today, as their boat was filled to the brim with...absolutely nothing. 

"So much for hidden treasures." Sigrid mumbled, as she and the blonde went further into the dark chambers. 

"Hey, Sigrid?" Astrid questioned, with an uncharacteristically small voice, to which the redhead hummed in response. "Do you- do you think Hiccup will be alright?"

That was definitely a weird question for the blonde to ask. Sure, she also worried over her brother, as he was currently stomping on death's deck, but Astrid usually wasn't one to worry.

"Of course, he's my brother. He seems to get away out of anything." Sigrid shrugged. "I told him that we should change his name to Hiccup the Unkillable, but he didn't like it." 

She tried to lighten the mood, which didn't seem to really work. 

Astrid looked like she wanted to say more, opening her mouth before she was interrupted by the creaking floorboards further down the smaller halls. both women tensed, raising their axes in harmony as Sigrid put herself in front of the blonde, knowing she didn't have to gesture to her to be quiet. 

Glancing around the corner, the pointy hatted silhouettes were all Sigrid had to know. Berserkers, again. She almost audibly groaned. 

Turning towards Astrid, Sigrid held to fingers up to her head, imitating the look of their horned helmets. It seemed to do the trick, as the blonde's eyes widened, before frowning in anger. Dagur had gotten to them sooner than they would've liked, but as Sigrid looked around the corner again, she didn't see him amongst the others. Maybe it was her lucky day.

Sigrid held four fingers up to Astrid, initiating a countdown, as she lowered them slowly - one by one - until she had all fingers pointed down. Quickly, and without trying to make any unnecessary sound, the women darted towards the Berserkers, axes ready for battle. 

One of the men turned around at the heavy footsteps, only to be knocked in the face by Sigrid's fist. The clang of her knuckled against his helmet rang loudly through the ship, and the redhead could only hope that more Berserker's wouldn't be alarmed by it. Astrid was able to take out the other man in the meantime, and soon enough the two were on their way to run out of there.

Adrenaline rushed through her veins, and Sigrid believed they could make it out of there, until they were halted by a familiar figure. Sigrid froze in her steps, her body covering Astrid's protectively as she reached her axe-holding arm out so that no one could reach her. 

In that moment, there was only one thing that rung through her mind. Since when did Dagur get so...buff, she thought, much to her embarrassment as she frowned at herself. But to Dagur, it only looked like she was glaring at him.

The Berserker Chief chuckled. 

"Hello again, my future wife." He murmured with a crazed tone, obviously trying to intimidate her with his sheer presence. 

Was it just her, or did his voice seem a bit deeper than it had before? It seemed he'd changed a lot over the years, in general. His dark red hair was messily cut short, as if someone had pulled that stupid braid up over his head and cut it straight off. He even had a bit of a beard going on, and a scar over his non-striped eye. That must've hurt. She hated to say it, but it was definitely an improvement. 

Dagur seemed delighted that the Haddock sibling didn't respond. Just as he had predicted, his sudden appearance had left her speechless -in a bad way. He inched a little closer, to which Sigrid flinched backwards to Astrid, her stance daring him to try and hurt the blonde viking.

He laughed again, finding her tenseness very amusing. 

"I've missed you." He spoke in a tone that made Sigrid's head fill with disgust. "Have you missed me?"

"Absolutely not." She sneered, very tempted to spit at him. "I hoped you'd died in that prison."

That was surely not the answer he was expecting, and Sigrid would even dare to say he seemed a bit taken aback by her very crude words, perhaps even a little hurt. But he quickly recovered from his bewildered look, which to most would've been barely noticeable to begin with. 

"Well, lucky for you, I'm still here." Dagur purred, inching closer and closer until he got right in her face.

"And you-" he gestured to both her and Astrid, "are not going anywhere."

Chapter Text

Sigrid was absolutely fuming, embarrassed, and worried, as she and the others were thrown into one of the strange emerald cages on the Reaper. She'd subtlely tried to find a way out, but had been unsuccessful every single time.

The sun was already starting to shine, and suddenly the shipwreck graveyard didn't seem so scary. But maybe that was just the fueled rage directed towards the Berserker Chief that distracted her from her previous thoughts. She just couldn't stand the fact that he'd gotten the upper hand on her this time, he'd never let her live it down. 

"What's wrong, Sigrid? Dragon got your tongue?." Dagur questioned with a teasing grin. "What a shame, I always loved our mutual quips."

But Sigrid didn't respond. She just stared straight back at the Berserker, without a glare, nor a frown. Only the best poker face she could muster, trying to hide her feelings of shame. Dagur, however, was no idiot - at most times - as he'd known the redheaded Haddock since they were children. Hel, she was going to be his wife! She can't hide anything from him. 

Just in time to stop the Berserker from trying to mock her any further, the Reaper's hatch was thrown open, as Hiccup and Toothless appeared from it's depths; a little shaken, but otherwise unharmed. It was obvious that he hadn't noticed the Berserkers yet, but it didn't take him long. 

Toothless started charging his blast, ready to attack, but Hiccup stopped him. 

"Toothless, hold!" He told his companion, who listened begrudgingly.

"Hiccup!" Dagur greeted menacingly, looking down at the boy kneeling on the wooden deck. "Did you miss me? 'Cause I sure missed you. Everyday for three years, I thought about you and your sister." 

Dagur grinning as he stepped to the side, showing the group trapped in the strange metal cage. 

"Sigrid!" Hiccup cried out, whilst the sister in question still stood there, angry and extremely embarrassed.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Sorry, Hiccup!" Astrid jumped in from besides her, knowing the redhead was still refusing to speak with the Berserker present. "They got the drop on us whilst we were searching the-"

"Uh- quiet!" Dagur interrupted with a yell. "Can't you see my brother and I are having a moment?"

Sigrid could see her brother nearly gag at the nickname, he never liked Dagur calling him that, especially since he only started doing it when the two redheads heard of the marriage arrangement; which, mind you, had been annulled for years. 

"I'm not your brother, and we're definitely not having a moment." Hiccup sneered.

"Oh, well, I was..." Dagur shrugged with a lower voice, before he was back in full excitement. "Look at you! All grown up, and quite the ladies man, I'd wager?" 

Hiccup sighed. "Dagur, what do you want?"

"Duh!" Snotlout spoke up from behind Sigrid, still insisting on wearing three ridiculous looking long blonde braids under his helmet, as they fell over his face. "He wants the jewels."

Tuffnut immediately started protesting. 

"He's not getting my family's jewels, no way! And I'll protect them at all costs!" He cried, before his eyes drifted to Snotlout's awful outfit. "...Also, what is with that hair?"

"It's royal hair, I'll have you know." Snotlout boasted. 

This entire interaction, Dagur had just been standing there in amusement. 

"Haven't gotten rid of the Greek Chorus, I see." He hummed, before pointing over to the twins. "Anyway, yes, I'll take the jewels. His too."

One of his men punched Ruffnut right in the stomach, making her cough up the diamonds and gems she'd stuffed in her mouth, as they flew out of her instantly. 

"Hey, watch it pal!" She waved her fist at the man, who only laughed in response. 

With a smirk, Ruffnut rightfully spit a jewel into the Berserker's mouth, who choked on it. 

"Oops, thought that was the guy, never can tell with those two." 

Dagur turned back towards Hiccup, glancing in the direction of his shield with interest.

"And I'll also take whatever it is you're hiding behind your back."

Hiccup looked like a little boy who'd been caught stealing a cookie by their parents. Now that she thought about it, that almost exact scenario happened just a few years ago with him and their father, but with a Nightfury instead of a cookie. 

"Come on." Dagur coaxed. "Hand it over like a good boy." He glanced over towards his men, who lowered their crossbows. "Brothers share, you know."

Begrudgingly, Hiccup gave over the contraption he'd found in the Reaper's lair. "You know, you're not going to get very far with that thing, right?"

Dagur rolled his eyes, Hiccup always had to be such a smart-ass. 

"Oh boy, here we go." He sighed before wrapping an arm around the boy. "Must we always do the same dance, Hiccup, you and I? Not that you're not a fabulous dancer."

"What is happening." Mumbled a bewildered, and slightly disgusted Sigrid.

The others could only shrug, they didn't know either. 

Toothless growled, his stance aggressively as the Berserker men raised their crossbows in turn.

Hiccup ducked down to the dragon, patting his head reassuringly. "Easy bud, not yet."

"That's right, mister Nightfury." Dagur smirked. "Today is not the day, but it's coming, and soon." That statement was definitely a threat, and Toothless took it as such. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got people to see, an army to build, revenge to plot -oh, so much to do and so little time! Isn't this exciting, Hiccup? You must've been so bored over the last three years."

Ugh, has he always been such a rambler? Probably, but Sigrid figured she'd blocked that part about him out of her memory, for good reason. 

"Yeah, he's got a point about that, not enough explosions -ouch!" Tuffnut winced as he was smacked over the head by Sigrid, which most of was blocked by his sturdy helmet. 

But the redhead had to admit, he did in fact have a point. 

"Alas, my time here has come to an end." Dagur mellowed, grasping Hiccup by his tense shoulders. "Farewell for now, brother. Until we meet again, on the field of battle."

Marching past the cell, Dagur turned his smirking face towards the frowning redhead and winked. Sigrid groaned, her face scrunching up in disgust. Dagur took great satisfaction in her reaction, cackling with laughter as he passed her. It was a taunt, that's for sure, and whilst she knew it would be foolish, she would take him up on it anyway. Curse that stubborn viking pride. 

After the Berserker's dismounted the ship, Hiccup ran to try and get everyone out of the cage. But all of them knew it was of no use, it wasn't like they'd been trying to break out the entire time they were in there. 

"Hiccup!" Sigrid spoke urgently, taking her brother's attention. "Go after Dagur, we'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Hiccup tried to argue.

"Yes!" Sigrid interrupted him quickly. "Now go!"

Hiccup soared away on Toothless, and she prayed to the gods for them to kick the Berserker's ass. But as they fumbled and struggled with opening up the lock, Sigrid was slowly starting to regret ushering her brother away so quickly, especially when a builder hit the ship's deck, and it started to sink. 

"Hiccup!" Sigrid cried with the others. "I change my mind, help!"

In the battle of choosing between saving his sister and friends, or going after his enemy, Hiccup would always choose to save whomever needed. And so, Hiccup came to their rescue, ordering them to stay back before Toothless shot a plasma blast at the lock, which should've freed them.

"Dragon proof bars!" Fishlegs cried. "Oh, fascinating."

Snotlout pushed himself forward, as the ship began to tilt even more, smooshing the group against each other on the door. "You know what would be more fascinating? Getting us out of here!"

No matter how many times Toothless tried, he couldn't blast open these doors. 

"We need more firepower." Hiccup spoke, having to think on a wim. "Guys, dragon calls!"

Sigrid frowned in question, before it was immediately answered by the most awful sounding noises that she's ever heard in her life. She couldn't even cover her ears, as she needed her arms to stabilize herself, what kind of hell did she just land herself into? 

"Why did it have to be eels?!" Snotlout cried as the nasty slithering creatures came closer.

 Almost pulling Hiccup into the water depths, Toothless blasted them all, but it was getting increasingly overwhelming. The cage had now completely tilted on its side, and the force of everyone's bodies hitting the metal did open the door, it also almost made them fall straight into the eel-filled waters, if it wasn't for them clinging onto anything they could reach with all their might.  But it seemed that their struggle finally willed everyone's dragons to show up, with a breath of relief, Astrid helped Sigrid pull herself onto Stormfly so she was seated behind the blonde. Flying up in the air, far and safe from the gross eels, Hiccup seemed to have more to add to the already oh-so-successful plan. 

"You guys go back to Berk, I'm going after Dagur." Hiccup stated.  "Whatever that cylinder thing is, I know one thing for sure, it shouldn't be in his hands."

Sigrid huffed in offense. 

"Excuse me, you think you're just going in there alone? No, I'm coming with you." She spoke, totally ready to jump onto Toothless' back before her brother stopped her. 

"No!" Hiccup raised his hand up. "Sigrid, I'm not looking for a fight, I'm just getting the cylinder."

"Go back to Berk." He ordered one more time, making the redhead wave her hand at him is dismissal.

"Yeah yeah, don't get your bolus in a twist." She muttered, before they all soared off back to their homes. 

Not long after they'd landed, Hiccup came home himself, with the dragon eye in hand. Which, yes, he'd named himself. 

Whilst her brother's mission of the day wasn't complete yet, Sigrid's sure was. Today had been...a lot, and she'd really like to think about it, alone, for a little bit. Maybe she'd come up with some new insults. Who knows. 

There was one thing she knew for sure, next time she'd see Dagur, he was definitely not getting away. 

Chapter Text

"What, you're leaving?!" Sigrid cried out when Hiccup told her the news.

Her brother shrugged.

"Yeah, Sig. We can't afford to go back and forth to Berk all the time, it's exhausting us and our dragons, we need an outpost." He'd explained, but Sigrid still wasn't liking the idea of her little brother leaving Berk... possibly forever.

But it wasn't her choice to make. Hiccup had promised her that once they'd found a place, she could visit whenever she wanted. It's been a while since her brother send her a letter, telling her that they'd found an island, as well as a map of how to reach it, but she had yet to visit.

Now, Sigrid was really regretting not going with her brother when she could. Because as of late, her father had been driving everyone in Berk, including her, absolutely crazy!

---

"Sigrid!" Her father had woken her up at sunrise, way too early for the woman's standards.

"I need you to rebuild the hut, it's practically falling apart!" He boomed, and Sigrid had grumpily gone up to do such thing, only to find that the hut was perfectly fine, in fact, it was like it was brand new.

But that was only the start of her father's weird behavior. Stoick had also banned her from the training arena, and completely changed it into his own workspace. He'd been bossing the whole town around, and driving them insane with his unnecessary criticism.

"Sigrid!" Stoick's voice called for her again, and again and again.

The Chief hadn't been able to find his daughter all day, and he'd just wanted to ask her to rearrange the weapons by deadliness; something Sven was unable to do. But it seemed that ever since he'd awoken, she was nowhere to be found.

Little did Stoick know, Sigrid was most definitely hiding from him. The other Berkians were more than happy to help the woman hide on their roofs, in their barrels, and even lie to the Chief himself, if only she returned the gesture; which she gladly did.

If her father wouldn't calm down soon, Sigrid couldn't promise that she wouldn't throw an axe his way. No matter how much she loved her father, one can only take so much pestering before they go insane.

---

Gobber had left Berk about a week ago, and it seemed that her father hadn't even noticed! The redheaded woman couldn't blame the blacksmith for leaving, but Gods, he should've taken her with him! But, as she saw the red-tailed Nightfury land on Berk's grounds, she realised that Gobber hadn't necessarily ran from her father, but he'd ran to Hiccup.

The youngest Haddock shrieked in surprise as he was yanked between the houses by a strong hand, only to have his mouth covered by Sigrid.

"Hiccup, thank Thor you're here." Sigrid whispered in relief, shaking the boy by his shoulders.

Hiccup groaned as he saw the deep blue rings of exhaustion under his sister's dulled eyes, she looked like she hadn't slept in days.

"Sigrid, what's going on?" He asked in concern.

"Dad's driving me crazy." She sneered through gritted teeth. "You need to help us, or else I might kill him."

Admitting to insanity wasn't something the redhead did often, and it was quite obvious she was in disarray. Her hair a loose frilly mess, and giant bags under her eyes, as well as her twitching fingers, told Hiccup that this was a lot more serious than he'd originally thought.

"Okay." Hiccup agreed quickly. "I'll go talk to dad, and you get some sleep, alright?"

Grasping her brother in a tight hug, Sigrid sighed. "I'd love nothing more."

Eventually, Hiccup had somehow convinced their father to leave Berk with him for the day. He'd told his sister they had a 'dragon problem', but Sigrid wasn't sure if that was true, or if he'd fabricated it to win Stoick over, but either or, the redhead didn't care. For the first time in weeks, Sigrid could sleep in her bed, for as long as she wanted, and Berk was peaceful once again. This time, without their Chief.

---

"What kind of dragon even is that?!" Sigrid had called out in surprise when her father returned home with a giant multicolored dragon.

Stoick chuckled, gently patting the beast's hardy head.

"This is Skullcrusher, my new dragon." He explained, amused by his daughter's bewildered face.

"Still doesn't answer my question, but alright." Sigrid sighed, before giving the dragon a gentle smile.

Raising her hand up to his snout, she let Skullcrusher push his face into her hand, welcoming her warm caress.

"Welcome to the family, bud." She spoke to the dragon, who seemed to purr at her touch.

Much like her father, Skullcrusher was giant, hard-headed and intimidating, but when you got to know them they were soft, protective, and overall -doing their absolute best. And whilst they'd never forget Thornado, the adorable flat pancake of a Thunderdrum, they'd welcome the newly discovered Rumblehorn - which Stoick had explained way later - with open arms, and a high-quality saddle.

"You know." Stoick started whilst he and Sigrid were having dinner. "Your brother is still set on getting you a dragon."

Sigrid groaned dramatically, letting her forehead fall to the wooden table as the cutlery jumped up. "Of course he is."

"I blame you." Sigrid spoke accusingly, pointing her spoon towards the burly Chief, who simply laughed at her dismay.

Oh Hiccup, you just never give up, do you?

Chapter Text

"Hello there, sweet girl." Her mother cooed as she approached the playing toddler, who'd turned to her mother with wide wondering eyes. 

Sigrid's freckled pink cheeks rounded as she smiled, greeting her mother with the sight of Fólkvangr's treasures. 

Mommy!" The little girl cheered, raising her arms as a hint for the brunette to pick her up. 

Valka chuckled, picking the toddler up with ease, to which Sigrid's small fists immediately went to reach for her mother's long braids. "I have a very exciting job to do today, do you want to join me?"

"Yes! -" The red-headed toddler grinned, before thinking about it. 

"-What is it?" She asked, and Valka couldn't help but laugh at her adorable little frown.

Valka explained as she made her way down to Gobber's workshop, with the tiny girl in her arms, as every Berkian greeted the Chief's firstborn. "Well, my dear, a new baby has just been born."

"A baby?" Sigrid asked in excitement.

"Yes, a baby." Valka continued with a smile. "Berserker Chief, Oswald the Agreeable has just welcomed a daughter, and we're going to pick out a gift for her."

Now she'd really caught the girl's interest, as they approached Gobber's workshop, who greeted the child and her mother with glee. 

"Mornin' Valka!" He greeted, before holding his hand out to the little girl. "And good mornin' to you too, Sigrid." 

Sigrid laughed as she shook his hand, Gobber was a funny man, with his peg-leg and hook-hand, they got along great. 

"Morning Gobber, do you have the horns?" Valka asked, but she knew she had no need to, as Gobber nodded before bringing over the box of varying length and width of horns, all beautifully collected, but so different all the same. 

Valka hummed, looking through the selection before her blue eyes looked into her daughter's identical ones. "So, what do you think?" 

Sigrid looked absolutely bewildered. 

"I get to pick?" She gasped, pointing at herself.

Valka chuckled.  "Yes, you get to pick." 

The redhead's little hands roamed through the box, before she pulled out a white horn that wasn't too long, and not too white, and whilst it was a little big for her small hands, Sigrid thought it was perfect. 

Holding it up to her mother, Sigrid spoke with pride. "I pick this one!" 

"Alright then," Valka beamed, grabbing the horn from her daughter's prideful hands. "Well, Gobber, I suppose we've made our choice."

"And a wise one at that." Gobber smiled before taking over the horn. "It's very beautiful, you have a good taste, wee lass." 

"Thank you." She chuckled, and Gobber almost went to Valhalla from the cuteness overload. 

Closing the box off, Gobber put the horn aside with his other equipment, as he changed his hook for a smaller carving tool. "I'll have it finished by the evening, then Stoick can send it off." 

Valka nodded in acknowledgement, and although her daughter was a little confused on why they were leaving already, a little promise of being allowed to pet the herd of sheep was more than enough to get her excitement right back in check. 

---

It was one of the few memories that still rang vividly through Sigrid's mind, even after all these years. Sadly, it was often overshadowed by less... joyful ones. It had been a while since Sigrid thought back on that time, seeing as she never ended up meeting the girl. It turned out later that Dagur had set her afloat when she was still a baby, which was a real bummer. It would've been nice to have another Chief's daughter around.

In a flash, her brother barged into the Great Hall, pulling Sigrid by the hand, as he confronted his father with something he called 'drastically urgent'. It was Berk's Great Day, however, so it took them a while, but once they did their father's attention was on them fully, wondering what his son's panic was about. 

Sigrid was still none the wiser, until Hiccup pointed the horn into his father's face, begging for answers. 

"Where did you get this?" The redheaded Haddock questioned her brother as she walked up to him, as he let her take the horn from his hands, studying it with wandering fingers. 

She hadn't seen it in years, over two decades in fact. 

"It's Heather's." Hiccup explained, and their father hummed in thought whilst Sigrid simply froze. "She's the girl that stole Stormfly a couple years back." 

"Yes, Heather." Stoick had taken over the horn from his daughter's frozen hands. 

To say she was shocked to see the Chieftain gift after all this time would be an understatement. It was as if all the memories of her childhood and late-mother had come rushing at her and hit her square in the face, and she was bewildered. 

"Dad, that horn has your Chief symbol carved into it." 

"It does." Stoick acknowledged.

Hiccup stared at him with a pointed gaze. "Is there something you need to tell me?"

Stoick sighed, turning around and speaking to his son directly. 

"When a Chief has a child, Hiccup, that child receives many gifts from all over. When your sister was born, she was given many weapons, horns and helmets. When you were born I asked Gobber to make the smallest axe he'd ever imagined, with a handle tiny enough for a baby to grasp." Stoick chuckled at the memory. "I wanted you to start training the moment you opened your eyes, but your mother was gonna feed me to the boars." 

Hiccup smiled fondly. "I remember that axe." 

Stoick raised his brow. "Yeah, you used it as a paper weight." 

As Hiccup tried and failed to make an excuse for himself, Sigrid unfroze from her shocked state and sighed, snapping all attention towards her previously silent figure. 

"Hiccup, when I was young, I picked that horn out myself with our mother." Sigrid frowned as she walked towards him. "I know what you're thinking, but Heather is not our sister." 

"Then what is she?" Hiccup questioned, but he wasn't going to like the answer. 

---

Toothless flew through the skies as fast as he could with two passengers on his sleek back. Sigrid knew Nightfury's were amazingly swift, but to actually race on one was something she'd never done before. It was thrilling, for sure, but sadly this little sibling trip wasn't just for laughs.

Dragon's Edge had been empty, so sadly Sigrid hadn't gotten the tour she wanted. But right now they had more important matters to attend to, stopping Heather from murdering Dagur. The Haddock siblings feared they were going to be too late, as they approached the Berserker fleets. Heather had the redheaded Chief pinned to the ground, bound by his hands with an axe to his head, and by the sight of Windshear's stance, they weren't exactly having a friendly conversation. Windshear raised her tail, the spikes barring dangerously as she prepared to strike. 

"Toothless, plasma blast!" Hiccup commanded in a hurry, to which his friend quickly responded, distracting the Razorwhip from its mission. 

"Stop!" Came the booming and honestly quite intimidating voice of Sigrid the Relentless, as she and her brother soared down onto the decks. 

Astrid, Heather and Dagur simultaneously snapped their gaze towards the siblings, as they raced off of the Nightfury. 

"Heather, stop!" Hiccup yelled after his sister, coming to stand in front of the dark-haired girl, who frowned at their protest. 

Sigrid pushed herself behind Heather, protecting Dagur from a possible deadly swing of the axe. Heather turned around to face the strong stanced woman with an offended gasp. 

"Move, Sigrid." She demanded, but the oldest Haddock wasn't going to listen to her.

"You don't understand." Hiccup tried to explain, laying a hand on her armor covered shoulder.

Heather slapped his hand off her shoulder. "You promised me there'd be another time, and this is it!" 

She tried to swing for the Berserker again, but Sigrid was stiff in her path, blocking her from any sort of aggressive movement, which terribly frustrated Heather. On the other side, Dagur was just as surprised at the Haddock siblings' act of heroism as any other! Not too long ago, the woman protecting him from an axe had threatened to throw one at his head herself. It wasn't that he minded, honestly, he did have a great view of the strong viking woman, whilst lying there on the wooden deck. 

"Look, you told me your father gave you this." Hiccup tried again, holding out the horn to Heather, to which she looked back in confusion.

"He did, but what are you doing-"

"This is our-" Hiccup pointed between him and Sigrid, "-father's Chief seal." 

Heather grabbed the horn from Hiccup's hands, her brow frowned in further confusion. 

"Stoick's seal is carved in my horn?" She started, before looking back up at Hiccup. "What are you saying?"

"We're saying, years ago, Stoick gave this horn to the Chief of the Berserker tribe, Oswald the Agreeable, as a gift for his newborn daughter." Sigrid stated, a stern gaze on her frowned brow as Heather turned to looked at her in shock. "You were that newborn, Heather. Oswald the Agreeable is your father... and he's also Dagur's father." 

The red-headed Hooligan pointed her axe to the pathetic wriggling figure, still bound and gagged on the floor. Looking around the room, Dagur only shrugged at the newfound revelation. 

"Heather, Dagur is your brother. You can't kill him." Hiccup urged, and it was clear that no one knew what to do anymore. 

Heather sagged down to the floor, absolutely defeated. It was understandable, of course, who wouldn't have a mental breakdown after figuring out you're related to that level of crazy. 

All hell broke loose as the rest of Dagur's ships arrived to attack, catapulting rocks towards them at raid speeds. They had to get out, now or never. 

"Heather, we need to go." Hiccup pointed out, already pushing his sister onto Toothless' saddle. 

But the girl didn't move, it was as if she was chained down to the wooden deck. Sigrid jumped off of Toothless to help the girl off the floor, but once she got closer she realised she should've maybe paid more attention to Dagur, who was now standing and able to snap himself out of his bounds. In fairness, it was quite impressive to look at, even if Sigrid had to admit that to herself shamefully.

"I have to admit, you never disappoint, brother." He addressed Hiccup, widening his arms dramatically. "Or maybe you're actually my uncle. Who knows in this crazy world?" 

He laughed maniacally, which only seemed to worsen Heather's already depressing mood. 

More Berserker men made their way onto the boat, and now it was really time for the riders to flee, or they had to risk being captured; and Sigrid definitely wasn't doing that again. 

"Heather, come on!" Sigrid yelled this time, but Dagur seemed to overtake her in a speech of his own. 

"Heather, I'm the only family you've got left." He started with a menacing look, as if that would make her mood better. Toothless jumped in front of the girl protectively, but that didn't stop Dagur from his spiel. "Join me, sister! Don't fight destiny. I know you feel the Berserker blood flowing through your veins."

Sigrid punched a guy into the water who tried to come onto the boat, whilst Astrid and Stormfly took care of the rest. They really - really - had to hurry. 

Luckily, it seemed that Heather took care of herself perfectly fine, as she flew away on Windshear, whilst Dagur yelled after her with hurried breath. 

"Come back sis! Heather the Unhinged has a nice ring to it, no? You'll be back, and I will welcome you with open arms!"

Once he was done taunting her, he turned back around, looking bored out of his mind. He must've not realised that Toothless was still on deck, with Hiccup and Sigrid on his back ready to smack the living daylights out of him, until it was too late. 

Sigrid took quite a bit of satisfaction of having punched the Berserker in the jaw, before flying away on the gorgeous Nightfury, Toothless. Although she adored riding with her brother through the skies, she had to agree with him on one thing; it was definitely time she got her own dragon. 

But which one?

Chapter Text

It was embarrassing, truly. It seemed that no matter how many dragons they tried, Sigrid just didn't click with any of them. Hiccup had tried Gronckles, Zipplebacks, Nadders, Monstrous Nightmares, hel, even a Thunderdrum! Yet none seemed to do the trick.

It wasn't that his sister was unwilling, completely the opposite! So Hiccup just couldn't figure out what the problem was. It's not like the dragons didn't like Sigrid, it just wasn't a close enough connection to be dragon and rider, that same spark that all of the others had.

After about the tenth dragon, he could feel his sister's spirits drop.

"Hey, how about we take a break for tomorrow?" Hiccup suggested, trying to lighten his sister's spirits.

Sigrid shrugged, a sad frown on her face, but she agreed anyway. She could probably use the break. After all, she had to figure out why no dragon seemed to like her before trying to train another one.

---

But Sigrid couldn't sleep, not when her mind was turning and wondering what exactly made her so undesirable to bond with? Was it her harsh nature, her resting poker-face, or the way she smelled? She didn't have a clue. And so, instead of laying in bed and whining about it, Sigrid decided to go out into the woods and be amongst the dragons. Maybe they could show her what was wrong.

As she walked around the peaceful woods so late at night - or early in the morning, depending on your perspective - she could see all the full grown resting dragons, and the hatchlings that were happily awake. But to her greatest surprise, all of the dragons seemed completely unbothered by her, just like they had back on Dragon Island. So this made Sigrid even more frustrated about her predicament, then what was wrong with her?

Sigrid sighed, all of this worrying was really giving her a headache. So, for the time being, she decided to do something she'd never thought of before; meditating.

Normally, the redheaded Hooligan had always been too impatient to sit cross legged in a single position for longer than a minute. But she felt that at the moment, she didn't have that much of a choice. Today she wanted answers, and she figured she'd only get those with great patience. The air was breezy, tingling against her exposed arms, but not cold enough to get goosebumps from. It was relaxing, to breath in the fresh air, surrounded by nature. So peaceful, and innocent, something that had taken her a while to get used to around Berk, and she had her brother to thank for that. Even with all the trouble with the Berserkers, Berk hadn't been this peaceful in...well, ever.

Ever since she was born, Sigrid had been trained to hunt dragons, as had her ancestors before her. It was a normal occurrence in Berk, but after Hiccup had shown them that it didn't have to be this way, Sigrid felt ashamed that she had never once even attempted to find another way, simply strolling along like everyone else. She had always prided herself on being better, on doing better for the sake of the tribe. But she hadn't done that, had she? No, she'd just repeated the same thing over and over again, like a fool. Her brother had been the only one to see the light, and for most of his life they'd treated him like he was lesser than, like he was weak. But to Sigrid, her brother was the strongest of them all.

"What's the point of having muscles if you can't use them?"

This had been a statement her father had pressed, whilst she was starting her dragon training. It meant that it didn't matter how much you trained, if you didn't have the strength to back it up, you'd be the same as if you'd never worked out a day in your life. Training isn't just about muscle, but also your mind and technique. Without focus, one is lost, and now Sigrid surely felt that.

Hunting dragons had been her sole focus her whole life, especially after her mother's death. It was her entire purpose, to protect her village against these evil creatures, but in the end it turned out that it was just putting them in danger more. After the Red Death, it felt like her entire life prospects had falling into the depths of Helheim, lost to the ages, a forcefully cleaned slate to start anew. Everything had fallen into pieces, and whilst Berk turned out to be better than ever before, and Sigrid was the freeëst she'd ever been, she still felt lost. left without a purpose, or goal.

For the first time in her entire life, Sigrid wasn't doing anything solely for the tribe, for her father, for her brother, or even her (previous) future-marriage. No, she was doing them for herself, and that was terrifying to her. Because unlike those previously mentioned things, Sigrid had no guideline. She didn't know how to do things for herself -practical things, like cooking and cleaning, sure-, she had no hobbies, no friends -aside from her brother and his group, which was sometimes a little depressing to think about- and no aspirations. 'To be happy', sounds all cool and nice, until you actually have to start working for it, with no red threat to guide you.

Because Sigrid was happy, truly. But was she happy for her tribe, or happy for herself? That was still a mystery.

...

What was it that she wanted?

A happy family, friends, a home. Those were all that came to mind, and many more stereotypes following. But that was normal, I mean, nothing special to see there. Whatever Sigrid was looking for, it needed to be more personal, more detailed, and most importantly -dedicated to her.

Man, everything would've been so much easier if Dagur hadn't gone...well...deranged. She'd be married and have the Chieftess responsibility on her shoulders, but at least that gave her some guidance on where to go. But then again, at least she wasn't married to that weirdo now, right? She'd literally begged her father for years to destroy that marriage arrangement, to throw it into the fires like she'd done to her ceremonial robe when she was twelve. She didn't want to marry Dagur, but was the alternative of her current goalless reality worth giving up on security? The obvious answer was yes, and of course Sigrid's answer was yes, but she hated to say that she couldn't say it with great confidence.

Perhaps being engaged for eight years really brainwashes you into thinking it's fate, right? That's the only reason why she cared at all, because it was something that was expected of her, for the peace and safety of her tribe. That's why she cared, because with this marriage arrangement having gone into flames years ago meant that Sigrid had done absolutely nothing in her life to help her people. Because before this marriage arrangement, Sigrid was assumed to become the next Chief of Berk. But because of the arrangement, that reality was completely switched on its head, as she'd be a permanent peace offering, and the ultimate hero to her tribe as she secured their safety from the Berserkers, making her brother the future Chief of Berk.

But then, she'd done nothing to stop Dagur from preaching war, and she'd done nothing to protect her people against his armada. She'd done nothing to help her tribe fight these Deranged mofo's into the ground. In the past three years, she'd done nothing for the tribe. And last week, she'd done nothing when the Berserkers attacked Berk again. She'd done nothing to help her brother when he needed her most, and she'd done nothing when her mother was lifted up by that giant terrifying beast. Her entire life, Sigrid had done nothing.

No wonder a dragon didn't want her as its rider. She wouldn't want her either.

Chapter Text

Sigrid, dragons hunters have captured Stormfly. We need your help. Meet us on Dragon's Edge, preferably with a dragon.

Your brother, Hiccup. 

Sigrid rolled her eyes at the sarcastic comment in her brother's terror mail. But the seriousness of the context didn't fail to worry her. If her brother was writing to her during such a threat, it must be very serious. 

Hey, dad?" She turned towards her father, who was busy working at the table, writing up some plans for Berk.

Stoick didn't even lift his gaze from the ink filled papers, just humming in acknowledgement, gesturing for her to finish her question. 

"Can I borrow Skullcrusher for a bit?" She asked with a hopeful tone.

He didn't really have a reason so say no. Hel, he barely had time to ride Skullcrusher himself as of late. Not that the Rumblehorn minded, he loved just prancing around Berk looking out for everyone, much like Stoick himself. 

Stoick, rubbing between his brows before he nodded. "Alright, but don't make it too long." 

---

Skullcrusher was a little apprehensive about deterring from his 'Chiefly duties', but he complied eventually. He and Sigrid met the dragon riders on their home on Dragon's Edge, before they left for the beach where Stormfly had been shot down. They needed something, anything for the Rumblehorn to be able to track the lost dragon, but so far they'd found nothing. 

Astrid groaned, anxiety rising as she searched through the sand. "There has to be some clues here somewhere. Something." 

"How many cages were there?" Hiccup asked, kneeled down after studying an abandoned campfire. 

Astrid's hands were tight on her hips, her gaze wide and stressed. 

"Remember all the cages we saw on the Reaper?" She asked Hiccup, who nodded. "Double it."

"Yikes." Sigrid sighed, that definitely wasn't good, and at the moment they were clueless.

The twins approached the trio, disappointment clear on their faces. 

"We got nothing." Tuffnut huffed, slumping over as he walked forward with his sister. 

Ruffnut seemed equally as grumpy, as her arms crossed over her chest with a frown. 

"Just a bunch of trash." She said. "Looks like these Dragon Hunters are also litter bugs!"

"Yeah, there should be some sort of penalty or fine for littering." Her brother slammed his fist in his palm. "I mean, am I wrong, people? What if everyone were this careless and inconsiderate? What then, huh? Where would we be then?" 

Tuffnut finished his rant, and started to violently sob in his hands. Meanwhile, Snotlout slammed down the lid of the chest he'd been searching, coming out with nothing. 

"I knew coming here was a bad idea." Snotlout spoke with hands on his hips. "What did we hope to find anyway?"

"Anything for Skullcrusher to track." Sigrid called back behind her in annoyance.

Why did he always have to be such a whiny brat about everything? As if they needed to spoon feed it to him. Suddenly, a nasty sounding crunch was heard, before Snotlout cried out in pain. 

"OW! Something bit me!" He bellowed, flailing down on the sand. "I'm allergic to sand crabs, they make my toes fan out! Ow, ow, ow!"

Sigrid hurried over to the wounded Viking, kneeling down as she hushed his pained rambling softly. The glaring emerald shard in Snotlout's harmed foot stole her attention instantly, and she carefully yanked it from the leather sole as the others approached. Putting a hand in Snotlout's face, she gained his attention as he stared at her fingers in confusion. She raised three fingers, before letting one fall by the second, using the other hand to quickly yank the shard out as the last finger fell. 

"OW!" Snotlout cried out at the sudden pain, but didn't seem to whine otherwise. 

He seemed too focussed on realising that the woman had just fooled him like a toddler, and it worked. 

Astrid gasped, and Sigrid let the blonde take the green metal from her hands carefully, before she inspected it. 

"This is a dragon hunter arrow." She spoke surely. "Stormfly was hit by one of these right before she was caught, I've never seen her act so out of control."

Fishlegs took hold of the  arrow with curious hands. 

"Interesting." He mumbled, before sniffing it. "Unexpected." He licked it. "Mm, tangy."

What in the actual Frigg, Sigrid thought to herself. That boy sure was weird when he wanted to be.

Her brother seemed equally as disturbed, but decided to let it slide over him. "Mind clueing us in on what 'tangy' and 'unexpected' mean?" 

"I'm guessing it's refined dragon root." Fishlegs concluded, finger poking at the small blade once more. "I've heard that at high concentrations, it can overwhelm a dragon's senses completely, making it almost impossible for them to fly."

Astrid frowned in realisation. "That's exactly what happened to Stormfly."

"Think of it." Fishlegs continued. "Just one quiver of these arrows could decimate an entire flock of dragons."

Sigrid sighed. Her head slumped down, as she realised just how high the stakes were. 

"Great." She whispered to herself, before speaking to the rest of the group. "This just means that we can't go in there unplanned, if I let Skullcrusher track them down without any preparation we'll all be shot down just like Stormfly. His skin is strong, but not impenetrable."

"Sigrid's right." Hiccup nodded. "We'll have to change our course of action."

"Then how are we going to find her if we don't know where they're going?" Astrid questioned, rightfully concerned.

Hiccup nodded, before frowning tightly at the dragon hunter arrow. 

"We might not know where they're going, but we know where they've been." He determined. That symbol was way too similar for him to forget.

The shipwreck graveyard. 

But the surroundings were empty, much more so than the last time they'd been there. The sea was looted from bottom to sky, leaving only one ship in its wake. They'd searched it from every inch of it's wood, but in the end, it had been Astrid who'd accidentally found their solution, a lense for the dragon eye, and a location to go to; Changewing Island.

Having to hold Snotlout's hand as Changewing acid slowly penetrated through his helmet was definitely not Sigrid's ideal day, but it ended up like that anyway. At least they'd gotten some information from the new dragon eye; a hunter port. Time for a Hiccup Haddock classic, which was sacrificing someone for the greater good of the team. 

"Sigrid, I'm not sacrificing them." Her brother defended after she'd laughed at his plan. "We're infiltrating them from the inside, that's completely different!"

Sigrid didn't exactly agree, but Fishlegs knew what he was doing, and she knew that he'd never allow Meatlug to get hurt on purpose. They could only hope that the hunters were just as stupid as Dagur, which was very likely. 

---

So far, Hiccup's plan had been full proof. Dragon Hunters were shooting root tipped arrows left and right, and Fishlegs had crashed Meatlug right in the middle of them, ready to break Stormfly out from the inside as he was captured. Sigrid was having a lot of fun taunting the hunters, and as Stormfly bursted through the wooden doors, she really believed they had it. That was, until both Stormfly and Meatlug were tied down by their legs, and even more rooted arrows than ever before launched themselves at the remainder off the group, dragging the twins down with them. 

"It didn't work." Hiccup was baffled.

Hiccup and Sigrid managed to dodge all arrows - barely - but Snotlout hadn't been so lucky. Sigrid had never been so thankful for Toothless' zooming speed, and whilst it felt like the betrayal of a lifetime, they had to leave to others behind. Waiting for Hookfang to recover, the three vikings sat on the beach as Hiccup tried to come up with a plan. Sigrid checked Skullcrusher for any sort of injuries, but a slimy lick to the cheek told her that he was perfectly fine. 

"We'll have to wait 'till morning." Hiccup sighed, a down look on his face. "We have to look for a solution."

And so they did. Sigrid found it difficult to sleep on the sandy beach, with only Skullcrusher to lean on for warmth. But for now, they didn't have much of a choice. Her father's voice echoed in the back of her mind. 

"Don't make it too long." 

Oops, sorry dad. She hoped he'd understand.

Sigrid cracked her back as Snotlout fought with Hookfang over fish. Her brother was in a predicament, he didn't know what to do. But eventually, thanks to Snotlout's aggressive slapping of fish on his helmet, gave Hiccup a great idea. What this idea was, however, was left a mystery to the two other riders. Oh boy, nothing better than a morning day of mystery! Sigrid always said (she never said that). 

The closer they came, Sigrid suddenly became knowledgeable as to why her brother had been so adamant about his silence. 

"Hiccup, I recognize these holes, why didn't you tell me we were going to an island full of whispering deaths?!" Snotlout spewed.

Hiccup dismounted Toothless, not giving Snotlout much of a reaction besides a shrug of the shoulder. 

"Because I know you'd react exactly like this." He spoke. "Besides this isn't an island full of whispering deaths, somebody else lives here too."

Sigrid raised a brow at her brother's words, before the ground below them startled to rumble, almost shaking the Haddock's off their feet. From the ground, a loud cry was heard, as a shot of white darted from the depths. 

"Baby boy!" Sigrid cried out in glee, her arms spread in a welcoming embrace. She hadn't seen him in years.

Snotlout gasped. 

"Ah! the Screaming Death!" He cried out. "Why don't we just wave him over and have him kill us."

So dramatic.

"Will you just relax?" Hiccup sighed. "When he gets closer, he'll recognize us and calm down...I hope."

The Screaming Death roared, its long sharp teeth on full warning display, as Snotlout let out a final complaint. "Huh, come on out to Screaming Death island, we'll have a few laughs, get killed."

As if the viking's words had been a taunt, the Screaming Death's eyes squinted angrilly, before darting towards the three with vicious intent. 

"Worst, plan, ever." Snotlout paused every word. The Screaming Death didn't seem to slow, and it surely should've smelled them by now.

"This guy hates us, let's get out of here!" Snotlout pleaded with Hiccup.

Hiccup shook his head. "Have you forgotten, we reunited him with his mother."

"No, but it seems like he has!"

Now, The Screaming Death was darting dangerously close, and if they didn't react soon, they'd sure be dragon food. Jumping back on Skullcrusher's back, Sigrid was glad to be riding a dragon with speed, as they were mere inches away from getting chomped on. They were in a deadly position, but Hiccup - as always - had a plan.

"We're going back down there, there's something in those tunnels we need." 

Oh boy. 

---

Turns out, Hiccup's plan was actually genius - no matter how close to death they'd gotten in a single day. Luckily for them, the Screaming Death's mother did recognize them, and they could get exactly what Hiccup had been looking for; Screaming Death scales. Now, their dragons were covered in the white shedding from head to toe. Thanks to Snotlout's talent with a sewing needle, the scales fit the flying reptiles like a glove. This cover would be more than enough to protect their skin from the Hunter's laced arrows. Skullcrusher had never looked so dangerously handsome. 

"You ready, big boy?" She'd questioned the giant mass of red and green. The Rumblehorn purred in response. 

It was safe to say that the dragon had indeed missed some of the action, and with Sigrid as his temporary rider, there'd be action any minute. 

They soared in closer, getting ready to get in position. There were tons of ships in the waters, all full of armed men and heavy catapults. If the Vikings wanted to get out of here alive, they'd have to focus like they never had before. Archers readied at the sides, and builders were pulled back and pointed towards their flying figures. The battle would soon begin. 

Sigrid groaned as she noted the three villainous figures on one of the larger ships. The leader of the dragon hunters, a man unfamiliar to the Hooligan, stood patiently in the middle, with Dagur and Heather at his side. 

Heather? Are you kidding me? Sigrid sighed. Can't trust anyone these days. 

Adrenaline was pumping through her veins, and the impeccable urge to deck Dagur in the face became prominent once again. Wow, this was slowly turning into a problem. Maybe she should speak to someone about this? 

"Hiccup, as far as worst plans go, this has to be, by far, your best worst plan ever." Snotlout spoke from further behind the Haddock's, his sarcasm fully noted in his tone. 

Hiccup paused, before shrugging in acceptance. 

"Uh, I'll take that as a compliment." He decided, before they all soared down to the ships. 

The battle had begun. 

Sigrid would do her best to distract the Berserkers, something she'd gotten very good at over the years. Her constant soaring nagging as well as the fact that the hunters had now discovered their dragons' armour, was adding onto Dagur's frustration, which pleased Sigrid greatly. 

Her brother soared past her, words flying out of his mouth in a warning. 

"Sigrid, whatever you do, don't go picking unnecessary fights." His tone was sharp, strict like their father. 

Sigrid rolled her eyes, promising the skinny boy that she'd do no such thing. After all, every chance to kick Dagur's ass was a necessary one. But their victory wouldn't last much longer, not when their armour was slowly deteriorating with every other hit. If they wanted to get out of here unharmed, they'd have to be quick. Their fellow dragon riders were struggling, and Sigrid's motherly instincts -that she would never admit to having- activated in an instant. 

Skullcrusher boomed down to the ship deck, throwing the men off their feet with his heavy landing, and those who were fine didn't dare come closer to the threatening Rumblehorn. In the end, Sigrid was faster than lightning as she protected Ruffnut from an axe baring Berserker, knocking the man off him with a powerful punch. Yeah, he'd be knocked out for hours. 

Astrid seemed to be doing fine on her own, as always, and was done with her array of Berserkers in a flash. With a smirking face, the blonde nudged the twin after approaching them. 

"Let's go get our dragons." She spoke, before the both of them darted for the cages below. 

Sigrid stood back, watching over them, which she was glad she did. 

Heather pushed herself between two aiming Berserkers, and jumped down in front of the Astrid with her axe raised. She was looking for a fight, and a fight she would get. No one was going to even dare hurt Sigrid's babies. With a loud cry, Sigrid snarled as she ran at the dark-haired Berserker, with nothing raised except for her fist. Astrid turned back in shock, this wasn't supposed to happen. But she supposed it was better than the redhead throwing an axe in Heather's face, even if her fists were definitely not much better. 

Heather's green eyes widened in fear. She didn't want to harm the young woman who'd always been so kind to her, so motherly. But she knew her double-life would come with risks, and this was simply one of them.

Sigrid's fist collided with her cheek, sending her flying backwards. Suddenly, Heather grew a lot more respect for all of the Vikings that had been hit with the same blow. 

"Go!" Sigrid pushed the blonde viking forward, prompting her to run for her dragon, whilst she kept Heather at bay. 

In the end, Astrid didn't have much of a choice but to leave Heather in the dragon's claws. She hoped she'd be okay. 

The redhead grabbed the newly found Berserker by the throat, lifting her up to knock her figure against the wooden walls behind them. Heather was trapped. Sigrid was impressed that the girl was still conscious enough to struggle against her grip. Damn, girl can take a hit. 

"S-Sigrid wait!" Heather croaked whilst she was lifted up the ground by the oldest child of Stoick the Vast. 

Her own brother was nowhere to be found - not that his presence would help them much - and so she was left alone with the predator of the lion's den. Sigrid stalled, her brow raised but a snarl still prominent on her face. She allowed Heather to talk. 

"I c-can explain." The green-eyed girl promised, gesturing for the redhead to lean in closer, so she could whisper in her ear. 

To her great surprise, Sigrid was open to listen. Thank the gods that Sigrid wouldn't want to kill her anymore after this. Heather had no clue how Dagur had survived this long. In the end, all of the Dragon Riders were able to fly away in safety, leaving with the satisfaction of having kicked many asses that day. Even if Sigrid was a little disappointed that she hadn't punched a certain redheaded Berserker Chief, but she supposed that would come at a later day. 

For now, she had a lot to think about, and an apology to think off. Sorry, Heather, for almost knocking you unconscious because I didn't know you were actually a spy and not actually a Dragon Hunter, hope your eye isn't bruised that badly. 

Chapter Text

Honestly, it had been a pretty wild and unsatisfying couple of weeks for Sigrid. She'd gotten plenty of letters from her brother... after he and the other riders had already been through the aftermath of troublemaking. It was really irking to always hear

"Oh hey Sig, yeah we could've really used you on this mission. But don't worry, that already happened last week!"

Like, Thor, did she have any use at this point?

Sure, it was slightly concerning that the redhead spend every waking moment trying to be 'of use' to someone. Whether that be her father, her brother or literally any other Berkian alive. But hey, gotta give some to get some, right? Sigrid wasn't really sure what that meant, but she lived by it. So, when the oldest Haddock sibling got a terror mail from the Edge, Sigrid was on Skullcrusher in a second. 

Dragon's  Edge is being attacked.

  Hiccup, Fishlegs and Snotlout are on a mission. Ruffnut is missing. 

Sigrid, we need your help. 

-Astrid

That short letter was more than enough for the redhead to drag Skullcrusher from his den and dart for Dragon's Edge, adrenaline running through her veins as she ignored her father's calls. He'd see the letter knife pinned to the wooden table soon enough, and just like last time, he'd understand her hurry. 

There was no time to waste, or else they'd risk losing not only the island, but a group of Vikings Sigrid cared deeply about. She left Berk during the moon's reign, but when she finally neared Dragon's Edge, the sun had already begun to shine.

She just hoped that Astrid and Tuffnut were okay.

---

It didn't take long for the redhead to spot them, or well... at least one of them. Tuffnut was hanging from a big green and smaller white balloon, floating slowly upwards into the sky, and it seemed that Astrid wasn't very keen on helping him. The younger viking seemed  relieved to see the oldest Haddock sibling approach, and called out to her for help.

"Sigrid, am I glad to see you!" Tuffnut chuckled, before glancing back down towards the distaning ground nervously. "Could you, perhaps, help bring me down to earth?"

The woman chuckled, but wasted no time in pulling him down to the mast with Skullcrusher's help. 

"So, what's the plan?" Sigrid asked after they'd joined Astrid on the ground.

The approaching ships clear even in the far distance, it was clear that the time to strike would be sooner rather than later. 

"For you to kick some Dragon Hunters' butts." Astrid pointed out.

But it was clear that she was just a little apprehensive about bossing the older redhead around. A problem she notably didn't have with Tuffnut. 

Sigrid shrugged her shoulders, a thoughtful expression on her freckled face. "I think I can manage that."

For now, it was Tuffnut job to shoot as many high-impact spears from Astrid's bolista as he could. And to give him credit, he was very good at following the blonde's commands, and seemed to be really enjoying himself with every spear shot. 

"Yes! Who kicks Dragon Hunter butt? Tuffnut kicks Dragon Hunter butt." He cheered himself on. 

"Way to go, Tuff!" Sigrid encouraged the young Viking.

Tuffnut gave a wide grin in return, before Astrid flew up on Stormfly to point them back towards the action. 

"Let's not start kissing our own butts yet-"

"I didn't even know that was possible." Tuffnut interrupted.

"-this thing is far from over." Astrid warned.

By now they knew that neither party on that ship was ready to give up any time soon. To get them to leave would be a matter of sheer willpower, and a lot - and that meant a lot - of luck. Luck, of course, that they could hold the Edge with just the three of them, as Sigrid feared that the others on Berk would not arrive in time to assist in this battle. 

---

So far, Astrid's plan seemed to be working, but Sigrid didn't know how long that would last.

They only had so many spears, and other materials at hand. Eventually, they'd need to act smarter, or perhaps a whole lot stranger. Their actions, as of now, were in the very least predictable, something not very different to what her brother would've done. Oh gods, she started to sound like Dagur, yuck! It honestly made her even more determined to deck the Berserker Chief in the face the second she got the chance. 

"Sigrid, we have a problem!" Astrid flew towards the redhead, who kept watch at the main point of the Edge. "We're almost through all of our resources, and what's left is not stopping them."

Sigrid hummed, thinking for a second, she'd need to handle this carefully and swiftly. It seemed that in her thinking, Tuffnut found it as a perfect opportunity to air out his own thoughts. 

"Great! So, I've been thinking-"

"It's over, Tuff!" Astrid snapped, her shoulders tense as her brow frowned. "We tried but there's too many of them, my plan didn't work." 

Sigrid would need to act quick, before they started fighting even harder over Tuffnut's 'found' Dragon Eye, which Astrid had buried deliberately. 

"I think that we should give Tuffnut's plan a chance." Sigrid stated, with her arms crossed over her chest. 

Astrid looked flabbergasted at her statement, huffing out through her nose as Tuffnut gave a small cheer. 

"Oh well, what do we have to lose?" Astrid muttered.

Even if Astrid didn't believe for one second that the twins had any ability to do anything successfully, Sigrid did. She'd babysat them when they were kids, after all. By now, she knew them like the back of her hand. Yes, they're a bit dumb sometimes, but at least they weren't afraid to speak their mind. They're chaotic as ever, but they definitely caused for some fun times during Sigrid's younger teenage years. They all did; even Snotlout, ironically enough. 

Worst case scenario, Tuffnut's plan would fail, and Sigrid would have to fight those damned dragon hunters into Valhalla, only to kick their butts once again during Ragnarok, just for laughs. 

---

Surprisingly, Astrid was having a lot of fun imitating Hiccup as they scared away some Berserkers. Sigrid had to admit, she was a good actress, and Tuffnut's impression of her father and Snotlout were absolutely beautiful. Almost as if they were actually here. 

To top it all off, Sigrid had never laughed harder than after seeing Dagur and his men get Zippleback gassed. The explosion as well as the intense coughing afterwards made her abs ache as she bellowed with laughter on Skullcrusher's back, to which the dragon seemed amused.

But sadly, this still wasn't the end. 

"Oh come on!" Tuffnut cursed after looking through the spyglass, watching the incoming armed Berserkers march through the sand below. "Are these guys serious? What's it gonna take?"

With one final huff, he looked towards the other two vikings.

"Sigrid, Astrid, take Skullcrusher and Stormfly and go. No matter what we do, I'll hold them off so we can make it out." 

So much for dramatics, Sigrid raised her brow. Yeah, no way that's happening.

"No way!" Astrid had the same idea. "I'm not leaving you!"

"Okay, how about I take Stormfly and you hold them off?" Sigrid chuckled at Tuffnut's bluff, and it seemed Astrid fell for it for a second. "Kidding! I almost got you though, right."

Astrid chuckled. 

"Yeah, you did." She admitted, before they all had to duck to avoid a ray of arrows. 

"Alright kids, whatever we're gonna do we need to do it fast." Sigrid pressed, and Tuffnut turned to her with a mad grin.

The viking spoke firmly. "What do you think about another crazy, out of control, brilliant idea?"

Sigrid smirked. "Do your worst, Thorston."

The game was on.

---

It was the first time that Sigrid was introduced to Smidvarg and the Gang, but she already adored the little critters, especially after they flew at the Berserkers' faces after being prompted by Stormfly's fire blast.

Sigrid flew down with Skullcrusher, the dragon's figure booming as the ground below her shook. The Rumblehorn was a mighty beast, and by the look on Ryker's face, the creature's strong stance impressed him, but it was clear that he'd been expecting her. 

"Sigrid The Relentless, such an honor to finally meet you face to face." The bald man chuckled, making Sigrid cringe at the sight of his disgusting teeth. 

Sigrid snarled. "I can't say the same for you." 

Her hand close to her axe, the Hooligan was distracted. Tunnel visioned on Ryker before she was caught off guard, tackled towards the sandy floor bed by a very annoyingly familiar force.

Rage filled her veins once again, as Sigrid kicked Dagur off of her, his figure standing up with a proud grin. Oh, how she'd love to swipe that smirk off his face. 

 "Hello, Sigrid." Dagur taunted her with his axe in hand.

Swinging her own axe in hand, the metal sung as the wind pushed past the blade. 

"I see you finally have the guts to take me on." She taunted back, smirking as she saw the Chief's eye twitch. 

She'd struck a long forgotten nerve, one that cut back to three years ago, on the edge of Dragon Island, when war was first declared. He'd hesitated to strike at her then, but now he was ready. 

"I won't be making that same mistake again." Dagur grumbled.

With a yell, Sigrid dashed towards the bearded man, weapon held at her side, as she wasn't planning on using it yet. It seemed that Dagur had been looking for an axe fight, which the woman completely dodged with her roll to kick attack, which launched him straight into the rock wall behind him.

With her axe held at his throat, Dagur squealed, flinching away from the steel. He'd definitely expected to last longer than that. In his defence, the two had never actually fought before. It was more like a hit and run, on Sigrid's part. But this was definitely way more fun for her.

"I'm starting to think you like my axe against your throat." The Hooligan smirked, and she could swear she saw a tinge of red flush on the Berserker's cheeks. 

She definitely won this round. 

Dagur had no retort, whether that was because he was feeling a little sweaty under the sharp metal of Sigrid's axe, or that her beautiful freckled - and very intimidating - face was so close to his, was unknown. Not that Sigrid minded the silence, Dagur definitely talked too much. In the meantime, were Sigrid's eyes always this beautiful? Or was he just now noticing? 

---

Tuffnut's plan had been a success - for the most part - and just like he always had to, Hiccup had come flying in to save the day, with Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and many mysterious dragons flying behind him. Sigrid rolled her eyes, a grin on her face as she thought about how dramatic her little brother looked, flying through the sunrise. Hiccup always had a way of making a dramatic entrance, she hoped he'd never change. 

"Why does he always have to make such a production out of everything? I really hate that guy." Dagur had the guts to speak, seeing as Sigrid's axe was no longer as close to his throat in her distraction.

Her brow furrowed in offence. Sigrid wasted no time to punch Dagur in the face, causing the Berserker to fall to the ground and passing out. 

"That guy is still my brother." She sneered.

Sigrid was happy to see them, and noting how easy it was to drive the hunters away when they had the whole team complete. Thor, it really made a difference.

Dagur had since gotten back on his feet, but wasn't daring to make a move on the oldest child of Stoick the Vast. It seemed that he finally learned his lesson - for now. Sigrid was a bit surprised that he still had the guts to call out for Heather's help. But hey, desperate times call for desperate measures. 

Sigrid send a wink Heather's way, before letting her drive her away with the help of Windshear, heroically rescuing her beloved brother from the evil Hooligan's clutches. She and Astrid would definitely laugh about it later.

In the end, the Edge was saved, and best of all, Sigrid got to punch Dagur in the face. 

"Hiccup, I think I should move to the Edge." Sigrid noted.

Her brother shrugged, a sheepish expression on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, you're probably right." He chuckled awkwardly.

Stoick wouldn't be gassed about his only other child leaving Berk's nest, but he'd have to deal with it. Because for now, the Dragon Riders needed her more. There was just one problem. Sigrid still didn't have her own dragon. 

---

Back on the Dragon Hunter ship, Heather was ready to blow her own head off. Her brother just wouldn't shut up, and it was all about Sigrid. 

"Can you believe it, Heather? The way she acted towards me, unbelievable!" Dagur rambled angrilly, throwing his hands around in frustration.

"I mean, who does she think she is? Just because she's the Chief's firstborn, Berk's strongest warrior, and really really tall, means she can just walk around like she owns the place? Not if I have a say in it!"

Heather rolled her eyes, this obsession with Sigrid was getting a little out of hand.

Normally it was just angry comments, or memories of supposed victory on Dagur's part. "This reminds me of that one time Sigrid threw an axe at my head." or, "I won that round, alright!" And finishing off with the most popular, "When me and Sigrid were betrothed...".

But ever since they got off of Dragon's Edge, Dagur had been on a constant rant. 

"Dagur, brother. I care, I really do. But can we please just stop talking about Sigrid for one minute?" Heather begged, and Dagur froze in his place. 

Dagur couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What? Me, rambling about Sigrid? You must be losing your mind, sister."

"Look, I don't mind that you're a bit obsessed with her. But, right now, I just want to go to bed." Heather was expecting her brother to retort with an insulted cry.

But he did no such thing. He just stood there, bewildered.

"Goodnight." Heather told him, a little hesitant as she left him by himself.

After his sister left, Dagur unfroze from his shock... sort off. 

"I don't like Sigrid." Dagur scoffed, crossing his arms with an offended look on his face. 

But then he paused, as if his brain finally begun to think. Before his mind could come to any conclusions, Dagur shook his head. He agreed with his sister, he was done talking about Sigrid... for now. 

Chapter Text

"I just don't get it, what is the problem?" Hiccup questioned as he paced back and forth, fingers placed under his thin as his brain rambled with thoughts. 

Sigrid sighed. "I've been wondering that for years." 

So, welcome to Hiccup's predicament; the inability to find his sister a dragon. 

"I don't understand, dragons love you! They're friendly, cuddly, and Thor, they even let you ride them!" he rambled on. "But there's something missing, a connection- a-a spark? I don't know."

It had taken a while for Sigrid to fully move in on Dragon's Edge, and the fact that she still didn't have a dragon made her move all the more difficult. She was moved into her brother's hut at the moment, until she finished building a place of her own. The twins had ever so graciously offered to help with her hut, but Sigrid politely refused, knowing how chaotic their differentiating opinions could be. Hiccup was worried, he'd never had this much trouble with dragons before. Granted, it wasn't truly a problem with him, but the fact that he wasn't able to find a dragon for Sigrid made him feel incredibly bad. Did he truly not know his sister, to the point he was unable to find a dragon and rider match? It troubled him deeply. 

But something else was troubling all of them in the distance. Something was wrong on Outcast Island, and it had led them all straight to Berk. The Skrill had escaped its icy bounds, to which Hiccup had put the dragon himself years before. Sigrid felt a little guilty that Toothless was once again the victim of two riders on his back, but at the moment they didn't have a choice. The redhead was glad that her father had Skullcrusher at his side for this one, from the stories she'd heard from her brother, and the little amount she'd witnessed for herself, this Skrill was not to mess with. 

The Skrill was attacking Berk, but it seemed they were doing pretty well at defending themselves for now. 

"Hey, look at that. The A-team, already on the case." Astrid pointed out with a smug look, obviously quite proud of her hard work.

Hiccup wasn't too enthusiastic himself. "Yeah, okay, it might be a little early in their dragon riding careers to-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the A-team was completely wiped out with a single lightning blast from the Skrill's back, which it launched with a cry, leaving the riders and their dragons to fall back down to Berk, hopefully in safety. 

"Dad!" Snotlout yelled out as he saw his father fall through the sky, launching down on Hookfang towards where Spitelout had fallen. 

They had no more time to waste. 

"Cover the town's riders!" Hiccup let out a final command before diving down with Toothless, Astrid and Stormfly following behind him closely, before going their separate ways. 

Suddenly, Toothless halted in his dash, angered eyes gazing up at the sky, leaving the siblings confused. 

"Toothless, what are you doing?" Hiccup questioned in concern after he spotted the very angry looking Skrill, who challenged the Nightfury with a mouth full of blue shocks. 

"Toothless no!" Hiccup yelled as his dragon ignored his pleas, dashing up straight for the legendary beast. 

Challenging the Skrill, Toothless charged a plasma blast before letting it loose, which in turn blew Hiccup and Sigrid off his back as it connected with the Skrill's lightning, blasting the two dragons apart. Whilst the two vikings fell, the Skrill flew back up in the thundering sky, safely away from the stubborn Nightfury, who was now falling with his riders.

Sigrid screamed as she fell further and further towards the ground, and unlike her brother she did not have a set of  'wings' hidden under her leather. But to her greatest luck, she didn't hit the ground, thanks to a tight grip around her legs. Stormfly had caught her, and Sigrid couldn't be more thankful for Astrid's watchful eye. 

Everyone else seemed to be okay, aside from Spitelout being shot with lightning, leaving him a mumbling mess. It appeared that all of the huts were alright too, except...

"My house!" Stoick shouted at the smoke protruding from his hut, Sigrid's childhood home. 

"It's not randomly attacking, it's looking for me and Toothless." Hiccup concluded, the Skrill had followed his location for a reason.

But they weren't going to wait for the Skrill, they were going to find it themselves. The storms near Berk were still cloudy, which meant that the dragon hadn't gone far. If Hiccup wanted to fight the dragon soon, he'd need to challenge it. 

"Dad, please! I need to go out there!" Sigrid pleaded with her father, as he went through all off the possible damage to his hut. 

Stoick shook his head. "You've been joining your brother's dragon games more than enough times. Sigrid, you can't just keep borrowing Skullcrusher whenever you need." 

"But I don't have my own dragon, dad. Trust me, I've tried, I just- I can't seem to connect with any of them." The redhead sighed, crossing her arms over one another as she slumped into her usual stool. 

Her father sighed. Obviously, he understood her anxiousness. Her brother was up there by himself - or rather without her - and the girl felt like a sitting duck. Well, woman now, Stoick supposed. He still couldn't believe that they'd grown up so fast. 

"Maybe it's not that you can't bond with a dragon, but simply that you don't want to bond with a dragon?"

Her father's suggestion made Sigrid's brow raise. Of course she wanted to bond with a dragon, what does he think she's been trying to do all these years?

"You've gone crazy, dad." Was all she had to say, to which Stoick could only chuckle.

Stoick shrugged. 

"Well, the way I see it, as long as you don't have a dragon, you'll always have to stick by me or your brother." The Chief started, but the woman still wasn't getting it. "I think you're afraid that when you have a dragon of your own, your brother won't need a reason to spend time with you anymore."

...

Sigrid had to think about that one for a second.

"Well, it's not like I mind riding with him on Toothless." She started slowly, her father raising a brow for her to continue along with the wave of a hand. "...and it genuinely makes me happy that he's so passionate about dragons, and how excited he gets when he's working on finding me a dragon..." 

She paused.

"Sure, I'm a little worried that once I make a connection that he won't feel the need to talk to me anymore, or that he won't need me for missions. But, that doesn't mean I'm purposefully avoiding a dragon-rider relationship....right?"

Stoick shrugged. "I don't know, lass. What do you think?"

Man, she hated when he had a point. But the processing of internalized feelings would have to wait, as a Terrible Terror told her that she now had bigger problems at hand. 

Sigrid, we need you at the Edge. 

Dagur has the Skrill.

-Your brother, Hiccup

Stoick wanted to slam his head against the door. Of course, the moment he was this close to making a breakthrough with his stubborn viking of a daughter, another battle would take her mind off the matter. But even he couldn't say no to her sky-blue puppy eyes for long.

"Fine, you can take Skullcrusher." He sighed, watching as his daughter cheered. "But this will be the last time!"

Yeah, he probably wasn't going to take her up on that when the time came. But at least he tried being stern with her.

---

"You let the dragon hunters capture the Skrill?" Astrid asked in bewilderment. 

Hiccup shook his head, guilt flooding his features. "That wasn't the plan. They were supposed to take it down, and then we would swoop in and grab it away, but..."

"They got to it first." Fishlegs realized.

Snotlout was in hysterics. "So Dagur has the Skrill, again? Great! Now he's just going to chain that thing up like a puppet, and take it on the greatest hit-attack run of the Archipelago!" 

Spitelout chimed in with lightning-mumbled words of anger.

"I agree with you, dad, I'm very disappointed in Hiccup too." Snotlout crossed his arms with a frown.

Sigrid frowned, she really didn't like everyone's take on this. Of course she realised that such a dragon in the hands of Dagur would be bad, but the description of the torture of this poor creature was making her skin crawl. The woman felt so guilty that she - in her own opinion - was way worse several years ago, before her brother changed everyone's life.

"They had some sort of new net-shooting catapult." Hiccup noted, to which the twins began to theorize.

Ruffnut scratched the back of her neck. 

"Net-shooting catapult?" She questioned, before nodding towards her brother. "You know, no one ever plans for the intangibles."

"Hiccup, it's just-" Fishlegs tried to chime in before being interrupted by Tuffnut.

"-Confusing." Tuffnut continued. "I, for one, am confused."

Ruffnut crossed her arms. "Yeah, intrigued."

"Ah yes, moral ambiguity. Something else you never see coming." Tuffnut philosophized. "Yup, catapults, and moral ambiguity."

Hiccup raised his brow.

"Look, there's really no moral ambiguity here." He sighed, his shoulders slumping down as he gazed down to the floor. "I messed up, and I'm not sure how to fix it."

The twins gasped in shock, making both Haddock siblings raise their brow.

"What now?" Hiccup groaned.

Tuffnut shivered. "We've just...never heard you say that before." 

"You always know how to fix it!" Ruffnut finished. 

Hiccup shrugged. "Yeah, well guess what, I'm not perfect."

The twins gasped in shock.

"What, no way!" Tuffnut whimpered. "Whose painting am I going to hang above my bed?!"

Sigrid threw her arms around both the twins shoulders at their genuine emotional turmoil, although it was - admittedly - highly concerning. 

"First of all, ew." Astrid scolded the twins, before turning to Hiccup. "Second, everything you did, you did to protect that dragon, and to protect all of us. Now the question isn't how you fix it, it's how we all fix it, as a team."

That's the spirit, Sigrid gave Astrid a proud nodge to the arm. She'd taught the girl to have some positive spirit after all. Now with everyone's team morale in check, there was one - well technically two - tasks left; find the Skrill, and save it from the dragon hunters. Sigrid was already apologizing to Toothless in advance, for the possible back pain. 

---

"Alright, we'll quietly make our way on the tree line over to those cages." Hiccup pointed towards the other end of the beach, where a group of Berserker's were camping in the middle. "That must be where they're holding the Skrill."

"My dad says that's a terrible plan, and we should just attack- wait what?!" Before Snotlout could process the lightning-mumbled translation, Spitelout had already run out into the field, ignoring whatever Hiccup wanted to do and doing his own thing...as always.

Hiccup looked on with wide eyes. 

"Okay, uh, change of plans." He peeped. "We'll use Spitelout as a distraction. Snotlout, you and your dad keep the hunters busy, while the rest of us go get the Skrill."

At least Snotlout was willing to comply, going off towards his dad with Hookfang. A distraction Hiccup wanted, and a distraction Hiccup would get.

Sigrid rode with her brother on Toothless towards the aray of cages filled with dragons. Nadders and Gronckles, but no Skrill yet, until they passed a cage in the shallow of the water, covered up with a hide over the top, draping down towards the mid of the bars. 

"That's gotta be the right cage." Sigrid noted.

She had to roll her eyes at Dagur's dramatics. Like, yeah, sure, just make your most precious thing the most notable.

Hiccup nodded. "It's the only one submerged in the water."

Getting off of Toothless, he walked towards the covered cage. 

"Cover me." He asked the others, before he went to yank the hide off.

Surprise, surprise, the Skrill was revealed, and it did not look happy. The dragon screeched at Hiccup, and Sigrid had to gasp from the beauty of the magnificent beast. She understood why the Berserker's had made such legends out of these dragons. They must've been god-like. 

"I know, I know, you can't fire while you're in the water. But don't worry, we're here to help." Her brother tried to approach the Skrill with gentle hands, but it was clear that the creature didn't trust him, instead choosing to snap at his fingers. 

Hiccup jumped back in alarm, to which Toothless hissed. "No, no, Toothless, I'm okay bud." 

The youngest Haddock tried again, but the Skrill had the same reaction. Sigrid's eyes shone as she came up with an idea. She just hoped her brother trusted her enough. 

"Hiccup." She called out, making her brother stop his motions to look back at her. "Can I try?"

To say Hiccup was flabbergasted would be an understatement. 

"I mean... I guess- not really? Sure?" Was the final verdict, and Sigrid chose to take that as a yes. 

With her brother coaching her every move, she felt a little more confident in approaching the shining purple beasts. The Skrill looked tense, but a bit more comfortable in her presence than her brothers, but she supposed that was because they had history, and Sigrid was a new face. 

Sigrid stretched her hand out slowly, palm flat as she moved slowly towards the dragon. The Skrill hissed out once again, but unlike her brother it didn't try and take her hand off. Sigrid pulled her hand back a little, a saddened frown on her face, this poor creature has been treated so badly. 

"I know, I'm sorry. I understand that it's hard to trust people, especially during all of this." She gestured towards the dragon-proof cage. "But I promise, I'm- we're really trying to help."

The Skrill allowed her to get a little closer than before, but cried out once again when her hand got too close for comfort. 

Hiccup cringed. "Alright pal, let's just keep it down or they'll hear us." 

"Oh, it's too late for that." Ryker's voice called from behind them, shocking the woman to take her stance away from the Skrill, who in turn cowered back towards the furthest end of the cage.

They were surrounded by Dragon Hunters, their weapons raised, ready to fire if needed. Snotlout and his father had been captured, much to Spitelout's obvious resentment. If any of them would even try to fly away at this moment, they would be shot down. 

This wasn't good.

Sigrid's blood began to boil at the mere sight of the approaching Berserker Chief, who wore a victorious grin on his face. 

"Told you they'd come back for my Skrill." He bumped his hand against Ryker's arm, casually strolling up to get into the Haddock siblings' spaces. "How could you, Sigrid? We've barely had time to get acquainted!" 

He looked straight past Hiccup - which was, quite honestly, a big surprise - just to taunt Sigrid to her face. Apparently something he enjoyed that much more than getting the upper hand on his 'brother'. 

The Skrill obviously did not appreciate his presence, as it let out a cry of alarm, it's pupils switching to slits. The dragon was angry, sure, but it was more afraid if anything. 

"It's alright, baby. This is all still so new." 

Sigrid wanted to vomit at Dagur's soft-spoken words. 

"Nevermind that, Dagur." Ryker smirked. "Just look at all the new dragons your friend has brought us."

He chuckled villainously.

"Cage 'em up, and muzzle the Nightfury."

Dagur pushed the Haddock siblings towards the others, Sigrid almost bit his fingers off at the aggressive movement, as if he was actively trying to dislocate her brother's shoulder. 

"Touch me again, and it'll be the last time you have hands." She threatened with a growl, to which Dagur oehed sarcastically, bumping her again just for the sake of it. 

This man was going to make her eye pop out one day, she was sure of it. As they were thrown against the other Dragon Riders, Hiccup didn't look so deterred as he watched the Skrill wiggle around its cage, bashing against the metal bars.

"What are you thinking?" Sigrid whispered to her brother, curiosity filling her very being. 

She could still kick some ass, even if they were definitely in the minority, the bruised would be worth it.

Hiccup smirked. "That the enemy of my enemy-"

"-Might kill us all?" Astrid chimed in. 

"Yes." Hiccup nodded. "But he also might help us."

Beckoning towards his sister to join him, Hiccup dashed forward under the Hunter's arms, he took out the two guarding Toothless with a simple push. Sigrid stomped on their heads just for good measure. 

"Toothless, the cage!" Hiccup commanded the Nightfury, who wasted no time in following orders, running behind the dragon-proof cage. "Sigrid, go help that dragon!" 

"On it!" Sigrid called back, charging after Toothless, helping the dragon to push over the cage.

 The Skrill looked at them with surprise, stilled in its previous thrashing movements to instead watch them with care, not a cry or wince in its body. With a final cry, Toothless and Sigrid were able to push the cage over onto the sandy lands, out of the water, and the woman made sure to keep her distance for what was to come. Lightning rods shot from out of the sky, as the Skrill was finally able to charge itself out of the cage. In the darkness of the night, the creature looked even more god-like, as if it was created by Thor himself. It powered itself up from the thundering clouds, before blasting any Berserker in sight. 

But Ryker wasn't so easily taken down. Lining up a rooted-arrow, he aimed for the Skrill whose tail had gotten stuck between the bars. The dragon would not be able to dodge the shot. 

"Not on my watch." Sigrid grumbled before running towards the lined up arrow as it was shot, throwing herself in front of the trapped Skrill. 

She heard her brother call out her name, but right now Sigrid could only pray she'd take the hit, for to catch the arrow she'd already be too late. But the arrow never hit, for Toothless, her brother's most loyal companion, had taken the blow for her, knocking him to the ground besides her. 

"Toothless!" Sigrid called out in surprise, honestly not haven expected the Nightfury to protect her. 

Not only did the dragon care for her brother tremendously, he also cared for her. Or perhaps he was paying off a gratitude from years ago, when she'd jumped on top of that flaming boat to save him. Either or, Sigrid was filled with gratitude. The Skrill had freed itself, flying up in the air with might to which the Hunters and Riders could only look on. With a scowl on its face, it charged up with more lightning than ever before, electricity flowing over its wings like Mjölnir. Hiccup had to hold himself back from rushing towards his dragon, and his sister, as any wrong move could potentially alarm the already angered Skrill. 

"Uh- what's it doing?" Dagur cowered back.

Ryker scoffed. "You tell me, it's your dragon!"

Sigrid stared up at the Skrill with wide blue eyes, as the dragon stared right back at her. It felt like hours that the dragon watched her with it's slitted gaze, before it frowned and dashed down towards them. Sigrid hunched herself over Toothless' face, protecting the dragon from whatever would be to come. But the Skrill didn't go for them, and Hiccup couldn't be more relieved. Instead, it seemed that the dragon was doing Sigrid's job for her, charging at the Dragon Hunters.

"Oh no." Dagur whimpered, before he too was shot at, and the Dragon Hunters had to retreat. That alone made Sigrid's day.

At least, it was all fun and games until Spitelout shot the Skrill down in revenge. Sigrid immediately ran for the Skrill, caring for its wound. Her eyes asked the dragon for permission to approach, to which the Skrill let out a tired sigh. It was done fighting.

Trying not to overstep any boundaries, Sigrid slowed her hand down to the Skrill's snout, allowing it to take in her scent. The Skrill didn't nudge its head towards her palm, like Toothless would do to Hiccup. But Sigrid didn't need it to. She just wanted the dragon to feel safe.

---

Safe was probably a hard thing to feel now, as the Skrill was carried through the sky in a net, planning to be dropped back into the icy glacure it had come from before. Sigrid stood by in silent protest. If her brother felt this was the best thing to do, she'd have to agree with it, but that didn't mean she was happy about it.

Hiccup could see his sister's worried gaze, but even without it he felt himself become less and less certain about this plan. He too could see the sadness in the Skrill's eyes, much like the fear he'd seen in Toothless when he first found him in those woods. It didn't feel right to trap the dragon again.

It seemed that his sister had made that decision a bit sooner. 

"Wait! We can't do this." She protested.

Snotlout scoffed. "Sure we can. We drop him in and then boom! We seal it closed." 

Spitelout definitely agreed with that plan.

"I agree with Sigrid, we shouldn't do this." Hiccup stood forward, making Sigrid smile. 

Astrid sighed. "Hiccup, the Skrill hunted you and Toothless, it wanted to kill you."

"But it didn't, and it didn't hurt me either." Sigrid spoke in place of her brother, but he didn't seem to mind. "It saved us, and it risked it's own life doing so. If we do this, in my opinion, we're no better than the dragon hunters." 

Sigrid barely paid attention to how her hand slowly rose to the Skrill's bundled up figure, or how the dragon closed its eyes in acceptance to her touch. But Hiccup surely noticed, and internally he was beaming. 

"We'd just be using a different cage." Hiccup nodded. "And he doesn't deserve that."

It seemed that their speil was enough to get the other to agree, and Hiccup lended his sister the honor of cutting the Skrill free, which she did with pleasure. The dragon stretched from its long journey, wings immediately twitching with lightning as its face inched closer to Sigrid. The woman was practically frozen.

From behind her, Hiccup's hand found Sigrid's elbow as he guided her arm towards the dragon. Sigrid held out her palm automatically, her face still wide with shock, to which Hiccup smiled. It had taken years for his sister to bond with a dragon, and he wasn't going to let this opportunity fly so soon. 

The Skrill paused before her with a shudder, and as if commanded Sigrid lowered her hand. In turn, they both just stood there for a second, Toothless and Hiccup behind them, in silence. The twitching blue stopped, as the dragon bowed its head towards the three, to which even Hiccup was shocked. Sigrid bowed back, it just seemed like the right thing to do. 

With a cry into the open air, the Skrill charged up again and zapped right back into the sky with the speed of sound. Leaving Spitelout to be electrocuted once again; well deserved. 

"Wow." Sigrid gasped, still shocked by the whole ordeal.

Hiccup chuckled, hugging his sister tightly. The woman didn't know it yet, but she'd just bonded with a dragon. He just hoped the Skrill would come back, some day. 

Chapter Text

Ever since the Skrill encounter, Sigrid had been very busy with her hut. And if it wasn't for everyone wanting to chime in with her plans, she'd gotten it done a while ago.

Astrid was sure she needed her own launch spot, whilst the twins were convinced she needed a mud pile. Fishlegs was positive she needed her own quiet space, and Snotlout... well, he didn't really care.

Sigrid was glad to see that her hut was almost finished, which meant she could officially move out of her brother's, finally! Not that she didn't love her brother to death, she just didn't overly enjoy sharing a room with him. He snores...

In the meantime, she really needed to get some more logs, and there was only one place to find them. The woods, obviously. Not only was the Dragon Edge wilderness great for finding resources, but also for some peace and quiet, and Thor knows that Sigrid really needed that at the moment.

---

The splashing of the thorough river was enough to calm Sigrid's mind, as she decided to take a break from all of her hard word, and sit down in front of the waters shore. Legs crossed over one another, she took a deep breath in, and let a deep breath out. With her eyes closed, her ears noted all of the normal sounds of fauna and flora throughout the island. As far as her hearing could reach, of course. After all of that Dragon Hunter drama, a moment of rest like this was crucial for one's sanity. Especially one as rageful as Sigrid.

She just didn't expect that once she opened her eyes that there would be reptilian pupils staring right back at her.

Sigrid gasped, her figure flinching as she fell slightly backwards, her arms catching her from landing on the ground. The dragon seemed a little jumpy by her reaction, but not entirely surprised. The one who seemed the most surprised was the viking herself, she thought she'd never see the dragon again.

"H-hello?" Sigrid questioned as she straightened up, eyes darting back and forth from the Skrill to the surrounding trees. "Uh- it's been a while, huh?"

The Skrill huffed, but otherwise sat perfectly still. Waiting for something, something Sigrid didn't know.

"Uhm..." The woman paused once again, not really sure of what to do. But there was one way to always please a dragon. "Are you hungry?"

The Skrill roared, yes, it was hungry. But, what do you feed a Skrill?

---

Sigrid's new task hadn't been an easy one. She was soaking wet from head to toe, after having caught some stubborn fishes in a sturdy net. But the Skrill had turned its nose up for all of them so far. So far, it didn't like trout, salmon, cod, char, mackerel, halibut and herring...which was pretty much all they had.

Sigrid sighed, she probably should've asked Fishlegs for help before diving into the waters, but she doubted any of the riders would react calmly at the Skrill's sudden appearance. And Odin knows how the Skrill would react.

In her mind, Sigrid was counting every possible fish she could possibly feed a dragon without either drowning herself or accidentally killing the dragon from food poisoning. A spark went off in her mind, but she questioned herself, no dragon had liked this fish before -and honestly, neither did Vikings- but it was worth a try.

...

"Really? You like those?" Sigrid questioned the dragon as it gulped down a long slimy eel, gurgling with cheer at the supposed delicious meal. "I guess it makes sense, with electricity and all."

Now, Sigrid didn't know what to do. The Skrill seemed pleased with it's basket full of eels, but other than getting fed, Sigrid didn't know if the dragon wanted anything to do with her. However, seeing from the silence on Dragon's Edge, no one else had seen the Skrill yet, meaning it had gone straight to her. But what did that mean?

The viking and dragon had a connection, those few weeks ago, she was sure of it. But if that meant that the Skrill was willing to be trained would be another question. The poor thing had been through so much torture and fear in such a short period of time, not even counting it's encounter with Dagur over three years ago. Sigrid couldn't image what the Skrill must be feeling.

So instead of wondering what the Skrill wanted, Sigrid decided that the dragon would show her by itself. With a calm sigh, Sigrid lowered herself slowly onto the green grounds below, crossing her legs just like she had when she was faced with the dragon this morning. If the Skrill wanted to, she'd let it come to her.

Sigrid sat quiet and waited, whilst the Skrill walked around the area, circling near the small water stream as it watched the movement in awe. It probably hadn't felt this peaceful in a long time. Sigrid observed the Skrill, as it enjoyed the area around it, only acknowledging her presence with small glances, as if checking if she was still there. That's all this creature wanted, Sigrid realised, to be free. Not to suffer under someone's command, or be chained down in a cage or trapped in ice -no, the Skrill just wanted to be free.

The woman smiled, leaned to the side as she watched the dragon play by itself with amusement. This dragon really wasn't as dangerous as she'd thought before, not when it was left alone. Letting herself fall back on the grass, she put her hands behind her head and looked up at the bright blue sky. With a peaceful smile on her face, Sigrid closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. This was true zen.

She rested, for what must've been hours, before she felt heavy breathing near her face. The Skrill had approached her carefully, sniffing her face and carefully pushing its snout against her. Giggling, Sigrid slowly opened her eyes, seeing the dragon lean its head back with a tilt, as if it was curious to what she was doing.

"You wanna lay with me?" She asked with a gentle voice.

The dragon cooed, looking questionably at the ground where the viking laid, before circling itself and sloppily flopping on the ground, almost landing half on top of Sigrid, but the woman didn't mind. Sigrid chuckled, so silly. Fighting back the urge to run her fingers over the purple shimmering scales, Sigrid just laid silently, letting the Skrill enjoy its freedom as much as it could, until she felt a nudge against her hand.

The Skrill's snout pushed up against her hand, as if begging her to lay her hand against it. Sigrid didn't need to be told twice, gently caressing the Skrill with caring fingers. Sigrid was amazed. She couldn't believe it, that such a legendary beast was acting like a house cat right under her hand. No other dragon interaction could top this moment, Sigrid was sure of that.

Sigrid spend some more time with the Skrill, giving it a final batch of eels before saying her goodbye's.

"I'll be heading back now, don't want anyone to miss me." She joked, giving the dragon a gentle smile before heading on her way.

The Skrill watched the tall red headed woman walk away with a questionable tilt of the head. Sigrid hoped she'd see the dragon again.

---

"Finally decided to join us, huh?" Snotlout crossed his arms as Sigrid joined them at the dinner table, a piece of yak on everyone's plate.

Astrid had really outdone herself tonight, Sigrid hoped her brother had helped her; which he probably had.

Sigrid nudged Snotlout's shoulder, before taking her seat on her brother's left. "Oh, so I can't have some alone time now?"

"Absolutely not." Ruffnut gasped, her brother seemingly just as offended.

Tuffnut nodded. "Who's gonna kiss our booboos if you're not here?"

"Okay, guys, cut it out." Hiccup shushed them, just as weirded out by the twins' usual behavior as Sigrid was. "So, did you do anything fun?"

Sigrid snorted at her brother's attempt at small talk. "Mostly just hung around the woods, had a little swim."

"And uh- did you, perhaps, train a Skrill?" Fishlegs spoke lowly from his opposite seat, his eyes wide as he seemed to gape at something past the woman.

Sigrid furrowed her brow.

"What?" She questioned, how could he possibly know that.

Instead of answering, Fishlegs pointed behind her to the main hut's entrance, to which everyone turned around to see what he was so shocked by. The dragon riders gasped at the sight of the Skill that tried to kill them not too long ago, sitting there with its head tilting like a cat, eyes focussed on Sigrid.

"You trained the Skrill?!" Hiccup gasped in bewilderment, his eyes gleaming as he rose from his seat.

The Skrill didn't seem as delighted by the attention, as it started to back off from the entrance, preparing to fly away if they came too close for comfort.

Sigrid was more focussed on making the Skrill feel safe than explaining her day to her brother. "Well- I wouldn't say trained, more like... hung out?"

"Hung out?" Astrid questioned.

"Yeah." With a calm approach, Sigrid kneeled down towards the Skrill.

Holding her hand out, it acted as a peace offering.

"It's okay, we're good." She cooed, promising the Skrill that no one here would try and hurt it.

Her confident words made the Skrill feel a little bit more at ease, allowing itself to lean forward, letting its snout fall into Sigrid's palm, a small sigh leaving it's nostrils as the warm air hit the woman's fingers. She smiled, happy she'd earned the dragon's trust.

"Congratulations sister, you've just trained your first dragon." Hiccup spoke from behind her, a little calmer than he had before, but with just as much excitement.

After years of work, Sigrid had finally bonded with a dragon. However, Hiccup also realised that riding the Skrill would take a lot of time and training. This dragon had been badly hurt before, and it surely didn't let a grudge go easily. But Hiccup was sure that Sigrid was willing to do whatever it takes to connect with the Skrill.

Now, for the first step...

"Do you have a name for him already?" Hiccup questioned, and Sigrid thought about it for a minute.

"Hmm, I was thinking Electrode? Does that sound good?" The woman questioned.

Her brother shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

"Are we even sure it's a boy?" Fishlegs pondered from furthest behind them, he too was absolutely fascinated with the magnificent beast. "I mean, we never checked, did we?"

He had a point.

Snotlout snorted. "I don't know, Fishlegs, do you wanna find out?"

Yeah, they'd save the checking for later. Sigrid didn't care whether Electrode was male or female, she was just honored that the Skrill had chosen her to be his rider. They had a long journey ahead of them, and Sigrid couldn't wait to get started.

Chapter Text

After gathering up the courage, Fishlegs had revealed that Electrode was in fact male, a discovery he got just a little zapped for. This didn't really mean much, except for the fact they'd have to be attentive during breeding season, just incase the lad would want to fly off, they'd know where he'd gone off to.

For Sigrid, she cared more about getting to know the Skrill if anything. She'd seen bits and pieces of his personality during their rescue mission, as well as their time spend together in the woods, but if she wanted to train this dragon she'd have to know the dragon. She'd learn about him, so in turn, he could learn about her. So the woman did what had worked for her before, sitting in an open field with Electrode, and letting him do his thing. She tried her best not to overly acknowledge the dragon, in fear he'd be intimidated by her watchful eye, instead she just let him wander - just like she'd done before - with her eyes watching the sky above. Peaceful, and silent.

Electrode seemed comfortable, at least. It felt like the dragon hadn't seen nature at ease in centuries, which was quite possibly true, as Skrill's could freeze themselves for hundreds of years at a time. Sigrid couldn't image what the dragon must've been through in his lifetime. Now that she thought about it, she had no clue how old the dragon actually was. Maybe she'd never know, she had no idea how to check; or if she even could.

Now, her dragon was entertained, but Sigrid had to be honest, she was getting a little bored. Her blue eyes looked around, wondering what she could do that would a, be fun, and b, not scare the Skrill. Feeling around in her pockets, she silently cheered when discovering that she hadn't forgotten to pack one of her smaller daggers. Taking the piece of shining metal out of its hiding place, she twirled it around in her fingers, taking in every carved detail of the sharp weapon.

It was beautiful, the dagger. Handcrafted by Gobber himself, like practically all weapons on Berk were. But this one was special, her father had told her himself, as it was commissioned by him as a birth gift for his firstborn child, her. Her mother had scolded him, jokingly, each time he brought up the tiny dagger in conversation. It was one of Sigrid's fondest memories still left of her mother. And although they were blurry, she treasured them all the same.

Where was her mother now? Surely dead, eaten by a dragon. That's what everyone had said. Sigrid always held hope that her mother had survived the attack, even with everyone telling her otherwise. That was until her brother came back with a trained Nightfury, revealing that the dragons were raiding them to bring things to the nest, to offer them to their Queen, the Red Death. In that moment, Sigrid lost all hope. Her mother could survive a lot, she was sure, but being dropped in the gaping mouth of that monstrous beast was not one of them. So now, she tended to believe the stories told on Berk, for she had no other reality to grasp onto.

Did Dagur miss Oswald? Sigrid's mind began to wonder. According to the redheaded lad himself, his father had retired, and he'd definitely hinted at killing the Agreeable Chief himself. Were his stories actually true? Sigrid had always wondered. Sure, the boy was criminally insane, but she didn't see him as the father-killing type. Ironically enough, as he seemed to have no trouble burning other villages to the ground. Was Oswald even dead? Sigrid had no answer. It saddened her, to think that the boy she grew up with - and was supposed to marry - did in fact kill his own father, the one person that made Sigrid's seemingly inevitable fate on Berserker Island seem sort of alright.

Sigrid shook her head, was she going crazy? Why was she thinking about Dagur in the first place? To be fair, it wasn't that rare that the Berserker Chief was on her mind. I mean, she'd known him for almost her whole life, they'd been engaged, arranged or not, and were now sworn enemies fighting against opposites sides of a war for years. Strange to see how life evolves.

Maybe if things had been different, she might've even liked Dagur.

It seemed that, in her dilemma, Electrode had grown more curious towards Sigrid than he was to his surroundings, as the dragon decided to take his place in front of her and watch her fingers twirl the dagger around. At first, Sigrid assumed he just enjoyed watching her, until she went to put the shining metal away, to which the Skrill followed the dagger with wide fascinated eyes.

Just out of curiosity, Sigrid wiggled the blade around, her brow raised and a smirk on her face when the dragon bobbed his head up and down, whilst his eyes kept close track of the weapon. His pupils were wide as saucers as he gleamed at the moving dagger, and Sigrid grew curious.

"You want this?" She cooed, twirling the metal around some more.

Her tone got Electrode excited, as he started to wriggle in place, as if preparing to pounce.

"Then go get it!" She shouted, before throwing the dagger off into the distance, hitting a tree in the distance.

Electrode was after it in a second, huffing in excitement as he dashed after the thrown weapon. He was gone for just a second, before he hopped back with lightweight paws, happily dashing forward to return the dagger to its rightful owner. Sigrid grabbed the dagger from her dragon, and it seemed he was expecting her to throw it again, so she did. Again, and again, and again. Probably the longest game of fetch she'd ever played in her life.

---

The day had gone by fast, and she'd long gave Electrode his eels, and tucked him into his new dragon pen, she'd gone off to bed. But Sigrid couldn't help but wonder, as she looked up at the wooden ceiling, covered in dozens of furs, that perhaps today's discovery could lead to something.

"It makes sense." Fishlegs said over breakfast. "The Berserker's wore armor to attract the Skrill's, so they could trap them. So it doesn't surprise me that Electrode likes your dagger so much."

Sigrid hummed, the blonde vast Viking had a point. Perhaps, if Electrode was willing to fetch her dagger, maybe he'd be keen to fetch other, bigger, things as well. Only one way to find out.

---

"Okay, boy." Sigrid spoke with a wide smile at the dragon sat in front of her, watching her twirl her axe around.

The sunlight beaming off the metal with a beautiful shine. To the Skrill, it was enchanting.

"Let's see if you can fetch this."

With a grunt, Sigrid threw her axe far behind her, hitting the target she'd set up that same morning right in the drawn-on head. Just like she had hoped for, Electrode seemed to love the shine of her axe just as much as her dagger, and he flew after it with great speed. And just like he had with the smaller piece of metal before, he returned her axe to her all the same.

"Alright, Electrode." Sigrid praised the dragon, feeding him a small piece of eel for being such a good sport. "How about we try that again, but in a different way."

The dragon was nervous, Sigrid could tell, but she hoped he'd see this through. The saddle she and her brother had crafted for him fit like a glove, and was gentle on his sides. Luckily, Electrode didn't seem too uncomfortable with the leather straps around his torso, but they'd have to see what he'd think of being ridden.

Carefully, Sigrid mounded his back, making sure to not hit the dragon with too much force at once, not wanting to overwhelm him. To her surprise, Electrode seemed to adjust to the extra baggage pretty quickly, and with Sigrid's simple command, they were up in the air. The training course was just like Astrid had left it, with a few more added additions for Sigrid's experiment. On the sidelines, the other riders were trying to not be noticed by the Skrill -in fear it would give him stage fright- but they were so curious to see where this could go.

Sigrid let out a deep breath, hauling her axe as she aimed for her first target. It was strange, aiming her weapon whilst sitting on a wiggling, moving dragon, but she'd get used to it.

"Okay boy, fetch!" She called out, throwing the axe at the round red-centered circle, where it entered bullseye.

Electrode swooped down to where the shining metal had landed, his mouth opening to latch onto the handle, his teeth grasping it securely before pulling it out of the wood, before flying away into the air again. Sigrid cheered, leaning forward to take her axe back from him, before doing it again with all the targets around. Today's session had been a success, and Electrode had received many treats of eel at the end of it.

"Those dragon hunters are sure gonna have fun with that." The twins chuckled mischievously, they were always Sigrid's biggest fans.

The riders were ecstatic, who would've thought, one of their own riding a Skrill? They just hoped Dagur wouldn't be too much of an issue, since you know, they had 'his' Skrill.

Chapter Text

"You should've seen the look on Ryker's face." Snotlout boasted to Sigrid after the riders got back from another mission. "I was like, 'Tuff, now!', and he was like..."

"Your wish is my command, Snotman." Tuffnut finished with a faked deep voice, his hand held to his chest as he pointed his finger up in the air. "And then, bam!"

Both vikings finished in harmony, like a girl-group ready for their next chorus. 

Sigrid chuckled in amusement. They really were like children sometimes, but she couldn't help but adore it. Astrid wasn't as happy about this mission's encounter though, her face made that very clear.

She was worried about Heather, and Sigrid gave her every right to be. But right now, they couldn't do anything, not if they wanted her cover completely blown.

"Ahw man, Sigrid, you missed so much." Ruffnut joined in, wanting to distract herself from her brother and Snotlout's sudden infatuation with each other.

"Oh, did I?" Sigrid hummed as she made some adjustments to Electrode's saddle, so it would be a little more comfortably snug around his sides. 

Ruffnut nodded, a mischievous smirk on her face. "Yup, Dagur was really disappointed that you weren't there."

Ah, now Sigrid knew why the Thorston twin had decided to mingle with her. Ruffnut just wanted to see how far she could push. 

She rolled her eyes. "Told you so himself, did he?"

"Well... no." Ruffnut frowned, as if her brain made an error. "But I could see it, we all could. Just ask Astrid." 

Sigrid grinned, retorting with a shrug. "Well, than you can be sure to tell Dagur that I'll definitely be there next time."

"You will?" Ruffnut gleamed, hands clasping together as she put on her best puppy eyes. 

The redhead laughed. "Absolutely, I think Electrode is eager for some payback." 

"Ooh, I like your style." Ruffnut smirked. She'd look forward to seeing the Berserker fried, nothing personal to the man, it was just funny. "On a different note, can I borrow the Dragon Eye?"

Wow, alright, that was a weird change of question. 

"It's Hiccup's, not mine, you can ask him."

Ruffnut groaned in disappointment, obviously counting on mother Sigrid to give her permission so it could overrule Hiccup's potential anger of her stealing it. Turns out she wouldn't get that satisfaction though, so she'd just take it when he wasn't looking.

"Alright, I will." Ruffnut rolled her eyes, before going on her way. 

Yeah, Sigrid didn't believe that. But that wasn't her problem. Right now, there was a more important task at hand. Heather had news, and Hiccup wanted his sister to go with him and Astrid just incase. And besides, it was best for Electrode to fly with his rider whenever he could, so he would be prepared for the weight when he joined the battlefield.

---

As soon as she dismounted her dragon, Heather hugged the older redhead tightly. She hadn't seen her in a while, and for Heather that was way too long. Obviously, she cared for her brother, but he could be a bit overwhelming. She'd gotten so used to Sigrid as an older sibling figure, she really began to miss her after she decided to infiltrate the dragon hunters. 

"Viggo suspects Ryker and Dagur. He asked me to go with him to capture the Flightmare. Just me, Windshear, and him." 

"Flightmare?" Hiccup raised his brow. "Why would Viggo want the Flightmare?"

Heather sighed. "Hiccup, you're missing the point."

"He does that, from time to time." Astrid butted in.

"No, no I don't." Hiccup tried to defend himself.

Sigrid rolled her eyes, hand pointing out towards Heather as she sighed. 

"Can we get to the point, please?" She asked, they didn't exactly have all the time in the world.

Heather nodded with a proud smirk on her face. 

"It's me, Viggo, and Windshear. The perfect time for an ambush." She seemed sure of herself, but Sigrid wasn't so convinced.

"I agree." Hiccup thought about it, and Sigrid almost got whiplash from the surprise that her brother didn't share her same thoughts. "But, how exactly does Viggo think the three of you are going to capture the Flightmare." 

Her brother made a good point, at least they agreed on one thing. Two people and one dragon didn't seem like a great combo for such a mighty beast. What was it that they were not seeing? A piece of this weird puzzle was still missing. 

"You haven't met Viggo Grimborn. He is a professional dragon hunter."

"Right, but... you're not going to actually let him capture it?" Hiccup stated more than he asked. 

Heather shook her head. "Of course not. That's where the ambush comes in, you guys show up, grab Viggo, and we set the Flightmare back on its path."

"Now all we have to do is find it." Hiccup nodded.

Heather was already a step ahead. "It follows a stream of glowing algae as its food source. Last year, I spend a lot of time tracking it, pinning down its location every couple of weeks. I know where it should be, and I gave that information to Viggo."

"Which made him trust you even more." Hiccup concluded.

Sigrid didn't feel right about this. 

"Heather, are you sure you aren't in over your head?" She started, already on the defense as she saw the girl's eyes narrow in offense. "I mean, this doesn't sound right. From all you've told us, Viggo doesn't seem stupid."

"What's stupid about it?" Heather huffed. "Don't you get it, Sigrid? Viggo trusts me, this might be our only chance to get to him."

Sigrid shook her head, there was no arguing with her right now, not when she was so convinced she was right. To be fair, Sigrid didn't exactly have a good reason for why she was questioning this - otherwise - full proof plan. For some reason, she just didn't have a good feeling about it. This was stuff they'd pull on Dagur, but she knows Dagur. Viggo was a stranger to all of them, and so far, he felt like the biggest threat yet.

They had to be careful.

"Listen, I better get back. This is the algae trail, follow it to here-" Heather pointed on the map, "-this is where we'll be."

Hiccup nodded. "So will we."

Sigrid hoped this mission wouldn't turn into one big fight. She wasn't sure if Electrode could handle it yet, not after everything. Her brother assured her that they'd be fine. 

"If things get too hot for him, we're out of there." Sigrid stated to her brother, whilst mentioning to the Skrill. 

Hiccup nodded. "I understand, you want to keep Electrode safe."

That she did, she hadn't worked this hard to then turn around and completely break this dragon's trust by throwing him in the middle of war, not when she wasn't sure if he could handle it yet. Only way to know was to find out, but Sigrid hoped that time wouldn't come soon.

---

So far, Electrode had done great. Not that there was much for him to mess up. But the Skrill was definitely a lot calmer than Sigrid expected, especially when she herself didn't feel that great about this situation. The riders waited on the island circled on Heather's map, and unsurprisingly the Flightmare was exactly where she claimed it was. Now they just had to sit and wait, and hope Heather was right. 

"There!" Hiccup spotted. "Now let's stay together, we need to make sure Viggo doesn't get anywhere near that dragon."

Fishlegs' hands raised in question. "When will we know that Viggo is here."

Sigrid stared off into the distance, watching the approaching ship as Electrode roared at her side. 

"He already is." She stated, placing a hand on Electrode's snout to calm the dragon's anger, and stop his lightning from forming. 

"Okay, Ruff, Tuff, make sure you get enough algae-"

"To lure the Flightmare away, we know!" Ruffnut snatched the sack from Hiccup's hands. 

Tuffnut huffed. "Ha, this guy never stops! Lure the Flightmare, don't eat the algae."

"Ridiculous! I mean, why would we eat the algae?" 

They seemed to think about is, before their faces broke out in mischievous grins. 

"Why wouldn't we eat the algae?" The twins spoke in union. 

Yeah, okay, not my problem. Sigrid thought as she saw the two buffoons fly away on Barf and Belch. 

Sigrid kept watch on the horizon, she still didn't trust that Viggo would fall for their plan. To her greatest horror, it seems that her instincts were right, as from the distanced fog more ships appeared from both sides of the leading ship in the middle. Heather had been tricked, and they were in big trouble.

"Hiccup!" She called out to her brother, who immediately walked up to her with a questioning glance. 

Before he could ask what the problem was, Sigrid grabbed him by the jaw and turned him to face where she was looking. Hiccup's eyes widened in shock. 

"Oh no." He gasped. 

"I don't understand, I though Heather and Viggo were coming alone?" Snotlout shouted from behind them. 

Hiccup nodded, still studying the sight in front of him. "They were, which probably means they're not coming at all."

Flaming rocks shot towards them like fireballs, and the group quickly reacted by jumping on their dragons and taking flight. This had quickly turned into Sigrid's worst nightmare, but so far Electrode was still doing okay, she just hoped it would last.

"Hiccup, Electrode and I can fly in and try and distract them as much as possible. Maybe I can buy us some time." Sigrid suggested with hurried breaths.

Hiccup didn't look so sure. 

"Are you sure you can handle it?" He asked, to which his sister nodded. Hiccup couldn't disagree after that. "Okay, but if things get too intense I want you out of there!" 

"That was the plan." Sigrid shrugged before diving down with Electrode. 

Like Nightfuries, Skrills were of the striker class, meaning they were really, really, fast. Electrode might not be as fast as Toothless, but he got scarily close, and Sigrid was planning to put that to good use. 

As she and Electrode soared through the sky, dodging rocks and laced arrows, Sigrid's original fear of Electrode's reaction was cast into the fire. The Skrill seemed to thrive in the air, lightning twitching over his wings as he sped over ship to ship.

Sigrid wasn't surprised to see Ryker and Dagur. I mean, who else would come to ruin her day? 

The only one who seemed shocked in the moment was Dagur. It seems that the hunters hadn't gotten the news about her new dragon. Or perhaps the Berserker was the odd one out, as Ryker didn't seem nearly as surprised. 

"Is that my Skrill?!" She heard Dagur screech from atop the ship deck. "When did she get a Skrill?!"

Dagur jumped as he was nearly shot by one of Electrode's lightning strikes. Looking up to Sigrid with bewilderment, as if he was surprised she'd actually shoot at him, was replaced by murderous rage as soon as he saw her taunting face. 

"Yeah, dance for me baby!" She laughed before sticking her tongue out. 

To Dagur, this meant war... if it wasn't for the fact they were already practically in one. 

She'd gotten Dagur distracted, but Ryker had so far been unmoved from his job. The constant dodging and twirling was getting a bit overwhelming, and Sigrid would be lying if she said she wasn't getting just a wee bit sick. Luckily, Hiccup came in to save the day.

Whistling for Sigrid, he signaled for her to get out of the way before he and the others soared down with bags full of... something. It wasn't until they dropped it on the ships like bombs that Sigrid realised what is was, algae.

Hiccup, you truly are a genius.

It wasn't long before most of the hunters were frozen with fear, as the Flightmare rampaged the ships. Sigrid was happy to take a breather, and Electrode seemed to enjoy the chaos a little bit too much, as he seemed to - in his own dragon way - chuckle as he flew in the air.

Heather had freed herself in the chaos, and was now flying on Windshear, trying to do her best to help. She flew next to Sigrid with an apologetic look, Hiccup and Toothless right behind the redhead. 

"I'm so sorry, Sigrid, you were right. But Viggo, he made me-"

"I know." Sigrid shushed the brunette, her expression soft as she showed no anger. "It's okay, he tricked us all. I'm just glad you're alright."

Heather sighed in relief, she couldn't take her 'sister' being mad at her, not right now. 

"Where is Viggo now?" Hiccup questioned, and Heather pointed towards where she came from.

"Still on his ship, I think." She said. 

The hunters were capturing the Flightmare. It was terrible to see, a scared dragon stuck in chains, muzzled and thrown to the floor. Heather wasn't going to stand for it.

"Sorry, Sigrid." She narrowed her eyes to the redhead, and before the woman could stop her she soared down with Windshear towards the captured Flightmare. 

Sigrid gasped. "Heather, no!"

Did she not realize how reckless she was being?

As expected, Heather didn't last long, caught in a flying net by the hunters on the ship. She fell right back into her brother's hands. They had to get her back. Sigrid frowned in anger, she didn't want to think about what Dagur would do to her, his sister, a traitor. Sigrid knew Dagur, and he always hated traitors, and she was sure Heather would be no exception. 

"Astrid, Sigrid, keep trying for Heather!" Hiccup commanded. "It's time Viggo and I were properly introduced."

The two vikings nodded, and they did try their best, but there were too many arrows, too many hunters. They couldn't do it, no matter how hard they tried. 

Sigrid had never felt more disappointed in herself. She broke her self-made promise; to never let someone she loved get taken away again. 

Chapter Text

"I don't even want to think about what they are going to do to her, and those dragons." Astrid shivered.

They'd all come together on Viggo's abandoned ship, feeling worse than did before. This was the first time they'd truly failed a mission, and put a rider and dragon's life in jeopardy. Sigrid felt cold, and that wasn't because of the weather. 

"We should've just pulled Heather out, Hiccup." Astrid rambled. "I knew something like this was-

"Astrid." Hiccup interrupted. "She wouldn't have come with us."

Her brother was right, she wouldn't have. A true Berserker that one, stubborn as hell. 

"Could be worse, we could've brought the dragon eye." Tuffnut brought up for no reason, just to be elbowed in the ribs by his twin. "Ow!"

Hiccup raised his brow. "How did you know I didn't bring the dragon eye?" He questioned, as if to insinuate he had in fact brought it.

"...How did I know you didn't bring the dragon eye?" Tuffnut cried out in pain as he was elbowed by Ruffnut, again.

He just didn't get the hint. 

Hiccup gave in. "Okay, you're right, I didn't bring it."

"Thank Thor." Astrid sighed. 

Snotlout huffed. "No kidding, then Viggo would have Heather, Windshear, the Flightmare and the dragon eye."

"Which is still back on Dragon's Edge-" Hiccup concluded with a fearful expression. "-Completely unguarded."

Just as Hiccup had feared, Dragon's Edge had been raided. Wooden pillars thrown about, and most of their huts and stations destroyed. It was clear the hunters had done everything to find the dragon eye, they just hoped they hadn't succeeded. 

"It's gone." Hiccup spoke as he opened the chest. "They got it."

Snotlout was not amused. "Are you sure you put it away after you got it back from the twins?"

Sigrid raised her brow. Oh boy, did those idiots do something they weren't supposed to do, again? No wonder Ruffnut asked her about the dragon eye, she definitely stole it.

"Got it back from the twins?" Hiccup questioned, hearing this from the first time. "What are you talking about?"

Guess Sigrid was going to have to do some scolding, again. Man, she was really starting to feel like a mother. 

"What on earth is on there?" Hiccup gasped in disgust as Tuffnut pulled the dragon eye from a dirty crevice of his and Snotlout's man cave. Gross.

Tuffnut shrugged. 

"Boar rind grease. Don't worry, it'll buff out." He assured, rubbing the item against his sister's overcoat, but it didn't come out any better. "See?- Well, takes a while."

"I can't believe you took this without telling me." Hiccup said as he took the dragon eye with pinched fingers, it really was disgusting to the touch. "You know, all you had to do was ask and you could've used it. It belongs to all of us."

"Yeah, you two! Do you know what could've happened if Viggo got a hold of this?" Snotlout spouted dramatically, which told the older redhead that he was just as involved in this as the twins. 

Ruffnut put her hands on her hips with a sneer. "Seems to me, if I hadn't removed the dragon eye from your masterful hiding place, we'd be having a very different conversation right now."

Sigrid sighed, rubbing her temple as she laid her head in her palm. 

"Ruffnut, you are very lucky that things turned out right for once." She started, getting into mom-mode. "But what you did was inexcusable and wrong. Not only did you take the dragon eye without Hiccup's permission, you also attempted to have me give you the dragon eye, so you'd have an excuse when Hiccup caught you. I am very disappointed, in all three of you."

Snotlout's mouth fell agape as he too was pulled into this scolding session. "What? I didn't do anything!"

"Don't raise your voice at me." Sigrid pointed her finger towards him, making him shut up instantly. "You knew Ruffnut had taken the dragon eye and just went along with it, just like Tuffnut. So yes, I am disappointed in all three of you."

And with that, she left the three Vikings to think about what she said by themselves. 

"Ahw man." Tuffnut muttered. "Getting scolded by Sigrid sucks."

Ruffnut nodded besides him. "Yeah, it's like- I feel bad about it."

There was a heavy silence, as the three vikings contemplated their existence, just for a little bit. That was, until Snotlout couldn't handle the pressure anymore. 

"Sigrid, please don't be mad at me!" Snotlout broke out in sobs as he ran after the redhead, hoping for forgiveness. 

Such a softy. 

---

Meanwhile, Heather had never felt worse. She'd failed, badly. If it was up to Viggo, she knew it would mean her death, and even her brother couldn't save her from that fate. Not that he seemed very willing to do so at the moment anyway.

Dagur's hand were rough on her shoulders as he pushed her towards her designated cage, a temporary but gloomy setup.

"This should keep you nice and cozy until we bring this Dragon Rider nonsense to its horrifying conclusion."

"Dagur, we come from a proud and historic tribe of vikings, Berserkers. We don't turn on each other, we stand for each other." Heather tried desperately to change her brother's mind. "How can you just ignore that?"

Dagur shrugged. 

"Well, I let it enter my noggin and then I pay no attention... right? I mean, that's how you ignore something." His voice was calm and almost monotone, so different from his usual tone.

"But you don't, you can't." Heather almost cried. "I know you, Dagur, we share the same blood. You are too smart to ignore anything, brother."

Her emotional speel almost seemed to work, as a smirk appeared on Dagur's face. "Can I ask you something, sister?"

"Of course, anything." Heather hoped she'd had a breakthrough.

Getting up in her face, Dagur's voice raised. "Where were all these lovey-dovey family values, when you were trying to blow up my ship, and kill me!"

"I-I didn't know you were my brother at the time." Heather tried to reason. "And, if you remember, you destroyed my entire island."

Dagur's brows raised, she had a point. Heather glared at him, and he seemed to back off for now. But it probably wouldn't last long.

"Hmm, good point." The Berserker Chief thought. "Are- are we okay, you and I, on that thing? Still some lingering feelings of skepticism?"

Heather's eyes glanced at the ground in sadness. Honestly, she hadn't forgiven him, at all. That didn't mean she wasn't trying, Dagur was her brother after all, but it was just... difficult. Sigrid understood, and Gods did Heather want to be with the other Riders again, safely in the older Haddock's arms. She gave really good hugs.

To Dagur, her hesitation spoke a thousand words.

"Thought so." He stated, slamming her shut into the cage.

So much for 'no family drama'. 

"Wait, what are you doing?" Heather panicked.

If Dagur left now, she'd never have a chance to escape. 

On the other end of the cage door, her brother was right back in his element. Arms flailing about, voice almost theatrical as he went on his dramatic speech. She'd lost him.

"If there's one thing I've learned out here over the years, it's that I can only trust one person, and do you know who that person is?" His question was taunting. 

"Dagur-" Heather attempted to reason. 

"Correct!" The Berserker cheered. "Dagur, that's who! That's who I trust, he's so trustworthy, he's faithful, tried and true that Dagur!"

Sigrid had warned her before, there was no reasoning with Dagur. He didn't care for anyone but himself, at least that's how he'd always portrayed himself. Not gonna lie, Heather was a little envious of Hiccup's relationship with his older sibling. She knew that Sigrid would do anything for her little brother, and he would do the same for her.

"Sigrid once told me that family is the most important of all. I know she would do anything for Hiccup, as I would do anything for you. I'm your sister, Dagur." 

Dagur had spoken about the woman so much since she'd joined the dragon hunters, she hoped her speech would provoke something positive in him. 

Sadly, it seemed to do the exact opposite, as now she had truly made her brother angry.

"Don't speak about that woman to me!" He raged, face red as he practically spat in her face. "Beautiful little Sigrid, so kind, so strong, so disgustingly perfect. My father wanted me to marry her, not for her benefit, but because he thought of me as a failure. He wanted someone better to rule our tribe. Well, jokes on him, because now she's my mortal enemy! Ha!"

Wow, that was a lot of raw emotion, and a totally different take on that whole marital agreement than what Heather had heard from Sigrid.

"The point is that I am your sister, there's nothing I wouldn't do for you." Heather repeated desperately, a lot softer this time. 

Dagur seemed a bit calmer, but still tense as a brick. His breathing still heavy, and his eyes laced with fury. 

"Really?" He huffed, his back turned on her. 

"Yes." Heather assured.

"Oh, good." The Berserker sneered, before getting in her face once again. "Then stop moving your mouth, and making any more trouble! You know you're really giving the family a bad name." 

She hoped the Riders could find her, before it was too late.

---

"Sigrid, are you sure that Electrode is ready for this." Hiccup asked for what seemed like the hundred time already. 

Right now, everyone on Dragon's Edge was ready to depart, to invade Viggo's camp and free Heather and the Flightmare. 

Sigrid hummed in fake thought. 

"Hmm, I'm not sure. What do you think, bud?" She asked the Skrill, as he stood wiggling in excitement, before he let out a high-pitched roar. 

"Oh, he's very sure." The viking laughed.

He'd sure adjusted quicker than she expected, for a dragon with his history. But she supposed is was for the better.

"You guys ready to kick some Dragon Hunter butt?" 

"Yeah!" The twins cheered, always the whirlwinds of chaos.

The night sky was cold and the wind heavy, but that didn't stop the dragons from pushing forwards between the clouds. With their riders on their backs, they went further into the mist, on their way to Viggo's camp.

Hiccup was nervous, they all were. In the young Haddock's mind, he'd already failed once, and he wasn't planning to do it again. But something told him that he might not get to make that choice. 

"Right, remember guys, Viggo is a master of deception. We have to be one step ahead of him at all times, or else it's game over." 

The twins were confused by Hiccup's advice.

"I feel like it's already game over." Tuffnut frowned.

"Yep, that was my interpretation." Ruffnut agreed with him.

Before Sigrid could spout a word of encouragement, she was too distracted on dodging a ray of arrows shot towards them from the depths below. 

"That was way too close." She panted, after stabilizing a shocked Electrode. 

Fishlegs agreed. 

"Where are those from?" He questioned, trying to spot the shooters through the fog.

"Beneath the cloud cover." Sigrid called out.

Astrid nodded, an angry frown on her face as she tried to scout below them. "They must have ships down there."

"How did they know we were up here?" Fishlegs worried, and he had every right to.

If Viggo knew they were here, that meant big trouble. 

Snotlout didn't feel very bothered about their predicament at the moment. Busy warming himself on Hookfang's fire, and not caring about Astrid's deadly glare.

"What?" Snotlout called out towards the glaring vikings. "I was chilly, and now I'm warm and toasty." 

Fair point, Sigrid thought. But it still almost got them killed. Hookfang's personal furnace made the group noticeable once again, and the shooters wasted no time to fling arrows their way once again. Luckily, none hit this time around either.

"We must be close to the island." Hiccup concluded. There'd be no other way for so many shooters to be below them.

But he was wrong.

"Ah, Hiccup?" Astrid called out, as the clouds evaporated below them.

The view of the island was clear, scattered with some trees and bones from whatever dragon or other beast it could have been. Tents and covers placed wherever the rock's crevice's allowed. This was Viggo's camp.

"Viggo's base!" Hiccup called out. 

Yeah, that seemed pretty obvious.

"Are you sure that's it?" Fishlegs questioned. "It looks kind of deserted." 

The big guy had a point, it did seem suspiciously quiet for an island supposedly full of dragon hunters...and Dagur. Odin knows that he definitely isn't a quiet person. Why hadn't he shown his face yet? Or tried to taunt her from afar? It made her all the more afraid of what Viggo was planning.

"I stand corrected." Fishlegs answered back to himself, after almost getting fried from hellish fires below.

Grown Typhoomerangs, tied to the ground with speared viking under its belly, poking it to provoke it's fire. That was a lot of fire, and way too hot for anyone's comfort. 

"He's using flipping Typhoomerangs as blow torches?!" Snotlout cried out, before almost getting fried himself. 

Astrid smirked. "I thought you liked it toasty."

"I like toasty, not toasted."

Tuffnut was bewildered. "I have to say, you really undersold this guy Hiccup, he's way more devious than-"

"LOOK OUT!" Hiccup shouted, as all the Typhoomerangs spewed their deadly rays of fire. 

Electrode never had to dodge this quickly before. Sigrid was glad he was a swift dragon class, or else she feared they wouldn't have made it, not with the poor Skrill nearly shivering in fright at the close attacks.

Hiccup was determined, no matter what anyone said, they would go through the fire. He wouldn't follow this game to how Viggo wanted, not if it was up to him. Sigrid was proud of her brother, he was starting to think like a Chief.

"I agree with my brother." The others were shocked at Sigrid's words. "We're vikings and dragon protectors, we'll face this demon head on."

Hiccup was glad at her agreement, but quickly raised his brow in amusement. "You know, you're starting to sound a lot like dad."

Ignoring that comment, they decided to focus on Hiccup's plan. Sigrid had to say, the fires of the Typhoomerangs were beautiful, never once had she ever expected to be in the middle of it, but hey, if it works it works. Just like they'd hoped, the Hunters were confused, and ceased their fire.

Big mistake. 

"Electrode, shock them!" That he sure did, the - not so - poor Hunter he'd hit would probably be lying at the healer's hut for the next month. Man, this was so worth it. 

Hiccup was focused. "You guys free the Typhoomerangs, I'm going to find Heather."

"Don't die." Sigrid called back as he flew away.

 At this point, she was honestly really surprised that she hadn't seen Dagur yet. Where was that dude hiding? She was really looking forward to seeing Electrode fry him. But it seems that she'd have to save that for another occasion, sadly. 

---

Heather had probably never felt this defeated in her entire life. Probably besides her island's destruction and her adopted parent's death, that is. She still hadn't been able to get through to Dagur, and was still stuck in chains for however long she still had until Viggo would kill her. Hiccup still hadn't shown up yet, nor Sigrid, nor Astrid, or anyone for that matter. Was this really her end?

Dagur walked up the front as he guided her towards her new - and last - prison. The Hunters pushing against her back were annoying, but it's not as if she could do anything about it. She tried to make a connection with her brother, as he paused to point the way for her to go ahead of him, but he ignored her gaze. 

"Wait, this doesn't seem right." One of the Hunters stopped as he looked around the cave.

The other agreed. "Ay, Viggo specifically listed-"

"News flash, I no longer care what Viggo has to say." Dagur slammed their heads against each other, knocking them out cold.

Heather was shocked. Sure, this wasn't the first time she saw her brother so aggressive towards another, but that was such a Sigrid-type move that it gave her whiplash. She missed the viking woman so much, and right now she was terrified she would never see her again. She thought she would die here, by her own brother's hands. Ironic, wasn't it? When she'd tried the same not too long ago, when Hiccup and Sigrid had flew in to stop her. But the killing blow never came. 

Instead, her hands were freed. Dagur had chopped the chains right in half with his axe. He'd freed her, and she didn't understand why. Dagur didn't say anything as Heather stared at him in shock. But suddenly, he whistled, just like she'd seen Sigrid do with Electrode and the other dragons so many times. She recognized the gurgling of Windshear in an instant, twisting around to greet her happy dragon with open arms.

"Windshear!" She called out in glee. "You're okay."

She wanted to thank her brother. But as she looked at him, with his back turned to her, she figured he'd rather not speak. So, she didn't, but she smiled at him. A true, thankful smile, which she'd never thought in a million years would be pointing at him. What was happening? Was Dagur changing? Or was this a rare instance of good heartedness, because she's his sister? 

Heather didn't get her answer, as Dagur simply looked back at her with a frown still on his face, before he walked away. Little did Heather know, her speech about a certain redheaded Haddock had brought something up in her brother. Even if Dagur wasn't sure what is was, he was ready find out.

As he said before, he no longer cared about what Viggo has to say. 

Meanwhile, Sigrid and the gang were none the wiser. Hiccup had flown back on Toothless, without the dragon eye, but with the Flightmare freed. Heather was free, flying with them and helping with the Flightmare. And Viggo... was gone.

It had been so busy, that Sigrid hadn't even paused and thought to ask Heather about her brother. Because she really was curious, where the Frigg was he?

Chapter Text

"So, you're telling me that Hiccup told you he was going on a 'quick test drive', and you haven't seen him since then?" Sigrid questioned.

Astrid was nervous, in her own very stubborn way. Which meant that she'd refused to tell anyone, especially Sigrid, about Hiccup's behavior that had led to his disappearance.

"Yes, I haven't. But he'll be fine, Sigrid, he always is."

"He'll be even more fine when I'm there." Sigrid spoke as she went to gather her things. "I'm going to find him."

Astrid groaned, but decided not to argue. "You're so stubborn, you know that?" 

"I've been told that before."

---

The search for her brother had been difficult so far. There were so many frigging islands around Dragon's Edge, she had a lot of ground to sneak on. She just hoped Viggo didn't get to him, but until now she hadn't seen any ships. Yeah... until she found a ship with recently awaking Hunters on top of it.

Oh boy, please tell me he's not on this island. Sigrid pleaded. But knowing Hiccup, he probably was. She'd never been more thankful for Electrode's speed, as he shocked the Hunters back to sleep, they'd be down for a while.

"Hiccup!" She called out as she and her dragon soared over the land. 

It seems that instead of her brother, she'd gotten the attention of some Hunters... at least, that's what she thought. But they seemed more focused on something else.

As she looked closer, she couldn't believe her eyes. 

"Oh you've got to be kidding me..." She groaned, after spotting her brother and yes she saw that right, Dagur.

They hadn't noticed the Hunter's crossbow yet. 

"Hiccup, watch out!" She cried out.

Of course, instead of listening to her, Hiccup just looked up to the sound of her voice with wide eyes. 

"Sigrid?!" He called out in surprise...instead of dodging.

Luckily, Dagur had a much quicker reaction speed, pushing Hiccup forward onto the ground. The arrow missed its mark on Hiccup, but on Dagur? Not so much.

Sigrid cringed at the sight of the laced arrow in his shoulder blade. And also, it was a very bad shot. This is why you don't use crossbows. The Hunter who fired it wasn't done yet, though, as he came running towards the youngest Haddock with a mace.

"Not on my watch." 

Sigrid had already descended down with Electrode, running with her axe in hand, just like the good old days. 

The Hunter didn't even stand a chance as she grabbed the mace as it attempted to slam down on her brother, watching the man's eyes widen with realization of his fate, before she slammed the heavy metal back against his face.

The Hunter cried out in pain as he was flung across the grass, hitting a tree before passing out, his teeth scattering like a trail towards his unconscious figure. 

Hiccup finally opened his eyes. 

"Sigrid!" He called out, a sheepish look on his face as he noticed her glare. 

Yeah, he was in a lot of trouble. She'd probably tell their dad too, which meant for another scolding.

"Don't 'Sigrid' me, Hiccup!" The redhead snapped, arms crossed in front of her chest like a mother scolding a child. "You flew off this morning. No word, no note, nothing!"

Hiccup cringed at her tone. "Yeah, yeah I know. But we have something a little bigger at hand right now."

"I can see that." Sigrid glanced towards the passed out figure on the ground. "You're lucky I can carry him by myself."

"...How do you know that?"

Hiccup's question was left unanswered, as they found shelter in the little cave Dagur had shown him before. Sigrid had been really confused the whole way through, but she hadn't said anything about it yet, as she wasn't really sure what to say. 

She and Hiccup tried their best to wrap Dagur's shoulder and arm without having to remove his armor, which proved to be a very difficult task. Eventually they got the hang of it, and had the Berserker's wound cleaned as best as they could, before laying him down to rest. 

Hiccup stayed with Dagur, working on making Toothless' antidote as Sigrid stood watch by the cave's entrance, making sure no Hunter would be there to ambush them. To their luck, it seemed like the Hunters they'd encountered before either weren't near them, or had yet to recover from their butt kicking. Sigrid bet on the latter. 

Dagur awoke with a loud gasp, alarming the Haddock siblings of his awakening. Hiccup stood up to check on the Viking, as he fully recovered from his sleeping state. 

"Whooh, those were some crazy dreams!" Dagur chuckled as he sat up straight, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "I dreamt of you, Hiccup, and your sister was there! Weird right?"

Sigrid's face tinted pink, he obviously hadn't realised that she had, in fact, been there for quite a while by now.

"Funny how things work..." She cleared her throat, raising her brow as the Berserker jumped in surprise.

"Oh, Sigrid!" Dagur gasped, eyes wide as he gazed at the tall red-headed viking.

His sudden movement proved to be a mistake on his part though, as he immediately hissed in pain and reached for his arm. 

Sigrid approached him, a gentle smile on her face, directed at Dagur for the first time.

 "You'll live." 

"You... did this, for me?" Dagur was touched, after realizing his wounded arm was wrapped up, he sniffed. "I don't- I don't know what to say, nobody's ever uh-"

"Dagur, it's the least we could do." Hiccup interrupted his emotional rant. "Think of it as payback for, well, everything."

Whilst the Berserker was still passed out, Hiccup had told his sister everything that happened when he crash landed on the island. How Dagur had protected him from the Hunters, how he had let him and Toothless into his hiding place, and how he promised to help make the antidote for the still very sick dragon. It was safe to say that Sigrid was surprised after hearing her brother's story. After all, Dagur hadn't exactly been reliable the entire time she'd known him, which was a long time. But now, seeing him like this, she heard that little voice in her head telling her that her brother might just be right about this, that Dagur might actually be changing.

"There, that should do it." Dagur concluded after fixing Hiccup's potion. 

The redhead was really impressed that he seemed to suddenly know so much about nature. Sure, Dagur had always been fascinated with research, but that was usually in the hunting category. She used to pester him for being a nerd, back when they were kids, which he obviously denied aggressively. Like when he decided to live amongst the dragons to hunt them better. But then again, this probably wasn't much different, just a whole less... hunty. Dagur seemed to actually appreciate nature, which was definitely a first. Sigrid was used to the Berserker not giving anyone or anything respect, especially not nature. But his knowledge on the potion was really fascinating to her- 

"Not a potion, Sigrid." Hiccup sighed. 

Sigrid rolled her eyes. "Oh please, I've been around Gothi long enough to know what a potion is. That's a potion."

"Well, I much prefer the term medicine." 

"Potion."

Dagur watched the siblings interact with amusement. He'd never seen them so casual together, he supposed this was normal for them, not that he'd know. He messed up with Heather, he realised that, and it made him sad. But he was determined to find her again, and make things right. Sigrid had been right, from when Heather had repeated her words that day. Family is the most important, and he'd never forget that again. 

Hiccup still seemed hesitant about giving Toothless the potion. Sigrid understood what he was coming from. They'd been tricked by Dagur so many times, what was to say he wouldn't do it right now? She'd surely feel stupid about carrying him then. 

"Hey, we can always wait for the effect of the arrows to wear off, and hope they don't find us before then. But that could take quite a while." Dagur shrugged, noting the siblings' hesitation. "It's up to you two, but I advice you lose the paranoia. It's a terrible existence, and it's not you."

Where did this brotherly attitude come from? 

Sigrid scoffed. "Easy for you to say, we never tried to hunt you down."

Hiccup figured that it was worth a try, and if things went wrong, he'd have Sigrid and Electrode at his side. Speaking of Electrode, the dragon was very much trying not to be spotted by the Berserker, by hiding in the furthest darkest corner of the cave. Yeah, he really didn't like Dagur, for good reason.

"I didn't mean anything bad by it." Dagur raised his hands in defense. "I'm just talking from personal experience."

Sigrid put her hands on her hips. "Yeah, so am I, and my personal experience is that you made my life a living hell!"

"Toothless, are you okay, bud?" Hiccup's worried voice caught the woman's attention before she could argue with the Berserker any further.

The dragon in question didn't seem right, his body wobbling around as he roared. Electrode decided to get out of his hiding place in concern, cooing at the Nightfury. 

"Toothless!" Hiccup cried out as his dragon hit the ground. 

Oh gods, is he dead? Sigrid was in complete shock. Was this their fault for trusting Dagur? Or was it all a misunderstanding? 

"What did you do?" Hiccup questioned the Berserker, who seemed scarily calm at the moment. 

Sigrid was still frozen as Toothless continued to flop around on the ground. This isn't good.

"You stay away from him!" Hiccup sneered at Dagur as he tried to approach.

The Berserker feigned innocence. "Hiccup, I didn't know, you have to believe me!"

What the Frigg is happening... 

Before she knew it, Hiccup tackled Dagur as they rolled out of the cave. Normally, she would be worried for her brother, but Hiccup had grown a lot stronger, he would be fine. At least, that's what she hoped. 

Sigrid leaned down by Toothless, a gentle hand caressing the dragon's scales as Electrode nudged him gently. The Nightfury's breathing was slowing down, and slowly but surely it seemed that the dragon... was completely fine.

"He was telling the truth..." Sigrid gasped, honestly surprised that Dagur helped them for once. 

But Hiccup didn't know that. She'd have to get to him quick, with Toothless.

"Can you stand, bud?" She gently asked the dragon, who tried to rise with shaking paws, before flopping back on the ground. "Okay, maybe not."

---

She was getting awfully impatient, but for Toothless' sake, she had to wait. If there's one thing Sigrid hated, it was waiting. She'd been waiting her whole life, counting down to her eventual fate. When she was two; waiting to become Chief of Berk. When she was four; waiting for her mother to come home. When she was twelve; waiting for eight years before she had to marry Dagur. When she was nineteen; waiting for a year before she would be forced to never see her family again. Always waiting, waiting, waiting. 

And what did she have now? No friends, no relationship, no job, no importance. Don't get her wrong, she loved the Dragon Riders to death, but they were Hiccup's group, not hers. If Hiccup left, they'd go with him, if Sigrid left, they'd stay right where they were. Sure, she had her teammates - back from the dragon killing days - but they weren't really her friends, they were just comrades, people that she knew that were around the same age. When she was younger, Sigrid figured that she probably shouldn't get close to anyone, if she'd have to leave them anyway. But seeing how things turned out, she wished she would've done it differently. 

Can't change how things turned out, though.

"Sigrid, we have a problem!" Dagur came running back into the cave, without Hiccup.

The woman in question shot up, axe grasped tightly in her hand. 

"Where is my brother?" She questioned with a deep frown.

"In danger." Wow, he really wasn't sugarcoating it. "Is Toothless fine enough to fly?"

"Uh..." Sigrid paused as she looked towards the Nightfury, who now seemed to be completely healthy. "I guess he is."

Turns out that Dagur had actually wanted to ride Electrode instead, with him being a Skrill and all. But he figured out quite quickly that Electrode didn't want him anywhere near. Which lead to where they are now...

"AAAH!" Dagur screamed as he twirled around on Toothless, having never ridden a dragon before in his life.

It was really amusing to see, but Sigrid was honestly surprised to see that he was able to work the Nightfury's tail mechanism well enough to stay stable in the air, even with Toothless doing all of the work. Dagur was just trying not to fall to his death at this point.

"Doing good!" Sigrid encouraged with a laugh, to which the nauseous Berserker could not respond.

The second Dagur caught an arrow, however, he seemed to be right back in his element. It was really adorable to see him get so excited in the midst of battle. Even if Toothless was definitely set on making him regret ever getting on his saddle.

Sigrid had been so amused by this whole ordeal that she hadn't really done anything to help. She and Electrode just kind of flew there, hovering over them. If anyone asked, Sigrid would claim she was looking over them, you know, for their own safety.

"It's good to see you too." Hiccup greeted the Nightfury, as Toothless rubbed up against him.

A gleeful reunion.

Dagur stood up from the sandy grounds on which Toothless had thrown him off his back. 

"I have no idea how you stomach that." He admitted with a paler face, before cutting Hiccup's bounds with the arrow he'd caught.

"Nice job out there." Sigrid complemented as she dismounted Electrode. 

Dagur flushed red, he definitely wasn't used to actual positivity towards him, especially from her. 

"Yeah, thanks." He chuckled awkwardly. "But I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Oh dear." Sigrid grinned, rubbing his unharmed shoulder gently. "You'll live."

The Berserker smiled, still a little shy in her presence whilst she wasn't trying to fight him. But he couldn't lie, he really enjoyed it. 

"Ahum..." Hiccup cleared his throat, catching the two red-haired viking's attention, who were now really embarrassed to have focused on the other so much. "Hey Sigrid, how about we show them how it's done?"

"As if you even have to ask." Sigrid smirked, hopping back onto Electrode as Hiccup did the same on Toothless.

Time to kick some Dragon Hunter butt. If they thought fighting a Nightfury was bad, than they hadn't met Electrode yet. Whilst the siblings were enjoying their time in the sky together, they forgot about someone...

"Hey, where did Dagur go?" Sigrid questioned as she scouted the grounds, but the Berserker was nowhere to be found.

They scouted further, down the flowing waters of the ocean, but they still couldn't find him. 

"I don't know." Hiccup admitted. "But we owe him one, let's get back to the Edge."

Sigrid nodded, the others must be worried sick. She thanked Dagur, mentally, as her and her brother flew back to Dragon's Edge. She hoped she'd see him again.

Wow, she'd never thought she'd say that. 

Chapter Text

It's been weeks since Sigrid last saw Dagur, and ever since then he's consistently been on her mind, embarrassingly enough. Where was he? Was he safe? Would he come to see her on Dragon's Edge? He knew where it was after all. Or was he doing his own thing now? Without the Dragon Hunters.

Those were the thoughts going through her head as she patrolled around the vast area of Dragon's Edge. Having the second fastest dragon of the group had its perks, and to Sigrid this was one of them; even if the twins openly judged her for it. She could patrol the area twice as fast as the others - excluding Toothless of course - and it had proven itself to be quite useful until now. 

The sun was starting to rise, as she and Electrode flew through the sky, scouting across the ocean. It'd been nothing but water so far, which was good, until she spotted something in the distance. 

"Do you see that too, bud?" She questioned Electrode, who chirped in response. 

Taking out her spyglass, she studied the large shadow. 

"A fishing boat?" She raised her brow, what was it doing out there all on it's own?

She decided to explore, to make sure that there was nothing weird going on. She'd never forgive herself if she skipped over anything, no matter how small it seemed.

As she dismounted Electrode on the ship's deck, she felt a shiver roll up her spine. Something didn't feel right.

Taking out her axe, Sigrid snuck towards the boat's entrance, signaling for Electrode to watch her back. The Skrill let his lightning tingle across his wings in response, ready to shock anyone if they ran for the attack. But the ship was so empty, so vacant and quiet. It was suspicious.

Where was everyone? 

Sigrid was ready to turn around and leave, before she heard a breathless wheeze further into the ship. Raising her axe, she decided to face the stranger head on.

"What's that smell?" Sigrid cringed from attacking stench as she entered the area, eyes narrowing as she tried to scan wall to wall. 

But what she saw, she could've never prepared for. Sigrid shrieked at the horrifying sight before her. It couldn't be, could it? These were legends, folk tales told to them as children. They had been past this, had they?

A pale green hand reached up towards her, from the man that had been groaning before. Sigrid jumped back as he scratched at her arm, leaving three deep marks in her pale freckled skin. It stung, leaving her frightened. Sigrid had never run away as fast in her life. 

---

When she arrived back on the Edge, Sigrid realised she'd never felt this cold. She must've looked dreadful, and to be honest, she felt it. Luckily she hadn't eaten recently, or else that would've been thrown right up. 

Her brother looked up in concern, something wasn't right with his sister. 

"Sigrid, are you okay?" Hiccup asked as he approached her. "Did you see something on patrol?"

Sigrid didn't speak, she couldn't. So she hummed. 

"Oh, I love this game!" Tuffnut interrupted Fishlegs, who had been guessing what had left Sigrid so shocked. "Now it's my turn, everyone quiet! Sigrid, is what you found bigger than a yak box?"

Sigrid really didn't have the energy to deal with his shenanigans right now. 

"I found a fishing boat." She answered, as Tuffnut let out a disappointing groan. 

"It was just drifting out there, we went to take a closer look to make sure it wasn't dangerous, but what we found inside was just..."

Snotlout was starting to get anxious.

"Was what?" He whimpered. 

"Bodies, their skin was all pale and green." Sigrid cringed. "We got out of there as fast as we could."

"Survivors?" Fishlegs asked.

Sigrid sighed.

"One." Hiccup looked ready to fly out there. "But it's too late."

Fishlegs gulped "Uhm, Hiccup... pale green skin, I hate to be the harbinger of doom, but-"

Hiccup stopped his thoughts. "I know what you're thinking, Fishlegs. But-"

"The Scourge of Odin." Fishlegs flinched.

"Oh!" Hiccup gasped. "Let's not just throw that word around too loosely, because-"

"Wait! back it up." Snotlout panicked. "Did he say 'Scourge of Odin'?"

Hiccup raised his hands in defense. "Yes, but there's no need to panic."

"Right, no need to panic. The Scourge of Odin, just the plague that tore through the archipelago centuries ago, wiping out entire viking villages!" Snotlout sneered. "Yeah, why would we worry about that?"

This wasn't good. Sigrid felt the wound on her arm get angrier by the minute. She felt her brother's hand on her shoulder, but she couldn't look him in the eye.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Hiccup questioned.

Sigrid nodded, with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. 

"Yeah, I'm just- going to clean this up." She mentioned towards her scratch, to which her brother nodded. 

He didn't push further, but looking back, he probably should have.

This was the worst night Sigrid had ever had. She felt awful, her head was thumping and her throat rasping, yet no water would still her thirst. She felt awfully cold, but when she touched her forehead she realised she was blazing hot, yet no amount of fur could save her from shivering. 

"I'm fine, bud." Sigrid tried to convince the Skrill pushing his snout against her hand.

But the dragon wasn't so convinced. So, Electrode did what he thought was best, getting Hiccup.

Her brother had flown on Toothless to her hut as fast as he could, Electrode's panicky behavior had his adrenaline pumping, as he realised something was definitely wrong with his sister. He had to fight back his flinch as he entered her hut, seeing her sickly state. 

Sigrid looked up from her hunched over position on her bed, her vision blurry as she made out her brother's silhouette. 

"Hiccup? What are you doing here?" She questioned with a raspy voice.

"Uh- Electrode seemed a little worried, so I uh..."

Sigrid coughed. With her leather coverings off, Hiccup could clearly see the angry red mark on her skin, just on her bicep. Sigrid flinched, grasping her hand back on the wound in pain. She'd had no luck cleaning it before she went to bed, and she was sure it was infected. 

Hiccup had called Fishlegs for an evaluation. He was the most knowledgeable on these subjects after all, and the look in the blonde Viking's eyes told Hiccup that they were in big trouble. 

"Hiccup, will you stop pacing..." Sigrid groaned as she raised a hand to her forehead, the constant footsteps making her brain throb. 

Whilst Hiccup and Fishlegs were whispering about her health, Snotlout had just gotten back from Berk. Descending from Hookfang, he handed Fishlegs Gothi's notes. He, too, was really concerned for Sigrid.

"Hey, Sigrid. How are you feeling?" He asked quietly, not wanting to give her a bigger headache.

Sigrid coughed. 

"I'll be fine." She started, making Snotlout raise his brow in disbelief. "I just wish everyone would stop worrying about me."

"Fishlegs, look! In Gothi's notes, there's a cure for the Scourge of Odin." Hiccup cheered. "A green solution made from the saliva of a Buffalord dragon."

Fishlegs' eyes widened, and Hiccup got really confused. 

"What? What is it?" He questioned, afraid of what the viking's reaction meant.

"Well, it's just.." 

"There aren't any more Buffalord." Sigrid sighed as she sat up straight on her bed. "They were all hunted to extinction during the Scourge's last outbreak."

"We don't know if they're gone for sure." Hiccup spoke. "We need to get out there and find one."

"But we don't even know where to start looking." Fishlegs argued. "There's no mention of the Buffalord anywhere, it's like they were wiped from history."

The vikings glanced up as Sigrid struggled to stand up. "Come on, I told you guys, I'm..."

"Sigrid!" Hiccup cried out as he caught his sister mid fall.

She'd fainted. The symptoms were moving fast. If they didn't act now, they could lose her for good. 

Sigrid hated being bedridden, but Hiccup had given Electrode clear instructions to not let her out of her hut. Not that she could, I mean, she couldn't really walk at the moment. But the thought still annoyed her to no end. She was never sick! As her father always said 'Sigrid never gets sick'. So she was refusing to accept that she wasn't as fine as she claimed. It would be strange, wouldn't it? To get the chance to live the happy, free life she wanted wanted, just to be swept away by the deadliest plague in viking history. Perhaps this was her punishment for waiting for fate to simply happen, instead of writing her own story. Too late to change that now though.

That was, until Astrid barged in her hut, carrying her onto Electrode as the Skrill flew her to the Buffalord's location. Astrid had to shamefully admit that she had been avoiding Sigrid's dying figure until now. In all honesty, she was terrified to see the woman she looked up to so close to death. But now that they had a solution, she would be right by her side. She'd never take the redheaded Haddock's presence for granted again.

Scratch the night before, Sigrid had never felt worse than being carried on a swaying target through the air. She couldn't really tell what was happening, up until she looked up at the bright sky, feeling her brother's arms around her shivering figure. She looked worse than before, her nose flushed red as the rest of her skin looked a pale green, they didn't have long left. 

Hiccup shushed his sister as she tried to speak, his voice gentle as he spoke to her. "Just rest, we're gonna beat this. I promise you, Sigrid, you just have to keep fighting, and hold on."

 Leaning her tall figure against a rock, he brushed some strawberry locks away from her sunken face.

"You need to stay with us, I can't imagine a world without you in it."

Sigrid was a motherly figure to all of the Dragon Riders, and they couldn't bare to lose her. Hel, even the twins were worried! Whilst they also still believed Sigrid was an invincible demigod. A bit counteractive.

"Alright, we have to move quickly." Hiccup stating, moving over to the Buffelord. 

They hoped this would work. The Buffelord slime was absolutely disgusting. Even if it tasted like nothing, the texture was awful, like a snail snale running down your throat. Sigrid coughed as it was given to her, yuck. But nothing was changing.

"Uh, nothing's happening!" Hiccup called out to Fishlegs in a panic. 

The blonde viking in question tried his best to be the voice of reason. "Maybe it takes some time for the antidote to work?" 

Sigrid responded with a loud, lung destroying cough, before falling back onto the rock with a deep shiver. Hiccup touched her forehead, she was cold as ice. 

"No, something's wrong." He said, as Electrode cooed by his side in concern. 

Fishlegs looked at the instructions, hoping for some clarification. 

"It says the green solution will cure the Scourge." He read. "Green solution, cure, that's all it says."

"But the Buffalord's saliva is clear." Hiccup noted. "What does it mean, green solution?"

Fishlegs let out a panicked breath as his eyes scanned over the words. The loud smacking in the background caught Snotlout and Astrid's attention, as they found themselves glaring at the twins. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were sat cross legged on the ground, munching on some grass, their mouth dripping green.

"Are you two serious?!" Astrid huffed in disbelief.

Snotlout seconded with her. "How can you guys eat at a time like this?"

"Hey, people deal with stress differently, okay?" Ruffnut defended.

Her brother nodded. "And we're eating what the Buffalord eats, because, hey, who doesn't want sweet-smelling dropping?"

"It's a victimless crime." Ruffnut smirked as she continued munching on the grass.

Fishlegs narrowed his eyes, noting the green saliva dripping down their chins...wait...green saliva?

"Wait, Hiccup." Fishlegs gasped. 

Hiccup's eyes widened in realisation. 

"The herbs." He sighed in relief. "It must be what the Buffalord eats, mixed with its saliva, that creates the antidote!"

"Which would stand to reason why it won't leave this place." Fishlegs concluded with a smile. "It can't be away from the herbs it eats."

"So we just needed to eat the herbs to create the green solution!" Hiccup had never been this relieved, turning to his paling sister, he whispered to her gently.

"Hang in there, Sigrid. Just a little longer, please. For me, and for dad."

Astrid kept at Sigrid's side, holding the woman's cold green hand in her own as she stroked her thumb over her palm. 

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there, Sig." She whispered with tearful eyes. "I was so scared, and right now I feel like a coward. I'm so sorry."

The woman couldn't respond, but Astrid had hope that she'd make it. Whatever happens, she couldn't lose her.

Meanwhile, Snotlout had never tried to make a dragon eat this fast in his life. It seemed that their theory worked, as after eating the herbs, the Buffalord's saliva did turn green. But just as Hiccup was going to put his cup up to the Buffalord's dripping mouth, a shot was heard from the distance.

Dodging the net nearing towards them, Hiccup and Snotlout managed to avoid the trap, but the Buffalord wasn't so lucky. The group gasped as they saw a group of Hunters running towards them, led by Ryker and Viggo Grimborn. Oh no.

"Viggo!" Hiccup yelled in anger as the Hunter's surrounded the Buffalord, crossbows pointed at his head. 

Viggo approached him with a smile. 

"Hello, Hiccup. Thank you so very much for this gift." He started. "I do apologize that you won't be able to use it to save your dear sister."

Green eyes glanced towards Sigrid, who only seemed to be getting worse by the second, before glaring right back at Viggo's smirking face. Right then, Hiccup made the decision that if they had to fight for his sister's life, they'd make it count, hitting the Hunters with everything they had. Meanwhile, Electrode was stanced in front of his rider, ready to hurt anyone who dared to take a step closer to her. The group had never seen the Skrill so tense, as it surrounded the two of them in a lightning cage, protecting Sigrid from the threats outside. But it wasn't enough.

"Pull up, riders. We can't risk hurting the Buffalord, we need it!" Hiccup called out. "Viggo, release that dragon. You have no idea what you're doing!"

Viggo chuckled. 

"Oh, I beg to differ, my dear Hiccup. I'm keenly aware of my actions." He taunted. "This dragon is exceedingly unique, it will elicit a considerable bounty on the open market. You should have left well enough alone, Hiccup. My fishing boat was no place for you or any of your riders."

That son of a troll.

"Your fishing boat?!" Hiccup gasped.

He'd set this whole thing up, and his sister might die for it.

Viggo smirked. "It's simple, really. Supply and demand. I knew where to get the supply, if I could only generate the demand."

Fishlegs and Astrid gasped at Sigrid's sight. 

"You're a monster!" Fishlegs swore at the youngest Grimborn brother.

Viggo only chuckled in amusement. 

"Fishlegs, I'm shocked! I'd have thought you were above name-calling." He spoke. "Monster? No. Savvy businessman? Indeed."

"And what if the dragon was extinct?" Hiccup tried to reason.

Viggo shrugged. "I tend not to dwell on the 'what ifs', my boy. Leaves you barren."

"What are we waiting for? Let's take this psycho out already!" Snotlout growled in impatience.

Was he the only one that cared about saving Sigrid's life?

Hiccup frowned. 

"Toothless..." He spoke towards the dragon, who was ready to strike.

"Ryker." Viggo said, and his older brother didn't waste a second to raise his sword to the Buffalord's neck.

"NO!" Hiccup cried out in fear. 

If they lost the Buffalord, they'd lose everything.

"I would think twice about your actions, Hiccup." Viggo was still ever so cocky. 

Hiccup frowned. 

"And your profits?" He spat.

"Like I said, business is business." Viggo shrugged. "This? Oh, it's a loss I'm willing to incur. Question is, are you?"

Sigrid shuddered once again, and Electrode pushed himself against her even further to try and give her warmth. Hiccup's heart was racing, he'd have to think fast.

"Okay, Viggo. Okay, you win." He rambled. "Take him. Take the dragon. But leave us with what we came here for, the Scourge antidote, Buffalord saliva. I'm not leaving here without it, that's a loss I'm not willing to take."

Sigrid stirred. 

"No..." She croaked, breathless. "Hiccup... don't give him... not for me..."

"What are you talking about." Astrid whisper yelled in offence. "Yes, for you!"

Hiccup glanced back in worry. "Do we have a deal? Or are we both leaving here empty-handed? Your call."

Viggo raised his brow. The youngest Haddock sibling continued to surprise him at every turn. It was amusing, really. It'd been so long since he'd had a worthy opponent. 

With a raise of his hand, he told his brother to stay back, and allow Hiccup to collect what he had come here for. The Scourge antidote. 

"I've truly missed our time together, Hiccup." Viggo grinned. "My brother leaves something to be desired in the repartee department, I'm sure you know what that's like?" He questioned, an obvious insult to his dying sister.

"My boy, don't look so morose. It takes all the fun out of it. All's well that ends well, hmm?"

Hiccup didn't give him the satisfaction of getting a reaction out of him, nor did he even spare Viggo Grimborn a glance. He had more important matters at hand, a matter that was still shivering against a rock. Electrode allowed Hiccup to approach, as he raised to cup to Sigrid's mouth once again. This time it should work. It had to.

"I know, I know." Hiccup cooed as he watched his sister cringe at the texture. "Just drink."

Immediately, Sigrid's skin started to flush. The green tint slowly leaving her as Hiccup raised his hand to her forehead once again. She was warming up.

"Hiccup... I think- I think..." She mumbled, blinking her eyes, her baby blue's finally open once again. 

"It's working!" Hiccup called in delight.

Feeling a lot better than she had moments ago, Sigrid attempted to rise to her feet. Electrode under her hand, helping to balance, she succeeded in rising from the ground. Sigrid gasped as her knees trembled, stumbling forward into her brother's arms.

"It's okay, I've got you." Hiccup assured her with a smile. "I've always got you."

Sigrid snorted as she heard her own words repeated back to her, standing back up and giving her brother a nudge to the shoulder. 

"Oh!" She gasped as she was instantly squished in a group hug. "Yeah yeah, I love you guys too." 

"I'm afraid our time must end, Hiccup." Viggo called from the distance, breaking apart their group moment. "We will continue our contest in due time."

Tuffnut growled. "He won't get far, let's go after him!"

"Yeah, I'm sick of that smug-"

Hiccup stopped Snotlout's speech with a hand in front of his face. 

"No." He denied. "Stand down. We agreed to let him leave the island with that dragon, and that's exactly what we're gonna do."

"What are you planning, Hiccup?" Sigrid crossed her arms, a smirk on her pink flushed face, the life completely back in her body. 

Her brother didn't answer. She supposed they'd just have to wait and see. 

"You really scared me, you know?" Hiccup hugged his sister once again, his voice low like an almost whisper. "I was this close to losing you... I- it was terrifying."

Sigrid frowned, clasping her arms around the boy. 

"I know, I'm sorry." She continued, ignoring her brother's protests about her apologizing. "I'd be the same, if it had been you."

Looking towards the shore, a loud boom was followed by the Buffalord's escape, and the almost sinking of Viggo's ship. Serves him right. 

The Buffalord flew back on the island, exhaling as it huffed out the extra air in its body, before it started to munch on his herbs again. He seemed pretty content with where he was.

"Well, that leaves just one thing to do." Hiccup said, and Sigrid immediately knew what he meant. 

The fishing boat. 

---

"There do I see my father, my mother, and my brothers and sister." Sigrid spoke with her bow in hand, flaming arrow ready to in its place. "They bid me take my place among them in the halls of Valhalla...where the brave shall live forever.

Pulling their bowstring tight, they launched their flaming arrows towards the ship deck. The arrows landed in harmony, and the fire started to spread across the wood like a peaceful dance. Sigrid hoped that, whilst their final moments might've been the greatest torture, that they fishermen had found their peace in death. She might not have known them, but after going through that hell, she knew that no one deserved to meet that tragic end. 

That night, they left feeling more at peace than they had that morning, and filled Hiccup with a lot more worry about Viggo's plans. 

Chapter Text

"Okay, what is going on here?" Sigrid questioned with a stern gaze, watching as the riders fought over something in Fishlegs' grasp.

Her brother and Astrid were at her side, equally as confused, before Tuffnut rose to victory. His hand rose as he held up a Terror mail, something Fishlegs had been dying to hide from them. 

"Ha! The Fishmeister has been getting quite the bevy of Terror mails, lately." Tuffnut explained from his position over the blonde viking's leg. 

Snotlout groaned as he got up, brushing a hand over his shirt. Sending a smirk Tuffnut's way.

"And since we haven't been sending them..."

Tuffnut continued. "That begs the question, who is our sly little friend here communicating with one the... sly?"

Ruffnut agreed with a brother, her arms crossed as she gave Fishlegs a suspicious look.

Snotlout continued. "And because he won't give us a name..."

"We decided to take matters into our own hands." Ruffnut smirked.

Fishlegs quickly broke under pressure. The questioning gazes of the six Vikings way too much for him to take.

"Okay, fine." He spouted. "If you must know-"

"Yes, we must!" The twins chanted.

Hiccup tried to be the voice of reason. "Guys, Fishlegs doesn't have to tell you unless he wants to. It's his personal, private business."

"I agree with my brother." Sigrid nodded. "Fishlegs, you don't have to tell us if you're not comfortable doing so."

But she had to admit, she was very curious.

"Thank you, Sigrid." Fishlegs gloated before he met the eyes of the three mischievously curious vikings to his left, he grew hessitant.

In hope for defence, he looked back towards the three reasonable people, only to find that their eyes shone with intrigue as well. It was obvious that they, too, were begging for him to spill his secrets. 

"Fine-" He sighed. "I've been corresponding with a certain someone, who has been returning my Terror mails in kind. You happy?"

Astrid's face gleamed as she grinned. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Fishy's got a girlfriend!" Snotlout and Tuffnut sung in mockery. "Fishy's got a girlfriend." 

"Yeah!" Tuffnut shouted as they high-fived. "It's fun to make fun of people!"

Sigrid had to admit, she was intrigued. "Who is she, Fishlegs? Do I know her? Is she nice? Does she make you happy?"

"Who said it's a she?" Snotlout chuckled. 

Hiccup raised his brow. "Uh, Fishlegs? Now, I have to admit, I am curious."

Everyone's speculation and questioning was obviously itching on the Viking's bad side, as Fishlegs didn't seem pleased that everyone was suddenly so invested in his personal business. It's not like they cared otherwise.

"Okay, okay." He waved his hands around in surrender. "...It's Heather."

No one gasped as loudly as Sigrid did. She was delighted. Snotlout, on the other hand, wasn't as amused. 

"So, wait, you're telling me that my future wife, the future Mrs. Lout who just disappeared after the whole Viggo fiasco, you knew where to find her and you told exactly no one?"

Fishlegs shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Look, guys, Heather is out on her own. She never stays in one place." Hiccup reasoned. "We knew we'd hear from her eventually."

Snotlout huffed. "Yeah, but she and I have that connection. She should have written to me."

"She had absolutely no obligation to do that, and I will not hesitate to slap you if you ever say such things again." Sigrid wasted no time to scold him.

The suggestion of another woman being obliged to a man hit a bit too close for comfort. 

"Yes, ma'am." Snotlout was quick to salute, making her roll her eyes. 

 Turns out, Fishlegs had actually been corresponding with Heather for a lot longer than they thought. After revealing the chest filled with letters, Sigrid felt a little bit hurt that he hadn't trust them - or her - enough to tell them about this. She cared for Heather too, she would've liked to know she was safe. But even in her letters, she didn't exactly sound... okay.

"Uh, wow." Ruffnut started. "Those are some depressing Terror mails. I may need a mace to the head just to cheer me up."

"On it!"

Ruffnut caught the mace that her brother had just tried to slam on her head.

"Metaphorically speaking!" She sneered at him, whilst Tuffnut just laughed.

"These letters don't even sound like her, she seems worried and confused." Astrid stated in concern.

Fishlegs went right on to defend Heather.

"Think about everything she's been through!" He started. "The only family she ever knew, gone. Then being out there, all alone, by herself..."

"And lest we not forget, or forget, finding out her brother is one Dagur the Deranged." Tuffnut carried on dramatically. 

For some reason, the mention of the Berserker made Sigrid's heart race. Wow, was she getting sick again? Better not be...

"Yeah. I can't say I'd feel any different in her shoes." Hiccup admitted, very grateful that he had Sigrid as an older sibling instead.

Snotlout peeped up from his side.

"Shoe. Because you..." He pointed to the Haddock's peg-leg, trying to make his point clear without saying it. "Nevermind."

"Hey, Heather's risked her life to fight with us!" Fishlegs spoke. "She's helped us save countless dragons, she's the closest thing to actually being one of us. It just seems like we should do something to help."

Sigrid hummed.

"That's an idea..." She cleared her throat, prodding her brother in his side. 

Getting the hint, Hiccup spoke up. "Well, hey, what about making her one of us? Ask her to be a Dragon Rider."

That seemed like a very good idea.

"Oh, Hiccup! I think asking Heather to join the riders would be amazing!" Fishlegs jumped up and down in excitement. "Besides, the Nadder migration will be coming through here again and Windshear could be a huge help."

Eventually, after some arguing, they all made an agreement. They'd invite Heather to the Edge, and see how things went. In the end, if everyone agreed, they'd ask her to join the Dragon Riders permanently. Most importantly, Sigrid was delighted to see the girl who'd turned out to be like a little sister to her, again.

It seemed that Heather was just as excited to see her, as she wrapped the older redhead in her arms the second she landed. 

"Sigrid, I missed you so much." Heather muttered with a sigh.

The time spend with Dagur had made her very thankful for the oldest Haddock's gentle nature... when it came to people she cared about. 

The woman smiled, caressing her back gently.

"I missed you too." Sigrid cooed, giving her a small squeeze before letting her greet an out-of-breath Fishlegs. 

Gods, they'd make such a cute couple. Sigrid was delighted to see Fishlegs so happy with a girl. He'd never been too comfortable in the romantic department, as he was always a bit shy towards others. So she was glad to see him gain a little confidence. 

In the blink of an eye, the sky set and the moon rose. It was time for dinner. Usually, it was up to anyone who could make something edible to rock-paper-scissor for who would have to cook. Tonight, it had been Sigrid's turn, and Heather had volunteered to help.

"You never told me you were such a talented cook." Sigrid smirked as she watched Heather finish off the yak chops. 

Heather shrugged sheepishly, a slight flush on her smiling face. "Thanks, being on your own can make you learn some very important things."

Sigrid hummed. Heather's words made her think about Dagur, and the last time she saw him. He'd been on his own completely, and had almost died in a shipwreck after leaving the Dragon Hunters, and he'd changed completely. Sigrid still had trouble wrapping her head around it, but she had hope that Dagur would stay on this path for the better. 

He'd changed so much from when they were betrothed. It was strange to think about, but had he been like this sooner, Sigrid might've not actually minded getting married to him...

Dinner had been great, and Heather was glad everyone enjoyed her cooking. Sigrid tried to not take any offense to it.

The next day had been hectic. The Nadder migration had already been... messy to say the least. With Windshear and Meatlug not getting along, suddenly it seemed that the Razorwhip didn't get along with anyone besides Heather. 

Even with Hiccup offering to train Windshear, Heather still had no hope, and Fishlegs was determined to change that.

Sigrid smirked as he ran off to stop Heather from leaving, and she couldn't help but yell after him. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"Sigrid!" Fishlegs whined in embarrassment, making the woman chuckle.

She hoped he could figure this out. He and Heather deserved to be happy, and most importantly, safe.

Right now, Sigrid had to be quick. Luckily, Electrode was itching for some extra speed, and they reached the other Riders in no time. The Nadder migration in full force, it seemed that they could really use the extra help. But this time, it seemed that things wouldn't be that simple.

"Oh, great." Hiccup groaned after Tuffnut pointed out the dragon hunter ship going towards them.

Astrid frowned. "They must have figured out what we're doing with the Nadders and decided to head us off!"

"It's only one ship, easy." Sigrid shrugged. "We'll take them down, no problem."

Tuffnut didn't agree. "Uh, I hate to keep bringing down the room, or the, you know, outside, but that isn't exactly the case." 

He was right, as suddenly more ships appeared from the opposite side. They were trying to trap them, but the Riders wouldn't be so easily taken down.

"Okay. Guys, let's get above the clouds, we need to regroup." Hiccup commanded, as the others followed his example.

At least, they would've if Snotlout didn't get trapped. 

"Hookfang!" The viking cried out in surprise. "Come on, Hookie. It's just a little rope."

"That's not just a rope!" Astrid noted. "Looks like it's made of some kind of reinforced steel or iron."

"That's what I said!" Snotlout panicked, still trying to be right. "Come on, Hookie. It's just a little rope made out of some kind of reinforced steel or iron."

Sigrid narrowed her eyes as she spotted two figures flying towards them in the distance. It was Fishlegs and Heather! But...

"They're riding each other's dragons?" The woman questioned in bewilderment.

Hiccup shook his head. "Doesn't matter. Right now I'm just thankful they decided to show up."

Right now, they had to focus on taking out the Dragon Hunter ships safely, and Hiccup was not letting Sigrid do her job.

"Stay back Sigrid, you're still recovering!" He called out, begging for her to let Heather and Fishlegs take this one on, which they were doing perfectly fine up until this point.

Sigrid snorted, rolling her eyes as her brother brought up her near death experience. "Oh please, I've been fine ever since you fed me the potion."

"Once again, not a potion, just Buffalord saliva." Hiccup groaned.

Odin, Sigrid was really stubborn.

In the end, Heather decided to stay, and she made dinner all by herself in celebration. Let's just say Sigrid was happy to sit by the sidelines for a change, she really hadn't realized how much she was actually doing on Dragon's Edge until she just... didn't.

The mood was fully recovered, as everyone laughed and joked around the table of delicious yak chops, glad to have another rider join the team. Until a Terror mail came in.

"I didn't send it." Heather raised a brow as Hiccup unrolled the scroll... before Sigrid snatched it from his hands.

"Hey!" Hiccup protested, glaring up at his thieving sister, who skimmed through the page with concentrated eyes.

Quickly, her facial expression changed from narrowed curiosity to surprise and finally to shock, her face flushing as she discarded the letter back to her brother.

"I'll just... let you have that."  

"...Thank you?" Her nervous attitude made Hiccup a little worried, as he too read the letter.

Astrid noted Hiccup's now also frowning expression.

"What is it? Are you okay?" She questioned in worry. 

"It's from Dagur." Hiccup admitted what his sister had been to shy to do. "He's been looking everywhere for his sister, and he wants our help in finding her."

Sigrid's figure relaxed as her brother finished talking, glad he hadn't admitted a small - but important - detail from Dagur's letter. You see, Dagur hadn't really asked the Dragon Riders for help in general. No, he'd asked her for help. And to be honest, Sigrid was a bit flustered to read it, to think that he really trusted her that much to write to her. 

That was a lot to think about.

"Well, that shouldn't take long, she'd right there." Tuffnut chuckled.

Heather's expression was frightened, she was not happy with this news. "I knew he would come looking for me."

"Well, maybe that's not such a bad thing." Hiccup tried to reason with a gentle smile.

But Heather hadn't seen Dagur, back on that island. She had no idea how he'd changed. Heather's doubtful expression made Hiccup realise that pretty quickly.

"...Or maybe it is." He quickly changed his course of action. "Look, Heather, you're one of us now. A Dragon Rider. If you're not ready to be found, we'll make sure you won't be."

Heather sighed. She was obviously worried, and Sigrid couldn't blame her. She can't imagine what Heather must be feeling right now, but she knew one thing; it wasn't anything good.

Chapter Text

"SIGRID, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!"

Lesson learned; never let Snotlout and Hiccup go alone on a mission ever again.

When Snotlout came barging back on the Edge, rambling about how Hiccup was in danger, the entire group had flown with him. But when they arrived in the caves... it was empty.

"What, what? They're gone! They were right here, I swear! Back me up, Hookfang!" Snotlout spouted in genuine fear.

Sigrid frowned as she studied the cave, whilst Tuffnut bullied Snotlout with threats of possibly being killed by either her or her father, which really wasn't helping. She might actually kill Snotlout if they wouldn't find her brother soon, but it turns out she could use that energy elsewhere.

This was the Dragon Hunters' doing, and Sigrid was ready to bash some heads in. At least, if Thorston and Thorston - Sleuth's Extraordinaire - would allow her to. In her frustration, she decided that it would be faster to just find another hunter.

So she did, and she didn't even have to raise her axe at his throat for him to babble about everything he knew like a toddler telling their entire family's secrets.

Finally, her father's genes seemed to have worked in her favor, as the sight of her flaming locks was enough for hunters to start sweating. She was really starting to enjoy it.

"Dragon fights? I can't believe it!" Sigrid spouted in anger, as their dragons soared through the sky. "I'm going to kill every last one of those monsters!"

Whilst Astrid agreed with her statement, she was a bit worried about her rageful emotions. "Okay, okay, deep breaths."

"No, I agree with Sigrid." Fishlegs growled. "Forcing dragons to fight each other is inhumane!"

Heather frowned. "And people will go nuts when they find out it's a Nightfury that's fighting."

"Why are we even discussing this? Hiccup and Toothless need us. Ergo, we go. As in, dragons blazin'." Snotlout stated.

For once, Sigrid agreed with him. Yeah, she probably wouldn't of made the best Chief, in hindsight.

"We can't do that, Snotlout." Heather argued. "You saw that chain dome, there's no way we can get in there."

Sigrid sighed. "So what will we do?"

"We'll use our superior sleuthing skills." Tuffnut smirked.

Fishlegs wasn't so convinced. "Uh... no offense, but your sleuthing skills have not gotten us very far."

"Don't worry, Fishlegs. Remember, we're masters of infiltration." Tuffnut assured, before he and his twin flew off to prove themselves right.

They better be right, or Sigrid would kill them herself.

---

Well... it hadn't gone exactly to plan, but the positive thing was; they were in.

Sigrid's adrenaline was running through her veins, in a rage she'd never felt before. They had taken her brother and his dragon by force, and if they weren't fast enough they could risk Toothless' life, or another poor dragon's. She couldn't believe how many vikings were cheering around that arena, and it made her sick.

With Heather and Astrid by her side, they ran with their axe's raised, kicking Dragon Hunter butts all around. But in her anger, Sigrid couldn't even enjoy the satisfying sounds of the sharp metal cutting through the air.

After almost killing Hunter after Hunter, they'd finally gotten to Hiccup.

"Sigrid!" Her brother called out as her muscled figure bursted through the metal door, before greeting the other women alongside her.

Grasping her brother in a tight hug, Hiccup almost couldn't breathe.

"Thank Thor you're okay!" Sigrid almost cried.

Hiccup patted her back. "I'm fine, but it's Toothless I'm worried about. "

And he had every right to be. From Hiccup's cage they could hear Toothless' snarl in wild anger, much like the fury Sigrid had before finding her brother.

Meanwhile, Windshear freed her fellow Razorwhip from entrapment, and they got ready to strike. To their greatest luck, Toothless had mercy on the poor Triple Stryke in front of him on the ground, and now they waited on Hiccup's mark.

The second they saw Ryker enter through the arena's entrance, Hiccup let the dragon's lose. Standing with his dragon whilst Sigrid ran to check on the Triple Stryke, Electrode guarding the two of them from danger. The poor thing was exhausted, and whilst it seemed uncertain of her gentle touch, he allowed it, before purring in her soft palm.

Oh my Thor, what a sweetheart.

Turns out, even when presented with his freedom, the dragon didn't want to leave. It was sad, but logical. He'd been in captivity for so long, that he had no clue what to do. Sigrid could relate to it somewhat, being stuck in a fated scenario only for it to flip on its head completely, leaving you with nothing.

Sigrid chuckled as she watched the Triple Stryke circle through the air. He seemed like he was having a good time.

The twins decided to name him Sleuther, which, in her opinion, fit him rather well.

"Well, Sleuther, welcome to the team." She chuckled, as she dragon cooed in delight.

Sleuther floated above her, turning upside down, before sticking his tongue out. Prompting Electrode to, questionably, do the same.

Sigrid laughed, what a goofy thing. He'd love it on Dragon's Edge, she was sure of it. And they would be delighted to have him.

Chapter Text

Today had been a long day of training for their biggest mission yet; the attack on Viggo's shipwreck. As far as they knew, Viggo was still unaware that they knew of this base, and they were planning to use that to their advantage. 

Sigrid and Electrode had retired to their hut, where they put away their training gear in exchange for something looser.

For Electrode, it was time to play. His favorite toy as of late was a wood-chip filled sock puppet, reminiscent of an eel, which was heavy enough for Sigrid to throw far into the open field, so he could chase after it. It worked great in getting rid of his access energy, tiring them both out before a good night's rest.

In the meantime, her brother would not be having such a peaceful evening. 

"Come on, bud. Let's get some shut-eye before dinner." Hiccup yawned as he dismounted off his dragon, before him and Toothless walked towards his hut, ready for a well earned rest.

Opening the latched door to his hut, Hiccup was surprised by a familiar redheaded figure standing in the middle of his room, his dragon sword in hand as the blade was set ablaze. Of course, Dagur somehow managed to activate it, probably by pressing random buttons.

"This is cool..." The Berserker spoke in awe, before turning around at the sound of Hiccup's scream.

 "Brother!" He cheered, approaching Hiccup before seeing him back off. "Wait, where are you going? It's me! Where's my hug?"

Obviously, he hadn't realised that Hiccup probably wouldn't like to receive a flaming blade to the face. Hiccup let out a sound of alarm, and the Berserker quickly realised his mistake.

"Oh, sorry. Uh- how do you turn this thing off?" Dagur stuttered before fiddling with the sword, but he still couldn't figure out how it worked.

Hiccup groaned. 

"Give me that." He snatched the sword from Dagur's hands. 

"You've been keeping busy." Dagur noted from all of the thingymabobs and inventions lying around Hiccup's room. 

Holding his arms out for Toothless, he was astounded when the dragon gave him nothing but a growl.

"Hey, come on, Toothless. Where's the love, man?"

Hiccup sat down on the large chest against the wall, turning off the flaming sword. "What, in the name of Thor, are you doing here?" 

Luckily, it didn't seem like anyone had spotted the Berserker yet, or else war might've broken out on Dragon's Edge. Yeah, Hiccup still hadn't told them about his and Sigrid's encounter with Dagur, when - you know - he crashed on a random island...

"Heather. I haven't seen a trace of her, it's so... frustrating!" Dagur huffed. "I sent a letter to Sigrid, but she didn't respond. So, I came over here, but then I realised that I had no idea which hut was hers... and then I got distracted by all the stuff you have here, and then you came in."

"...Uhuh." Hiccup nodded along with a raised brow.

Wow, Dagur sure could ramble.

"I've gotta have a dragon."

Hiccup blinked. "What?" 

"To find Heather, I need to cover more ground faster. Dragony fast!" Dagur explained.

That was a hard no. 

"Yeah, I don't think so." Hiccup trailed off, before his arm was pulled harshly by the Berserker. 

"Hiccup! You and Toothless owe me. I saved your lives." Dagur tried to reason... or maybe blackmail? Could be both.

"If I remember correctly, my sister also saved you." Hiccup raised his brow, pulling his arm out off Dagur's grip. "You also tried to kill us."

Dagur was desperate at this point. 

"Did I really? I think maybe in here-" he pointed to his heart, "-I never really wanted to."

"Oh gods..." Hiccup sighed. 

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock!" 

Both vikings screamed at the booming voice of one very angry Sigrid. The towering redhead stood at the hut's entrance with her hands on her hips. Parts of her leather armor coverings were removed from her arms, and it was clear that she hadn't come running up there in a hurry, which meant no emergency - thank Thor.

Hiccup was just glad Electrode wasn't at her side, which he usually was. He was sure the interaction would've ended up with the Berserker being fried alive. 

"Sigrid, there you are! I was looking for you but I got distracted-"

Hiccup interrupted before he could go on another ramble. "Dagur is still looking for Heather, and he wants to learn how to ride a dragon to do so faster."

"Yeah, that's not happening." Sigrid raised her brow, crossing her arms across her chest after she fully entered the hut, making sure to close the door behind her.

"What?!" Dagur cried, looking very betrayed. 

Hiccup was glad his sister stood behind him with this. 

"I can't train you to ride a dragon." He told a very disappointed Dagur.

"Why not?" 

He had to think of an excuse now. "I... don't have the time."

Dagur send a hopeful expression Sigrid's way, but the woman just mentioned towards her brother with a look that said 'hey, he's the dragon expert, not me.'

"Oh, okay. You're too busy, I get it. Sorry, guess I'll be going." Dagur started, but it was obvious he was not, in fact, going. "First maybe I'll- you know, take a stroll around the base, see a few old friends, make a few apologies..."

"No, no, no, no. You can't!" Hiccup blocked Dagur's way in an instant, panic written all over his face. 

Dagur raised his brow. "Why not?"

Hiccup glanced behind the redhead, towards the other hellfire. But his sister was no help, simply shrugging with no input to give. Thanks a lot Sigrid. 

"Because, uh, you've got to be up early tomorrow... uh- to start your training!"

Dagur was delighted. "Are you serious? But I thought-"

"Okay! Sigrid and I will meet you first thing in the morning on the far side of the island." Hiccup interrupted, pulling his sister down with him. "That's where the best wild dragons are."

'Hey!' Sigrid wanted to yell. 'I have stuff to do...'

"Actually, you should go there right now and camp out for the night." Hiccup added quickly, sending a mischievous look to his frowning sister. "Sigrid will show you the way!"

Dagur smiled. 

"Great idea!" Without warning, he pulled the youngest Haddock into a very tight embrace. "Thank you, Hiccup. Thank you." 

Sigrid cringed as she heard Hiccup's bones crack. 

"Don't- don't mention it..." Her brother groaned, really wanting to be put down. 

"You're so small and cuddly."

Sigrid snorted at Dagur's words. "He is, isn't he?" 

She almost cackled at her brother's glaring face. 

"Please never say that again, either of you." Hiccup cringed. "So, uh- I'll see you later?"

Sigrid rolled her eyes as her brother gestured for her to follow Dagur. Oh, so he was serious about her showing him the way.

"Try and keep up." She told the Berserker, who almost saluted at her tone.

Wow, he really had changed. 

"Remember, on that far far side of the island!" Hiccup called after them. 

Sigrid hoped he'd figure something out fast, before any of the others - especially Heather - found out about the Berserker's sudden appearance. Honestly, if they did, she wasn't sure if Dagur would make it out alive.

The walk with Dagur had been awkward, to say the least. Sigrid wasn't much of a talker to begin with, and whilst Dagur was, it seemed that he had no clue what to say. To be fair, it had been literal years since the last time they had a casual walk together, and even then it had definitely been a one-sided sense of peace, as Sigrid was miserable most of the time. 

"So... uh, did you get my letter?" The Berserker seemed almost anxious as he stuttered out his question. 

Sigrid hummed, an embarrassed flush appearing on her face as she remembered the Terror mail dropped in front of her brother's face.

"Yeah, I did. I just, uh, haven't had the time to respond yet... sorry."

"No, no, that's fine. I get it." Dagur reassured her with raised hands, even if it hadn't been a real apology to begin with. "It might've been a little overwhelming, that's fair. You're probably needed here too, right?"

That wasn't completely true. Hiccup had kind off put her on 'Rider's leave' after her run in with the Scourge. Viggo's shipwreck would probably be her first mission after all of... well, that. 

"Yeah..." Sigrid didn't really know what to say.

"I guess I wrote to you because... well, I just wanted to apologize for- you know, everything." He looked at the ground sheepishly, Sigrid almost scolded him for not looking where he was going, but held back on the comment. 

"Uhuh." Sigrid hummed, allowing the Berserker to continue.

"I just realised that we might have a lot to talk about, you and I?"

Fair enough. They did have a lot of emotional baggage, you know, from the whole engagement thing? They decided to talk about it later. First, Sigrid had to help Dagur set up camp, which turned out to be a task. Apparently, the Berserker Chief was very easily distracted. Shocker that. Also, he'd never seen Sigrid actually lift things before, and he had to admit, he was very impressed by her form, and strength. 

They'd worked fast, in retrospect, as by the time they were done the sun hadn't even started sinking yet. Sigrid was impressed that her brother was able to distract Electrode for this long, as the Skrill was usually quite adamant on staying by her side. Maybe he was slowly getting rid of his attachment issues. 

"So, where do we start?" Sigrid was the first to ask, after they'd sat down to take a break.

It was clear that Dagur was surprised that she was starting the conversation for once, but he definitely wasn't opposed to it. 

"Uh..." Sigrid raised her brow at Dagur's long pause, to which he gave a sheepish chuckle, his face flushing red. "How about... uh, what was your point of view on the whole 'betrothal' thingy?"

Guess that's a good place to start. 

"Well, it wasn't very positive. -" Sigrid started with heavy breath, feeling a little guilty at Dagur's pained expression."-But my father told me everything he needed to. I would marry you, and in turn the Berserkers would guarantee us permanent safety. In case something happened to my father, he wanted me, my brother, and our tribe taken care of, and your father was kind enough to agree to that. Even if the deal didn't benefit him at all."

"Oh..." Dagur hummed. "Would you kill me if I told you that was not how I saw it, like at all?"

Sigrid raised her brow, her face scrunched up as her mouth rounded to an 'O'.

"What?"

"Well, the way I saw it, my father just wanted to make sure I actually got married. You know, to carry on the Berserker legacy? Because, well, I was obviously helpless..." Dagur rubbed the back of his neck, a little shy. "But, yeah, your version makes a lot more sense..."

"I never knew you felt that way." Sigrid admitted, taking Dagur's feelings seriously. "But then, if you didn't know how much Berk needed, well, this-" she gestured between her and Dagur, "-then why were you so arrogant when you became Chief? No offense."

"None taken." Dagur raised his hand in assurance. "I guess I just wanted you and Stoick to think I was important? Worthy? I don't know."

Suddenly, Sigrid laughed, taking Dagur by complete surprise. "What do you mean worthy? Worthy of what?"

"Of you."

Oh, he was dead serious.

Sigrid flushed red. "Me?"

"Yeah." Dagur seemed equally as embarrassed, and equally as red. "You were older than me, and so much cooler. I just wanted to impress you."

"By terrorizing my brother?"

Dagur cringed. "...Yes?"

"I'm just messing with you." Sigrid assured him, before looking towards the horizon. "Oh, it's almost dinner time, and I haven't even started cooking! Sorry Dagur, I've gotta run."

Dagur watched with wide eyes, red flush still present on his face as he watched the woman grab her axe and run off.

"Does this mean we're good? Are we friends now?" He yelled after her.

The woman laughed, he really was full of surprises.

"Sure!" She called back, unable to see the relieved smile that spread on his face. 

Friends... yeah, he could work with that. 

Sigrid had never made dinner so fast in her entire life. But she'd done it, because by the time the others entered, lured in by the smell of meaty goodness, she'd made enough for nearly six vikings! In her haste, she might've made a bit too much - not really caring about portions that much - but she was sure they wouldn't notice. Maybe she could give the leftovers to Dagur, or would that be too weird? 

Luckily, it seemed that Sigrid was right, and no one noticed her little cooking blunder. The round table was as lively as always, filled with laughter and quick witted comments as everyone enjoyed their meal.

Hiccup was the last to enter, with a panicked look on his face... and he smelled a little bit toasted? Oh boy, maybe his uncle-dragon babysitting session didn't go as well as she thought. But is seemed her brother didn't care about the slight dark discoloration on his usually brown leather, as he fake-laughed at a joke that he had only half heard. 

"Hey, uh, speaking of soggy pants, you ever wonder what happened to Dagur and his crazy pants?" Hiccup's question silenced the room's laughter, and had immediately put Heather in a foul mood. 

"Uh- no." Snotlout sneered. 

Ruffnut butted in. "And for the record, I don't think his pants were that crazy."

Now the riders were curious, why was Hiccup bringing this up to begin with? Sigrid had to refrain from rolling her eyes, if this was her brother's way of telling them, he was doing a bad job at it.

"What brings Dagur up, anyway?" Fishlegs questioned with a raised brow.

"Nothing!" He defended himself. "But since we're on the subject of Dagur now, uh, do you ever wonder why he helped Heather escape from Viggo?"

"Probably as a distraction so he could get away himself." Astrid stated, confused by Hiccup's speculations. 

Hiccup raised his hands, flailing them around like he always does. "Maybe. I don't know. But what if it was actually the first step on a path towards a new life?"

Sigrid's statement still stood, this was a terrible way of telling them.

"A 'new life'? Dagur?" Heather slammed her hand against the table, accidentally spilling her drink over herself. "A dragon doesn't change its markings, Hiccup."

"Uh, technically...-" 

Heather huffed. "Except for a Changewing, yes, I know."

"-And a..."

"You get the point!" Seemed that even Heather could get tired of Fishlegs' 'know it all' attitude. 

Hiccup raised his hands in defence. "Right. You're probably right. But then again, uh... who would've thought that my father, Stoick The Vast, would ever learn to ride a dragon?"

At least this time he isn't pulling me in the deep with him. Sigrid thought.

"You never know, next time we see Dagur...-"

"I'll split the father-killer in two!" Heather jumped from her seat, angrily slicing the small table next to her in half with her axe. 

Everyone was silent, but Sigrid rose in anger at the sudden destruction. "Hey, we do not take our anger out on furniture! Heather, you're getting a new one!"

Heather was still a little angry, but mumbled out an apology nonetheless. "I better go, I have island patrol tonight."

"Actually, I asked Sigrid to take that!" Hiccup panicked. "I have a way more important mission for you."

Nevermind. Sigrid sighed. So much for leaving me out of this. 

"You do?" Heather questioned.

Hiccup had to think quick. "Of course I do! It's, uh, one final recon mission to check out our target. You and Snotlout."

"What are you talking about? We went last time." Snotlout was really confused. 

That's what you get when you have a strict schedule.

"I know." Hiccup chuckled awkwardly. "That's, uh, why I'm sending you again! To be on the lookout for any last-minute changes."

Heather raised her brow. "That... sort of makes sense."

No, it really didn't. But at least the appointed vikings seemed to think so.

"And you should leave tonight."

"Tonight!" Snotlout shouted. "But I haven't even packed. Argh! It's gonna take a whole day to get there."

"Jeez, Hiccup, are you trying to get rid of us?" Heather joked.

Seemed that Hiccup didn't get the joke. "Yes. No, no! That's crazy. Why would I-"

"I'm kidding, Hiccup. Relax." Heather assured. "Come on, Snotlout. Sooner we leave, the sooner we get back."

"Thanks for dinner, Sigrid." Both vikings managed to thank the redheaded woman before their leave, which she accepted with a smile.

Hiccup made sure to call after them. "Take your time... and by that I mean be safe!"

Wow, that was exhausting to even look at. But their troubles wouldn't be over, because someone promised Dagur that Sigrid would be there in the morning. Why, Hiccup, why?

Electrode was a little tense as he followed after Toothless, he'd smelled the Berserker on his rider's clothes the night before, and he didn't like it at all. But the Skrill trusted Sigrid, and if she thought this was fine, then he would try his best to behave. Maybe he'll even get a treat out of it.

"Finally!" Dagur yelled as the two riders landed, running up to them before realising how he might've come across. "Not mad, just... excited."

"Yeah, I see that." Sigrid commented, but Dagur was already back in la-la land, as he started to ramble. 

"I've been thinking about the dragon I should ride. Something that makes a statement." He started, before glancing over at Electrode. "You don't have any other Skrills hanging around, do you?"

Sigrid snorted, as Electrode hissed at him. "Nope."

"Yeah, no we don't." Hiccup's voice was low as he repeated his sister's statement.

He was starting to get a little concerned about Dagur's 'higher than mighty' attitude when it came to all this. Did he really think he was going to let him pick out a dragon for himself, on the first day? Ha! Hiccup had picked out almost every rider's dragon, with the exception of Heather and Sigrid of course. 

"Well, I suppose I could settle for a Nightfury." Toothless growled at Dagur's words. "Not the same zhush as a Skrill, but I could get by."

Hiccup crossed his arms. "Sorry, he's one of a kind."

"How about a Razorwhip? Like Heather's?"

He really wasn't getting the hint, now was he?

"Dagur, actually, we already picked out a dragon for you." Hiccup spoke. 

It was true, it's the reason why they were a little later than usual. The Haddock siblings just didn't completely agree on which dragon they should give Dagur, at first, but in the end it was Sigrid's first choice that won. Something she was very proud of, and Hiccup was ready to never let her forget it if it didn't work out. But honestly, that was more up to Dagur than the dragon.

"You're gonna love it." Sigrid winked at him, making the Berserker really excited. 

She lied, he probably wasn't going to like it at all.

Hiccup whistled, and the loud thumping on the ground started as the mysterious dragon ran towards them. 

"He's awesome, right? And dangerous? 'Cause I already picked out a name, Shattermaster!"

Dagur had a lot of hope for someone who didn't really know what was happening. He trusted Sigrid to know what he liked, as they'd known each other forever. And whilst Sigrid did know that, she and her brother chose a dragon that he needed, not that he necessarily wanted. 

The Berserker's confusion and disappointment really showed well on his face, as the chubby green Gronckle jumped out of the bushes in excited breaths.

Sigrid cooed at the sight of him, such a little baby. 

"Is, uh... is this my dragon's breakfast?" Dagur questioned Sigrid with an unamused look.

Sigrid didn't take the insult to the sweet little Gronckle too kindly, glaring at the assaulter as she crossed her arms. 

Hiccup stepped in before his sister could yell at him.

"No, this is Shattermaster." He gestured towards the very excited Gronckle. "The perfect dragon for you. Stable, easy to ride."

"Yeah, uh, I am not riding that dragon."

Now Sigrid was mad. 

"Then you're not riding any dragon." She pointed her finger at Dagur's chest as she glared at him. "Shattermaster is a sweet Gronckle, and I will not accept any mistreatment towards him."

Dagur was stubborn. 

"It's beneath me." He pouted as he crossed his arms over his chest, turning away from the dragon.

"Not yet." Hiccup started, pulling his sister away from the situation. "Prove to me that you can even get on it."

Dagur huffed. "Easy." 

He was sure of it, but was proven wrong as he went to jump on the Gronckle, but completely missed as the dragon jumped out of the way. 

Sigrid laughed. "That's what you get for being disrespectful."

"Sigrid, not helping." Hiccup scolded.

Actually, it seemed that Sigrid's taunts filled the Berserker with some determination. 

"I got this!" Dagur assured the Viking woman, before running after the Gronckle.

"Get-" he stumbled, "-get back here!"

"Dagur, no!" Hiccup yelled after him, as Sigrid kept standing there with crossed arms. 

He'd learn eventually, especially when he jumped onto Shattermaster's back, and was immediately flung off of the Gronckle, almost falling to his death over the cliffside. But luckily, he was able to hold on to a lone branch.

"Are you okay?" Hiccup questioned the dangling Berserker.

Dagur was okay, but very embarrassed, and perhaps a little angry. "You made your point, Hiccup. We'll do it your way."

Finally, he was admitting to something. Good. 

Sigrid had to help Dagur back on the Edge, and he promised her that he would listen to her brother's words, and apologized for his previous attitude towards the Gronckle. Which Sigrid wholeheartedly accepted. 

Hiccup seemed a little hesitant to start the actual lessons with his sister present. Telling from her previous jabs, it probably wasn't the best to have her be there when Dagur was learning. He'd already shown that he got distracted quite easily, and with Sigrid there, it was making it worse. 

"Hey, Sig, don't you have things to do?" Hiccup raised a brow in his sister's direction.

The sister in question returned the expression, crossing her arms. "Yeah, I do, why?"

"Well, don't you think you should be doing that then?" 

Oh, so now you want me out of here ?

"Sure, I'll go. It's not like I care." Sigrid sighed as she got on Electrode's back, before giving Dagur a final warning. "If you hurt that dragon, I will kill you."

Dagur didn't seem to take it personally, as he simply gave her a thumbs up.

With a final goodbye to her brother, she and Electrode took off into the sky, ready to go through their daily schedule. She hoped her brother could do this on his own.

Chapter Text

"What in the ever loving Frigg is that?!" Sigrid shrieked, as she heard the most atrocious sound coming from outside. 

Electrode cried out as he slumped his head on the floor, holding his paws up to his ears in pain. Sigrid told her dragon to stay behind, and went to investigate, only to find that the sound was - of course - the twins... with Dagur tied up in the middle of the other very angry dragon riders. 

"What in the name of Thor are you guys doing?!" Sigrid yelled at the group, who immediately halted in their previous actions.

Dagur seemed very happy to see her freckled face, and for different reasons, so was Astrid.

"Sigrid! Thank Thor you're here!" She sighed in relief, before pointing an accusing finger at Dagur. "He's saying that you, him, and Hiccup are all buddies now, and he was allowed to be here. I don't believe any of it!"

The others nodded along with Astrid's doubt.

Sigrid sighed as she rubbed her temple. 

"I'm not dealing with this right now, come here." She pulled Dagur's bound arms towards her, untying the not. 

"What's going on?" Fishlegs was very concerned.

"Go question my brother, not me. I refuse to be interrogated by any of you!" Sigrid pointed a finger at each Dragon Rider, before landing on the Thorstons. "And you two, if I ever hear that screeching again, I will mount your heads on my wall." 

"Yes ma'am." The twins saluted.

Sigrid wasn't done yet. 

"And you-" She turned towards Dagur. "What happened?"

"Well, I was riding Shattermaster, I crashed into Hiccup, he broke his fake leg, he went to get a new one on Shattermaster since he couldn't ride Toothless. So, I decided to try riding Toothless again and it kind of went wrong and we fell down and then they found me." Dagur ended his rambling by pointing at the other Dragon Riders, who were still glaring at him.

Sigrid blinked, holding one hand up from her crossed arms. "Hold on, you rode Toothless without my brother's permission, and crashed?"

"...Yes?" Dagur answered shyly.

It was the truth, but he quickly realized she was very angry with him about it.

"Do you realize how dangerous that was?" Sigrid scolded him. "That was so reckless, I can't even speak! Toothless could've gotten hurt, Dagur. You could've gotten hurt. You're not ready to ride a Nightfury!"

Dagur looked down at the ground in shame, rubbing his freed wrists. "I'm sorry, Sigrid."

"I know you're sorry, but you need to realize the severity of your actions. My brother was gracious enough to give you this opportunity and then you don't listen to him, you defy his words, and almost hurt his dragon! That's not nothing, Dagur." She listed off all of the things she'd seen from him, just from today.

At the end of her scolding, she realised she might've been a bit too harsh towards the Berserker, as he looked like he wanted to cry. To be fair, she was worried! He could've gotten really hurt, and she would never be able to forgive herself if he got killed here on the Edge.

"Okay, that was too much, I'm sorry." Sigrid apologized with a sigh. "I'm going to get my brother, he should still be in his hut."

"Not anymore." Hiccup's voice came from behind them, to Sigrid's relief.

Astrid, on the other hand, was ready to give him a piece of her mind. 

---

This was going to be a long day, but Hiccup was finally ready to explain it all. Not like he had much choice. But in the end of his long story of how Dagur saved him and Toothless, it seemed that the group had finally calmed down. Even if they were still on the fence about Hiccup teaching their - previous - mortal enemy to ride a dragon.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Astrid rightfully questioned after Hiccup's whole story.

Dagur agreed. "Yeah, why didn't you tell 'em, brother?"

Sigrid had already made it clear that she didn't want to be involved in this any further, and she reiterated that once again, as she folded her arms over her chest with a tense frown. Thanks for the mess, Hiccup.

"Because I wasn't sure how you would feel about it." Hiccup admitted. "Cause I wasn't sure how I felt about it."

Dagur came to Hiccup's aid. "To be fair, I have done some pretty questionable things."

"Questionable?" Fishlegs almost sneered. "Trying to kill us is not questionable."

Dagur had no argument against that, closing his mouth again as he frowned. 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. He saved you. I get that." Tuffnut started. "But why are you teaching him how to ride a dragon?"

"I'm looking for Heather." Dagur spoke with a sad expression.

He was desperate to find her, and it had taken him way too long already, and he was ashamed of that.

Astrid and Fishlegs shared a worried look, as the twins grinned mischievously. 

"Yes, and the sooner I teach him how to fly, the sooner he can leave to go find her, wherever she might be." Hiccup gestured towards the group, silently begging them to not mention anything about Heather.

But he should've known that the twins never listened. 

"Dagur, have we got some good news for you!" Ruffnut cheered as she and her brother pushed their way in front of the group, both grinning in excitement at their reveal.

Sigrid had to step in. 

"Yes, we do." Marching in front of the twins, she pulled Fishlegs out from behind them. "Fishlegs here is the best Gronckle trainer in the world, and as my brother was going to say, he can help improve your flying."

"Yes!" Hiccup spoke up, toning down his voice as to not seem so alarmingly excited at his sister's help. "That is, uh, exactly what I was going to say. Thank you, Sigrid, for saying it for me."

"Aw, thanks you two." Fishlegs smiled at the compliments, before he was pushed forwards by Sigrid. 

With a motion towards Dagur, Sigrid spoke over the twins as they tried to gain the attention back on them. "Maybe you should go train him, right now."

"Oh, yes, right away!" Fishlegs was a good sport, thank Thor. 

Dagur was excited to join his new teacher, wrapping an arm around Fishlegs' back as they walked away. 

"I want to know everything." He slapped his back. "Everything!"

"Oh." Fishlegs chuckled, not minding the energy at all. "Okay, where to begin? The Gronckle-"

As they left, Sigrid had to swiftly snatch the twins by their heads, slapping her hands over their mouths to silence them from possibly spouting out anything about Heather. Hiccup sighed, this was so much more trouble than it had to be. But at least he had time to think, for now.

Sigrid couldn't help but watch over Fishlegs' lesson. She just wanted to make sure that nothing went wrong, that's all! Not because she wanted to look at Dagur train, haha, that's crazy. But it seems that she had nothing to worry about, Dagur was a very fast student, which honestly wasn't that surprising. Not after knowing the Berserker for years, he'd had a knack for getting hyper-fixated on certain things. 

"Look, Sigrid, look!" Dagur called out to the woman, who was still flying at the same spot on Electrode.

Sigrid chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'm watching."

She'd seen the same move practiced about twenty times already, but that didn't stop Dagur from feeling a sense of pride at the notion of the woman's sky blue eyes watching his every move with a smile. Definitely a big change compared to a couple months ago.

Eventually, Hiccup and Astrid joined them to see if everything was going alright, and Dagur couldn't help but show off his new move to them as well.

But Astrid still didn't trust him.

"Oh, you're still training. With me." Astrid spoke with a snarl. 

Hiccup's eyes widened. "Uh, he is?" 

That wasn't a good sign.

"Relax, Hiccup." Dagur spoke. "She obviously doesn't trust me and wants to check me out for herself."

Astrid raised her brow in amusement. "Oh hey, he's not as dumb as he looks."

"And now she's trying to provoke me." Dagur laughed with shaking breaths, trying to push his anger down.

"But it won't work!" He assured, before mumbling a song about staying calm, which surprisingly worked very well.

Astrid's brow furrowed.

"Seriously?" She questioned, turning towards the redheaded woman who'd come to fly beside her. 

"Try not to kill him." Sigrid requested, only half-joking. 

Astrid would promise no such thing. But even after her training session, she had to admit, he wasn't half bad.

---

"That wasn't... horrible." The blonde admitted. 

Dagur immediately wanted to know more. "How 'not horrible'?"

"Probably better than Snotlout could have done it." Was Astrid's first thought, always ready to insult said viking.

"Thanks."

The pause was a little awkward, and Astrid felt like she had to say more. Dagur hadn't done anything wrong after all, and if Sigrid trusted him enough to be on Dragon's Edge, Astrid decided that she would too. So she gave him some advice, which he gave a not so well received comment about, but he quickly realised his mistake. Maybe Dagur wasn't half bad.

"I really am trying to change, Astrid." Dagur told her as they flew back to the Edge.

Astrid frowned. "Hiccup and Sigrid think so. But if this is an act, if you betray us, or Heather, I will personally make you pay."

Pulling on her saddle, Stormfly noted her rider's tension and her pupils slitted, glaring over to Dagur as she growled at him. Surprisingly, Shattermaster immediately came to his rider's defense, challenging the Nadder. 

"Aw, it's okay, fella. She's just trying to make a point." Dagur calmed his dragon.

Astrid was impressed. "He was ready to defend you after one day. Sigrid was right, that is some pretty impressive bonding."

"Sigrid talks about me?" Dagur asked with a smile, his green eyes twinkling.

Astrid snorted. "Don't let it get to your head."

Dagur seemed satisfied with her answer, choosing to stare off into the horizon. But Astrid wasn't done yet.

"But seriously, turn on us, hurt Sigrid's feelings, and I will send you to Valhalla myself." Astrid threatened, getting up in his face. 

Yeah, Dagur got the point after that. At least, Astrid hoped so, and that he wasn't still day-dreaming about the fact that Sigrid was talking about him to other vikings. Turns out that her second thought might've been more correct, as all Dagur had done during dinner was stare at Sigrid as she cooked, served, and cleaned. Oh boy, that man was hooked, and Astrid didn't like it. 

Now, it seemed that his attention was finally elsewhere, as he intently listened to Tuffnut explaining his chicken moves, to which he was highly impressed. Sigrid chuckled as she watched them, glad that Dagur was getting along with the others, even if Astrid seemed to act a bit weird ever since they'd all sat down. She'd ask her about that later.

The wholesome moment was ruined by Heather and Snotlout returning home. Oh no, things were about to go down.

"You!" Heather gasped as she spotted Dagur's seated figure.

Her brother turned around, gleeful surprise on his face as he spotted her. 

"Sister!" He stood up with open arms, but Heather wasn't nearly as delighted.

Sigrid's reaction was quick, as Heather ran forward with her axe raised, aiming for Dagur's head. Dagur shrieked as the blade was about to make impact with him, if it wasn't for Sigrid's figure, blocking the blow by having Heather's axe tight in her grasp.

"Really, Sigrid, again?" Heather sneered.

Sigrid stared back at her, poker-faced, pushing against the axe handle. She didn't have anything to say.

"I guess a hug is out of the question?" Dagur really needed to learn when to shut his mouth.

Heather's face contorted to rage as she went to punch for his jaw, but she was once again blocked by the oldest Haddock sibling, who stopped the punch with her palm. If Heather said the impact didn't hurt, she would be lying. She growled in frustration, pushing away from Sigrid as she distanced herself from the Berserker at the other side of the round table.

"Hiccup Haddock, I cannot believe you kept my Heather from me!" Dagur spoke in offense, and Sigrid was surprised he seemingly wasn't angry at her. "I was so worried! Was she alive? Was she dead?"

Heather huffed. 

"Oh, please. Drop the act." She sneered, before pointing at Hiccup. "And you! It's bad enough you were consorting with my mortal enemy, but then you teach him how to ride dragons? Have you lost your mind?"

Sigrid prevented Heather to take a step closer to her brother, and the raven haired woman was very frustrated at not being able to wring Hiccup's neck like she wanted to. 

"Heather, he saved my life." Hiccup tried to reason.

"I don't care!" Heather spewed. "You can't trust him. You think it's a coincidence that he shows up now, before this mission? It's a setup, Hiccup, can't you see that?"

Astrid put her hand on Heather's shoulder. "To be fair, that was my first thought, too."

"He set me adrift as a child!" Heather yanked her body away. "He killed our father, for Thor's sake!" She marched up to stand in Dagur's face. "He tried to kill each of us multiple times!"

"Most, if not all, of those things are true. But I am trying to change, sister." Dagur pleaded with her, and Sigrid had never seen him so sad.

"Don't ever call me that, spy!"

The redheaded woman raised her arms, a sympathetic frown on her face. "Heather, please, I believe that he is trying to change."

"I don't care, Sigrid. He's a spy!" Heather repeated, holding her axe up against Dagur's throat.

If Sigrid were to approach now, she was afraid Heather would take his head off. 

Dagur looked absolutely defeated, a sad frown on his face as his green eyes seemed to glaze over. Sigrid just wanted to hug him. It seemed that no matter how hard he tried, not everybody would be on the same page about him. Changing from a... difficult past is hard, and Sigrid couldn't imagine how Dagur must be feeling right now.

"I'm not a spy." Dagur pushed Heather's axe away as if it was nothing. "I don't know how I could possibly prove that. I guess you're just gonna have to take my word for it."

The room was silent, and for once Sigrid didn't know what to say. Dagur's eyes scanned over everyone's head, before stopping at Sigrid's frowning figure. His glossy green eyes met her baby blues, and she looked down at the floor shyly, caressing her arm for comfort. All this tension was too much, even for her.

"Yeah, I don't think I would take it either, if I were you." Dagur spoke with a soft voice, the sadness present in his face as he looked close to crying. "So, thank you all for the hospitality, but I think Shattermaster and I should be going. Good day."

Woah, woah woah, what? He was leaving? No, he couldn't.

"No, no. Dagur, wait." Sigrid called after the departing Berserker with a frown. 

Dagur waved his arm towards her, barely turning to look at her with tearful eyes. "I said, good day." 

Sigrid was struck with guilt, she should've stuck up for him. 

"Was he crying?" Snotlout asked in bewilderment.

Heather snorted. "Yeah, tears of laughter, at us." 

"I should go talk to him before he goes." Sigrid suggested before she was stopped by her brother.

"No, no." Hiccup stopped her, a guilty expression of his own present on his youthful face. "It's my fault just as well, I should talk to him."

Sigrid's mouth opened in question. 

"Oh..." She nodded, a bit sad. "Okay... yeah, you -uh, you go do that."

What else was she supposed to say? No, Hiccup, I want to talk to Dagur because I was really starting to like him and now I'm worried that I might never see him again. Yeah, absolutely not. 

"I can't believe you, Sigrid. Why would you defend him, after everything he's done?" Heather wasn't done arguing.

Sigrid sighed, shaking her head before sitting down. "Heather, he saved my brother's life. And besides, to me, he's really shown that he wants to change, and most importantly, that he already is."

Heather scoffed, not thinking of that as an acceptable answer. "That doesn't change the fact that-"

"I'm done arguing about this!" Sigrid yelled out in frustration, jumping up as her hands shot up to her head as if she was having a pounding migraine.

Yeah, recovery from the Scourge turned out to take way longer than she'd want it to, and she was really feeling that right now.

"I have to sit down."

Snotlout was - shockingly - the first to react to Sigrid's dizziness, helping her to sit down on the stool, his hands on her shoulders as he stood behind her, just in case she'd fall backwards.

"Woah, Sig, take it easy." He mumbled to the woman, who only groaned in response.

Heather's gaze softened. "I didn't realize how much the Scourge had taken a toll on you. I shouldn't have yelled, I'm sorry, Sigrid."

"No, no, it's okay." Sigrid shrugged off her apology, before sighing. "It's not your fault, you're allowed to be angry."

Astrid almost felt guilty as she entered the room, with Dagur and Hiccup following behind her. Even if Dagur had volunteered to be locked up himself - from Astrid's suspicion after discovering he now knew of their plans to attack Viggo's shipwreck - he felt like he'd made a mistake after seeing Sigrid's distraught face. It was obvious that she wasn't doing well, and that worried him immensely. He was finally able to be friends with her, and now it seemed like he could lose it all.

That was, at least, until Sigrid walked up to the dragon pen 'cell' he shared with Shattermaster, alone, with a fur blanket and pillow in her arms.

Chicken ran up to her right away, as if asking what she was doing here, but Sigrid simply pet her feathers, telling her that it was all okay. 

"Hey." She greeted Dagur softly, eyes falling down on the floor as she struggled with what to say next. 

Dagur was just as shy. 

"Hey." His voice was almost a whisper. "Are- are you okay?" 

He wasn't sure if he should've asked, but he wanted to know. She definitely didn't look okay a couple hours ago.

"Yeah." Sigrid was surprised by his question, before her gaze snapped to the blanket she held.

"Here," she pushed the fabrics through the gaps in the doors, "I got you these. Might make your night a bit more comfortable."

Dagur was heart warmed by the gesture.

"Thank you." He spoke with a shy smile, nobody had ever given him something out of the goodness of their heart. "But... I need to know, Sigrid. Are you really okay? 

"Yeah." Sigrid assured him with a smile. "Still recovering, but I'm doing well."

"Recovering from what?" 

Sigrid cringed, but she wanted to be honest. "The Scourge of Odin."

"THE SCOURGE OF-" Dagur's eyes almost popped out of his head, coughing before quieting his voice down. "The Scourge of Odin? How did you survive that?"

Sigrid grew shy at the concern in his voice. "It's a long story, but if you want to, I'll tell you everything when we get back."

Dagur's brow furrowed at the reminder of their 'secret' mission. Reaching his arms out, he gently grasped Sigrid's hands in his own. 

"Please, Sigrid. Don't go." He begged her.

Sigrid didn't know what to say. "Dagur, I have to. We don't know when we might get another opportunity like this."

"Please, I'm begging you. I don't want you going out on any suicide missions." Dagur almost cried.

Sigrid's blue eyes were wide with worry, it warmed her heart that he was so concerned about her, but at the same time it almost made her want to cry.

"I'll be fine, Dagur. I promise."

Realizing that he wasn't getting through to her, Dagur gave up on his begging. But the worried expression on his face didn't leave, even as he let go of her - admittedly, very soft - hands. Grabbing the fur blanket and pillow from the floor, he laid it down nicely as Shattermaster watched with curiosity.

"Thanks for the blankets, Sigrid." His voice was genuine when he spoke to her, even if he was obviously frustrated.

Sigrid stood there with a sad frown, as Dagur turned his back away from her before laying down on the fur. 

"Yeah... of course." She muttered, before leaving for her own night's rest. 

Dagur's words looped over and over again in her head. Why didn't he want her to go?

Chapter Text

The morning came fast, and Sigrid spend her time preparing for the mission. She felt a little guilty that she hadn't checked on Dagur yet, but she was worried that if she did, she might not want to leave at all. And she couldn't do that, her brother needed her on this mission, they all did.

Suddenly, Chicken ran in, clucking at the top of her lungs. Something was wrong, and it had to do with Dagur.

"What's that, Chicken?" Tuffnut questioned the bird as she continued to cluck. "Buck! Buck! Buck?"

Sigrid raised her brow. So, Tuffnut speaks chicken now, huh?

"Dagur has escaped?"

Oh no.

The riders have never ran to the stables so fast in their lives. To their dread, Chicken had been right, and the pen where Dagur had been kept in was empty. The door was broken off, only leaving the fur blanket and pillow that Sigrid had given him the night before. 

"Shattermaster broke him out." Hiccup frowned, feeling betrayed. 

Fishlegs seemed impressed. "You have to admit, he really has bonded with his dragon well... I'm just staying."

Really not a good time, Fishlegs. At the moment, Sigrid didn't know what to think. Had he really betrayed them? Or was this his weird way of proving himself to them? Whatever it was, it made her anxious. 

"Wings up gang. We have to hit that shipyard before Dagur has a chance to give away our place." Hiccup spoke as he mounted Toothless, knowing they had to act quick.

Electrode's throat rumbled from under Sigrid's seated figure, gaining her attention as she laid a gentle hand on top of his head. Even her dragon could tell that she wasn't feeling good about this. 

The riders flew as fast as they could towards Viggo's shipyard. Alarmingly, they hadn't seen Dagur during their entire flight, and they worried they were already too late. 

"Anyone see Dagur? Maybe we beat him here." Hiccup tried to be optimistic. 

Astrid pointed towards the distance. "There he is!"

She was correct, as Dagur and Shattermaster flew not too far ahead of them, towards the shipyard.

Sigrid frowned. What is he doing?

"Okay, here's the-" Before Hiccup could even say 'plan' he was interrupted by Heather on Windshear whizzing past him at high speed.

Sigrid watched on anxiously as Dagur and Shattermaster dodged all of Windshear's shots, much to Heather's frustration. He was a fast learner, making sure to keep the sun in Heather's eyes. Sigrid was surprised to see that it didn't take long for him to - carefully - take Heather out of the fight. He really had learned from them. 

"What do we do?" Astrid called out as they watched Dagur near the shipyard.

Hiccup spoke quickly. "Even when he warns them, they'll still need time to react. We have to hit the shipyards now!"

Electrode made sure to fly behind Toothless as they went forward, still a little apprehensive about his rider being in battle again, and Sigrid noticed. Her encounter with the Scourge had scared him a lot, and she'd have to work with him to get rid of that fear. 

But suddenly, Sigrid was left confused, as it seemed that Dagur wasn't telling the hunters about their arrival. No, he was letting himself be attacked. 

Hiccup motioned for everyone to stop in their path, and they did. 

"What does he think he's doing?" Snotlout questioned.

Hiccup frowned, looking the Viking's way. "Proving he was right, that it was a trap all along."

Sigrid felt her blood run cold, as she sat frozen on Electrode's saddle. The Skrill purred, as if asking her if she was okay, but she didn't hear it. The continuing explosions, shooting of catapults and arrows were making her body flinch. She'd never felt this out of control before...

...Her vision went blurry, tears welling up in her eyes as her mind was brought back to the worst moment of her entire life. Something that still haunted her in her nightmares till now, and today, it had sprung back to taunt her in the waking world. The silhouette of her screaming mother, being taken away by the largest dragon her four year old eyes had ever seen, as their home crumbled around her. 

It wasn't until the ships and surrounding area was covered in black smoke, that Sigrid realized that Dagur still hadn't come out. She felt her heart stop. 

"Come on! We have to do something!" Hiccup yelled besides her, but Sigrid was frozen.

Astrid stopped the boy from flying in. "Hiccup, don't. He's gone, there's nothing you can do."

He's gone.

He's gone.

He's gone. 

...

"Sigrid, are you okay?" 

Hiccup's hand was on her shoulder, his face filled with concern. She hadn't said anything since they got back to the Edge. Not even when Heather accidentally called Dagur 'brother'. 

Sigrid didn't know how to answer him. Because, honestly, she wasn't. But she didn't know how to admit that. He probably knew that, though, as she felt the wetness of her tears cascade down her cheeks. Yeah, Hiccup knew.

"I'm going to bed." Her voice was hoarse as she whispered, before walking off with a cooing Electrode.

She needed to talk to someone. Someone who always knew what to do.

Sigrid was glad she'd finally gotten some privacy, as Electrode made himself comfortable in her hut. The dragon had refused to sleep in his penn, but now that he was here, he could help her with some things. Using his lightning to set fire to the matchstick in her hand, Sigrid used it to lit up a ray of candles that she'd put on a slab in front of her. 

Sighing, she pulled a helmet out from the side, placing it in the middle. It was her helmet, the one her father had given to her many years ago, made out of a part of her mother's breastplate. She still had it, even after all these years. 

"...H-hey, mom." Sigrid started with a quivering voice. "I'm sorry I haven't reached out in a while, but I really needed to talk to you."

The woman didn't know it, but her brother paused outside of her hut. Hiccup knew he probably shouldn't eavesdrop, and in his defense, he didn't mean to. But he also didn't want to leave, knowing that his sister might need him.

"Today has been... a lot. I- we just lost someone that I cared about... a lot." She couldn't control the tears that fell down her face. "But... I don't know, I'm so confused."

She sobbed, her body hunching over as she held her head in her hands. "I need you right now, mom. You always knew what to do."

Hiccup couldn't handle this anymore, and so he did something he normally wouldn't, and barged into her room. Sigrid didn't even react to his approach, as if she knew he'd been there the entire time - which, for the record, she didn't. Her brother hugged her after he sat himself down behind her, his arms tight around her arms, giving her a loving squeeze. 

His sister couldn't stop the waterfalls from flowing, as she turned to sob in his chest. She gasped, as if wanting to speak, but Hiccup shushed her.

"It's okay." He told her. "I know."

They just sat there for a moment, like they'd done many times before. Reminiscing on their mother, the many Berkians they'd lost through the years, and now Dagur. Hiccup thought back on Sigrid's sickness, and once again thanked the gods for keeping her alive. He didn't know what he would've done if he'd lost her too.

"I also came here to give you this." Hiccup pulled back after what felt like hours, handing over a loosely rolled letter. "I found it in my hut, but it's for you."

Sigrid grabbed the paper with a frown. But before she could ask who it was from, her brother stood up. 

"Just... read it when I leave, okay?" Hiccup begged her, to which she slowly agreed.

After bidding her brother goodnight, and assuring him that yes, she was fine, she unrolled the letter. She instantly recognized the handwriting from the Terror mail she'd gotten before, and her hands started to shake. 

Dear Sigrid,

Sorry for not giving you this letter personally, turns out that I still don't know where your hut is. I've left it with your brother in the hopes that it will find its way to you. If you're reading this, he did just that, but that probably means bad news for me. 

I'm sorry for the panic I might have caused you, but I couldn't let you or Heather fly into any suicide missions. I also hope that your recovery from the Scourge of Odin will be quick, and painless. I can't even begin to describe how proud I am of you, even if it probably doesn't mean much, but know that I mean it with all my heart. 

The next part might be a bit shocking, I realize that. I'm sorry for only telling you now, but I couldn't live with myself knowing that I never had the guts to tell you that I am hopelessly in love with you, Sigrid the Relentless of Berk. I have ever since we were teenagers, but I didn't realize that until recently. You were the first to treat me with such kindness back on that island, when you saved my life and even bandaged me up. I can't thank you enough for that.

 I'm sorry that I never told you. But to be honest, I was too afraid. I hope that you find the happiness you deserve, and I'm so very sorry that I was too stupid to do that when I had the chance. 

I love you with all my heart.

Always yours, 

Dagur

Sigrid's vision blurred as tears dripped on the paper, sinking to the ground as she cried out in heartbreak. Electrode ran in, alarmed at her cries, as he pushed his snout up against her shaking figure. She pet the Skrill with her shaking hands, continuously sobbing as Dagur's words cemented into her head. 

It took a while for her to calm down, and even then Electrode refused to go outside again, instead choosing to sleep at her feet, watching over her. Sigrid sighed as she glanced over towards the letter, grabbing it from its place on her bedside table, cradling it close to her chest.

"I love you too." She whispered into the darkness, to no one.

He's gone, and it's your fault.

He's gone, and you did nothing.

He's gone, and you can't fix it.

...

Sigrid felt the glare of her younger self judge her through her closed eyes. Her brain twisted with regret as she realized she'd broken her promise; that she'd never let someone she cared about get taken away from her, again.

He's gone, and just like mom, he won't be coming back. 

Chapter Text

It's been weeks since Dagur died, and Sigrid wasn't feeling any better. She'd consoled in her brother, as she felt she had to be honest with him about her feelings. Hiccup understood, but he also felt like his sister wasn't telling him everything.

"You're not actually thinking of doing this, are you, Hiccup?" Astrid questioned the boy as he stared at the Maces and Talons board in front of him.

His confrontation with Viggo had left him pondering, unsure of what to do. Should he trust Viggo's word, or should he figure out just what exactly he was planning? The latter proved to be very difficult.

"Uh, Hiccup, the map is over here." Astrid pointed as Hiccup continued to sit on his separate stool.

"Yeah." Hiccup acknowledged. "But the answers are over here."

Sigrid stood tensely at the table, cradling her arms as she had been for the past few weeks with a frown on her face. She didn't like that her little brother was suddenly thrown into the deep once again. She felt her heartbeat in her throat at the thought of something happening to Hiccup, just like Dagur.

"I think we can assume that Viggo wouldn't give up any more territory than he has to. So, whatever he wants to keep us away from is going to be right on the edge of the line. Here." Hiccup pointed on the map, sure of his statement. "This is where we start."

If Hiccup was confident about it, Sigrid would follow him until the end of the earth.

"There it is." Hiccup spoke as they flew closer towards the island.

Astrid pointed towards a piece of land. "There's a village in the clearing to the west."

"Strange looking buildings." Hiccup noted as he studied closer with his spyglass. "Not Viking or Hunter, and check out that statue."

He was fascinated.

"Fishlegs, can you make out what kind of dragon that's supposed to be?"

Passing his spyglass over, Fishlegs took a turn in studying the statue.

"Looks like a Boulder class to me, but not one I've seen before."

That was unusual, Fishlegs knew basically every dragon in existence.

"Let's go ask 'em." Snotlout chuckled, as he went to soar forward.

Sigrid wasn't going to let that pass.

"Whoa, whoa whoa!" She halted him. "We don't know if they're friend or foe, we should do some surveillance first."

"Sigrid has a point." Hiccup spoke. "We'll land over in that forest and then try to move in for a closer look."

The island was strange to say the least, not unlike Hiccup had spotted before. It was unfamiliar, and yet it felt peaceful. But the weirdest thing they'd come to find out was that the island seemed almost empty. 

"The village didn't seem like much." Astrid said. "Why wouldn't Viggo want us to find it?"

Hiccup shrugged.

"I don't know yet." He admitted. "I'm just happy to be one step ahead for a change."

Viggo was a very intelligent character, which made him annoyingly hard to figure out. It was a shame he was so good at running, otherwise Sigrid would've liked to grab him by the throat for the headache he had been causing them.

Suddenly, Sigrid's vision went black after something shot her in her back. The last thing she felt before her eyes closed was the soul destroying dread that she had failed to protect her brother and his friends from a possibly tragic end.

She hoped that Hiccup would forgive her, in Valhalla.

When Sigrid came back to her senses, she was kneeled on the ground, bound by the hands as she and the other dragon riders were stuck to one another with rope. Eyes darting to the side, she was glad to see that Electrode seemed to be alright, as their kidnappers fed them something they hadn't seen before.

"All hail Queen Mala." A manly voice spoke as the group of mysterious people bowed, before a tall woman appeared.

She looked regal, clad in smooth black and gold garments. Her hair was almost a strawberry blonde, cut short and framing her face. Her head was held high with a frown on her face as she approached them, and from her stance Sigrid could tell she meant business. 

"So, these are the Dragon Hunters your men captured, Throk?" Mala asked her right-hand man, her greyish green eyes never leaving the riders. 

Throk bowed. "Yes, my Queen."

The group was perplexed. 

"Hunters? Us? You've gotta be kidding." Astrid spoke out in astonishment, defending herself and her fellow riders.

Hiccup nodded from beside her.

"We do not hunt dragons." He assured with an offended frown.

"Do you take me for a fool?" Mala's question was rhetorical, and threatening. "You were sent by Viggo Grimborn to attack us and steal the Great Protector."

So that's what they called that statue...

"You couldn't be more wrong." Hiccup spoke. 

Tuffnut huffed. "Yeah, why would we steal a statue? To pose like it for long periods of time?"

"Silence girl." Mala's command left Tuffnut flabbergasted, whilst Ruffnut laughed about the common mistake.

Sigrid sighed. "Look, we don't know who you are or who 'the Great Protector' is, but if you're enemies of Viggo Grimborn, then we have something in common."

"Exactly what the last spy sent by Grimborn said." Mala was unamused. 

"We don't hurt dragons!" Hiccup jumped in. "We honor and respect them."

Mala hummed. "So you say, but you shackle them and make them do your bidding."

"Those are just saddles." Sigrid gasped in frustration. "We ride dragons.

Mala frowned. "Not anymore, you don't. Your dragons are now free."

One of the people tried to amp their dragons up to go, be free, and take off. But they wouldn't, as they just stared at the man strangely. Electrode let out a slight hiss at the man's waving hands, he didn't like to be told what to do.

"Go! Be burdened no more." Mala encouraged, but the dragons still sat their ground.

Astrid chuckled. "See? Our dragons are loyal to us." 

"Especially you, Hookfang. Way to go, buddy!" Snotlout praised, before his dragon immediately flew off at his words. 

Such a spiteful little boy. But Toothless' disappointed growl brought him right back.

"Okay, if we're dragon hunters, then why won't our dragons leave now that you've 'freed' them? How do you explain that?" Hiccup raised his brow.

It seemed that Mala had an excuse for everything. "Is it not obvious? They no longer think for themselves."

Sigrid couldn't believe it.

"But we will change that, and you will pay for your crimes against dragons."

Sigrid sneered as Mala got way too close into Hiccup's face, the Queen raised her brow the woman's way, before speaking to Throk.

"Take them away, Throk. Prepare for a royal trial."

Why did they always have to get themselves into madness? Sigrid sighed as her brother assured that they wouldn't flee, as he was sure that Queen Mala and her people could help them. But Sigrid wasn't so sure about that.

Hiccup was sure he could handle it, being the one interrogated that is. But he wasn't ready for Mala's ridiculous way of questioning.

"You stand accused of being Dragon Hunters, subjugators of dragons. Do you deny this?"

"Yes." Hiccup didn't hesitate.

Mala pressed on. "But you admit that you force the dragons to carry you on their backs?"

Oh boy, it's gonna be this kind of day, huh?

"We don't force them." Hiccup frowned.

"-And that you used them to land secretly on our island?"

Hiccup was starting to get annoyed. "Yes. But you make it sound worse than it was."

"So, you weren't caught by my men sneaking towards our village?"

"Sneaking is a strong word." 

Mala raised her brow. "And you didn't come heavily armed?" 

Oops, Sigrid thought, that was probably me right?

"Those are for self-defense." Hiccup spoke. 

Mala gasped. "Oh, so you came here expecting a fight?"

"No- no, you're... you're twisting my words."

Sigrid was really starting to get angry, and it didn't help that Tuffnut had suddenly decided that he - with his expert opinion - should step in to 'save' poor Hiccup Haddock from being destroyed in the trial. Meanwhile, Sigrid was practically shaking.

"Look, until a few years ago, we fought dragons." Hiccup was honest. "But since then, we've learned to live in harmony with them. And yes, we ride them, because they allow us to. But the most important thing for you to know about us is that we hate the Dragon Hunters and everything they stand for."

"We are moved by the sincerity and passion, Hiccup Haddock." Mala's words made it seem like they'd made it, but they were wrong. "Just one question. If you despise Viggo as you say, why do you hold a map written in his hand and carrying his signature?"

Yeah, they couldn't talk their way out of that one.

"I find you all guilty." Queen Mala spoke. "And I sentence you to the same fate that befalls all Dragon Hunters, the Nest!"

The Nest. 

Sigrid froze, she hadn't heard that name in so long. She was sure that was probably not what Mala was talking about, but the insinuation was still there. 

The Nest.

The one where she'd almost lost her entire tribe to the monster called the Red Death, and where her brother had almost died, luckily only ending up losing his leg. Sigrid didn't think she was still so affected by the memory until now, when men with spears were pushing at her back, forcing the riders towards a dark cave entrance.

Sigrid had failed, and now this would be the end of them. 

The nest felt scarily familiar to the one she'd seen before, and her heart started to pound with the idea that she and her brother would suffer the same tragic fate as their mother. Dropped into the mouth of the giant beast that they nicknamed the Queen of dragons. 

But Hiccup was determined. 

"When they toss me into that nest, instead of getting eaten, I'm gonna train those dragons and prove once and for all that we aren't dragon hunters."

They just hoped he could pull it off. 

"We protect the dragons as they protect us." Mala stood at the edge of a drop. "We accept the judgement of the dragons as they have accepted us. Step forward and receive that judgment."

Sigrid went to walk forward, feeling responsible enough to be the first one to go. But her brother stopped her in her tracks.

"I'm the leader, I'll go first."

Sigrid's heart pummeled to her feet. No, he couldn't be doing this. If something went wrong, in there, right now, she wouldn't be able to do anything, not with Throk's mighty axe blocking her way. 

As her brother went in, Sigrid was frozen. She wanted to go in, to save her brother from the - as he called out - Speed Stingers. But she couldn't, as if her body wasn't letting her. 

It wasn't until she saw her brother dashing away from the very aggressive Speed Stingers that Sigrid's adrenaline pumped through her veins, and just like she had with the Monstrous Nightmare, Sigrid jumped right into the arena.

Snatching her brother by the arm, she pulled him away just in time as the Speed Stinger missed its target. Mala was shocked at her sudden movements, and that she hadn't been quick enough to stop her. 

But in the end, it didn't matter, as now both Haddock siblings were cornered by the Speed Stingers. Sigrid didn't know what to do, she couldn't hurt the dragons, but they also couldn't get out. 

Thank Thor for dragons. It seems that their loyal companions had heard their cries from within the cave, and like the good baby boy he was, Electrode had flown right in to rescue his rider, with Toothless hot on his tail.

It was clear that the Speed Stingers didn't like the Skrill, as Electrode roared with lightning tingling his body. His stance defensive as both he and Toothless guarded their riders, until the Speed Stingers fled. 

Electrode was on Sigrid in an instant, licking her face lovingly to express his worry.

"I'm okay, bud, I promise." She assured him with a laugh. "Thank you."

In the end, all of their dragons helped to defend them from Queen Mala and her Defenders of the Wing. 

"Mala, you need to ask yourself, would these dragons risk their lives to protect us if we were hunters?"

Mala frowned at Hiccup's question, it was obvious that she didn't like the idea of being wrong.

"You said you accept the judgment of the dragons. So, accept the judgment of our dragons." Sigrid spoke. "We are not the enemy."

Mala thought about her words, before she spoke.

"Stand down." She told Throk. "The dragon judged them innocent, Throk. Release them, release them all."

"Thank you." Both siblings gave the woman a thankful smile, but Sigrid's didn't reach her eyes.

Mala raised her brow in amusement.

"You are a mystery, Hiccup Haddock. -" It was obvious that she didn't know Sigrid's name. "-But know this, if you are not what you claim to be or if you betray us in any way, I will end you myself. Dragon or not."

Hiccup almost snorted at the threat. Not because he didn't take her seriously, but because she sounded a lot like his sister.

"Fair enough."

In kindness of their fair judgment, Mala had decided to give the riders a tour of the island. It was impressive, to say the least. It was obvious that they cared a lot about their people, and dragons. And while Mala still wasn't comfortable with the way the riders went on with their dragons, she could at least respect it now.

"Uh, Your Majesty, what dragon is this?" Fishlegs questioned about the statue.

Mala looked up to it with pride. "That is our great protector. The Eruptodon. He eats lava from the volcano to keep us all safe. If not for him, all of this would burn to the ground."

Wow, very impressive.

"So it is a Boulder class!" Fishlegs awed as he immediately went to sketch the statue.

Snotlout chuckled, looking off into the distance. "I think your Great Protector is asleep on the job."

Pointing towards the volcano, the smoke was evident as it seemed ready to burst. That definitely didn't seem good.

"That should not be." Mala gasped. 

Hiccup spoke up. "Let us check it out for you. We can be there in just a few-"

"No, Hiccup Haddock." Mala interrupted, she really was sticking with that full name there, huh. "While you are here, I ask you to respect our ways. You may come with us on foot."

That was something Sigrid could respect, tribal traditions. Berk had plenty of their own, even if Dagur always said they were kind off weird, but she could say the same about him.

... She really missed him.

"The Great Protector has never let the lava get this far." Mala noted as they got closer to the volcano.

Hiccup tried to be positive. "I'm sure there's an explanation." He tried to calm down Mala's worry.

In precaution, Mala ordered her people around to protect their village in case worst came to worst. It reminded Hiccup of his sister, and how she always seemed to know how to guide the people of Berk, even on their scariest missions. 

"There should be guards here." Mala worried as they entered the decorated entrance, sprinting off as the others followed behind her.

This was bad, really really bad.

"The Protector is gone!" Mala cried out with a panicked hand pointed towards the empty lava-filled volcano.

Hiccup tried to find an explanation. "Could he just be on a different part of the island?"

"No, he never strays far from his food source." Mala denied the thought. 

Sigrid studied the ground, trying to find something, anything. But when she did, her blood went cold.

"Hiccup." She alarmed her brother. 

"What is is?" Hiccup questioned as he watched his sister pick a laced arrow off of the ground.

Sigrid coughed as she got a whiff of the disgusting acid they used on the tips, holding the arrow out with an angered frown.

"Dragon Hunters."

"What?" Hiccup gasped in alarm as he studied the arrow.

Sigrid huffed. "And it's fresh. I'm sure the hunters took the Eruptodon whilst we were distracted."

"Viggo." Hiccup growled. "He wasn't trying to keep us from finding this island. He was leading us here, so he could steal their dragon."

His eyes darted back and forth, befuddled at the realisation.

"How did I fall for that?"

Mala was distraught, as she held the Dragon Hunter arrow in her shaking hand. "So, you were just a distraction after all. I was actually almost beginning to believe you."

Her grip was so tight, that she actually snapped the arrow in two.

"No, this isn't what you think." Sigrid assured her, defending her brother.

"Silence!" Mala slashed her arm in her face. "You've served your master well. Without the Eruptodon to protect us, the fate of my village is sealed. But so is yours."

With seething anger, Mala pointed her finger towards the redhead, a final threat.

"I warned you what would happen if I found out you were lying to me. Your people are going to die for what you've done!"

The Defenders of the Wing surrounded them, but Sigrid didn't falter in her stance, not even when Mala pointed her long sword in her face. 

"I warned you, Hiccup Haddock, I warned you not to betray me."

Sigrid stood in Mala's way as she approached her brother with a furious stare, which now directed itself at her.

"Get your blade away from my brother." Sigrid warned with a snarl.

Mala's brow twitched.

"Seize them!" She called out before the Riders were chased by her people.

But they wouldn't give up that fast. Standing strong with their dragons, the riders faced Mala. In Sigrid's mind, if this meant war, so be it. 

Hiccup didn't agree.

"Stop!" He yelled, standing in the middle of the beginning fight. "Okay, look, you're right, you were tricked, but we were tricked too, okay? Viggo used us as a distraction so he could steal your Eruptodon, but without us knowing."

Hiccup tried his best to assure the Queen. "We don't work with the Dragon Hunters. They're our enemies."

"And yet, out Eruptodon is gone, our village is in peril from the lava flow, and you hold me in front of your Nightfury."

Sigrid stood up in front of her brother, a determined glare on her face. "We'll prove it to you. We'll go rescue your dragon, and bring it back."

"I'll even leave some people here to help you fight the lava." Hiccup followed up, his hand reaching up to give his sister's a small squeeze, thanking her.

"Only your best." Mala stated.

Sigrid smirked.

"Heather's as a survivalist, she's dealt with lava before." She went down the list. "And Ruff and Tuff..." Messing around with a blow-dart, they really didn't prove Sigrid's point. "-Well, let's just say they have a lot of experience cleaning up stuff." 

"You can trust us. I swear it." Hiccup promised.

With hesitation, Mala lowered her sword. "I accept your offer, on one condition, I must travel with you to save our beloved dragon."

"I thought you didn't fly on dragons?" Sigrid raised her brow with a smirk. 

Mala was determined.

"I will do whatever it takes to save the Great Protector." She walked up to the woman. "But if you fail me, I will kill you. If you attempt an escape, I will kill you. If I think, at any time-"

"You'll kill me." Sigrid guessed. "Understood."

Mala nodded. "Then it shall be done."

Chapter Text

"You can fly with me and Toothless, we'll start canvasing the-"

Mala rose her hand, stopping Hiccup in his speech as both she and Sigrid were alarmed by the sound of rustling. Before they knew it, arrows were shot their way. Dragon Hunters.

"Take to the air!" Hiccup called out, but both Sigrid and Mala were stubborn.

Snotlout was thrown off of Hookfang, landing in front of the two women, as they narrowed their eyes. Studying the bushes, they could make out slight silhouettes, before another arrow was shot.

"Mala!" Hiccup warned, and Sigrid was ready to catch the arrow flying her way, but it seemed that Snotlout's big head was faster, blocking the attack from hitting Mala.

With a smirk, Sigrid pointed her axe towards the bushes, as if asking Mala if she wanted to take this one. Mala smiled at the offer, and gladly took it, dashing into the bushes before coming out with two very hurt dragon hunters. Impressive.

"She is definitely coming with us." Snotlout decided, as if there was any other option.

Sigrid stood in front of the two smug Hunters with a snarl. "Which way did they go, tell us!" 

The men only chuckled, not taking her very seriously, but she'd be sure to beat some respect into them. Raising her brow, she gestured for Electrode to come closer. The Skrill was by her side in an instant, an angry frown on his face as he charged up his lightning , the blue static twitching over his body. That was definitely enough to scare the men into submission.

"North!" One gasped. "Viggo went North with the dragon!"

Sigrid smirked, giving her Skrill a loving pat.

"Thanks, bud." She smiled, before saddling up.

"Come on, Mala." Hiccup gestured the woman over.

Mala refused.

"No. I will not be flying with you, Hiccup Haddock. I shall fly with..." She pointed towards Snotlout. "Him."

... Okay, weird choice. But they'd respect it.

---

Nevermind, Sigrid was starting to respect it less. Turns out that Mala was convinced of a prophecy that a man would save her in battle, and he would be her King. Turns out, that in bonking the hunter's arrow away with his thick head, Snotlout had technically saved Mala, and she was now enamored with him. Gross.

Snotlout immediately grew an aura of arrogance after Mala's declaration, and it was already starting to irc Sigrid's bones. 

As Hiccup went in to take a closer look at Viggo's ships, Sigrid was - as usual - tasked with distracting the other hunters from aiming at her brother. As always, Sigrid was very successful in her task. To be fair, who wouldn't get distracted by a big electric lizard flying through the sky. 

But even in the excitement of battle, Sigrid didn't feel any happier. It had been so long since she'd fought one of Viggo's ships, the last time being with... Dagur. 

It didn't help that they were tricked by Viggo once again, and Mala was starting to lose hope about the Eruptodon's survival.

"He must constantly eat lava, or he will die." Mala sighed. "When I was just a little girl, there was an earthquake that disrupted the lava flow. It wasn't long before the Eruptodon was frantic and starving. He became so weak, he wasn't able to fly to another food source. Only deep prayer for the lava to return saved our beloved dragon, but, now..."

"Mala, look, a starved dragon is no good to Viggo." Hiccup thought. "He has our Dragon Eye, he must know this about the Eruptodon. In the meantime, that could help us. We'll fly over active volcanoes until we spot him."

Mala looked defeated. "If only it were so easy. The Eruptodon doesn't need an active volcano to eat. Its appetite is insatiable and its desire immense, so much so that it will eat through the crust of a dormant volcano until it erupts."

Oh no.

"The snow-capped peak at Dragon's Edge is a dormant volcano." Sigrid noted.

Hiccup's eyes widened.

"Classic Maces and Talons move." He frowned. "Viggo's gonna use the Eruptodon to destroy our home." 

"But we won't let him." Sigrid assured. 

They'd have to come up with a plan quick, or else they might lose their base - and turned home - forever. 

Sigrid wanted to kill each and every dragon hunter that had infiltrated their beloved island. Dragon's Edge was their home, their safe space, and they had invaded it with their weapons, and manipulated their defenses for their own gain. They deserved no mercy. 

It seemed that Mala was just as bloodthirsty as her, but definitely more controlled, as she had no trouble wiping out the hunters, who were busy shooting ballistas. Sigrid, on the other hand, wanted to go for the kill.

The hunter she'd cornered cowered at the sight of the raging head of fire, twirling her axe as steam seemed to leave her nose as she huffed. Her vision turned red, after everything she'd gone through, Sigrid had enough. Today, she'd show them no mercy. 

"Sigrid, stop!" Came Astrid's screeching voice, halting the woman's raised axe.

Sigrid blinked, as her eyes focused on the men in front of them. They were knocked out cold, and she was about to land the killing blow. She shivered, realizing she hadn't been present in her own mind. She was stopped just in time.

Astrid didn't say anything, just staring at her with a concerned gaze. She was right to feel that way, Sigrid was concerned too. This wasn't good.

---

The saving of Mala's village and the Eruptodon had been a blur. After everything, even Hiccup noticed that there was something wrong with his sister, and totally not because Astrid told him so.

He needed to talk to her. 

"Hiccup, I told you, I'm fine." Sigrid huffed, not having the energy to deal with her brother's interrogation. 

Hiccup shook his head. "No, I don't think you are."

"Okay?" Sigrid quirked her brow.

Hiccup sighed, wanting to have a genuine conversation.

"Sigrid, ever since Dagur died you've been acting strange. I'm just worried about you, and I want you to be honest to me."

Sigrid cringed at the mention of the Berserker. "I don't want to talk about it."

"But you have to, Sig." Hiccup begged. "This isn't you. I know you feel bad about what happened, but-"

"It's so much more than that." Sigrid sneered, her brow furrowing as her hands started to shake.

Hiccup sighed. "I don't know that if you don't tell me."

"Fine." Sigrid growled, anger shaking her body as her nose crinkled. "You want to know how I'm feeling? Well, I feel awful! There, happy?"

"Why do you feel awful?"

Sigrid stuttered. "B-because I should've done something... anything! Instead of standing there like a fool. I let him die, Hiccup! I didn't believe him, and now he's dead!"

"Sigrid..." Hiccup sighed. "It's not your fault, you know that. There's nothing we could've done."

Sigrid hesitated, she knew her brother didn't understand. 

"Hiccup, when our mother died, I promised myself that I'd never let someone I care about get taken away, again." The woman sighed. "Now, I've broken that promise, and I don't know how to forgive myself."

"I get that." Hiccup wasn't sure what to say. "Listen, I know you loved Dagur-" that was definitely news to her, "-but this wasn't your fault, and he wouldn't want you to think that either."

Sigrid wasn't so sure about that, but for now she'd leave it be. She was exhausted, and all she wanted to do was rest. 

She was fine after her mother's death, so she'd be fine after Dagur's, eventually... right?

Chapter Text

Hiccup was worried. Very worried.

Sigrid had been doing nothing but hitting trees and throwing axes for days, almost like that was all she could do. She'd barely said a word to any of them, ever since their talk after they saved the Eruptodon, and now Hiccup didn't know what to do.

So, what do you do when your sister doesn't want to talk to you? You get your dad.

Stoick - understandably - was flooded with concern the second his son came flying in, rambling about Sigrid's problems. He was brought back to that dreaded day, almost nineteen years ago, when he'd lost the love of his life, the mother of his children.

Back then, Stoick was in a similar position that Hiccup was now. His only daughter, Sigrid, seemed to be a hopeless cause. Four years old at the time, she used to stand outside on the edge of Berk for hours, waiting for her mother to come home. But, she never did. Sigrid wouldn't listen to her father when he begged her to get back inside, and would cry when he carried her away from her spot. It broke Stoick's heart to see his daughter cry, knowing it was about something he couldn't fix.

Then, a year went by, and Sigrid stopped sitting outside in the cold, much to her father's joy. Only to find out that instead of that, she was now determined to train until she could train no more. She could barely lift an axe at the time, but the little girl was so sure she could do it. So, when the frustration of not being able to lift the heavy metal became too much, she decided to use her fists - and even her head - to slam against the tree bark. That's why she got her helmet, so she wouldn't get a concussion from bonking her head on every hard surface she could find. Rocks, trees, even people, it didn't matter.

Stoick was convinced that it was Gobber's fault, he was the one who'd told the girl legends about her great father, after all. Gobber still denies it 'till this day, and Sigrid didn't remember 'why' anymore, so Stoick had no actual proof for his accusation.

Now, he saw the same patterns that he had seen all those years ago. His little girl - not so little anymore - in a grieving faze. Hiccup had already told him what they had spoken about nights before; Dagur's death, Sigrid's promise, and her deep feelings of guilt.

"You're going to break that poor axe if you keep handling it like that." Stoick raised his brow at the harsh and improper way his daughter slammed her dearest weapon into the tree bark.

Sigrid jumped, obviously not having noticed her father's arrival. Turning around, she faked a smirk. Although she was happy to see him, she realised the circumstances probably weren't the best.

"When did you become so sneaky, dad?" Sigrid chuckled, keeping up appearances. "Never tagged you for the silent type."

"I'm not."

Sigrid's usual defense of deflection wasn't working, she realised that with a frown. Her father knew her too well.

"So..." Stoick started. "I spoke with your brother-"

"Oh boy." Sigrid muttered.

"-and he's confessed to me that he's worried about you. Which makes me very concerned."

Sigrid sighed. "I already told Hiccup, dad. He's got nothing to worry about, I'll be fine."

"I know that. I've seen it before." Stoick nodded, approaching Sigrid's hunched figure. "You're allowed to grieve, but this isn't healthy, lass."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Stoick raised his brow, crossing his arms.

"You're working yourself to the brim, so you'll be able to stop the possible danger from even coming." Sigrid stared at the ground in shame, realising she'd been found out. "I know that, because I wanted to do the same, when we lost your mother."

When  we  lost your mother.

Sigrid snorted, she couldn't imagine her father - the Great Stoick the Vast - in such a state as she was right now.

"Well, then you sure had a good way of hiding it." Sigrid chuckled with tearful eyes.

Stoick nodded.

"That I did." He admitted. "Because I had more to worry about. You, your brother, and our tribe. I couldn't afford to just... sit there, I had to stand up and be the Chief you all needed."

"I can imagine what that feels like." The woman sighed.

Her whole life, she felt like she always had to step up and be better; for her family, and the other people on Berk. She didn't show weakness, only her family got to see that, no one else. For the people of Berk, she needed to stay strong. After so many things, and so many years, her walls had broken. Now she felt like she was back at square one, when she first made her eternal promise.

"It's okay to tell others how you're feeling." Stoick spoke. "Odin knows, if I didn't have Gobber, I would've lost my mind."

Sigrid had to laugh at that one, a genuine laugh.

"So you're saying I should be honest with them?"

Stoick shrugged, smiling. Not really giving her an answer, he let her figure that out for herself.

His daughter sighed. It was going to be difficult, but her father was right; she had to tell them.

It was hard, and Sigrid stuttered the whole way through, but she did it. She told them... well, everything.

"So you were dating Dagur!" Was Tuffnut's conclusion, after everything.

Astrid slapped him upside the head for it.

Sigrid raised her brow, arms curved at her side shock.

"Really, that's what you got from that?" She groaned. "And for the record, no, we were not dating."

"It's okay, Sig." Heather put a hand on her shoulder.

Astrid joined them. "Yeah, don't listen to him. We get it, trust me."

Wrapping an arm around both shorter girls' shoulders, Sigrid laughed. "At least some of you do."

"Hey!" Snotlout cried out in offense, wiping a tear away from his eye. "I was listening! And I definitely heard everything."

Hiccup smiled, looking at his sister as if to say "see? Told you they'd understand."

"My brother's death hit me hard, too. So, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here." Heather smiled.

Astrid grinned. "Count me in as well."

"Absolutely." Fishlegs agreed.

Snotlout exclaimed. "So do I! I listen."

"We don't." The twins called out, fair enough.

Hiccup didn't speak as he joined the tearful group hug. Sigrid smiled at him, mouthing a 'thank you'.

"We love you, Sig." Hiccup spoke.

Sigrid awed. "I love you guys too."

A happy moment... short lived.

"Yeah, you're like our other mother! Mommy Sigrid" Tuffnut smiled, and his sister agreed.

Sigrid cringed. "Please, never call me that again."

Chapter Text

"So, this hooded stranger. He risked his own life to save you?" Sigrid questioned with a raised brow.

Mala had come to her with a story about her latest experience at the Northern markets, as it was very peculiar to her. Sigrid couldn't help but agree. Surely, no dragon hunter was that kind.

The Queen nodded. "If it weren't for him, who knows what would have happened."

"And you've bought weapons there before, and nothing like this has ever happened?" Sigrid questioned in concern.

Mala nodded. "Yes, for many years. This is the first time this has happened."

"It never used to be like that." Heather spoke up, frowning at the news. "The island was always a peaceful place to trade."

Sigrid hummed, acknowledging Heather's worry. "Well, then maybe it's time we paid the island a visit. What do you think, Hiccup?"

"I agree." Hiccup nodded. "Let's go see what those hunters are up to."

---

Mala had gifted the three of them a disguise; traditional garments worn by her people, the Defenders of the Wing. It covered their figures from head to toe, only revealing their eyes. It was totally different than their normal clothes, but it would definitely hide them from the Dragon Hunters' eyes.

Sigrid felt a little uncomfortable in the skin-tight material, so used to her loose furs and brown leather. But even she couldn't help but admire her figure in the mirror. Thor, she'd gotten buff.

Electrode definitely wasn't happy about having to leave his rider behind, but unless he wanted them to get caught, he'd have to suck it up. Soon they discovered that the markets were just what had been described; busy and filled with suspicious Vikings. Sigrid could spot the dragon hunters in an instant, as they stuck out like sore thumbs with their stupid looking faces amongst the normal crowd.

"That's a lot of hunters." Hiccup noted. "Whoever that hooded stranger was, he's right. It's not safe here."

Sigrid snorted. "And yet, here we are."

"Hilarious."

Soon, they found the Iron Mason who Mala had spoken about. It was very clear that he was selling to the Hunters only... for whatever reason.

Sigrid noticed that one of the hunters was following them. Dang it, he must've spotted Hiccup's pegleg, literally the only thing that could've given them away. Now, she'd just have to wait for the moment to strike. But Toothless was faster, protective of his rider, as he blasted the hunters, making them dodge out of sight. Quickly, panic broke out on the island. Now, they needed to run.

---

They'd found a safe space near island's dock. Sigrid made sure that they weren't followed, before checking in on her brother and Heather.

"We're okay, Sigrid." Hiccup assured her fussing.

Satisfied with his answer, after making sure of it herself, Sigrid allowed herself to be distracted by the group of hunters near the docks. They'd have to be careful to not gain their attention, she thought, until she took note of a very familiar laugh... and arm.

...

Wait...

... Was that?

No... it can't be...
...

Sigrid noticed the tattoos on the hooded figure's arm; a list of names that looked awfully familiar. But it had to be a coincidence, right?

That thought was set ablaze as the figure laughed again, taking his hood off.

It was him...

Dagur. ..

"Overboard!" Dagur laughed after pushing one of the hunters into the water. 

The trio couldn't believe their eyes. 

"That's impossible." Hiccup blinked in disbelief. "We-we all saw-"

"I know what we saw." Heather interrupted with a snap. "But that's Dagur."

Sigrid felt as if her heart was yanked out of her chest and crushed under Mjölnir's mighty steel. 

"And, from the looks of it, he's working with the Dragon Hunters."

Thanks Hiccup, that didn't help her feel any better. 

They continued to watch as Dagur seemingly acted the exact same way he did before she'd seen him on that island, just like he had when they were betrothed. It made her want to hurl. All that progress, and here they were, back at zero. What the Frigg. 

"I should've trusted my instincts." Heather growled, her body shaking in anger. "Dagur will always be a dirty, disgusting, lying-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on." Hiccup stopped her angry rant, as he noticed his sister's sullen face. "That's enough."

Heather noticed it as well, and the way the woman seemed frozen in her stance once again. Her hands were shaking, balled up in fists, squeezing around her fingers. If Sigrid pressed any harder, her palms would surely bleed. Heather growled, now she was sure that Dagur deserved everything she was planning to throw at him. He'd hurt Sigrid. 

Hiccup stopped her before she could do anything.

"Heather, I can't let you do this. Will you please just listen to me?" He pleaded. "Dagur risked his life to save ours. All of ours. Why would he do that, just to go right back to the dragon hunters? No, it doesn't make sense."

"He's Dagur, since when does anything he does make sense?" Heather had a point.

Hiccup shrugged.

"Yeah, okay, rarely." He admitted. "But, if you attack him now, you'll expose all three of us and our dragons. Is that what you want?"

That's not what she wanted at all. Heather groaned, she just wanted to know what was going on. From what Sigrid told her - and the others - she and Dagur had really gotten along during his time on the Edge, so what changed? Was that just to play with her heart? Well, Heather wasn't going to stand for that. No one messes with her big sister, not even her own brother.

"Look, we want to get to the bottom of this as much as you do, minus the 'death by double-headed axe' part." Hiccup spoke. "We need to get Dagur alone and find out what he's doing here."

For the first time since this whole interaction, Sigrid moved. 

Sighing, she crossed her arms. "He better have a good explanation, or I'm killing him."

That was a drastic change of attitude. Hiccup was alarmed she'd returned to her previous rage against the Berserker, but when he looked at her face, all he saw was hurt. Sigrid was hurt, deeply hurt, and she obviously didn't know how to handle that.

"But I'll play it your way, for now." Always having to give the good example, Sigrid agreed with her brother's plan. 

Heather nodded. "Then so will I."

"Thank you, Heather." Hiccup spoke in relief. "I know this isn't easy."

Walking to stand next to Sigrid, Heather put a hand on her shoulder, whispering in her ear. "Say the word, and I'm axing him."

Sigrid snorted, whispering back. "Not if I do it first."

Well, at least this was a better reaction than... like... breaking down and panicking on the spot. But Hiccup would still prefer it if, you know, they didn't try and kill Dagur.

---

They'd searched the entire island for an opportunity to grab Dagur, but it seemed as if he had completely disappeared. As if he was actively avoiding them.

"Any sign of him?" Hiccup asked as they met up in their hiding place. 

Heather frowned. "No. How about you, Sigrid?"

"Me neither." Sigrid growled. "I should've taken care of him when I had the chance."

Hiccup gave an awkward chuckle to the drastic change of attitude she had from a few days ago. "Oh, I have to disagree with you there."

"How can you say that when Dagur has something that makes him even more dangerous?" Sigrid almost snarled. "He has a dragon, Hiccup, and we helped him get it. Gods, I feel so stupid."

"Right... I hadn't thought about that." Hiccup admitted sheepishly.

Toothless distanced call alerted the three from their position. It seemed that in their frolicking, their dragons had decided to take care of the problem on their own. In seconds, Toothless pulled in a slightly toasted looking Dagur, with Windshear and Electrode pacing at his side. Looks like Electrode had taken care of him, during a likely escape attempt.

"Good job, bud." Hiccup praised his dragon. "We got it from here."

Electrode didn't listen to Hiccup's gesture, instead staring at his rider intently whilst he kept hissing at Dagur, lightning still dancing over his body as if to threaten the Berserker.

"It's okay, Electrode." Sigrid assured him, and the dragon finally backed off.

Heather immediately grabbed Dagur by the shoulders, aggressively shaking him back and forth. "Alright, out with it. What are you doing here? Why didn't you come back to the Edge?"

Instead of answering, Dagur yelled at the top of his lungs. Sigrid cringed as she pushed her fingers in her ears at the sound.

"Help! Robbery!" He screamed, before looking towards the trio with terrified eyes. "Please, I have no money. I'm but a poor vagrant, living off the scraps of kind warriors such as yourselves."

Okay... this is getting weird.

"Is he serious?" Heather turned to Sigrid in bewilderment, before scowling at Dagur's face. "Are you serious?"

Hiccup shrugged. "Maybe he really doesn't know who he is. You know, he could've gotten hit on the head when-"

"No." Sigrid interrupted her brother, pushing forward to stand right in Dagur's direct sight.

Her hood obscured her face, but he could still see her shining blue eyes, begging him for an answer.

"Come on, Dagur. Please, tell me, what's going on?"

Dagur's eyes seemed to twitch, and Sigrid hoped she'd made a breakthrough. But she was wrong.

"Please? Please, please. I have nothing. Let me go." He begged once again, even more pathetic than before. "Please help, anyone. Anyone!"

Sigrid tried to shush him, if he kept yelling like that they might be-

"Dragon riders!" Two hunters sounded from behind them. "Grab them and their dragons. Especially the Nightfury."

Sigrid groaned, and her brother didn't look too happy either.

"You really wanna do this now?" The woman growled at her opponents. 

"What better time." The hunter readied his bow.

Oh, it's on.

"Electrode!" The dragon flew in front of her in an instant. "Toast them."

In the commotion, Dagur had fled. Sigrid wanted to scream, what was he doing?  He was making it really difficult for her to not want to kill him.

---

Finally, after the sun had set, they found Dagur again, this time at the ship dock. Now, Heather had lost her patience.

"He's alone." Heather readied her axe. "This may be my only chance."

"Wait, no!" Hiccup reached out to stop her, but he was too late. 

Sigrid didn't even attempt to help, glaring towards the fighting siblings. But, it seemed that Dagur wasn't looking for a fight, as all he did was dodge his sister. Sigrid wasn't worried, not at all... until their dragons flew in to play.

"Oh no." Sigrid gasped as she saw Electrode charge his shot.

But luckily, Dagur dodged it right in time, accompanied by a scream. He certainly hadn't expected that.

"Bad boy!" Sigrid yelled at the Skrill, who turned to her with a downturned look. 

But she could tell that he didn't regret it.

Dagur was starting to get away, but now they had bigger troubles at hand; the incoming Dragon Hunter ship. The men were easy to take out, but a distraction was a distraction, and Dagur saw this as another opportunity to get away. Sigrid wasn't going to let that happen, not this time.

"Heather!" She called towards the girl, who nodded back at her. "On my word, get Dagur."

Heather agreed. "What's the word?"

"You'll know." Sigrid grumbled as she readied her axe over her shoulder.

She waited, seeing exactly how fast Dagur ran, until she saw her opportunity. She hoped the Berserker still knew how to dodge.

"Electrode..." She spoke to the dragon, who's eyes were focused on the shiny metal. "FETCH!"

With a grunt, Sigrid threw her axe as hard as she could in front of Dagur's running figure. Dagur shrieked as he halted in his tracks, the sharp metal mere inches away from his face, and a Skrill flying towards him. But before he could run the other way, he was tripped by Windshear, which knocked him out. 

"Good boy." Sigrid cooed, as her dragon returned her axe.

Now, they had Dagur, and their journey back to the Edge had begun. He better have a good explanation for this...

---

The group was noted of Dagur's awakening, as he immediately started yelling at them.

"You have to put me down. Take me back to the island!" He begged. "Sigrid, Hiccup, Heather!"

"I thought you didn't know us. Weird that your memory is back now." Heather sneered.

Dagur cried out in defense. "I never lost my memory.-" Sigrid wanted to yell at him. "-I had to disguise my identity. It would all be ruined otherwise."

Sigrid raised her brow. "What would be ruined?" 

"I am working for the hunters, Sigrid.-"

"I knew it." Heather snarled.

Dagur continued in his defense. "-But only because they have Shattermaster."

Sigrid gasped. Thank Thor that sweet little Gronckle was still alive. But at what price?

"He's with a large shipment of Gronckles that are headed to port. I was just trying to save my dragon, Sigrid. And now, it's too late. I'll never see Shattermaster again."

They flew faster towards the Edge, but they knew that they needed to find a solution now. Sigrid was not about to risk another dragon's life, especially not Shattermaster's. She really liked that Gronckle.

But as Dagur stared off into the distance of a random island they landed on, Sigrid still wasn't sure how to feel. He'd been alive all this time, and yet, he'd let her believe he was dead. After all they'd been through, all that they confessed, he was still lying to her. For someone who said -or rather wrote - that he loved her, he sure had a funny way of showing it.

"Do you have anything to say to Dagur, or...?" Hiccup tried to push Heather.

Heather raised her brow. "Like what?"

"I don't know." Hiccup shrugged. "Something apologetic, followed by something... sisterly?"

Heather was about to retort, telling him that 'she wasn't Sigrid' but Dagur started talking first.

"It's not important, Heather." Dagur said. "What's done is done. I wouldn't have trusted me either."

Yeah, and I'm still not sure if I should. Sigrid thought with a frown.

"I know the guilt weighs heavy on you. I can see it in your eyes. A brother knows."

Sigrid almost choked on her spit. "Okay, no. Let's reel it in a bit, mister." 

"Yeah, yeah, I felt myself pushing a bit too." Dagur admitted sheepishly. "Okay, so let's talk about how you three are gonna to make this up to me."

The audacity.

"Make this up to you? Are you serious?" Sigrid put her hands on her hips in a scolding manner, with a deep frown on her face.

Heather was about to punch him in the face, but Hiccup stopped her.

"Uh, hey, uh, Dagur, we are happy to help you find your dragon." He spoke. "Aren't we Heather, Sigrid?"

"Of course." Sigrid spoke, and Hiccup was relieved that she didn't put up a fight. "Right after I get some answers."

Nevermind.

"My sweet, beautiful Sigrid.-"

Sigrid's nose crinkled at the pet names Dagur called her, a flush appearing on her cheeks that she hoped was too subtle to see.

"-I promise I'll tell you everything later, Shattermaster must take precedence in these dark times."

Sigrid raised her brow. Did he just really enjoy playing with her heart?

"Now, please tell me you have one of your 'Hiccuppy' plans to get my dragon back."

Hiccup raised his brow as Dagur's arm flung around his shoulders. "There are a lot of Viggo's ships out there, guys." 

"I've been watching them like a hawk." Dagur spoke. "I know what ships the Gronckles are on. We just have to get aboard without being seen and grab my dragon. They'll never know we were there!"

Dagur was sure of himself.

"Although, he is the most handsome Gronckle of the group. I mean, they might know he's missing-"

"So you just know everything now, huh?" Sigrid huffed, before turning to her brother. "I think that the best thing to do is to split up."

Hiccup nodded. "We'll meet on the cliff overlooking the docks."

"Sounds good." Sigrid agreed, before she quickly took off with Electrode, avoiding Dagur's gaze.

Dagur looked towards his sister with a confused frown. "Did I- did I say something wrong?"

Heather raised her brow, before rolling her eyes with a groan, not answering as she let her brother join her on Windshear. If he really wanted to know, he should ask Sigrid himself.

"All the ships I checked were filled with brand new weapons." Hiccup told them after he soared back from his fast patrol.

Heather held up a mace. "Like this?"

"Like that."

Dagur was panicking. "Where are the Gronckles then?"

"I have a theory." Hiccup spoke. "Follow me."

They must've been using the Gronckles to melt iron, and make Gronckle Iron. If they found the masons, they'd find the Gronckles. Thanks, Hiccup, for the big-brain knowledge. 

"The masons' last ship left port headed east." Hiccup told them. "We'll follow it and hope it leads us to their main foundry."

Hiccup's theory had been correct, as always, and they'd found the Gronckles. And there were a lot of them.

"Shattermaster, there he is!" Dagur pointed in excitement.

"Are you sure?" Heather asked him.

Dagur laughed. "A man knows his dragon, am I right, Sigrid?"

When the woman didn't give him a reaction, much to Dagur's disappointment, Hiccup decided to speak instead. "I have to agree."

"I almost feel bad for those Hunters. They have no idea what's coming." Dagur menaced. "Let's show them what four angry Dragon Riders can do."

Oh, Sigrid sure was angry. Just not necessarily at the hunters this time. 

Before Hiccup could even give the okay, Dagur had run in for his dragon. Great, now they'd have to save him too.

"So, shall we go rescue him?" Hiccup suggested.

Sigrid groaned. "I'm going to kill him." 

"...Well, I sure hope that's a joke."

Sigrid had to admit, Dagur was doing quite well up until this point, especially since he didn't have a dragon. But that didn't mean he didn't need their help. He'd almost freed Shattermaster, until he was stopped by an axe carrying Hunter... and Dagur was losing, badly.

The axe's blow would've been deadly, if Sigrid hadn't been there first.

"Pick on someone your own size." She growled, before smacking the hunter so hard he saw stars. 

Electrode shocked him too just for the fun of it. That's what you get for messing with the Haddocks. 

Dagur gave a shy chuckle from the ground behind her.

"Hey, Sigrid..." He greeted slowly. "How much trouble am I in?"

"How much trouble can you be in?" Heather laughed from above, still riding Windshear. 

Eventually, they freed all the Gronckles. Sigrid was glad to see that Shattermaster was doing alright, happy to be reunited with his rider. 

"Alright, Hiccup, before you start yelling-"

Hiccup laughed. "I'm not gonna yell." 

Dagur was surprised. "You're not? I had such a great speech planned..."

"You were trying to save your dragon." Heather smiled. "We all would have done the same."

Hiccup agreed. "We all have done the same. Many times."

"Uh, Hiccup." Sigrid pointed towards the horizon, brow furrowed.

"The rest of Viggo's fleet." Hiccup gasped. "Okay, we need to move. We'll never be able to keep these Gronckles in formation and get them to safety before they spot us."

Sigrid frowned, her brother was right.

"They won't spot you." Dagur spoke up. "They'll be too busy chasing me. I'll lead them away, and you guys get the Gronckles out of here."

No.

"Absolutely not."

Dagur was surprised by Sigrid's booming voice as she grabbed him by his shirt.

"You don't get to do this to me again!"

Finally, Dagur knew why she'd been so distanced with him. She was afraid, and that was his fault. He would fix it, he was sure of it, but now he needed to do the right thing.

"I promise to return to you, Sigrid." He spoke softly, staring at her with loving eyes as he held her hands in his. "I'll reveal everything, and answer all your questions, yours and Heathers."

His sister was heart warmed at the gesture. She would like that very much.

"This handshake seals the Berserker promise." Dagur clasped his hand to his chest. "A promise that cannot now, or ever, be broken."

Sigrid gave a sad chuckle. "You act like I don't know what that means." 

Dagur gave a small laugh at his own, before brushing away a stray tear from the taller woman's eye. "I'm sorry for hurting you, but I promise that I'll make it right."

That was the last thing he said to her before he flew off on Shattermaster, towards the fleet. Leaving Sigrid behind, heartbroken once again, but with a tinge of hope. Hope that he was telling the truth, and he would come back to her.

Chapter Text

Dagur had kept true to his promise... somewhat. 

Even though he had yet to return to Dragon's Edge, he'd started writing to Sigrid regularly. About his decision to finally find his father, to the adventures he'd had so far. But, they still had yet to speak about Dagur's written love confession, and Sigrid's sort-of-secret-not-yet-outspoken feelings.

Right now Sigrid was worried. It seemed that her brother was determined to push himself as hard as he could in preparation for finding Viggo. Guess it runs in the family. 

"Well, well, well, look what the Nightfury dragged in." Astrid commented as Hiccup finally came back to the Edge.

Toothless fell to the floor, exhausted, whilst Hiccup forced out a sarcastic laugh. "Very funny."

"Seriously, Hiccup, you've been pushing it pretty hard lately, and that's coming from me." Sigrid crossed her arms and she raised her brow, as if to emphasize her point.

Heather nodded. "I have to agree with Sigrid. Everyone needs a rest, even you." 

"Right." Hiccup agreed, but Sigrid saw right through it. "I'll rest when Viggo's gone for good."

There it is.

"You wanna hurt Viggo? Talk to me." A familiar voice sounded from the entrance.

Sigrid spun around with a beaming smile.

"Dagur!" She called out, pulling him in for a hug, much to the surprise of the other Riders.

"And hello to you too, baby boy." Sigrid cooed at the Gronckle, who wiggled in excitement at her attention. 

Sigrid was sure to give Shattermaster many pets because of it, such a sweet baby. Dagur smiled, raising his hand to caress Sigrid's chin gently.

"I told you I'd be back." He spoke softly, and Sigrid really - really - wanted to kiss him.

Snapping out of her day-dream, Sigrid cleared her throat.

"Uh, are you hungry?" She asked, already running off to make something before he could even response.

Dagur laughed at her antics, but if he was honest, he was very hungry.

"I could eat something." He shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant.

But after he got his hands on the big yak chop, Dagur couldn't stop his pleased groans as he munched on the meat.

"This is good!" He moaned. "And cooked to perfection, mm, just the way I like it.

Sigrid blushed at the complement. "Thanks." 

"So, how are we gonna hurt Viggo?"

Dagur completely ignored Hiccup's question, completely focused on the boy's older sister. Much to Hiccup's displeasement. 

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised, though. Oh! I think you'd make a wicked Berserk chicken, I could teach you. Did you know that cooking is in our blood?" He gestured to himself and Heather.

Sigrid giggled at his rambling, and Hiccup couldn't believe what he was hearing. Sigrid... giggling? 

Chicken started panicking at the c-word.

"Hey, watch it!" Tuffnut warned as he calmed the bird.  "Everyone knows that Chicken suffers from rotisserie-phobia. He's afraid of the ol' turn and burn."

Dagur was quick to apologize.

"Sorry, boy-nut and... chicken-nut." He paused. "It's just, we've been out there all alone for so long, we haven't eaten anything in days. Isn't that right Shattermaster?"

If he wanted Sigrid to make an astronomical amount of food, by making her think about the level of starvation they must've gone through, this was a good way of accomplishing it.

"I know what you're thinking, stop it." Hiccup whispered in his sister's ear, hoping to stop her from a cooking craze. 

Sigrid shook her head. "Too late."

The kitchen would be occupied for hours.

"Dagur, what about Viggo?" Hiccup tried again, sternly this time.

Dagur smiled, his attention finally pulled away from the tall red headed woman.

"Yes, of course." He started. "The strangest thing happened while I was out traveling the world in search of Oswald the Agreeable. -"

All of this wasn't news to Sigrid, but apparently it was to Heather.

"Wait a minute, you're searching for our father?" The raven haired girl questioned. 

"You see, since I didn't kill him, and you didn't kill him, I figured he must be out there, somewhere. So, there I was, searching for dear old dad, when I captured the wimpiest Dragon Hunter." Dagur laughed. "I mean, he was just a little tiny, wimpy- He was just about your size and build.-" 

Hiccup was not amused by the comparison, or his sister's stifled laugh.

"- No offense. Anyway, all I had to do was sneer at him, and he gave up everything! I mean, I actually had to give him the Berserker chokehold just to shut him up."

Hiccup raised his brow. "So, what did the hunter say about Viggo?"

"I'll tell you if you call me brother." Dagur requested with a hopeful grin. "Please? Just once. Please?"

Yeah, Hiccup wasn't doing that.

"Okay, okay. Just a barrel of laughs, aren't you?" Dagur gave up. "He told me where Viggo hides his gold."

"What?" Sigrid questioned in shock, this was news to her.

Dagur smirked. "And if I remember correctly, some of that gold..."

"Is Berk's gold." Astrid noted.

"Bingo!"

Hiccup was astounded.

"And we could get it back and cripple Viggo in one blow." He smashed his fist in his palm. "Lets ride."

"Don't forget the best part." Dagur continued. "After we get your gold back, if you don't mind, I'll take a few bags of Viggo's for myself. Heather and I will need it as we embark on an epic journey to reunite with our father and rebuild the Berserker tribe, as a family."

... He hadn't told her that. 

Heather chuckled, surprised at his words.

"Yeah, right, Dagur." She pulled away from his grip. "I think you took one too many to the head."

"I'm serious, Heather. That's why I'm here."

Oh. Sigrid thought with a disappointed frown. Just forget about me, I guess.

---

They'd followed Dagur's coördinations to an exact, but when they arrived at their destination, it was empty. For Viggo, this was very unusual.

"Are you absolutely sure this is the right island?" Sigrid questioned the redhead.

Dagur seemed almost offended at the question. "Yes I'm sure. But Viggo might have moved the gold, he can be slippery!"

"Something doesn't feel right." Hiccup butted in, and Sigrid had to agree with him.

What was Viggo's plan?

They'd found tracks, leading up to a dragon-proof door. But even after Shattermaster opened it, it turned out completely empty. Had they been too late?

"Nothing makes sense." Hiccup frowned. "No guards. No booby-traps."

"What are you thinking?" Astrid asked as Hiccup went to investigate further.

The tracks were suspicious, suddenly ending and going in the wrong directions. They were shallow, going out. As if someone had carried the gold by hand... bingo.

"I say we split up, cover more ground." Dagur suggested. "Viggo and his men could come at any time. The Berserkers will search the north, and the Dragon Riders search the south."

It's almost like he didn't want to be around her. Sigrid raised her brow.

"Wait." Fishlegs stammered. "I should go with them."

"So should I." Sigrid spoke quickly, immediately sprinting over to Heather's side, which she didn't seem to mind at all.

"Okay." Hiccup shrugged. "Four heads are better than two. Stay on the ground, send up a signal if you find anything."

"We will." Sigrid nodded.

Dagur seemed excited already. 

"Come on Heather." He pulled his sister along. "While we search for the gold, we'll discuss our future."

Fishlegs and Sigrid growled from behind them, before noting that the other did the same, staring at each other in confusion. They pointed at each other, as if asking if they were feeling the same thing.

Jealousy.

Yep, they were on the same page.

"Once we get our share of Viggo's gold, we'll head straight towards the sunrise." Dagur gestured as they walked. "I know a shifty little guy in the Eastern Markets who might have some info on dad."

Heather shook her head.

"Wait, wait, Dagur. Slow down." She halted her brother. "You know, you barge into my life like a Cavern Crasher ramped up on dragon nip and just unload all these grand ideas."

Dagur sighed. "I've been out there, Heather, living and surviving on my own. It's a lonely desolate existence."

Heather frowned. "You don't have to tell me." 

"I know I don't." Dagur frowned. "When I realized how hard it must have been for you, all those years, alone, I knew I had to make it right. I mean, sure, I have Shattermaster, you have Windshear, but it's not the same thing as having your family, your fellow Berserkers."

Heather crossed her arms. "Maybe you should have thought about that before you set me adrift."

"I don't know how you'll ever forgive me, Heather, but not a day goes by that I don't wish I could take that back." Dagur held her by the shoulders. "I was young and foolish-"

"And twisted and evil." Heather pulled away.

"Okay, I deserve that." Dagur admitted. "But I wanna make it right, once and for all. Don't you see, Heather? This is my chance, our chance, to rebuild the Berserker's tribe. But we'll only succeed if we do it together, as a family."

Sigrid shouldn't be jealous about it, it was such a wholesome moment between two estranged siblings. She shouldn't feel this angry.

"Just think about it. It's time to go home, sis."

Fishlegs wasn't feeling any better about it.

"Ouch." Sigrid whispered towards him. 

The blonde Viking looked at her with the same pained expression, before whispering back. "Yeah, ouch."

---

"Don't worry, Fishlegs. I'll search this one." Dagur volunteered after hearing the Viking wimper. "Sometimes I miss the pleasant zen of a deep, dark cave."

She should probably go after him, no? One glance at Fishlegs told her that she probably should, before she wouldn't be able to.

"Dagur, wait up!" Sigrid yelled after the gold-calling Berserker, who was surprised to see her run after him.

Dagur didn't stop her from going with him, but he was confused by it. "Sigrid, I thought I said I was searching this one alone?"

Sigrid raised her brow in offense. "You know, if you don't want me around you should just say that."

"No, no, no. I didn't mean it like that!" He tried to save himself, seeing her scowling face. 

"Then, please, explain why you've been completely ignoring me, ever since we left the Edge?"  

Dagur paused, had he really been doing that?

"I'm sorry, Sigrid, I didn't mean to." He assured. "I haven't been ignoring you. I just want to reconnect with my sister."

Going further into the dark cave, they certainly weren't looking out for gold anymore. 

"Right." Sigrid lips pulled into a tight line as her eyes fell to the ground in embarrassment. "I just assumed that you came to the Edge to see me."

Oh. That made a lot of sense.

"I did!" Dagur declared, to which Sigrid raised her brow. That's not what he said back on the Edge. "But I also wanted to see Heather. I'm sorry I made you feel as if I don't care about you, because I really really do."

Dagur wanted to say more, but hesitated. He didn't know if she'd gotten the letter he'd written to her before the shipyard, or if Hiccup had just thrown it away. He'd understand it if he had, especially back then.

"I don't understand you, Dagur." Sigrid confessed with a sigh, peaking the Berserker's curiosity. "First you ask to be my friend, then you fly into a trap. I think you're dead, and suddenly my brother gives me this letter where you confess your undying love for me. But then the next time I see you, weeks later, you're avoiding me. Then I think that we're okay again, and then you show up at the Edge, rambling about taking Heather with you, and I'm just left in the dust once more?"

Dagur didn't know what to say. So she did read that letter.

"I really don't get it! Do you just like playing with my feelings? Do you actually love me or not-"

Sigrid's rambling was muffled by Dagur's lips on hers. Almost letting out a gasp, her eyes widened in shock at his sudden move. But... she didn't mind it. Relaxing, Sigrid let her arms hang over his shoulders, closing her eyes as she deepened the kiss. 

Okay, that surely answered her biggest question.

When he pulled back, Dagur seemed just as flustered as she was. As if it wasn't him that had initiated. His face red and blushing as he chuckled at her equally as red face. 

"Man, you're really tall." He noted with a grin. "I had to stand on my tippy-toes for that one."

Sigrid laughed, burying her face in Dagur's hair, before giving his head a kiss.

"No, you're just short." She teased.

That was a lie, Sigrid's just really tall. Her father wasn't Stoick the Vast for nothing. I mean, even Hiccup was already starting to tower over the Berserker. 

Dagur gasped dramatically at her jab, to which Sigrid started to laugh even harder.

"Oh, that was mean, Sigrid Haddock!" He pointed his fingers in towards her waist, and started to tickle her. "I thought we were past the insults."

Sigrid couldn't help but wriggle in his grip, laughing as he continued his attack.

"Stop it!" She begged. "I promise I'll be nice!"

"I don't believe you." Dagur smirked, not stopping the torture.

... Until a hoard of Terrible Terrors flew towards them, and they had to run out of the cave. 

Heather and Fishlegs looked up at the screaming Vikings, as they darted out in the light. A swarm of Terrible Terrors flying above their heads as they slapped them away.

"No gold, no gold!" Dagur screeched, swooshing the dragons away. "And Terrible Terrors make terrible wingmen! What did I miss?" 

Heather raised her brow at her brother and Sigrid. Wingmen? What exactly had they been doing in there? Sigrid blushed, silently pleading with her not to ask any further.

Oh, Heather was definitely going to interrogate her about this later. Especially since Dagur suddenly seemed very adamant about holding Sigrid's hand. Something he hadn't been doing before. 

---

"Oh this is bad, really, really bad." Fishlegs stuttered as they watched Ryker and his hunters take Hiccup and the others away in cages. Their dragons included.

Dagur hummed. "Huh, funny. Hiccup was never that easy to capture when I was chasing him."

Sigrid rolled her eyes with a smile, gazing through her spyglass to get a closer look.

"Viggo." She grumbled as she spotted the man on the deck, overlooking the commotion.

"We can't just sit here." Heather huffed as they watched Viggo's ships sail away. "We need to rescue them now, before Viggo disappears."

Dagur thought about it, nudging Sigrid with excitement when he brought up his plan. "We should save 'em, Berserker style. I have the perfect plan."

Sigrid was willing to give it a shot, but Fishlegs wasn't.

"No! Dragon Riders rescue Dragon Riders!" He spoke truthfully. "I have know Hiccup for my whole life and he is my best friend, Dagur. Whenever I have needed him, he has been there for me, and now he needs me. We are doing this my way."

Dagur sniffled, touched by Fishlegs' speech. "That was... that was beautiful, man.-" Sigrid rubbed his back in comfort. "-Just... beautiful."

Fishlegs' plan was simple, and totally Dragon Rider style. Electrode seemed glad to be in the open skies again, and maybe electrocute a few dragon hunters in return. Sigrid would allow it with open arms, that's what they got for kidnapping her brother and the others. 

"There they are." Fishlegs called out. "You three attack the flanking ships, and Meatlug and I will take out the lead vessel. Got it?"

"Got it."

And with that, they all split up... at least, the three of them did. Dagur seemed a little busy meditating, for one reason or another. 

As usual, Sigrid was having a pretty good time flying around and electrocuting Hunters. She and Electrode had been practising their fetch technique a lot, and it seemed that all of that hard work greatly paid off. Now, the Skrill didn't even have to think about where the axe was going, he just trusted his rider enough to go after it. They made a terrifying duo.

"Fetch!" Sigrid yelled as she threw her axe near one of the ship's pillars, and Electrode dashed towards it in an instant, shooting lightning at any hunter that stood in his way of retrieving the shiny object. "Yes! Good boy, Electrode!"

The Skrill purred at the praise. Such a momma's boy. 

After Heather started having a lot of trouble, Dagur finally decided to join the fight, bellowing a loud Berserker battle cry. Man, Sigrid hadn't heard that in years, and it definitely sounded a lot deeper now after his voice finally seemed to have settled down. No longer the teenage boy she'd once known.

"Get 'em, babe!" Sigrid yelled after Dagur as he and Shattermaster bouldered against the ships, rocking the Hunters off their feet.

Heather and Fishlegs raised their brow at the pet name, and Dagur's joyous face at the sound of it. Wow, a lot happened in that cave, huh? 

They'd blasted ship after ship, way longer than they ever had before, but they still weren't sinking. Something wasn't right.

"Dragon proof ships!" Fishlegs cried out as he spotted the green material come to light.

Viggo had come more prepared than before. The three cried out as they dodged some more arrows flung their way, catching their breath as they took time to recover.

"Okay, that didn't work." Dagur panted. "Anyone have any other thoughts that, you know, I might have mentioned earlier?"

Sigrid raised her brow, giving Heather a look that suggested to her that she was confident in Dagur's plan. Right now, Heather couldn't help but agree.

"Fishlegs, I think, maybe, we should try it my brother's way."

Fishlegs raised his brow. "Your brother?"

"I mean, what do we have to lose?" Heather defended with a shrug.

Fishlegs tried to look over at Sigrid for help, but found the woman smirking. She was on Dagur's side... of course she was.

"Yeah!" Dagur cried out in glee. "Berserker style!"

Turns out, Berserker style meant throwing Shattermaster like a dodgeball towards the bottom of the ships, where Dagur was sure he would be able to blast through them. Dragon proof ships or not.

... And he was right. Wow, to be honest, Sigrid wasn't expecting that. Sure, she had trust in Dagur's plan, but to see it in action, wow. Yeah... weird, but cool.

Brother and sister sat on Windshear's back, with Dagur yelling out in excited 'whoos' and Heather laughing alongside him. Sigrid was glad to see they were finally bonding, even if Fishlegs looked a little sad about it. She understood, he was afraid to lose Heather.

But now was no time for pouting, as their battle wasn't over.

Electrode and Sigrid kept to their terror in the skies, whilst Dagur and Heather kept performing Dagur's 'flying shatter scatter' move. It was definitely working very well. Soon, Viggo would have to give up.

Sigrid laughed as she heard Heather let out a Berserker cry of her own, it was clear she wasn't used to letting out her craziness, but she was getting used to it. 

"That one's for Oswald!"

After all of their chaos, it didn't take long for the other riders to emerge with their dragons. But one person was still missing, Hiccup.

"Toothless." Sigrid gasped at the angry dragon's growls as he was surrounded by dragon hunters.

Without a rider, Toothless couldn't fly, and a flightless dragon is a dead dragon.

But before Sigrid could fly in, it seemed that her brother was quicker.

"Toothless!" He called out, jumping off the other ship's deck towards his dragon, as he plummeted into the water. 

Toothless jumped after him, which meant that Electrode couldn't follow. So instead, Sigrid made sure that no hunter could even try and take a shot at their submerged figures, as they blasted them with everything they had. She loved seeing the look on Ryker's face as he was forced to dodge lightning bolt after lightning bolt, with a scowl on his face. 

Astrid cheered as Hiccup and Toothless emerged from the depths with a boom, sending the ships closest to them backwards with force. 

In the end, Hiccup had done it, he'd discovered where Viggo hid his gold, and it was in plain sight all along, the Viking Ruins.

---

"So, when did this happen?" Astrid questioned Sigrid, gesturing between her and Dagur.

Sigrid shrugged, a smile forming on her face as her cheeks flushed pink. "Oh, you know, when we were looking for gold."

"Wow, couldn't keep it in your pants, huh?" Astrid jested, earning a nudge. "I'm kidding. It's not like we didn't see it coming. Dagur was staring at you, like, all night back before the shipyard situation."

Sigrid raised her brow, pausing in thought.

"That's why you were acting strange!" She concluded with a gasp. "You were spying on us."

Astrid shrugged, smirking as if to say 'so what'. 

With a lot of thinking, Heather came to the conclusion that she was going to leave with her brother. She needed to find her father. Eventually, Fishlegs couldn't help but agree. She needed this, even if it hurt his heart... just a little bit.

"I'm gonna miss you." Sigrid pouted as she wrapped her arms around Dagur's neck.

Dagur awed at her adorable face. "I'm gonna miss you too, darling." 

Hiccup gagged at the disgusting displays of affection, as the couple continued to coo at each other. Really? Did they have to do this right in front of him? He understood, new couple and all, but Thor. 

"Shut up, Hiccup." Sigrid snapped towards her brother, parting from Dagur after giving the Berserker many kisses.

Dagur smiled at Sigrid's red freckled face. Gods, she was phenomenal. 

"I promise I'll write to you, everyday."

Sigrid snorted, before laughing out loud. "I doubt you can with all of your travels, but at least once a week would be nice."

"Deal." 

Sealing the promise with a Berserker handshake, Dagur would honor it proudly, and Sigrid had no doubt about it.

With one final 'I love you', the couple parted. Waving goodbye to each other as Dagur and Heather soared off on their dragons, ready to start their new adventure; finding their father.

"So, what exactly happened during your search for gold, Sigrid?" Hiccup questioned with a raised brow, obviously asking about her sudden confirmed relationship with Dagur.

Sigrid simply shrugged, smirking as she tried to think of something that would make her brother immediately regret ever sticking his nose in her business. 

"You don't want to know."

Hiccup's eyes went wide as his nose scrunched up at the horrible innuendo his sister just made. He really didn't want to think about that.

"Oh, Sigrid!"

Yep, teasing Hiccup was still fun.

Chapter Text

"Sigrid, get up!" Ruffnut came into her hut, hollering at the top of her lungs. "It's an emergency!"

The woman shot up, her axe to her chest as she was about to throw it at the intruder, before spotting Ruffnut throwing her brother into her hut.

"What is it? Hunters?" Sigrid yelled as she jumped out of bed, eyes wide as her heart raced.

Electrode growled at her side, lightning twitching over his wings. He was ready for a fight. But there seemed to be no hunters, or any threat whatsoever. Just a very sad looking Tuffnut, with a broken mace.

Sigrid raised her brow in disbelief. "You woke me up...for this?"

"You've gotta fix her, Sigrid!" Tuffnut cried. "I can't live without my Macey!"

Sigrid rolled her eyes as she set her axe back besides her bed.

"Tuff, it is literally midnight, go back to bed."

The twins whined, eyes drooping as their mouth curved downwards in a frown. Whilst Ruffnut just looked disappointed, Tuffnut looked distraught.

"Please, Sigrid, please." Ruffnut pleaded this time. "You have to fix Macey, I can't deal with him like this."

Sigrid crossed her arms.

"That's not my problem." She huffed. "If you want me to fix Macey, you can ask me again in the morning."

"But-"

"And that's final!"

Leaving with their heads hung low, the twins decided to ask the other Haddock. Finally, Sigrid was left alone. Looking up at the ceiling, Sigrid sighed before getting back in bed. Electrode circled the foot of her bed with gentle pats, before finding his comfy spot.

But, of course, the twins didn't listen to her. And instead of asking the older woman for her help, they had both disappeared. At least, now she didn't have to deal with them, leaving her father with that dirty work instead.

"Finally we're getting somewhere." Hiccup sighed in relief as they got a step closer to being able to break the dragon proof chain.

They'd been training for it all week, but they had still yet to find the right combination. Sadly, Electrode wasn't much help in this matter, so he was allowed to step aside, which he didn't mind at all.

"Yeah, with Ruff and Tuff and their twintuition on Berk, it's much easier to make progress." Fishlegs agreed.

Snotlout laughed as he walked up besides him.

"They went to Berk?" He cackled. "Those dummies. When I saw 'em, they were going north, the exact opposite direction. So, unless the world is round, they're never gonna make it."

"Oh, for the love of-" Sigrid started to curse.

Hiccup had the same realisation. "They're gonna get themselves killed."

Like two idiots, the twins hadn't gone off to Berk. No, they'd gone to the Northern Markets, the one place they had to avoid most right now. It was filled with dragon hunters.

Sigrid and the other Riders had jumped on their dragons' backs immediately, in search for the Thorston twins. But so far, they had nothing to go off of, until Sigrid pulled the iron mason out of his stand. If her theory was right, they would've visited the smith, in hopes of fixing Macey, and since they weren't there anymore, he must've known where they'd gone to.

"Twins? What twins?" The iron mason tried to play coy as he was thrown on the ground, interrogated by a group of very angry Vikings.

Sigrid raised her brow, her nostrils flaring.

"Is that so?" Sigrid sneered. "Electrode, jog his memory."

"Aaah!" The iron mason screamed in terror at the Skrill started charging up. "Oh, oh! Yes, yes, yes, twin dragon hunters that wanted a Gronckle Iron mace repaired!"

Suddenly, he knew very well what they were talking about.

"Dragon Hunters?" Fishlegs questioned, that was definitely a new way of describing them.

The iron mason nodded.

"They said they broke the mace over a Dragon Rider's head." He explained. "You know, the one with the high voice and the one leg."

Sigrid raised her brow, glancing back at her brother, who was very much alive; and very unamused.

"Oh, wow." Snotlout laughed. "Wonder who that could be? Ow!"

After slapping Snotlout upside the head, Sigrid spoke again. "Where did they go?"

"I have no ide- AAA!" Instead of Electrode, this time Barf and Belch scared the living daylights out of the smith, leaving him screaming in panic as they got close to toasting him. "Viggo's recalled all his hunters to a secret island base. No one knows where it is."

Sigrid hummed, pretending to be in thought.

"I think you do." Her voice was low, almost menacing as she pushed herself in the smith's face.

"If I tell you, I'll lose my life! Not to mention my business."

Putting her axe at his throat, Sigrid grumbled. "You'll lose your head if you try and blabber another excuse. So, I'll ask again, where is that base?"

"Uhh-" The smith spluttered.

He couldn't get out of this now.

Turns out, being the daughter of Stoick the Vast had a lot of perks. One of those perks was that Sigrid sure knew how to threaten people, whether that be accompanied by strangulation, weapons to the throat, or even a kick to the genitals; it always seemed to work in the end.

Even with the smith's direction, the actual finding of the island was annoyingly difficult. Which, Sigrid supposed, was the entire point of a secret base, but it angered her nonetheless.

As they neared closer, the place seemed to be in ruckus...and on fire?

"Whatever it is, I bet it's the twins' fault." Hiccup sighed.

With high speed, they darted towards the woods of the island's edge. It turned out to not be as empty as they thought. However, the closer they got, the better Sigrid could see Tuffnut's silhouette standing at the cliff side. Two hunters ran at him from the woods, and the Riders quickly realised that the Thorston was trapped.

In a second, Tuffnut was smacked to the ground by the hunter carrying - what looked suspiciously a lot like - Macey. Hauling it over his head, the hunter was ready to lay down the final blow to the Thorston's skull.

Not on Sigrid's watch.

Whilst Tuffnut managed to defeat that one hunter himself - with the help of Macey - there were still a lot more coming his way. But one sight of the angry red headed Viking on a lightning activated Skrill was enough to instill so much fear in the hunters' souls that they scattered on sight. Tuffnut, however, mistook it as the hunters running from him.

Sigrid vowed to never tell him that wasn't the case. Now, they'd found Tuffnut, but where was Ruffnut?

"There!" Fishlegs spotted with a gasp. "That's Ruffnut!"

Snotlout's eyes widened. "They're gonna drown her!"

Electrode hissed. He didn't do well with water, which means that Sigrid had to stand down from this fight... Ha, they wished. She could still cover the riders from the sidelines; those hunters wouldn't be so easily rid of her.

But the fight was intense, and it seemed like they weren't getting any further as the water continued rising. Dragon proof chains flung over the previously open arena. They were trapped, and Viggo looked way too happy about it.

"We have to keep at it!" Hiccup yelled as their dragons shot at the bars.

They needed this to work.

"Yeah." Astrid agreed as she blocked another arrow with her axe. "But we should take cover first."

Sigrid definitely wasn't doing that, much to her brother's protests. She just kept slicing the arrows with apparent ease, even if it definitely wasn't as easy as it looked, but the dragon hunters didn't know that; so Sigrid would leave them impressed.

The yelling in the distance caught the woman of guard, almost resulting in a hunter arrow hitting her arm.

"What was that?" She questioned with a raised brow.

"It's a full-on Thorston Battle Frenzy!" Ruffnut smirked.

Sigrid never thought she'd see the day when groups of vast Viking men would run away from one Tuffnut Thorston. He never failed to surprise her. Impressively, he'd thrown his beloved Macey in to rescue them, as the mace stopped the cogs from turning; in turn, stopping the water flow.

But it was only for a moment, until the cogs turned again, and the water flow continued. Now, Electrode had no choice but to submerge in the depths, as there was no more room for him to fly dry. His slitted eyes looked panicked, the last time he'd been in the ocean's depths hadn't exactly been the greatest, so he wasn't too comfortable about being trapped there by another hunter.

To the Skrill's luck, Hiccup had finally figured it out, and before he knew it he was in the dry air once again with his beloved rider on his back.

"Good boy." Sigrid rubbed his side with cooing complements after seeing how calm he'd been through the panic. "You did so well, I'm so proud of you."

He was definitely getting a lot of eels back home.

Sigrid had thrown her middle finger in Viggo's face as they flew away. Not only had they bested the Grimborns at their own game, they'd also saved the twins in return.

"Never, ever, do anything like that again." Sigrid scolded the Thorstons.

The twins saluted, before holding their hands to their chest. "We promise... for now."

"Ugh." Sigrid sighed. "At least you did something good."

She gestured towards the plans that they'd stolen from Viggo. "Keep doing stuff like that, I like it."

"Thanks mom!" The twins cheered.

"I told you to never call me that again!"

Chapter Text

"Really? 'I'll take that'?" Tuffnut raised a brow at Hiccup's plan. "Seriously, that's the best you can come up with?"

"This is your moment, H. Books will be written about it. Children will act it out. Some adults will act it out, but it won't be as cute as the children. You need a killer catchphrase! One line that will withstand the test of time. As the sand and the oceans pass, your words will remain. -"

Wow, Tuffnut could really talk... a lot.

"-I mean, you've just defeated one of the toughest, most ruthless villains in the world!"

"Who, let's face it, everyone thought was smarter than you." Ruffnut shrugged.

Hiccup raised a brow, before speaking in a sarcastic tone. "Really? Everyone?"

"Well, you know, there's no hard data, but if you had to guess..."

Hiccup sighed. "Okay, I tell you what, I'll work on something cool to say to him when I take him down. Happy?"

Even if the twins weren't satisfied with Hiccup's conclusion, the others sure were. Stoick had never been more proud, and Sigrid had to admit, Hiccup had put a lot of thought into this one. 

It also seems that leading up to the big moment, Hiccup and Astrid were getting  closer and closer. Sigrid found it highly suspicious.

They were definitely together.

---

"Wait, so they weren't already dating?" Dagur questioned his girlfriend after she finished her gossip, to which Sigrid shook her head. "Wow, figures."

Sigrid shrugged.

"I mean, it's not like it matters. I just wish Hiccup wasn't so hypocritical about it." She rolled her eyes. "He was all up in my business about us, but now that he and Astrid are definitely together, he's trying to hide it from me."

"I mean, I don't blame him for that. I wasn't exactly a good option at first." Dagur defended her brother, to which Sigrid gasped. "Oh come on, baby, it's true. I was quite literally your enemy not long before, so honestly, I don't blame him. I would've done the same if it were Heather... or worse."

"I don't care." Sigrid pouted, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You're cute."

Dagur laughed at her quick change of subject, because she knew he was right. But that didn't stop him from kissing the underside of her jaw.

"No, you're cute."

"No, you." Sigrid shot back with even more kisses.

Dagur paused, pretending to think about it with a comical face. "Hmmm. No, you."

"Are you two coming or what?" Heather impatiently called from the distance, with a raised brow. 

Oh yeah, they had a mission to do. And it seemed like the others were waiting on them to finish hogging each other, oops. Oh well, they'd just have to deal with it, Sigrid's never had a boyfriend before, so they should let her enjoy it.

For Dagur, it was just a little awkward that Stoick was like... right there, and he was sure he felt the Chief's glare at the back of his head. But he wasn't really sure, so he tried not to worry about it.

He'd have to talk to him one day, about dating his daughter. Dagur had something very important to ask him, but he promised himself he'd wait for it. He didn't want to put any pressure on Sigrid.

He sure hoped Stoick would be okay with it...

---

Just as Hiccup had planned, everyone soared off towards their destination. But when they got to Viggo's base, it was empty. Torn apart as if it was attacked mere moments ago. How strange...

"What's going on?" Heather questioned as she flew past Dagur and Sigrid, who were studying the destroyed catapults that they were supposed to take down with a glare.

Snotlout growled. "Ugh! What a rip off."

He was really excited about the plan.

"Oh," Fishlegs pouted, "looks like someone beat us to it."

"The question is, who?" Stoick's deep voice boomed his place on Skullcrusher's back.

Her father raised a good point. If they hadn't attacked the base - which they hadn't - then who did? 

Hiccup and Astrid decided to search Viggo's tent, just as they had originally planned, as Stoick and the others searched the island, hoping for answers. But they wouldn't find them, as Hiccup discovered something bigger, there in the tent; Viggo, injured and trapped in a deep hole in the ground.

Sigrid - wisely - decided to keep outside of the tent, behind the other riders, but still watching through the flowing rags with a glare. If she went in there, she couldn't promise that Viggo would make it out alive, not after everything. She hadn't forgotten about the time he'd made sure she got the Scourge of Odin, all for business.

Her father, on the other hand, was no man to just 'stand by'.

"You come after my children. You come after my home." Stoick scowled as he marched into the tent, grabbing Viggo by the throat and hoisting him into the air. "Now you get to deal with me!"

Sigrid would be lying if she said she felt bad, and so did the Berserkers at her side. Yeah, they really wanted him dead.

"Dad, wait! Revenge is not a plan, remember." Hiccup pleaded

Stoick huffed. "That was for you. For me, it goes down a treat."

"Let Viggo speak."

Sigrid felt immense disappointment as her father listened to Hiccup, releasing his grip on the grunting man's throat. 

Viggo gasped as his airways were cleared, rubbing his burning throat before speaking.

"Ryker's lost all sense of reason. He's on his own and unfortunately managed to sway the soft minds of the Dragon Hunters." He spoke. "My brother has turned them on their leader."

"And that, right there, is why I'd rather have a sister any day of the week." Tuffnut spoke, before raising his hand to Ruffnut. "Not you, obviously, but a different sis."

"Ryker's plan, as simple-minded as it is, is to wipe out the Dragon Riders and all of your allies."

Sigrid raised her brow, before whispering to Dagur "I'm not believing any of this." 

The Berserker agreed, before whispering back to ask if - granted the opportunity - she'd want to kill the Hunter together, as a couple's celebration. It was an offer that Sigrid gladly accepted. 

"Yeah, how is that different from every other bad guy we've dealt with?" Hiccup questioned. 

"And defeated! Yeah." Fishlegs cheered.

Viggo frowned.

"The difference, my dear Hiccup, is project Shell Fire." He looked towards the twins. "You two remember that, don't you?"

The second the twins startled rambling, Sigrid already wasn't listening anymore. Instead opting to press her face into Dagur's neck, trying to calm her pounding headache. The Berserker wrapped an arm around his beloved's waist, holding her close to him. He was trying really hard to hold in his anger, and Sigrid could tell.

"The next attack is on the Defenders of the Wing. This will be followed by the Outcasts, Berserkers, and Berk itself, in no particular order." Viggo confessed. "While Ryker is no tactical genius, he still manages to hold some things close to the vest."

With this knowledge, they'd have to act fast. They had to spread out, or else there would be no way for them to defend their own people and their allies, and everything would be destroyed. 

"There is no way we're believing one word this guy says." Astrid pointed towards the tent with a frown.

Hiccup spoke.

"Well we can't just ignore it." He worried with hurried breath. "Astrid, there are too many lives at stake."

"Agreed." Stoick put his hand on his son's shoulder. "Gobber and I will take the auxiliary riders back to Berk. Just in case."

"Heather, Dagur, go make sure Berserker Island's ready." Hiccup requested, to which the Berserkers nodded

Sigrid waited with baited breath. She really wanted to go with Dagur and Heather - not that she wasn't still worried for her own tribe. She just wanted to make sure they were safe. Hiccup seemed to notice how her eye twitched in distress, and it's not like he was going to say anything else than:

"Sigrid, do what you think is best."

That was surprising, usually Hiccup wanted to point everyone in a specific direction. But the boy felt like he didn't have to do that with his sister - just like he didn't have to with their father - so if Sigrid believed she was needed on Berserker Island, then she was allowed to go there.

She did exactly that.

It felt weird to say that this was Sigrid's first time on Berserker Island. Dagur was a little upset that it wasn't on better terms, or that he hadn't even thought about inviting her over before. They'd just been so busy, he and Heather, with building up their tribe that it had completely drifted from his mind. He promised to make it right.

"I'm so sorry, darling." He apologized whilst they were preparing for the defense of a lifetime. "Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy that you're here, but I wish I could've given you a better view of this place. After everything."

Sigrid knew what he meant. The betrothal. Yeah, that hadn't exactly given her a very hopeful view of Berserker Island, when she was a young girl. But now that she was here, it definitely was a lot more... normal than she was expecting. She blamed this entirely on Dagur, and his crazy teenage self.

"It's okay." Sigrid assured. "I know it's not in the best circumstances, but I really do like it here."

It was true, ever since she arrived the people of the Berserker tribe had been nothing but kind to her. Honestly, she was a little taken aback by how many Vikings knew who she was, but she supposed that wasn't that strange. She had been engaged to their - now - Chief for like... almost eight years? Until that, you know... didn't happen.

She was just kind of glad they didn't hold a grudge against her, to be honest. She was sort of one of the reasons of why they didn't have a leader for three years.

"I'm glad to hear that." Dagur smiled, leaning in for a kiss. 

Pulling back, Sigrid smiled at the twinkle in her boyfriend's green eyes. "Let's give them hell, shall we?"

Dagur snorted. "As if you even have to ask."

With one final kiss, their preparations were final. Now, they had to wait, in worry that something would eventually go wrong. And true to Viggo's word, it did. Berserker Island was attacked, and they could do nothing to stop it. 

Sigrid had never felt this helpless during a battle. 

"Hiccup!" Sigrid yelled at the approaching Nightfury, mounting her own dragon as she and the others flew away from the island.

Heather was shaken. "It came at us out of nowhere!"

They had to quickly dodge once again. There was too much being fired at once for any of them to float still. 

"Staying together won't help. We need to split up." Astrid spoke.

"You're right." Hiccup admitted. "You're with me.-" He pointed towards the other riders. "-You guys go with Sigrid. Listen to her, save who you can, and then meet us back at the Edge."

Sigrid raised her brow at the subtle compliment.

"And where are you going?" She questioned her brother.

"To find out whatever this Shell Fire is, and stop it once and for all."

Wow, very dramatic. 

---

"Sigrid, you're with me right?" Snotlout questioned after Hiccstrid left.

The redhead immediately knew what he was talking about. "Oh, definitely."

Now it was confirmed for Snotlout:  Hiccup and Astrid have a gambling addiction.

---

Dagur and Sigrid flew besides each other, Electrode going a bit slower to stay equal to Shattermaster's pace, as their riders looked at each other with worry. Holding their hands out, their palms touched before they entangled their fingers together, holding each others hands in a tight, worried, grip. Meanwhile, their dragons were trying very hard not to clash into each other. 

"Together?" Sigrid spoke, almost breathless as her heart beat in her throat.

Dagur nodded, his brow furrowing as the tensions rose. "Together."

This attack was something the Berserkers had never seen before. And whilst the Riders managed to save most of the people on the island, their huts and buildings were still left destroyed. It reminded Sigrid of the dragon raids they used to have in Berk many years ago, but this left a bigger hole in their hearts, mostly from the Berserker siblings' reaction.

Dagur and Heather had never experienced something like this before, and it was laying heavy on them. But Sigrid would do anything to help turn those frowns upside down, even if it meant rebuilding the whole place with her own bare hands.

---

The return back to the Edge was sad, and it didn't help to lessen Sigrid's sour mood to discover that Viggo was still alive, out there somewhere.

She really hoped that Mala would've killed him.

"Tidal class for sure. If I had to guess, Titan Wing. Bigger than a Submaripper. Long range firing capabilities." Hiccup labeled everything that he'd seen from the giant mysterious dragon that was found under Ryker's ships. 

Project Shell Fire.

"Tidal Class dragons don't attack humans. They just don't. It's not in their nature." Fishlegs frowned. "They're forcing it to do that."

"I know they are, Fishlegs."

"Subjugation." Tuffnut pointed a finger in recognition.

The riders blinked in surprise at Tuffnut's - unusual - correct statement.

"What?" The twin defended. "I listen and learn, people!-" He turned his head towards Sigrid. "-That's the word, right?"

"That's correct." The woman confirmed, still poker-faced, and tired.

Hiccup sighed. "Dagur, Heather, I'm sorry about Berserker Island. We all are."

"At least we managed to save most of our people." Heather sniffed, still holding her injured arm. "But to rebuild..."

Dagur was shaking in anger, as he stood next to his sister.

"I've been trying really hard to manage my anger, Hiccup." He grumbled, to which Sigrid started rubbing soothing circles on his arm. "But Viggo? He gots to go."

"Hey, that's my line!" Snotlout glared.

"Sorry, Snot-hat." Dagur spoke in complete and utter sarcasm, but it seemed that was only clear to Sigrid. 

As he stood, it was clear to her that Dagur was, in one word, exhausted.

The bags under his eyes seemed to sag his face down, and he looked more frustrated than ever. Sigrid probably didn't look much better herself, as she felt like a heavy sack of potatoes ready to drop on the floor. She couldn't even imagine how she managed to deal with so much dung before Berk's turn-around. Had she really aged that much? Whatever it was, she wished she had teenage Sigrid's energy right now. 

It was all becoming too much, even for Hiccup.

"I need to clear my head." The youngest Haddock grumbled in frustration.

This was going to be a long night. 

Chapter Text

Sigrid had gone along with Dagur and Heather, back to Berserker Island, to get a head start on rebuilding. She had a lot of experience, after all, and she was confident that hadn't changed. It was strange, though, following a similar routine she had many years ago. With all these attacks, Sigrid felt fifteen again, in the height of Berk's dragon raids.

But what was even stranger, is that it was obvious that it seemed to be only Berk so far who had to deal with dragon raids. Or, at least, it was obvious that Berserker Island hadn't, but she already figured that from Dagur's old idiotics about dragons. Sigrid had always been aware that Berk used to be a land of 'kill or be killed', but had it really been that bad?

It hadn't even been a day before Hiccup sent a Terror mail their way. They'd found Viggo, and now they had a different plan in mind; preparing for the next attack, on Dragon's Edge.

Hiccup had been anxious, but put on a brave face as he prepared everyone for their eventual battle. Not only did he have people to save, there was now also a dragon at play, a Titan at that. 

"Alright, gang. We have until dawn, they'll be in range by then." Hiccup spoke as he paced back and forth in front of the group.

Besides Sigrid, Dagur wasn't paying that much attention to Hiccup's story, as he seemed to be too busy biting his fingernails. Sigrid smacked his hand from his mouth with a frown, silently telling him to stop it. 

"Hiccup, I had a thought." Snotlout started. "Now, follow me on this. Okay. Come along for the ride. -" Sigrid raised her brow. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm not completely attached to this place, right? Let it burn to the ground. -"

No one agreed with that.

"-I mean it's been fun, great views. But is it worth dying over? That's what you have to ask yourself. Alright, let's take a vote. Anyone?"

Sigrid uncrossed her arms.

"Why do you assume you're going to die?" She questioned with a sneer.

"I mean... I don't." Snotlout huffed with a nonchalant shrug. "It's just- I don't know about any of you, if you know what I mean."

The redhead rolled her eyes.

"No, I don't know what you mean." She snarled. "If you're in the mentality that you, or any of us, are guaranteed to die, then I'm politely asking you to step out of this battle."

"No, Sigrid, we need him- even if I hate to say it. We need all of us." Astrid argued.

Sigrid crossed her arms, Dagur's eyes widened as he realised an argument was starting, and he definitely did not want to be caught in the middle of it.

"What we need is Vikings who are either all in, or all out, there is no in between." Sigrid stood her ground. "If Snotlout, or anyone else is on the fence about that, they're welcome to leave."

Dagur raised his hand with a worried twitch. "Sigrid, sweetheart, let's calm down-"

 "No!" Sigrid huffed. "When Berk was fighting dragons every other day, there was no option for neutrality! You were either with us, or against us. What makes this any different?"

"We're not in that situation anymore." Hiccup assured.

Sigrid shook her head.

"Aren't we?" She questioned, before gesturing around the sky. "Because to me, this feels exactly like how it used to be. But instead of a nest of dragons, it's Dragon Hunters in a ship riding a Tidal Class!"

She panted, before rubbing her furrowed brow.

"I realize that you didn't get to understand what that felt like. You've never been through something this big before. I get that." Sigrid sighed. "But if you're not prepared to go in full force, than you're allowing yourself to get distracted, and that will get you hurt, or even killed. Trust me, I know it."

Hiccup sighed.

"Then trust me when I say 'that is not going to happen'." He laid a reassuring hand on his sister's shoulder. "I have a plan, and I can promise you that no one will get hurt."

"If any one of you gets hurt, I'll kill you."

"Woah-kay, no you won't." Hiccup quickly countered his sister's statement. "What my sister means to say is, be careful."

"I still don't get why we're not ditching this place." Snotlout shrugged.

Really not a good time to be stupid.

"Snotlout, if we don't stop them here, where do you think they're gonna go next?"

It took Snotlout way too long to think of an answer.

"To Berk! They're going to go to Berk, our Berk. We have to make a stand here and do whatever it takes to stop them."

Snotlout crossed his arms. "So, that's one nay. No surprise there."

Dagur had to clasp his arms tightly around Sigrid's waist to stop her from going over there and killing the short Viking. In her defense, her reaction was justified considering her feelings, but that didn't make it morally right. And besides, a dead teammate wouldn't help their situation now, would it?

"Dagur, could you and Shattermaster cover the backside of the Edge?" Hiccup turned towards the Berserker who still held a tight grasp around a slowly calming Sigrid. "With the time you've spent sneaking around, you'll have an advantage."

"On my way." He saluted, releasing his hand from his girlfriend's waist. "And, uh- I take that as a compliment by the way, the sneaking around part."

"Of course you do." Hiccup wasn't surprised. "Snotlout, you and Hookfang get the Gronckle Iron walls up on the huts. Sigrid, I want you to patrol any area you can, safely, and get rid of any hunters trying to get to the Edge, I'll find you when we need you. Fishlegs, take the Eruptodon hatchling to the center of the island and find a safe place to hide."

Snotlout didn't agree with this plan. "Wait, he gets to hide? We can hide just as well."

Ignoring his cries, Sigrid nodded to her brother and whistled for Electrode; who had been busy playing with his Eel plushy in the distance. Together, they prepared to the skies. A fast dragon held a lot of positives, and this was one of them; she'd get to protect everyone on the Edge, just the way she liked it, in her own older sisterly way. 

She could practically hear the twins calling her 'Mommy Sigrid' in the back of her head, and shook those thoughts away. She was a lot of things, but a mother was definitely not one of them. 

Sunrise approached fast, and Sigrid watched from the skies as the first blast was fired. Soaring towards the Riders' huts, she called out to the others.

"Incoming!"

She had no choice but to dash inside her brother's hut with him, together with Electrode, to hide from the initial blast. She just hoped that Dagur was okay... and Fishlegs, of course. 

"Okay, I don't know about any of you, but there's no way I'm sitting through that again." Snotlout started, again, after entering the clubhouse. "We have dragons. We should be out there sinking those ships."

"The fire isn't coming from the ships, it's coming from the Shellfire." Hiccup sure had a lot more patient left than his sister did, but even his was slowly running out with Snotlout.

"I hate to be the one to say I told you so, but..." Viggo's sudden appearance shocked everyone in the room.

But nothing shocked Viggo more than suddenly being pinned to the wooden wall with an axe to his throat, and his feet dangling off the floor. 

"How did you get out?" Sigrid growled.

Viggo only smirked, he knew that Hiccup would never allow her to kill him. It wasn't in his nature.

"Ah, Sigrid my dear, how good to see you again." He greeted, as if he didn't have freshly sharpened Gronckle Iron against his throat. "My friend, Snotlout, was kind enough to allow me to use the facilities."

Sigrid groaned in disgust before backing off, making Viggo fall back on his feet. 

"Oh, he did, did he?" Hiccup commented with his hands on his hips.

"What?" Snotlout defended with a wave of his hands, before cowering away from Viggo's gaze. "He scares me..." He shivered. "Besides, when you gotta go, you gotta go. And who knows that better than me."

"Hiccup, you must allow me to assist you, for the sake of us all." Viggo tried again. "The Shellfire's range is over a mile. Ryker is using ships, my ships to be exact, to protect it."

Astrid uncrossed her arms.

"Then we need to get past the ships." She spoke to Hiccup.

Yep, they were definitely dating.

"Then we better do it quickly." Hiccup spoke after hearing the outside shudder from another fired blast. "Ruff, Tuff, you're up."

"We're on it." The twins saluted, before going on their merry way.

Astrid, Hiccup and Sigrid walked towards the door, before Snotlout cried out again.

"Hey, what about me?"

The outside began to rumble again, at another fired blast. Hiccup looked back with sass.

"Look after your new best friend, there." He gestured to Viggo.

"Where's the fun in that?" Snotlout huffed.

"It's not supposed to be fun!"

After Hiccup left in a huff, Snotlout shot a hopeful gaze the other Haddock's way. 

"Don't even look at me." Sigrid sneered. "I am not babysitting him."

Hiccup couldn't help but jump in again, just to make sure he got his point across clearly.

"And I don't care how scary he is, do not let him out of your sight again."

Sigrid had never seen that many ships in the waters, not even during the war with the Berserkers. And now, she had even more to worry about than the amount of hunters, she also had to make sure to not hurt the Tidal Class dragon. She couldn't imagine what it was going through, poor thing.

"Okay, we need to slow them down a little and move on. If they fire at us, we fire back." Hiccup spoke as they neared the ships. 

Sigrid, Astrid and Heather flew close behind him. They were the fastest and most skilled out of the group - if you asked them - so they were well needed for this battle, even if it greatly pained Sigrid's heart to not know how her boyfriend was doing. She trusted him and Shattermaster to keep each other safe. 

"Look out!" Sigrid yelled out as a blast of arrows was sent their way, the five of them barely dodging it as they twirled around the air. 

But they made a quick recovery, continuing to dodge all incoming arrows and boulders as they blasted the ships. Electrode shocking many hunters along the way, with Stormfly doing most of the boat-sinking damage as Sigrid and Astrid flew together, whilst Heather and Hiccup split off to the other set of ships.

Until now, they were doing amazing. But the sinking of those ships wasn't the battle they came here for. 

Sigrid spotted her brother and Astrid sending a smile each other's way, and smirked at the obviousness of their feelings. To be fair, Hiccup had a crush on her ever since he was little, so it wasn't really that surprising. She and Heather shared a look of familiarity, after having gone through something very similar with both of their respective partners, Hiccup and Astrid were very obvious. 

Nearing closer to the Shellfire, they discovered something big. They were hammering the poor dragon to its gut, and it was shooting out in defense at its pain. The closer they got to it, the quicker and harder the hunters seemed to slam down their giant hammers. Sigrid wanted to slam her axe down on their heads, see how they liked that.

"There's no way to control it without hurting it." Hiccup noted after their struggling fight. 

"We might not have a choice, Hiccup." Astrid pointed out.

Hiccup didn't agree with her statement. "No. There's gotta be another way."

He would do anything to protect a dragon, even during their hardest times. He'd proven that before, and he wasn't going to change that now.

"Snotlout!" Sigrid spat as she watched the Viking approach on his dragon.

Hiccup whipped around in surprise at her shouting.

"Whoa! Aren't you supposed to be watching Viggo?" He questioned, before looking into the direction of the captured Hunter. "Is that the stables on fire?

It was final, Sigrid was going to kill Snotlout.

"You said don't let him out no matter what." Snotlout defended himself. 

Sigrid couldn't stand it. "Snotlout, use your brain!"

"Good Thor, you're both so mercurial!" Snotlout huffed. "Viggo taught me that, I don't know what it means."

Sigrid sighed, her eyes narrowing at the burning stables, before she made her decision.

"I'm going to get him." She told her brother, who seemed to have been thinking the same thing.

Astrid could tell that Hiccup was hesitating, seeming to be paying very close attention to him this whole time.

"Go, we'll be fine." She assured him.

"Oh... let's hope this isn't the biggest mistake of our lives, bud." Hiccup mumbled to his dragon before looking at his sister. "I'm going with you."

With a nod from his sister, both Haddocks flew down towards the burning stables with the highest speed they could manage. To Electrode's disappointment, Toothless still beat him in speed. 

But Sigrid had faster reaction time, and an alarming lack of fear. 

Viggo was - quite obviously - surprised to see the redheaded Hooligan come to his rescue, but he definitely wasn't going to question it. Ripping the chains from the door, Sigrid hoisted the man up with his arm around her shoulder.

"Sigrid, you came all the way back to rescue me. I'm honored." Viggo coughed.

Sigrid groaned.

"Don't gloat in it." She grumbled, before throwing his body outside of the stable doors, as Viggo gasped for fresh air. "If I left you there to die... one, my brother would be mad at me, and two, it would make me just like you."

Viggo knew that she was talking about the Scourge, but made no attempt to apologize for it.

"Well, you'll be glad you returned." He caught his breath. "I can help, if you will allow me."

"How? How are you gonna help?" Hiccup stood in front of his sister, confronting the man she'd just rescued from the burning building.

"I can advise you on defeating my brother and stopping the Shellfire." Viggo spoke. 

Hiccup huffed. "You got that all figured out, do ya?"

"As luck would have it, I do."

Sigrid wasn't going to listen to this anymore, and her worry was beginning to spike up again after all the turmoil, it was making her anxious.

"Hiccup, I'm going to find Dagur."

Her brother nodded, given her silent permission to do so. Not that he was planning to argue anyway. He would do the same if it were Astrid.

"Be safe." 

Sigrid nodded "I will." 

With a final goodbye, Sigrid and Electrode soared off to the backside of the island, where Dagur was supposed to be. And to their luck, and immense relief, it appeared that he still was... hiding behind a boulder from a group of hunters.

Yeah, not going to happen. 

But to her surprise, it seemed that someone else was thinking that same thing. It was Sleuther, the goofy yet gentle Triple Stryke they'd rescued from the Dragon Fights. Whatever made him step in, Sigrid didn't know, but she couldn't help but laugh as the dragon had absolutely no trouble taking out those hunters on his own.

Sleuther looked up in recognition as Sigrid landed, taking out one hunter that had attempted to run, and his eyes shone with glee as he greeted her with a waggle of his bundled tail. Sigrid decided that she'd let him have his fun for now, and check in on her Berserker boyfriend instead. Electrode let her go on by herself, preferring to tumble alongside the Triple Stryke, and maybe land a few people into the ocean. 

But it seemed that Dagur hadn't noticed her yet, instead extremely distracted by the fighting noises caused by Sleuther, until Sigrid cleared her throat from on top of the boulder. 

"Hello there." Sigrid chuckled as Dagur's gaze snapped up towards her, grip tight on his axe before he realised it was her. 

"My darling!" Dagur cried out as he saw her, axe thrown by the side as he reached his arms out to catch her from sliding down the stone. "Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?"

"Honey, I'm fine." Sigrid assured, checking him over for any wounds of his own. "Are you okay? Is Shattermaster-"

The dragon in question gave a weak whine as Sigrid glanced over towards him, he wanted to go up and greet her so badly, but it seemed that he didn't have the strength to do so.

"What happened?" Sigrid gasped as she cradled the poor Gronckle's face, feeling rage build up in her stomach from the thoughts of what those hunters did to him.

"No time to explain." Dagur shook his head as he leaned up against the rock, axe in hand once again. "You stay here with Shattermaster, I'm going in."

Sigrid raised her brow. "Dagur that's really not ne-"

"Well, hello there mister Triple Stryke!" Dagur greeted at the dragon who had already done his job for him, as Sigrid chuckled from her place. "You certainly are full of surprises aren't you? Dagur likes surprises."

Sleuther screeched in Dagur's face; to most an invitation of battle, but to those who knew dragons, it was a request. And Sleuther could be very demanding.

Dangling his tail out in front of Dagur's face, Sleuther grew impatient as the Berserker was clearly not understanding his demand. Coming closer, with another cry, Dagur seemed to finally catch on.

Dagur chuckled in delight at the invitation, before grabbing ahold of his tail. "We got this, bud!"

Copycat. Sigrid chuckled. That's my thing... and Hiccup's.

Dagur was absolutely over the moon as he rode on Sleuther's back, nothing but praises coming out of his mouth. He was definitely a fan of the Triple Stryke, alright.

"Brother!" Dagur's call made Sigrid turn her head away from poor Shattermaster, seeing her brother soar down on Toothless.

"Made a new friend, huh?" Hiccup questioned in amusement, even he hadn't seen this coming.

Dagur was very excited about it.

"Seems so!" He nodded. "Don't you just love the tails? And that snapping sound. Whoo! Gives me goosies."

Electrode had clearly had enough about not being recognized in his part of the victory, and chose to display that with roaring bolts of lightning from the sky, taking out the last few hunters on the stranded ships. Such a baby.

"...Well, that's the last of 'em." Hiccup noted with a shrug. 

"Well done, Electrode!" Dagur praised. 

Electrode seemed to almost roll his eyes like a teenager at the praise he had been so desperately looking for. But, apparently, if it wasn't coming from Sigrid, he didn't want it. So, he decided to take his business elsewhere; to Sigrid's kneeling figure besides the wobbling Gronckle.

The shaking from Dragon's Edge's volcano brought a new sense of urgency to the group.

"You and Sigrid get Shattermaster back to Berk." Hiccup advised. "She'll find Gobber, he can help."

"Where are you going?" Sigrid questioned with a raised brow before Dagur could even open his mouth.

"I have a feeling Fishlegs is in trouble." Hiccup told his sister, as he continued to stare in the volcano's direction, before speaking to Dagur. "Go, brother. Your dragon needs you."

Sigrid's brows almost jumped off her forehead from how high they raised. Brother? That's new. Dagur seemed just as amazed, but with a big smile instead. 

Shattermaster tried his best to walk towards the couple, with some nudges from Electrode, but he couldn't get far before he whined in pain. Sigrid was by his side again in an instant. Her brother was right, they needed to get him to Berk. 

"How fast can you build a platform?" Sigrid spoke to Dagur after making sure Shattermaster stayed down.

"Uh... pretty fast, I think?" Dagur rubbed his chin in thought.

"Prove it." Sigrid challenged him with a grin. 

That really seemed to get his adrenaline going.

"Oh, I see what you're doing." Dagur noted with a smirk, before reality set in once again when Shattermaster peeped in pain. "I'll be as fast as I can."

---

"But how can Electrode carry two people and a Gronckle?" Dagur questioned with a raised brow, after they'd carefully rolled Shattermaster onto the platform. 

Sigrid raised her brow, before mentioning over to Sleuther.

"Oh, right!" Dagur gasped. "I have two dragon's now! Right?" He asked the Triple Stryke, who screeched in agreement.

Electrode might've not been able to carry two riders and a Gronckle to Berk, but Electrode and Sleuther sure could.

Gobber was in for a hell of a surprise.

Perhaps this was the time to also talk to her father about her relationship with Dagur, before the Chief send one more foul glare to the back of his head, everytime Dagur stepped even one inch closer to her. 

Chapter Text

Sigrid had been absolutely right. Dagur might not have noticed the narrow-eyed glare that Stoick had been sending his way the entire time he'd been on Berk, but she sure did.

Her decision had been made; she'd have to have a talk with her dad, before he'd actually cut the Berserker's head off. After they'd gotten some well deserved rest, of course.

Gobber had assured the two - mostly Dagur - that Shattermaster would be alright in his care, and a lovely letter from Hiccup told them that Ryker Grimborn was - probably very much - dead. So, Sigrid was finally able to drag the Berserker to bed, specifically, her bed.

She'd pulled Dagur towards her family home, the Chief's hut. If it weren't for the fact that Dagur was absolutely exhausted, he might've asked for Stoick's permission first before intruding, but in the moment of restlessness it didn't even come to his mind. By the look on Stoick's face, however, as he watched the two - fully adult - Vikings make their way towards Sigrid's room, it was clear that he wasn't too thrilled about it.

If he found it too suspicious, Stoick was actually tempted to drag the Berserker out of their hut himself. Let him sleep on the grass. But Sigrid wouldn't like that.

It was strange to him, his daughters relationship with the Berserker Chief. When she was younger, from around age twelve to nineteen, she was very adamant about wanting nothing to do with Dagur and his shenanigans. When he was thrown in the Outcasts Prison, it seemed that she was utterly indifferent about his existence, as if she simply forgot about him. But this past year, much to everyone's surprise and confusion, the two once betrothed Vikings decided to try things over, and are now a couple? It was still very confusing for Stoick, even with the bits and pieces he'd been told by his son.

He just didn't understand. Why him? And why now? He was under the impression that Sigrid wasn't interested in anyone, as she hadn't been her entire life.

"So, what changed?"

"I don't know..." Sigrid paused at her father's question. "It just started to feel different, I guess."

"I can understand that." Stoick admitted, he hadn't been much different in that aspect with their mother. "But what I don't understand is how you can go from hating a man, to loving him."

Sigrid huffed, rolling her eyes at her father's two-pointed simple version of events.

"It wasn't as simple as you make it seem." Sigrid pointed out, to which her father shrugged. "You're right, I did hate Dagur when he was with the Dragon Hunters. But then he changed, and the person he became after that change is the man I fell in love with."

Stoick nodded. He could understand that now. He'd seen Dagur's change in attitude and maturity many times already, during Hiccup's project Shellfire plan mostly. And he had to admit, the Berserker had changed for the better, that he wouldn't deny, but he still felt a little iffy about his sudden relationship with his only daughter.

"But, I hope you understand that for me, as your father, this is all still a little bit...new."

Sigrid chuckled at her father's poor attempt of softening his words.

"Of course I understand that, and that's fine." She started. "I'm not expecting you to be completely comfortable with it right away. I'm just asking you not to kill him next time he takes a step closer to me."

Stoick could laugh at that. "Alright, alright. You have my word."

They decided to leave it at that, but as Sigrid could've already guessed, Stoick wasn't satisfied with that. Sure, he trusted his daughter and her intentions enough. But her new boyfriend on the other hand, not so much yet. Yes, Stoick had trusted Dagur enough during the Shellfire battle. But that was battle, not his daughter. Completely different subjects.

Dagur would learn that soon enough.

"So, h-how did it go?" Dagur asked with a nervous stutter, as he rubbed the back of his neck.

It was obvious that he was worried that Stoick would never approve of his relationship with Sigrid, and honestly, Dagur wouldn't blame him. He'd been a villain for most of the time they'd known each other, but he'd changed his ways and was absolutely disgusted with the boy he used to be. He just hoped that he could show the Chief that he had nothing but good intentions.

"It went pretty well, at least I think so." Sigrid gave a small smile, grabbing a hold of Dagur's hand, and started their walk towards the stables to check on Shattermaster. "He's not angry, if that's what you're asking, just a little apprehensive. But he'll get over it."

Her father had been a 'little apprehensive' about living with dragons too, but look at him now.

"I don't blame your father, Sigrid." Dagur admitted with narrowed eyes, avoiding her gaze to keep watch on the ground. "If I was in his place, I wouldn't trust me either."

"Oh come on." Sigrid squeezed his arm lovingly, as they walked. "You're not giving yourself enough credit, you've improved so much! Trust me, you wouldn't be here if you hadn't."

Dagur chuckled at her joking threat.

"Yeah, I know." He spoke, before shrugging. "All I'm saying is that I'm willing to do anything to prove to your father that I am worthy of being with you. Even if he wants me to swim across a flaming pool of death, I'll do it!"

Sigrid laughed at the example. Luckily Mala wasn't there to hear it, or she might've thrown Dagur in there herself.

In Mala's words; 'a man needs to prove himself worthy to you, before you commit yourself to him.' It just seemed that Sigrid disagreed with her on what it meant to prove yourself. But that was okay, Mala meant well.

But knowing Dagur's craziness, he would do it in a heartbeat, and Sigrid definitely didn't want to watch that... Although, again, knowing Dagur he could probably do it easy-peasy. Hmm, maybe she'll think about it.

"We'll see." Sigrid chuckled, before planting a kiss on his cheek, his beard rubbing against her face as she did so.

"Hey, doesn't Mala have like, a 'trial' she makes guys do?" Dagur wondered with a curious gaze, as if he was already thinking about it. "...I could to that."

Oh boy.

She was sure her dad would love to see it though. He'd always been a big fan of tournaments. Guess that's a good way to gain Stoick's approval, and provide him entertainment at the same time. Probably not the best for Sigrid's nerves though.

Dagur had made up his mind. So, without telling her or letting her know anything whatsoever, Dagur decided that he would talk to Stoick by himself. He was a man, and he didn't want to hide behind his very beautiful tall and muscular girlfriend any longer. He'd gain Stoick's trust in his own possible-maybe-future-son-in-law-style... yeah.

---

"I understand that you don't fully trust me, and I want to take this opportunity to prove myself to you and your daughter that I am fully committed to her. Therefore, I, Chief Dagur the Deranged of the Berserkers hereby invite you to watch the Trials of Devotion, on the island of the Defenders of the Wing. Where I will prove my worthiness to your daughter, the great Sigrid Haddock."

Stoick hadn't even gotten a word in before Dagur had spouted this speech in his face, and he hadn't even entered the hut yet! At least he still had the straight-to-the-point attitude.

"...If that make you feel better." was the only thing Stoick knew how to respond with.

Dagur took that as a thumbs up, kneeling down to the ground as he bowed to the towering Chief.

"Thank you, Stoick! Thank you." He repeated. "I promise you, I will not let you down."

Stoick was still silent in bewilderment as he watched the Berserker run off, probably to Sigrid, with a big grin on his face. What just happened?

"Strange lad."

Chapter Text

Sigrid hadn't been on Dragon's Edge in a while. She'd been a little busy on Berk, helping Gobber look after Shattermaster, and on Berserker Island, helping Dagur and Heather rebuild their tribe.

"Wow, Sig. I never realised you knew how to do all of this." Heather gestured towards the rows and rows of building guides and scrolls of Berk's rebuilding plans laid out on the table, all from their dragon raiding days.

"Yeah..." Sigrid trailed off with an awkward grin. "When your homes are burned down by dragons every other day, you tend to learn a few things."

"Oh." Heather wasn't really sure what to say.

Way to make it awkward, Sigrid.

"We really appreciate your help, sweetheart." Dagur kissed her temple as he leaned over her seated figure. "This whole thing would've been a mess without you."

Sigrid smiled, tilting her head upwards to kiss her boyfriend on the lips, much to the distaste of his sister.

"Okay, I get it, you're in love." Heather gagged. "But please, not in front of my eyes."

"Oh, I'm sorry, sister." Dagur apologized with a tone of mischief, as he put his hand on his chest. "I thought we were allowed to show our affections. After all, you and Fishlegs weren't exactly holding back either."

There it was.

Sigrid grinned towards the younger Berserker, who went red from embarrassment.

"That- that's different!" Heather spluttered, a finger pointed in her brother's face.

Dagur raised his brow, smirk still present. "Different how?"

"...Shut up."

---

So, it was safe to say that things on Berserker Island had been going fairly well, all things considered. Sigrid was slowly getting more comfortable being in the place she'd feared to go near for so long, and Dagur and Heather's hospitality definitely helped with that.

But, it wasn't only strange to Sigrid it seemed...

"You're very tall for a woman." A random lady said, studying her with narrowed eyes.

Wow okay, nice to meet you too. Sigrid thought. Gods, she'd just gone for a walk through the village, no need to get fussy.

"Uh, thank you?" Sigrid responded with a raised brow, she didn't really know what to say to that.

"Oh I didn't mean anything bad by it!" The woman smiled. "I just wasn't expecting it, after everything we'd heard from our Chief, I suppose we just weren't expecting a woman so... well... masculine."

"...Okay." Sigrid mumbled, her mood fouling a little at the woman's rambling. "Don't know what you were expecting, I've always looked like this."

If the woman thought that comment was a compliment, it definitely wasn't. Don't take down other women to praise another, not cool.

"Dagur's always spoken so nice and...frilly about you. I expected a dainty little Chief's daughter!" She chuckled, obviously not getting the hint. "But I'm glad to see that we're getting an actual Viking for a Chieftess."

Sigrid was now this close to yelling at her, or slamming her axe on her small incompetent head, but she never got the chance to.

"Woah! hi Sigrid! I was looking for you, you know, for that thing we really need to hurry for." Heather had come rushing in like a knight on a white horse. "It was nice to see you, Helga, but we have to go right now."

So that was the hag's name. Fitting.

"Oh, alright! I'm sure I'll be seeing you around." Helga called after them with a smile, as if she hadn't just spend the last minute trying to insult Sigrid.

Who did she think she was?

"I'm so sorry about her." Heather spoke with a frown. "She truly doesn't mean anything bad by it, she just doesn't seem to notice how insulting she is."

"Yeah, I noticed." Sigrid huffed, her nostril flared with a sneer.

Heather smirked. "But... I guess she is right about one thing, Dagur talks about you a lot."

"I don't mind that." Sigrid shrugged. "And, to be fair, I think I do the same."

"Yeah, I noticed." Heather teased. "I know I said that I hate you guys' affection thrown in my face, but I'm glad my brother's found someone who's good for him, and the same goes for you."

That was a suspiciously large amount of affectionate words in one go, especially for Heather. Not that Sigrid didn't find them extremely touching, it was just... suspicious.

What did Heather know that she didn't?

"Thanks, Heather." Sigrid smiled, patting the girl's shoulder. "He makes me very happy."

Heather snorted. "You say that as if I haven't seen you guys all over each other, every time you see him."

Sigrid teasingly punched her shoulder for that one.

She was truly starting to love being on Berserker Island, even if some of the people were a little... weird, she was starting to not mind it. It gave the place character, a feeling, like... a home.

A home.

Sigrid blushed at the thought. Could Berserker Island become her home someday? Was she ready for that? Was Dagur ready for that? Was that even in his list of thoughts, or had it not come to mind yet? She shook her head, refusing to think about it any further, knowing it would only make her worry about nothing.

Right now, she had a different priority than wondering if Dagur was maybe, possibly, considering building a life with her on Berserker Island. Because her brother needed her help with something very, very, important...

His betrothal gift to Astrid.

"Didn't dad already give you mom's necklace?" Sigrid questioned the pacing brunette.

Hiccup didn't even glance her way as he kept walking back in forth in front of her cross-armed figure. "Yes, he did. And yes, I'm going to give it to her. But what if there's something missing? I'm just worried it isn't enough."

"Are you joking?" Sigrid raised her brow. "You could give her a pebble and she'd be happy. You know how worried she gets about giving gifts. She's probably throwing up right now, brainstorming on what to get for you. I think you'll be fine."

Hiccup hummed. "What about you? W-what would you want Dagur to get you, if he ever asked?"

Okay, another Viking to start acting suspicious...

Sigrid raised her brow. "I don't know. Why are you asking, Hiccup?"

"No reason." Hiccup retorted quickly, hands raised in defence. "I was just thinking that- you know... Astrid's a strong Viking, you're a strong Viking... maybe you'd have a similar taste about these sort of things."

Sigrid thought about it.

"Well, if you put it like that, I suppose I wouldn't care about what Dagur would get me." She hummed. "I'd prefer something useful, so I don't feel like I have a random item just sitting there catching dust, but maybe that's just me. I don't think Astrid cares about that, as long as it's from you."

"Good to know." Hiccup mumbled with a nod. "Thanks for your help, Sigrid. I know I can always count on you."

Sigrid smiled, before standing up to give her brother a tight hug.

"Of course, anytime." She spoke. "And let me know what Astrid's reaction is, will you?"

Hiccup chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, I will."

He was just glad his sister hadn't spotted the piece of paper he was hiding behind his back, with Sigrid's exact words written on it. Hiccup knew she'd go back to Berserker Island after her stay on Berk, he just hoped the Terrible Terror would be faster than Electrode. Thinking about it... probably not though... he'd have to buy some more time.

"Hey! Uh- before you go, I was just thinking that it might be nice to... uh... spend some more time with dad!" Nice save, Hiccup. "It's been a while since we've been here, together, under 'non-war' circumstances. So- uh, it might be nice to spend some... quality family time together, all three of us!"

Sigrid smirked, as her brow raised. Her brother was hiding something. "Sure, I'd love to."

"GREAT! I mean, uh, great... yeah!"

Now, he'd just have to nonchalantly throw the Terror mail into the sky and hope that Sigrid wouldn't ask anymore questions. Hiccup was really bad at lying sometimes, especially to his sister. That woman could see through anything. It send literal shivers up his spine.

Sigrid knew he was hiding something, but for now she'd leave it be. Enjoying the time they spend together, as brother and sister, together with their father.

Right now, they could pretend life wasn't as crazy as it was. Until Sigrid was back on Berserker Island...

"Dagur, honey, I don't understand why he is still here." Sigrid mentioned towards the familiar older Viking standing with a few men in the distance.

Savage.

Savage obviously noted Sigrid's burning glare at the side of his head, his eyes glancing towards her before snapping back as he realised it was her. She really scared the soul out of him, especially now. To be fair to him, last time he'd seen her she was nineteen, definitely not as matured as she was now, at twenty-two.

"Who, Savage?" Dagur questioned, before following his girlfriend's angry gaze. "He needed a place to stay, so I let him stay here. See it as me, sort of, getting the old band back together!"

He says that as if that's a good thing...

Sigrid's eyes snapped from Savage's stupid looking figure, back to her boyfriend. "And you trust him enough to not do anything, you know, evil?"

She didn't exactly have a positive memory of the Viking.

"Yes, of course! Why would he?"Dagur assured. "We're...buds? No... acquaintances? Sure!"

Sigrid sighed. "If you say so, but I don't trust him."

"I promise you, baby, you have nothing to worry about." Dagur squeezed Sigrid's waist before waving to the spoken-off Viking. "Hey, Savage!"

Savage reacted in an instant, waving back with a big smile on his face. So blaringly and obviously fake it physically hurt Sigrid to look at. Yep, she didn't trust him, at all.

Without Dagur seeing, Sigrid slowly put her hand up to her face, pointing two fingers towards her eyes before snapping them back to Savage. I'm watching you.

He definitely seemed to get the hint, as Sigrid could see him visibly sweat, but he covered it up with a chuckle.

"Good to see you, Chief!" Savage covered up his nerves.

Dagur really liked being called Chief, by anyone or anything, really, and he practically squealed besides Sigrid.

"See? Nothing to worry about."

"...Yeah." Sigrid spoke through gritted teeth. "Nothing to worry about."

Chapter Text

"Hiccup!" Sigrid called out from her place on Electrode's back, greeting her brother and his friends after they'd passed Captain Vorg at the docks.

Dagur was just as excited. "Brother!"

"You all made it!" Heather grinned.

"Stand down, guard." Dagur gestured to the man. "They're on my personal guest list."

Vorg saluted. "Yes, Chief."

Once again, the title send shivers up Dagur's spine, he loved it.

"You hear that, H? Chief!" He laughed, before patting the lad on the shoulder. "Any problems getting here?"

Sigrid rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's excitement with a smile, before pushing through him to hug her brother. Hiccup accepted the greeting with kindness, locking his arms around his sister's waist. He felt a lot more comfortable now, knowing that his sister seemed to hold no suspicions towards him from his nervous debacle with her back on Berk. Which was good, because if she were to send one more questioning eyebrow raise his way, he'd burst.

"No, it was an easy trip." Astrid spoke as she let go of Heather, turning around to give Sigrid a hug as well.

She'd missed her.

"Right up until the time that my name wasn't on the list!" Snotlout spat, still being held back by Captain Vorg, who held his guest list carefully in hand.

Sigrid snorted as Dagur pretended to act innocent.

"It wasn't? Oh, heavens." Dagur spoke with faux-concern, before approaching Vorg.

Hiccup chuckled.

"No, no, it was." He assured. "It was just a slight-"

He didn't even get the chance to explain before Vorg whispered the reasoning in Dagur's ear. In response, the Chief couldn't hold in his laughter before clearing his throat.

"I'm so sorry. I'm usually dead on with remembering names, Snotpocket."

I'm so in love with this man. Sigrid grinned.

Snotlout wasn't so happy about it, from both the extremely insincere apology, as well as Dagur continuing to get his name completely wrong on purpose. He realised he probably wasn't going to have the best time today. But hey, that's what he gets for messing with a Berserker's wife - even if Sigrid wasn't Dagur's wife... yet - Dagur surely hadn't forgotten about the little feud back on Dragon's Edge... and all the countless of other tales that Sigrid had told him about Snotlout's rage-inducing attitude towards her and the other riders.

"They are all more than welcome on our little slice of Berserkedness." Dagur opened his arms, gesturing for everyone to continue further. "You too, Snotlip."

Snotlout grunted as his helmet was slapped over his eyes. Yep, Dagur was going to make his life a living hell.

Dagur really seemed to be in his element, as he gave the other riders a tour of Berserker Island. Definitely not as intimate as the one Sigrid had gotten, wink.

"As you will undoubtedly see for yourselves, the Berserker landscape is only outdone in its majesty by the Berserker people." Dagur gestured around the beautiful lively forest of the island.

There was one thing ruining it though, Sigrid noted with a scowl. Savage's ugly face.

Hiccup noticed the same thing. "Hey, Dagur. Is that Savage?"

Similar reaction to what Sigrid had, but he was definitely a lot more polite about it.

"Yep, yep. Got the band back together." Dagur nodded with a smile. "Yo, Savage!"

Sigrid rolled her eyes, she really didn't need that dredged Viking's attention on them right now. But as usual, Savage's eyes were on them in an instant, as he spouted his blaringly obvious fake nonsense once more.

"Well, look who it is!"

Sigrid continued to glare at the man, who was wisely avoiding her gaze.

Hiccup flew a bit closer to his sister, before whispering. "... Are you-"

"Okay with this? Absolutely not." Sigrid sneered.

The further they flew, the more that their dragons started to fight against them. It really threw Hiccup for a loop, but as he glanced towards his sister, he noted that she wasn't surprised at all.

"Our dragons have been having a little trouble adjusting." Heather explained after noticing everyone's struggle.

Dagur nodded. "Yeah, had to build the stables high up over the village."

Pointing upwards, the riders took note of the well made wide wooden buildings, that resembled something they knew all too well.

"They look very... familiar." Astrid spoke, with a knowing grin shot Sigrid's way.

Yep, she definitely used their plans for this one.

"We may have stolen..." Dagur coughed to cover up the last word. "...borrowed the plans from you. But having them way up there keeps the dragons much calmer"

Fishlegs raised his brow. "That's odd, dragons are normally very adaptive creatures."

"Maybe they're just reacting to living amongst all the crazy Berserkedness!" Tuffnut theorized with theatrical excitement.

Oh boy, him and Ruffnut were going to be so disappointed.

Landing by the stables, their dragons seemed normal once again, as Toothless purred in Hiccup's open palm.

"They seem fine now." He noted.

"Weird, right?" Fishlegs hummed.

Hiccup nodded. "Definitely."

Meanwhile, Electrode was demanding to get some pets from his rider after having been so good the whole time they'd been on Berserker Island. Maybe he was a little bit jealous when Dagur put all of his attention into Sigrid and Sleuther - even thought Electrode still didn't like him, and would hiss at him the second he got 'too close'. Or maybe the dragon just wanted Sigrid to himself, it was a true mystery.

Sigrid didn't mind giving the Skrill what he wanted, he was just too cute when he enjoyed his patts. Especially the belly rubs.

"So, Dagster." Snotlout chuckled as he approached the couple, who were busy giving their dragons some much needed attention.

The moment was immediately ruined for Electrode, as he rolled back on his feet with a huff. This is why they can't have nice things.

Dagur didn't appreciate it either. "Dagur. It's Da-gur. No 'S', no 'T'."

"Yeah, no no. I know. I was just, um-"

Sleuther wasn't liking Snotlout's annoying presence either, hissing as he shuddered his tail in his direction. A direct warning for Snotlout to watch his step.

"-Uh..." Snotlout stammered. "So, Dagur. The Berserker Apprentice Program. What's up with that? Why would you want to be an apprentice? Answer all my questions."

Oh wow, not even an hour before he spurted the question. Dagur now owed Sigrid a new knife.

Dagur sighed, rubbing his furrowed brow in annoyance, before gesturing for his dragon to leave it be as Sleuther shuddered again.

"It's not just an apprentice, Snothole. It's the apprentice." Dagur started, with Sigrid smirking behind him. "A Berserker apprentice. We spent months combing the region for the baddest, smartest, craziest Viking in and outside the archipelago."

"You did?" Snotlout raised his brow.

"Oh yeah!" Dagur nodded. "And who would have thought the candidate would be right in our neighbor's backyard, the whole time?"

Sigrid was very much entertained. Dagur sure knew how to put the performance into this, it was very impressive, and definitely fun to look at. He had Snotlout completely fooled.

"Really? Do we know him?" Snotlout questioned.

"Do you know him?" Dagur jested as he jabbed his fist against Snotlout's chest. "Come on out, boy! Reveal yourself and your many skills and talents!"

Hiccup raised his brow as he glanced towards his sister, the rest of the riders' attention gained as well. Sigrid simply shrugged at Hiccup's questioning gaze, gesturing towards her partner instead.

"The first Berserker apprentice to ever grace this crazy land." Dagur spoke in a dramatic tone before he stepped to the side, hands gesturing towards the stables' open doors. "I present to you..."

This was going to be a shocker.

"a-Gustav." The boy appeared from the darkness, on his trusty dragon, Fanghook's back, wearing Dagur's old helmet.

Yep, that thing still looked ridiculous.

To say that the others were perplexed would be an understatement. Sigrid enjoyed the look of their wide and shocked faces. They must've been thinking that Dagur had really gone crazy.

"Gustav?" The riders gasped at the reveal, even their dragons didn't seem to believe it.

Dagur nodded, still in his theatrical element. "Gustav."

Okay, that's enough.

Gustav smirked, the aura of arrogance still as clear around him as it had been when Sigrid first took him to Berserker Island. "The super Berserker apprentice."

"What?!" Snotlout questioned with an angry frown, seemingly very offended.

He wasn't the only one who thought that, however, as the other riders were also extremely curious as to... you know... why Gustav?

"Turns out, some people truly understand the value of the Guster." Gustav pointed towards Dagur and Sigrid. "And relish the qualities he brings to an apprenticeship program. I mean, otherwise Sigrid wouldn't have recommended me, it's like I was born to be Berserk."

"You recommended him." Snotlout sneered in Sigrid's ear, receiving a very dangerous glare from Dagur as well as a painful pinch on the arm from Sigrid.

"... I don't understand." Snotlout whimpered in heartbreak after watching Dagur's and Gustav's weird handshake thing.

"I didn't either, Snotnose." Dagur started. "I thought, 'who could possibly live up to the high standards that I, in particular, would demand of an apprentice to call my own'?"

Laying it on a bit thick there, but hey, it worked.

"This guy?" Snotlout pointed to Gustav.

"This guy." Dagur agreed.

"But it's Gustav!" Snotlout argued. "He's just a fake me, Sigrid knows that! Why accept imitation when you can have the real thing?"

Sigrid rolled her eyes, why did he have to be so needy and jealous all the time?

"Silly Snotface." Dagur frowned as Snotlout once again took an angry tone with his wife. "He's been studying Berserk history, learning all the Berserker songs."

"And I've been practicing all the latest Berserker fighting techniques." Gustav boasted, picking up a bident that Sigrid had to quickly take away as he started swinging it around, almost taking Dagur's eye out.

"Yeah, okay, enough." Sigrid mumbled to the boy before snatching the Bident away. "Can't wait to see that..."

"My little super apprentice is even graduating two weeks early." He patted the boy's shoulder.

"Oh, stop it, you." Gustav awed at the supposed compliment.

Income the whole back and forth of Dagur and Gustav telling each other to 'no, you stop it'. Sigrid was really going to give Dagur his own reward at the end of all of this, for putting up with Gustav with so much energy.

He'd make a good dad someday. Sigrid shook away her intrusive thought, before it could go any further.

"Oh, I'm gonna be sick." Snotlout wretched before he heard the rumbling of something falling from above.

A boulder.

"Dagur! Dagur!" He called out to alarm them, but they paid him no mind, so he had no choice but to push both Dagur and Gustav to the side, saving them from the boulder.

Sigrid, on the other hand, just took a step back. Weird, these mountains never crumbled so easily. Suspicious.

"Boulder!" Gustav laughed, not taking the whole ordeal very seriously at all.

Dagur laughed along with him. But Sigrid was still concerned, what had caused the stone to crumble from its place?

"What do you say you lead these guys on a tour of my domain?" Dagur suggested to Gustav after they finished laughing. He needed a break from the boy's constant attention.

"It would be my pleasure, oh Chiefly one." Gustav almost bowed. "Everyone chose a buddy. Don't want anyone to get lost in the ol' tour de la Berserkers."

Hiccup and Astrid, at least, seemed amused by Gustav's attitude. They were glad to see that he was in good hands.

"Is that French?" Dagur questioned. "I love French! Oui, oui."

Sigrid snorted as she grabbed a hold of her boyfriend's arm, before they started guiding Astrid and her brother further.

"You're doing super well." Sigrid whispered in Dagur's ear.

The Berserker smiled, taking her free hand in his own before bringing it up to his lips, thanking her with a kiss. This whole apprentice situation was taking a lot of his time and energy, but Sigrid really appreciated it.

"This is what we call phase one." Gustav introduced whilst he gestured around the rebuild huts, as Berserkers sweeped away on the grounds.

Noting the group's arrival, the people turned from their positions and greeted them with a wave. The twins were not impressed.

"What is that, a smile? Wait, are you happy?" Tuffnut scoffed. "That's the best you can do on Berserker Island?!"

Ruffnut agreed with her brother. "Boring!"

The people didn't know what to say to that. Sigrid hissed at the twins to be respectful, but to be honest, she didn't really expect that they would follow her demand. They never did and never will.

"These will be phase two." Gustav mentioned as they made their way over the hill, where more huts were built and people were waving once again... Until one of the to-be-replaced hut examples fell down.

Hiccup raised his brow. "And what will be the difference between phase one and two?"

"The number. Hello?" Gustav chuckled as if it was the stupidest question he ever heard. "Little slow on the uptake over on Dragon's Edge."

Both Dagur and Gustav laughed at that.

"Yeah, right. It was a stupid question..." Hiccup mumbled to himself as they continued on their tour.

They were guided past the trading path, where many wooden planks were painted and held upright, mimicking a small market. Albeit not a very good one, but in their defence, it still needed to actually be built.

"This will be our trading zone." Gustav gestured to the painted wall with slices and holes. "You want it, we got it. You need it, we'll get it."

Dagur crossed his arms with a grin. "Tell them what you wanna call it, Gusmaster."

"The Wall Market!" Gustav cheered. "Get it? Wall Market. Wall Mark-et. Get it?"

"I-I don't... but okay." Hiccup glanced towards Astrid, who seemed just as confused.

Yeah, it didn't really make sense anyway. But Gustav seemed to think so, so they'd just have to go along with it.

"Genius, this kid! G-nius. Get it?" Dagur praised.

No, I don't. Sigrid raised her brow. But okay.

"Oh, oh!" Gustav remembered. "And for la piece de résistance, le Skrill! -"

Gustav pointed towards the towering shaped hedge with great excitement, and to be fair, he had all reason to. The beautiful lively green bush was shaped exactly like Electrode, roaring at the sky as his majesticness was captured perfectly. It was a shame the dragon didn't want to come down and see it for himself, it made the whole crafting process a lot more difficult, be he definitely would've been flattered to see his imagine plastered so proudly.

"-Oh, yeah. Cue lightning sounds."

"Isn't he amazing, Snot-rat?" Dagur just had to rub Gustav's supposed success in Snotlout's face. "Can't believe you let this gem of an apprentice get away."

Sigrid didn't mind messing with Snotlout, but he really had to cut down on the compliments, it was rising to Gustav's already massive ego. She was sure she saw his head inflate a little.

"Does Electrode know about that?" Hiccup jokingly questioned his sister.

Sigrid snorted.

"Oh yeah, he does. He loves it." She moved her hand up to whisper in her brother's ear. "I think the fame is rising to his head."

Hiccup chuckled, he could definitely imagine that.

The trumpet in the distance alerted them that their time of the tour was up. Dagur giggled in excitement, this meant that the ceremony was about to begin, and at the end of the day, Gustav would finally be leaving.

The Berserker throne was interesting to look at, to say the least. And Sigrid was sure that Electrode would be obsessed with it if he could see it, as he always had a knack for shiny things. This throne was nothing but shiny, a wood carved high-chair surrounded with swords, axes and maces of all sharpness and sizes. At the top of the wood, a Skrill was delicately carved and painted to stand out in white and purple hue. Simply incredible.

Dagur looked good sitting in it too, in Sigrid's opinion. Like a mighty King of a godly tribe. And he was all hers.

Sigrid and the other riders had front row seats at the ceremony, and she was loving it. Her attention was fully on Dagur, having zoned out the noise from around her, as she could only think of him and how hard he'd been working these past weeks. She was incredibly proud.

Dagur rose up from his high-chair, taking a stand further on the podium, sending a sweet smile Sigrid's way as she waved at him with a grin. Dagur cleared his throat, signaling that he was about to start his speech, and Sigrid clasped her hands together in excitement. Not that anyone else noticed, they seemed to be too busy talking.

Dagur frowned at the loudness still echoing through the rows of seats, before clearing his throat again, and shouting in all types of pitches.

"Shut up!"

That seemed to do the trick, as the crowd gasped, their attention now fully on the Berserker Chief.

Dagur cleared his throat again, before finally beginning his speech.

"It is in times like these that I'm reminded of something my great-uncle Haggard used to say." He spoke with might. "-'There we were, three against a thousand... Toughest three we ever fought'."

Sigrid snorted, rolling her eyes as Dagur and Gustav cackled at the joke, the other people not so amused. That definitely sounded like something her father would've said back in the day. But then again, she knew Dagur had always had, what she liked to call, 'dad-humor'.

"Anyhoo." Dagur continued after finally calming down from his genuine laughing spree. "Today's about only one man. One man who I'm going to miss as his apprenticeship comes to a sad, but beautiful, end. There will be a huge hole, here-" Dagur gestured towards the island. "and a bigger hole, here. -" He pointed towards his chest.

The crowd awed, and Sigrid couldn't help but find it adorable as well. That was a really great speech, even if he didn't mean most of it. Sigrid clapped, cheering her partner on as he completed his speech, before Gustav would receive his official 'Berserker Apprentice' award.

"-And that man, is none other than-"

Out of nowhere, Dagur was grasped by the arms by two larger Vikings, who pushed him down to his knees. Sigrid was flabbergasted, this wasn't part of the plan. The Riders were equally as confused, not really sure what to do.

That was, until Savage reared his ugly head onto that stage, and suddenly, everything made complete sense. Sigrid had been right in her presumptions, she realised with a scowl, Savage was not to be trusted.

Savage pulled his sword out, holding it at Dagur's throat as he spoke to him about something Sigrid didn't have the peace to hear. She was furious. Her hand moved to her axe's handle, but as the other Vikings alongside Savage's hand looked her way, she realised that if she made a move that Dagur would most definitely be killed.

"Seize them!"

The crowd gasped in fear at Savage's outburst. Sigrid stood in front of her brother and his fellow Riders, as Heather pushed for them to run. She didn't want to leave Dagur behind, not now. But she didn't have a choice.

Sigrid glanced back at Dagur's pinned down figure as she and the others dashed for safety. She felt like a coward, she never ran from the enemy. But now she had to, she couldn't risk Dagur's life, but that didn't really make her feel any better.

"Electrode!" Sigrid yelled for her dragon.

But there was no response. She tried again, with a whistle this time, but still no luck.

"I don't understand. Why won't they come?" Fishlegs panted.

Hiccup glanced his way. "They must be locked in the stables."

Of course, how could I have been so stupid. Sigrid grumbled to herself. Who would try a seize like this with deadly flying reptiles around?

"What about Dagur?" Gustav called out in concern.

Sigrid frowned, her nose wrinkling with shame as she stared at the ground. She left him behind.

"What's wrong, Gustav?" Snotlout taunted. "Lost without your hero?"

"Snotlout!" Sigrid scolded, a warning finger pointed towards him.

"We need our dragons!" Astrid called out.

This was too dangerous for them alone.

Hiccup nodded. "Astrid's right, everybody. We have no chance on our own. We're outnumbered."

"Heather!" Sigrid called out as she saw the girl's approaching figure.

Thank Thor she was alright.

"Follow me!" Heather panted as she guided them off the path, into a hidden cave. "In here, quickly!"

They waited quietly, watching Savage's men run past them without even sparing a glance their way. For now, they were safe.

"It's clear." Sigrid noted with a grumble.

Heather was the first to speak. "A coup? Really? How did this happen?"

"I can't believe I didn't see this..." Sigrid sighed, putting her head in her hands in shame.

Gustav immediately shot in his usual defense. "Don't look at me, I had nothing to do with it!"

"... I wasn't looking at you." Heather said.

"Unless we should be looking at you." Ruffnut spoke with suspicion.

Tuffnut immediately dove for the boy.

"Tell us what you know, turncoat!" He yelled, grabbing Gustav by the shoulders. "Your coat is turned around. You're wearing it like a bib or a smock!" ... "Ha! You should have seen your face."

The twins laughed at their very well thought out mockery of Gustav's terrified face. But they had more important things to do.

"I say that as terrifying as you both could be, we need to act fast." Hiccup spoke, coming up with a plan.

"Heather, you, me, Astrid and Fishlegs will go get the dragons." He turned to his sister. "Sigrid, you, Snotlout and Gustav, go see if you can get a bead on Savage and Dagur."

Sigrid wasn't going to argue against that.

"He's probably in a cell." Heather spoke. "Fastest way to the prison is through the maze of caves under the island."

Noted.

Operation: Rescue Sigrid's Berserker Boyfriend, activated.

Chapter Text

"Okay, Gusteronimo, time to level with me." Snotlout started his interrogations, as they walked through the cave system. "How did you really end up in this apprentice program?"

Oh gods, Sigrid rolled her eyes, he really can't leave it be, can he?

"Dagur obviously saw something in me that you didn't." Gustav shrugged with a smug grin. "Heroism. Loyalty. I spend a lot of time with him when he captured me and Fanghook."

"Which is exactly why I don't get it." Snotlout pointed a finger in his face. "Anyone who spends time with you wants to kill you."

Whilst the basis of that might've been true, Sigrid still didn't like the way Snotlout was talking to the boy. Sure, Gustav was an annoying little stubborn brat who doesn't know how to behave. But she could tell he was really trying for Dagur's approval these past few weeks, and surprisingly, even hers. 

"I guess we'll have to agree to disagree." Gustav crossed his arms.

Snotlout rolled his eyes.

"I guess we'll have to agree to disagree." He mocked Gustav's words.

Sigrid groaned in annoyance.

"Will you two quit it!" She snapped. 

"Yes ma'am."

Sigrid rolled her eyes as the two saluted, at least they'd shut their mouths for now.

Going further into the cave system, the space suddenly opened to a vast area, with a small walking path amongst the stone walls. But that wasn't the most fascinating of all, no, it was that across the walls, and over the ceiling, dripping down in spirals of reflective glass, was nothing but ice. A strong ice, that surely wouldn't melt by the mere torch Sigrid held in her hands. This was something she'd never seen before.

"Wow. I wonder what kind of huge, nasty, venomous dragon lives down here." So much for their silence, Snotlout couldn't help but taunt Gustav some more. "Boo!" 

Snotlout startled Gustav so much that he almost fell down the depths.

"Ha ha! Mutton-head. Let's go, Gust-egg."

Absolute children, the both of them.

"Alright, enough." Sigrid scowled, pulling Snotlout by the collar. "You, in front of me, and Gustav, you stay behind me."

Now she understood what the twins had meant this whole time. She really was a mother, and not by choice either.

Gustav had to whisper encouragements to himself as he crab-walked over the stone edge, with his back pressed up against the cave wall. But if it got him through it, Sigrid didn't care. However, as they neared a cut-off ledge, Sigrid knew that it would cause a bit more trouble.

Sigrid was the first to jump over the gap, showing the boys that it really wasn't as difficult as it looked. Snotlout, filled with arrogance, went for it shortly after, making it easily.

"Ha ha! Snotlip- Snotlout!" 

Sigrid raised her brow with a grin, hearing that Dagur had wormed his way into Snotlout's head. It was really funny to see. Now, it was Gustav's turn to jump, and he definitely wasn't feeling as good about it as them.

"Come on, you can't be afraid of heights. We fly dragons." Snotlout huffed.

Sigrid pushed his head away with her hand on his mouth, he really wasn't helping.

"It's okay, Gustav. I know you can do it." She encouraged with a stretched out arm, the other still holding the torch. "I've got you."

Gustav took in a deep breath, as he too finally ran for the jump... but he jumped way too early, and almost missed it completely. Gustav cried out in panic, as his arms tried to push his body up on the stone ledge. He didn't even stop whimpering as Sigrid pulled his body up by his vest with only one hand, setting him right back on his feet.

"Wussy." Snotlout mumbled as Gustav started thanking thor for his life. 

Sigrid had to agree with him on one thing, for all he'd been through, Gustav was still very dramatic.

"Come on." Sigrid pushed them forward. "Let's go."

She needed to hurry, or else she feared that she might be too late. She figured that Savage wouldn't actually kill Dagur until they'd all been captured, he was too spiteful for that. But in the back of her mind she feared that her boyfriend would push the wrong buttons - as he tended to do - and she wouldn't even get the chance to rescue him.

Before she knew it, they'd made their way to the end of the cave system. Now, they were dangling in a well, right outside of the prison. Sigrid peered her eyes over the stone, trying to see if she could spot Dagur, but it was of no use. They had to get closer, but first, they needed a plan.

"Alright, we're going to go very simple." Sigrid nodded towards the boys, before pointing at Gustav. "You create a diversion, a distraction to draw the men away. Then, I will rush in and get Dagur, whilst Snotlout makes sure that no one gets hurt in the process. Got it?"

"Ahw, but I wanna do the rescuing." Snotlout whined. 

"Boohoo." Sigrid scowled, her patience wearing thin. "Cry me a river."

Gustav frowned. "It sounds too risky."

Sigrid raised her brow. "Okay... uh, how about I'll cause the diversion and you and Snotlout go rescue Dagur?"

"That sounds too risky, too." Gustav whined.

Sigrid's brow twitched. What was wrong with this kid?

"It's all risky, Gustav. Where's the super apprentice Dagur's been bragging about?" For once, Sigrid didn't stop Snotlout's comment.

"Well, I'm just much better with my dragon." Gustav defended.

Oh boy, are we really going to have this debate?

"Oh really? You're stronger and more confident with a fire-breathing flying war machine?" Snotlout sneered. "Well, we all are, Guster. But they aren't here."

Sigrid had enough of this, tapping Snotlout's arm with a grumble, before she whispered something in his ear. 

"Really? You're sure?" Snotlout whispered back. 

Sigrid nodded. Now, they had a new plan. And they were definitely not telling Gustav.

"What are you whispering about?" Gustav questioned in slight fear and concern.

"Nothing." Sigrid assured. "Now, are we doing the new plan, or not?"

In the end, Gustav really didn't have a choice. Sigrid proved to be a really good distraction, but to be honest, that wasn't very difficult. A tall, muscular, redhead yelling at the top of her lungs was hard to miss. 

Sigrid grinned in victory as Savage's men started to chase her, leaving the prison unguarded. She signed to Snotlout and Gustav, telling them to continue the plan. What Gustav didn't know, however, is that Sigrid had slightly altered the plan, but he'd see that in due time.

At least, he would've if he wasn't captured. Sigrid rolled her eyes, her mistake, she should've known that Snotlout couldn't keep him under control.

Sigrid sneered at the men's grabby hands on her wrist, as they captured her. With axe's against her back, they pushed her towards the prison, all according to her plan. She glanced around the wilderness, spotting Snotlout's head peeking out of a bush, she gave a slight - and barely noticeable - nod his way. 

Best way to find a prisoner, was to be put with the prisoner. But with Gustav captured with her, it was all up to Snotlout alone to fulfill the plan. 

Sigrid grunted as one guard was a little too handsy with her, for her liking.

"If you push me again, it will be the last time you have hands." She threatened with a low grumble. 

Even as a prisoner, the guard seemed to watch his hands after that.

Sigrid wanted to cry out the second she saw Dagur behind those metal bars, but ended up raising her brow. Her boyfriend seemed perfectly fine... physically. He'd taken to a spot on the wooden bed in the otherwise empty cell, legs crossed over each other as he sat in the light. He was meditating... okay? Strange time to do so, but she wouldn't question it too much.

At the sound of his cell door opening, however, Dagur's gaze snapped towards the door. His eyes widened as he witnessed Sigrid's and Gustav's figures thrown into the room, before the door was slammed behind them.

"Sigrid!" Dagur called out, rushing towards her and pulling her in a tight embrace. "Oh, baby, I was so worried. Are you okay? Did they hurt you? I swear to Odin of they hurt you I'll-"

"Dagur, honey, I'm fine." Sigrid assured, caressing his cheek. "I should be asking you that. Are you okay?"

"Meh." Dagur shrugged, his face cringing as he remembered his almost rage-induced outburst when he was thrown in here. "Could be better, hence the-"

"-Meditation? Yeah, I figured." Sigrid interrupted with a sorrowful smile. "I'm sorry I didn't stop them, I can't believe I didn't see it coming. Gods, I feel like such an idiot."

Dagur frowned, his face sullen as he grasped both of Sigrid's hands in his.

"Oh, no, no, baby, don't. It's not your fault. None of us could've known this would happen." He sighed, before leaning his head against her shoulder. "I should've believed you."

"It's okay, I had no real basis for my worries either." Sigrid shrugged. "You just wanted to help someone out, no matter who they once were, and that was very kind of you. It's just a shame he threw away the opportunity to start over."

Dagur nodded, eyes cast downwards as he struggled with what to say. "I just- I guess I have to accept that not everyone cares about me, even if they act like they do in my face. I realize I've struggled with that a lot..."

She knew what he was talking about, Viggo.

"That's okay." Sigrid reassured with a kiss. "I, for one, admire your positivity. Don't throw that away just because one ugly mutton-head doesn't know how good he could've had it."

Dagur laughed at her insult.

"Yeah." He smiled, giving her another kiss. "I'll try and remember that."

Now that they were in the cell, it was time for phase two of Sigrid's plan. Figuring out how in the name of Thor that door worked. 

Even after their cutesy little couple-y moment, Dagur was still on edge with the idea that one, his sister was still out there with a bounty on her head, and two that no one would be able to get to them in time. What didn't help was Gustav's constant talking and whining, as well as Sigrid's very annoying tapping against the metal bars. Why was she even doing that?

So, in an attempt to keep his sanity, Dagur went back to meditating. 

"Om... Breathe in the light, let out the darkness. I'm centered and calm..." Dagur hummed.

Gustav raised his brow in the Berserker's direction. With a confused look, Gustav glanced between Dagur and Sigrid - who was still knocking against the iron prison door - with great concern. They'd truly gone insane.

"I got caught on purpose." Gustav tried to defend himself in front of his hero. 

His constant talking, and Sigrid's knocking, were really throwing Dagur off his concentration.

"Double breath of fire, om..." He spoke, followed by frantic breathing. 

He was really trying to keep his cool here.

Gustav just didn't get it. "This plan was Sigrid's, not mine." 

Sigrid raised her brow at him, frowning as she finally stopped knocking at the door. She'd found what she was looking for, and now all she had to do was wait.

"Om..." Dagur's voice became louder, before he finally snapped at the boy. "You know what a third eye is, Gustav? -"

That was very much a rhetorical question. 

"-Of course you don't." Dagur continued before the boy could even try and come up with an answer. "When one is focused on a third eye, one is meditating, and it's unearthly impolite to interrupt said third eye seeker."

Gustav flinched against the bars.

"Okay see ya third eye..." He mumbled before quickly moving to Sigrid's other side, the furthest away from Dagur.

Dagur almost snapped out of his skin, his eye twitching as he was barely able to hold himself together. He quickly went back to his meditation, or at least, he tried to. But his quiet voice and calm demeanor was long gone, now turned into growls and shouting, as if he was trying to drown out any other noise by simply being louder than it. 

Sigrid almost snickered as she peered through the cell, towards the guard standing at the door. Snotlout had obviously been busy, as seen by the rope bound around the guard's leg, which he seemed oblivious about. Their plan was starting to set in motion, and Sigrid couldn't wait. 

She glanced towards the other guard, standing at the left of the cell. He was still there, yawning as he blinked the sleep away. Perfect.

And so she waited... and waited... until the guard at the door was snatched away by his leg. Right down the well, just like they planned. 

The cell guard jumped in fright at his comrade's screams. Now was Sigrid's chance. Taking a step back from the door, she put all her strength into her leg as she hauled her foot against the weakest part of the door; what she had been looking for this whole time.

With a mighty clang, the door swung open, slamming against the guard. Crushed by the bars against the wooden prison walls, he was knocked out cold. Sigrid smirked, her plan had worked perfectly. She'd have to thank Snotlout later, he did a lot of hard work this time around.

Looking back at the now broken-open cell, she glanced over her shoulder at Dagur and Gustav, still inside. Taking delight in their wide-eyed expressions, Sigrid tilted her head towards the exit, where Snotlout was just coming from. 

"You coming?" She questioned with a jesting tone. 

Snotlout laughed with pride, towards himself of course.

"Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" He raised his hand up high.

Sigrid rolled her eyes before giving him the high-five he was asking for.

"You're welcome." He smirked

"Whatever." Sigrid snorted, before grabbing her axe off the weapon wall. "You did good for once, Snotlout."

"So, you weren't just randomly tapping on the door?" Dagur questioned, taking his place by Sigrid's side as usual, wrapping an arm around her waist. "I thought you were just annoying me as a punishment for not listening to you before, but I like this a lot more."

In Dagur's mind, a battle-minded Sigrid was a very sexy Sigrid. 

Sigrid hadn't seen her brother, or any of the others anywhere yet. Although that was probably for the better, she couldn't help but grow worried as the sky started to darken. With weapons in hand, Sigrid, Dagur, Snotlout and Gustav ran from Savage's men. But they knew that they couldn't hide forever. There were too many of them, seemingly everywhere all at once.

They needed to fight back.

"Over there!" Snotlout pointed towards a fallen tree, large enough to cover their figures. 

Together, they dashed behind it, taking a moment to catch their breath. This was a lot to handle.

"We're trapped!" Gustav gasped, immediately starting to panic. "What do we do?"

"Like my great-uncle Haggard used to say-" Oh boy, here we go again. "-'There we were, three against a thousand'." Dagur finished his little repeat speech, looking for any laughs... there weren't any. "Why doesn't anyone else think that's funny?"

Because it doesn't feel very grandiose to fight with a thousand Vikings against three people, but alright. 

"Anyhoo, if my calculations are correct, it's us against thirty or so of Savage's men." Dagur's tone turned serious, before showing his iconic grin. "We go seven apiece, Berserker-style."

Sigrid felt a shiver roll up her spine, this was going to be fun. "Don't mind if I do."

"On my count." Dagur started, as Gustav grew more anxious by the second. "One... two-"

"Wait!" Gustav shrieked, pausing everyone in their actions. "We-we can't. I mean- I can't."

"You can't what?" Dagur questioned, his sword already raised as he was ready to run into battle. 

So disappointing.

"I'm not the super apprentice you think I am." Gustav admitted. "I cheated on all the history tests. I was lip-syncing when everyone was singing the Berserker songs. And I never learned a single fighting technique! -" 

Sigrid was actually starting to feel a little bad for him.

"-Look, I'm a terrible apprentice." Gustav's lip twitched as he buried his head in his hands.

Oh, no, no, no. Was he going to cry? Please don't. I can't handle crying children, it makes me so sad.

"I knew it!" Snotlout sneered.

Sigrid send a warning scowl in his direction. Luckily, Dagur had a quick reaction speed, pulling Snotlout to the side to finally put an end to this competition between the two of them, whilst Sigrid tried her best to console Gustav. Gods, they'd really become the parents of the group, hadn't they?

"You don't think I knew that, Snotpit?" Dagur mumbled after pulling Snotlout aside. "The kid's only here because Stoick needed a break from the little beast. The entire apprentice program is made up, a sham."

"I'm terrible." Gustav sobbed in his hands, as Sigrid rubbed his back gently.

"Oh, come on, don't say that." She cooed, holding him with care. "You're not terrible."

After spotting Dagur and Snotlout looking at her, she send another dangerous glare Snotlout's way. This was his fault, and she wanted him to know that there would be consequences. Snotlout gulped, oh boy, that was not going to be fun. A scolding Sigrid is a scary Sigrid.

"He's not even close to being ready for this." Snotlout mumbled, finally feeling a bit of sympathy for the lad.

He was too young. Consoling Gustav like this, Sigrid couldn't even begin to think how crazy her life must've been. She was fourteen, training to fight dragons, becoming one of Berk's strongest Vikings at age sixteen. What a crazy world she lived in.

"Negative, Snotrider." Dagur agreed.

Snotlout frowned. "Look, can you please stop messing with my name? I know you know it."

They just loved to mess with him.

"Aw, but it's so fun!" Dagur spoke for himself and his wife, before rolling his eyes at Snotlout's glare, finally giving in. "Fine. I'll do my best." With a smile, he turned to Sigrid. "Three against thirty?" 

Sigrid grinned, pulling back from Gustav. "As if you have to ask."

Dagur laughed, this was going to be fun.

Before running off into battle, Sigrid turned to Gustav one last time. "Stay here, okay? We'll be back for you."

Gustav nodded, watching as his childhood-crush, his hero and previous mentor-figure rushed off into battle. He felt ashamed, like a phony. Sigrid had brought him to Berserker Island herself, and this is how he treats her? Dagur had accepted him as his apprentice, and this is how he returns his kindness?  What a joke, Gustav thought to himself. I'm the joke.

Savage's men were a joke. Sure, they had their weapons, maces and fancy bows, but in the face of battle they were nothing but puny punching bags. It made for some great anger-release, for both Dagur and Sigrid. And whilst fighting side by side, Dagur was once again reminded that yes, a battle-minded Sigrid is indeed a very sexy Sigrid. 

Nearing the island's center, it was easy to spot Savage's ugly mug sitting on top of the Berserker throne, something he was unworthy of. It seemed that Hiccup and the others had been quicker in their catch-up to the traitorous Viking, as they were all doing a very good job at fighting Savage's men off. Hiccup was even using his flame-sword, which meant it was quite the special occasion. 

Sigrid wondered if she even had to do anything, until Savage held his sword against Heather's throat. Yeah, that wasn't going to fly. 

The swooshing sound of something flying through the air at a vast speed quickly caught Savage's attention, and he stupidly looked up to whatever it was. That was a big mistake, as he took Sigrid's axe right to the head... well, helmet, but the point still stands. Sigrid huffed, if only she'd been a little closer, it might've actually penetrated through his skull. Oh well.

Swinging down from ropes atop of the heightened mountain side they'd stood on, Snotlout kicked Savage right in the chest, knocking him down to the ground - again - with Sigrid's axe still stuck in his helmet. Dagur, however, had a more fashionable approach, as he swung right back in his iron throne, leaning back against the side. Super casual.

"Ah, it's a good day to be me." Dagur sighed, before grinning down at the defeated traitor.

Savage grumbled, air leaving his lungs as Snotlout stood on his back. "I still hate your laugh..."

Suddenly, Savage was surprised as he was hastily pulled up by Snotlout and Heather. Why would they let him stand up, if they'd knocked him down on the ground in the first place? He'd soon find out, as he watched the narrowed icy-glare of a certain Sigrid Haddock, as she marched towards him. 

"You..." Savage gasped, not really sure what was happening, but realizing that it definitely wasn't good.

"Yeah." Sigrid sneered. "Me." 

Hauling back her fist, she uppercut Savage right in the jaw. The traitor seemed to almost fly through the air, before landing on the stone ground with a hard thud, teeth trailing towards his passed out figure. Was he still breathing? No one cared enough to check.

"That's what you get for messing with my husband." Sigrid spat on him.

Hiccup didn't want to intervene, but he couldn't help his confusion as he raised his brow. Husband? Had they secretly gotten married between the last time he'd seen them? Unlikely, but he didn't entirely put it past them. He'd have to ask Astrid about it.

"I believe this is yours." Astrid smirked as she yanked the axe from Savage's strayed helmet, handing it back to Sigrid. "Good aim."

"Thanks." Sigrid chuckled. "I've been practicing."

Astrid snorted. Had she ever stopped practicing?

In the end, Berserker Island had been saved from a coup, and Sigrid had gotten the satisfaction of finally punching Savage's soul out of his body. Now, she and Dagur could go back to what they had been fussing about in the first place... 

Speaking of that.

"Brother!" Dagur called after Hiccup, before he and the Riders were going to depart.

Hiccup raised his brow. They'd already said their goodbyes, and Snotlout had gotten his reward, had he forgotten something? 

"Yes?" Hiccup asked.

Dagur caught up to them, having gained the group's interest just as much as Hiccup's. "I forgot to say this before, but I have something really important to ask you."

"Is this about the gift?" Hiccup questioned, confused. "I thought we already talked about it. You got the Terror mail, didn't you?"

Oh, now the riders were definitely interested.

"Yes, I did. But it's not about that!" Dagur assured.

"Okay..." Hiccup trailed off. "Go on."

"I already invited Stoick ages ago, but for some reason it left my mind completely until now. I hadn't even realized we hadn't told you guys anything! Which is weird, because you're usually the first to know when something happens-"

"Dagur!" Hiccup interrupted his rambling. "Get to the point, please?"

What could this possibly be about that he was so energetic that he couldn't stop talking. 

"Right." Dagur blinked, before recovering with a cough. "To prove my love for your sister, Sigrid Haddock, I, Chief Dagur the Deranged, hereby invite you to watch as I partake in the Trials of Devotion, on the island of the Defenders of the Wing, to prove myself worthy of your sister's hand."

The riders were in shock. And Stoick knew about this all along? How long had that been? 

"...Will you be there?" Dagur questioned with worry.

He really wanted them to be there, if not for him, for his wife.

"I-uh..." Hiccup didn't know what to say.

"Of course we will." Astrid butted in, the first to recover from all of this crazy information. "And... uh... congratulations!"

"Thank you!" Dagur grinned, before laughing giddily. He was hopelessly in love. "We'll send a Terror over with everything you need to know, soon. We hope to see you there!"

The others didn't react until they'd long flown up into the skies, halfway towards Dragon's Edge, with bewildered looks on their faces. 

"Wait... If they're getting married...and Sigrid is our mom..." Tuffnut pondered with a thoughtful expression, glancing towards his sister. "Does that mean..."

"...That Dagur is our dad?" 

Chapter Text

The day had finally come.

Mala was still ever so gracious in allowing the couple to use her own trial for themselves. She'd told Sigrid that it was no problem, again and again, and that she was looking forward to watching. Even after the departing of their elderly Great Protector, who'd left their island in search for her resting place on Vanaheim, Mala still welcomed them with open arms.

"It's all about perspective, and the way you choose to see it." Mala explained. "For us, we see this as a well deserved rest for our Great Protector."

That was a nice way to think about it. Sigrid had always viewed death from one perspective, and one perspective only; fear.

Perhaps, it was time for her to take Mala's advice - and what her dad had been begging her to do for years - and change her perspective. But to what, and how? She didn't know that yet.

But now came a different task; the Trials of Devotion.

Dagur had been planning it for weeks, and Sigrid had just kind of watched over his shoulder. To Dagur, this was his thing, he needed to do this. Sigrid knew that giving him the space to do that would be the best option, instead of her trying to pipe in and change things however she wished. Not that there was much to change, though, this was still Mala's original trial. It was more working out the invites and seating arrangements, plus snacks.

"Dad!" Sigrid called out after seeing her father land on Skullcrusher.

Her father looked around the island with strangeness, studying the place he'd been told so much about by both his children... mostly Sigrid.

"How are you, lass?" Stoick questioned, after hugging his daughter. "Nervous?"

"Why would I be?" Sigrid laughed, before caving in as her father raised his brow. "Yes, I'm nervous. Just a little bit."

Stoick chuckled. "Dagur might be a changed lad, but he hasn't grown out of his title yet."

It was a joke, of course, but he was right.

"Eh" Sigrid shrugged, not disagreeing with her father. "Keeps things fun."

It was great to see that her father was excited about the trials. Again, not that she was really worried about it, the man loved tournaments, as proven by the arena on Berk.

But she wasn't sure if he would be so excited about one tiny little surprise... Well, a surprise to anyone who wasn't herself, Mala or Throk.

Sigrid would be joining the trials herself, side by side with Dagur, which he had no idea about. This all came to play when Dagur first started planning, and Sigrid thought; "why should he be the only one to prove himself?" So, she decided to partake in the trials as well, to prove her own worthiness to the Chief of Berserkers.

See it as proposing, and both parties getting an engagement ring. But now they're swimming through lava instead of exchanging jewellery. Romantic, right?

---

After a few minutes of getting ready in her assigned hut, Sigrid heard a knock on the door, before it opened.

"Here." Mala approached Sigrid in her lended hut, carrying a bundle of cloth and armor. "I doubt that fur would be a good choice to wear when walking the Pool of Valor, so we had these made for you in advance."

Mala showed the clothes to Sigrid, as they shimmered a beautiful violet hue in the light.

"See this as an early marital gift, from the Defenders of the Wing." Mala smiled. "I hope that it's to your liking, we took great inspiration from your dragon."

Sigrid was in awe.

"This... this is beautiful Mala, I don't know what to say." She pulled the woman into a hug. "Thank you."

"My pleasure." Mala spoke, caressing her arms as they departed. "And good luck."

Leaving the woman alone to get dressed, Sigrid got the opportunity to study the cloth further. It was gorgeous, a dark fabric decorated with violet seams and details of indigo. Sigrid couldn't imagine how much these materials must've cost, as it was surely nothing that she could afford.

Putting it on, she noted that it was very different from Mala's own clothes - which is what she had originally assumed it was. Instead, it was a sleeker upgraded version of what she liked to wear in the first place. Had Mala been stalking her or something? The Queen had really done her homework.

The shoulders were smooth, and ran down her shoulders beautifully. It must've been made from leather, stiff enough to hold its shape and also protect her from injury. Flowing down her arms were multiple layers of leather coverings, much like the brown plates she wore daily, just much better. Stopping at her wrists, the fabric was smooth, sleek but not overly tight, forming in a triangular point over the back of her hand.

Feeling her hands run down her sides, the fabric felt silky to the touch as she reached her waist, where the skirt started, covered by detailed shapes of what must've been lightning and the flows of the wind. It was subtle, but beautifully intricate.

The skirt was just the way she liked it. Long enough to reach her knees, but not binding. It was split on each side of her hips, so she could move around as she pleased. This would also be really easy to ride in, she realised. She might have to test that out with Electrode, later. Speaking of him, Sigrid noted that a Skrill silhouette was painted on her left shoulder pad, and a Monstrous Nightmare on the right. Not only a nod to her dragon, but to Berserker Island and Berk. Clever, Mala, very clever.

Finally, the dark sleek leggings hugged her legs in a gorgeous shape, as her new matching pair of boots reached until right under her knees, blending in with the surrounding fabric. They felt sturdy, and seemed to have good grip on the soles. Mala had really outdone herself, this was awesome! Dagur certainly wasn't going to expect this.

Now, it was time to get ready for their first trial; the Pool of Valor.

---

The Defenders of the Wing had been such a big help in organising this entire event. Not only by affirming that she and Dagur could actually perform them, but also by making sure that every guest was taken care off.

They hadn't invited many people who were seen as strangers to the island. Dagur hadn't invited anyone from Berserker Island, except for his sister. Sigrid had a bit more people on her side - besides her brother and the Dragon Riders. And since Dagur had taken the liberty of inviting her father, Sigrid had also invited Gobber. The man almost cried when he received the written invitation in person.

Sigrid felt a chill run down her spine. From the nerves or the wind? She did not know. But she knew that she wouldn't be cold for long, as the lava pool would do more than enough to warm her up.

That left her to the other task, actually telling Dagur - and everyone watching - that she would be partaking in the trials with him.

Honestly, she could see why Hiccup got such a thrill out of his dramatic entrances, this was a lot of fun. Accompanied by Throk, and other Defenders of the Wing, Sigrid was guided towards the Pool of Valor, where Dagur, Mala and the others would meet her. She felt her heart beat faster, as Dagur's figure appeared in her sight.

This is really happening.

"My dearest guests. It is my honor to introduce to you, my dear friend, Sigrid Haddock." Mala announced to the crowd, who all very much knew who she was.

Dagur turned around swiftly, excited to be reunited with his - future - wife once more, and watch her proud face as he could finally prove himself to her. Something he felt like he should've done a long time ago...

After thinking about the life he'd led before, Dagur held a lot of regrets. One of those regrets was taking the honor of marriage for granted, especially when that marriage was going to be with such an amazing individual.

He loved her so much, and he needed her to know that, for everyone to know that. He'd changed, and today, he would prove it indefinitely.

The Defenders of the Wing departed as Throk bowed with his long axe at his side, a gesture for Sigrid to step forward. She did.

Her face flushed when she noticed Dagur's wide-eyed expression, as his green eyes danced over her figure. Her gaze fell to the ground, suddenly growing shy. With a bright red face, Sigrid carefully glanced towards the others, who had taken their stand by Mala's watchful position.

They were all there; Hiccup, Astrid, Heather, the Thorstons, Snotlout, Fishlegs, her father and Gobber. She locked eyes with her brother, who blinked before gesturing to her outfit with question and amusement, whilst a teasing grin appeared on his face. Sigrid's ears were practically burning from shyness.

Okay, maybe she was still a little shy in the public love department...

"Wow, baby, I-..." Dagur didn't know what to say, as he took her hands in his own, expression still wide with shock as he continued to look her up and down. "Look at you! Can you spin for me?"

Sigrid blushed, before rolling her eyes. Letting her - future - husband twirl her around, she smirked as he started to chuckle, even if her face was still bright red.

"You look absolutely amazing, darling." Dagur awed, before gently kissing her hand, a bit too shy to do more with Stoick's eyes at the back of his head. "I didn't know we were supposed to have cool outfits? I would've had something made..."

Sigrid laughed. "Hey, I didn't know about this either, it was a gift from Mala."

"Ahw, that's so nice of her." Dagur spoke, before his brow furrowed in thought. "But... why now?"

Time to drop the bomb.

"Oh, you didn't know?" Sigrid raised her brow with a teasing smirk, her tone sarcastic before she continued. "I'm joining you."

"What?" Dagur blinked. "What do you mean with 'I'm joining you'?"

Sigrid let out a breathy laugh. "You thought you were going to be the only one doing these trials? Frigg no, I'm doing them with you."

"But, baby, I thought this was for me to prove myself to you." Dagur leaned closer, whispering in her ear.

He didn't want to cause any worry, even if his own were growing by the second.

"It is." Sigrid agreed. "But, then you should also allow me to prove myself to you. Let me show you, and everyone here, that I am hopelessly devoted to you."

Dagur pouted, his brow furrowing upwards.

"That's so sweet." He whimpered, tears forming in his eyes. "I don't- I never imagined that someone would do that for me... willingly."

"Well, I am." Sigrid caressed his cheek, smiling as Dagur leaned into her touch. "And I would do it time and time again."

"Technically you still need to do it for the first time."

Sigrid lightly shoved Dagur's arm for his joke, as they both laughed.

"I love you so much, Dagur. I mean that." Sigrid wasn't so shy about kissing the man on the lips.

It was one of those rare moments that anyone would see Dagur the Deranged go bright red.

Dagur leaned into the kiss, gently caressing her chin as he pulled back with a grin. "I love you too, Sigrid. But I've told you that a lot, right?"

"Yeah, you have." Sigrid laughed. "But I never said you should stop."

"Oh?" Dagur grinned. "Lucky for you, I wasn't planning to."

Okay, now the two were getting a little too close for Hiccup's comfort. Not that he didn't wish them love, and stuff, it was just really gross to see his sister and his ex-enemy practically forming into one person, as Dagur pulled Sigrid closer to him by her waist, and Sigrid bound her arms around his neck.

"Get a room!" Snotlout gagged from besides him, and for once Hiccup had to agree.

Surprisingly, Stoick didn't really say anything about the grossness right in front of their eyes. Seems he'd kind of grown numb to it during the couple's stay on Berk. Or maybe he was purposefully not letting the imagine into his brain, who knows.

Gobber, on the other hand, had enough.

"As much as we all enjoy watching you eat each others faces, I was under the impression that there was a trial to watch?" The couple parted at Gobber's presence by their side, Dagur's face flushed red from embarrassment, whilst Sigrid - for once - didn't seem to care. "That's what my invite said, anyway."

"Yeah, yeah, you just want to see him catch on fire." Sigrid pointed towards Dagur, who was still bright red.

"Eh, I wouldn't mind it." Gobber shrugged. "Makes for better entertainment."

Before Sigrid could retort, Mala came into view.

"Are you ready?" Mala asked the couple.

Sigrid had never answered so fast.

"Yes." She looked at Dagur. "Are you?"

"As if you even have to ask." Dagur snorted, repeating one of her common phrases.

So they got ready, glancing over the hot lava river, with ever as few stone slabs in place. This was going to be a challenge. But it was then that Sigrid got an idea, a chaotic but fun idea.

"I'll race you." Sigrid smirked, looking Dagur's way with a mischievous grin.

Dagur rolled his eyes, a smile on his face. "Why does it always have to be a competition with you?"

"Are you in or not?" Sigrid chose not to respond to Dagur's very accurate question.

She did have a tendency to make almost everything a 'friendly' competition.

Dagur smiled, before grabbing her hand with reassurance. "Of course I'm in."

"That's what I like to hear." Sigrid laughed, before running off the second she could.

The trials had begun.

"Hey, not fair! False start!" Dagur laughed from right behind her.

Meanwhile from the crowd, Snotlout was pissed. They were laughing, and joking, as if this was so easy to them. Like a walk in the park; as natural as riding their dragons.

From personal experience, Snotlout could say that it was definitely not that easy... and even less fun. Of course, it definitely wasn't as simple as the couple made it seem, even Sigrid was struggling a little, but they were having the time of their lives.

Stoick chuckled to himself from the sidelines, shaking his head. They were as crazy as each other, but that wasn't so surprising. He'd seen it when they were children, after all. But now, after they'd both grown, matured and learned from their mistakes, they made a beautiful couple.

It was a shame Oswald wasn't here to see it, he would've been over the moon. The now ex-Berserker Chief had always been adamant about the two redheads being good for eachother; Dagur could loosen up Sigrid's stiff attitude, and Sigrid could push Dagur to mature in one way or another. In the end, it seems that Oswald's decade old assumptions had come true... in a strange way.

They were so in love with each other, and for Stoick that was all that mattered. His daughter was the happiest she'd ever been since they'd lost Valka, and he couldn't be more grateful.

---

The maze of poisonous eels hadn't been the most fun to do. But, Sigrid had long lost her ick for the slimy slick water-creatures, after she'd caught so many for Electrode to eat. Otherwise, there really wasn't anything noteworthy, aside from the fact that Sigrid discovered that her new boots were waterproof. Very cool.

Now came the most difficult, and for Dagur, the most anxious part of the trial.

He was fine with taking an arrow for Sigrid, pfff, easy, he'd do it without question. But, for Sigrid to take an arrow for him? Dreadful, horrendous, appalling, ghastly, and any word that showed how horrible of an idea it was. He didn't want her to get hurt, especially for him.

"You getting nervous on me now?" Sigrid questioned as she locked his hands in her own, whilst they stood back to back.

"Yes." Dagur admitted, feeling sweat start to form on his forehead from the stress. "I don't want you to get hurt for me, baby."

Sigrid laughed. "But it's okay for you to do so for me?"

"Yes it is."

"Well, too bad." Sigrid shrugged off Dagur's response, before lovingly squeezing his hand. "I'll take an arrow for you any day."

Dagur squeezed her hand back. "Do you want me to cry? Because if you keep saying things like that, I will."

"I love you, weirdo." Sigrid laughed. "Don't get too hurt for me, will you?"

Dagur shook his head as he chuckled, not minding the nickname at all. "I'll try my best. And I love you too, even if you're a little crazy sometimes."

Says the guy who's literally nicknamed 'The Deranged'.

Sigrid laughed. "Well, then I guess we'll just be Mister and Missus Deranged."

"Great, now I am crying." Dagur's voice trembled.

They honestly didn't even feel the arrow entering their skin, after it was shot from both Throk and Mala on opposites sides. All they felt was each other, and nothing else mattered.

The trials have been complete. They're getting married!

"Congratulations!" Astrid screeched as she practically tackled Sigrid in a hug, before wincing as she remembered the arrow that was still stuck in the woman's shoulder. "Does it hurt?"

"Not really." Sigrid shrugged. "The Scourge was worse."

"Well, yeah, Sigrid. That literally wiped out entire Viking villages, this didn't even draw blood." Snotlout huffed as he walked up to them, still a little annoyed at how seamless she and Dagur had completed the trials.

Sigrid didn't respond, as she was focussed on something else, or rather someone else, who was being congratulated by her brother, and ended up shaking hands with her father. See? Stoick enjoys tournaments, and the evidence was clear on his smiling face.

She was going to get married... to Dagur... wow.

"Uh... shouldn't you take that out, or?" Tuffnut trailed off as he poked at the arrow that was still stuck in Sigrid's shoulder, snapping her out of her happy thoughts.

"That's the plan, yes." Sigrid pushed him aside, before seeking one of the Defenders of the Wing out for their assistance, and medical professionalism.

...

"I'm over the moon!" Dagur spoke for what felt like the hundredth time, as they returned to Berserker Island. "I can't believe you surprised me like that, Sigrid! I thought you hated surprised?"

"You're right, but I just thought that it would be nice." Sigrid smiled, tugging on Electrode's saddle to fly a little closer to Sleuther. "We're getting married."

Dagur cackled with laughter. Savage's opinion be damned, Sigrid loved his laugh.

"We're having a Berserker wedding, baby!"

Chapter Text

"Okay... So...-" Sigrid started with a sign after her brother's long explanation of the events of the past weeks. 

"-You're telling me that Dragon's Edge almost burned down, the Riders and Berk fought against this man named Krogan and his crew who ride Singetails, Spitelout actually did something helpful, you were living with the Defenders of the Wing temporarily... and you didn't think to Terror mail me at any point during any of this?"

Not exactly in that order, but yes. 

"And Viggo is alive." Hiccup pointed out.

"And Viggo is still alive." Sigrid groaned. "And he has the original Dragon Eye, I know."

Hiccup shrugged, that was basically all there was to say. "I just figured that since you're going to be Berserker Chieftess and all, that we shouldn't rely on you for help. You're busy!"

"Are you kidding me, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock?!" 

Oh boy, she used his full name, that meant business. Hiccup cringed at his sister's loud tone. Sure, he knew he messed up by not writing to her in weeks, but it honestly hadn't even come to mind during all of the chaos. Even Stoick hadn't thought about it, when he'd come to Berk to help against the Singetails... maybe he should've thought about that more.

"I might be marrying Dagur, but I'm still your sister! And still a Berkian for that matter." Sigrid crossed her arms with a disappointed frown. "And don't even get me started on Krogan. Hiccup, I have a Skrill! Do you not understand how handy that would've been?"

"...You might have a point." Hiccup thought. "Skrills are the natural predator of Singetails, but we didn't want any dragons to get harmed, Sigrid."

"You think I would let that happen?" Sigrid raised her brow in offense. "Do you really think so little of me that I couldn't even keep my own dragon under control? Or worse, do you think that just because I'm getting married that I won't be able to partake in battle anymore? Is that it?!"

"No, no, no, no." Hiccup insisted quickly. "Sigrid, it's not like that."

"Then what is it?" Sigrid questioned, her shoulders shaking as she aired her frustrations. "I'm your sister, I have always been there for you. So then why do you want to shut me out?"

Hiccup groaned, that's not what he meant at all. "I'm not trying to shut you out."

"Oh really?" Sigrid spoke in disbelief. "Because it sure seems like it."

"You won't always be there, Sigrid." Hiccup defended. "Do you just want us to be reliable on you all the time?"

"No!" Sigrid furrowed her brow. "I just want my brother to trust me."

Hiccup frowned. "Well, maybe I just want my sister to trust me."

"Fine." Sigrid sneered, turning her back on her brother as she walked away.

"Fine." Hiccup retorted, walking in the opposite direction.

So much for a nice family catch-up. Dagur and Heather watched the scène before them in bewilderment. They hadn't even gotten a word in before the siblings had stormed off, with steam coming out of their ears. They had a lot of work to do.

"You take Hiccup, I'll take Sigrid." Dagur nodded towards his sister, who agreed.

"I was about to say, I am not talking to your 'beloved' right now." Heather shuddered as she looked at the direction Sigrid walked off to.

She's really scary when she's angry.

Dagur shrugged, not seeing the issue. "That's not why I'm going with her, Heather. I agree with Sigrid, I'm angry too. I want to talk it through with her, that's all."

"Really, you too?" Heather stared at her brother in disbelief. "I thought we were supposed to help resolve their issues, not add fuel to the fire."

"I am helping them!-" Dagur defended. "-By talking to my wife first, and making sure she gets her feelies out. We'll figure the rest out later."

Heather rolled her eyes, fine. But she couldn't help but call back towards her brother as he started to walk off.

"And by the way, she's not your wife yet!" She yelled with a teasing tone.

Dagur had been calling Sigrid his wife for weeks, and no one has said anything about it up until now. Hel, even Sigrid hadn't noticed, or so it seemed,  and she was just as bad; calling Dagur her husband before they even got betrothed. Dagur didn't feel the need to respond to his sister's jesting words, but he couldn't help the blush that tinted his cheeks. He hadn't noticed that he'd been doing that...

But, like a good future-husband, Dagur knew exactly where to find Sigrid; in, technically, his room in the Chief's hut, where she'd slowly moved into ever since they got together. He didn't mind, of course, she would come to live there eventually. Hel, she practically lived there now. 

"Hey, babe, are you in here?" Dagur spoke with care as he entered his room, where, indeed, Sigrid was sitting on the bed, her leg shaking rapidly as her foot tapped at the floor. "How are you feeling?"

Sigrid huffed, her head in her hands as she felt Dagur's figure sit next to her. He was careful not to touch her, to which she was very grateful. She didn't like to be touched when she was angry, something that he hadn't understood when they were younger, or deliberately chose to ignore just to annoy her. But that wasn't him anymore, this Dagur cared about her.

"I'm pissed off." 

"I see that." Dagur nodded, as if it wasn't obvious when she'd stormed off. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Sigrid sighed.

"I just feel that Hiccup doesn't think that I'm important anymore. Now that I'm together with you and we're getting married, like I'm suddenly not a Dragon Rider? I don't know, it's weird." She rambled. "I had stuff in that hut, you know, and he just didn't care enough to tell me that it was gone. That's ridiculous, right? My mother's helmet was in there, for Thor's sake-"

So that's what this was about...

"-I've done so much for them and now he just acts like it doesn't matter. This is exactly why I didn't want to have a dragon in the first place, because I knew that this would happen!" Sigrid's lip twitched as her eyes started to water, her face flushing pink. "...I just want things to be normal again."

"Can I hug you?" Dagur asked with care.

He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her, and shield her from anything from the outside word glaring down at them, but he wouldn't if she didn't want him to.

"Yes, please."

He didn't need to be told twice.

They laid on the bed together, with Sigrid's face pressed into his chest as he held her close. Gods, she loved his hugs. She'd always admired his strong arms ever since he first got out of Outcast Prison, but she'd never imagined they'd feel so good around her shoulders, as she wrapped her legs around his own. Bundled together in a sappy cry-fest... well, with Sigrid crying that is, until she wasn't anymore, and they just laid there in the silence. Peaceful, as if they were in a different dimension away from all of the stress. She never wanted to leave.

"I get it, you're afraid of losing your brother." Dagur spoke softly after what felt like hours of comfortable silence. "But I think you sometimes don't realize that he's afraid to lose you too. He might be a little dense at times, but he never means to hurt anyone, especially you."

Sigrid didn't respond, simply listening to Dagur's soothing voice as she felt his throat rumble against her forehead. Comforting.

"I know you want to protect him, you always have." Dagur continued. "I just don't want you to be afraid of living your own life, and I think that Hiccup would agree."

"Since when did you become such a Haddock expert?" Sigrid joked, finally letting out a breathy laugh after so much crying.

Dagur snorted, glad that she had gotten some of her humor back. "Sweetheart, I've known you two since I was eight. By now, I am an expert."

"So, it was that 'expertise' that landed you in prison?"

"Correction, it was my pride that landed me in prison."

"Oh, okay. That's fair." Sigrid laughed. "Thank you, for making me feel better."

"Of course." Dagur responded as if it was the most obvious and normal thing in the world. "I love you."

Sigrid smiled, tilting her head up to kiss him on the lips. "I love you too."

It was silent for a bit, once more. As the couple had now moved to cuddling, instead of comforting. 

"By the way, did you realize that I've been calling you my wife?" Dagur questioned. "Because I hadn't."

Sigrid blinked. "No, I haven't either. Have you been doing that?"

Dagur sat in sheepish silence.

"Well, you can call me your wife any day. Even if we aren't married yet." Sigrid assured with a kiss. "What are they gonna do, redact it?"

Dagur laughed. "No, but I think we might have confused a lot of people."

"I don't care about people." 

"That's the most untrue thing I've ever heard." Dagur gasped, as if offended by her statement. "If anything, you care way too much about other people."

Sigrid shrugged. "I care about people I like, the rest can suck it."

"That's true." Dagur nodded. "I can speak from experience."

Sigrid snorted, before howling with laughter.

"Shut up!" She playfully pushed him. 

She'd apologize to her brother later, but for now, she enjoyed laying with her husband, whilst they still could. 

---

"I'm sorry for being an idiot, and making you feel like you're not important to us, to me." Hiccup sighed, after having calmed down with Heather finally confronting his and his sister's feelings. "You are very important to me, and to the other riders. You're my sister, and I'm sorry for not telling you when things went wrong. I promise I'll do so in the future, if we ever need you."

Sigrid smiled.

"Thank you." She started. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, and spouting accusations. I know you didn't mean anything bad by it, you were just doing your job. A Chief protects their own."

"I'm not Chief yet, Sigrid." Hiccup chuckled. "But you're one of my people too, no matter who you're married to."

"Awkward sibling hug?" Sigrid questioned as she opened her arms.

Hiccup nodded. "Awkward sibling hug."

The sweet moment was interrupted by Dagur clearing his throat. Not that he didn't find the reconciling extremely sweet, but there was another matter at hand. Heather raised her brow at her brother, what was he going?

"I believe my wife mentioned a helmet during our conversation, one she left in her hut at Dragon's Edge. Would you know anything about that, H?"

"Oh, that?" Hiccup raised his brow, immediately knowing what he was talking about. "Snotlout grabbed it before all hell broke loose, along with some other stuff. It's in the club house for now, since... you know... our huts kind off burned down.-" He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, before turning to his sister. "-Do you want me to get it for you?"

"Yes!" Sigrid practically yelled. "I would really appreciate that."

"Alright." Hiccup nodded. "Guess I'll be back in a few days."

Dagur butted in. "You're welcome here any time! Right, my love?"

"Of course." Sigrid chuckled, with a raised brow. "I thought that was a given."

"Thanks guys, I really appreciate it." Hiccup smiled, before getting on Toothless' back, the dragon cooing at they got ready to depart. "I'll be back soon!"

The Berserkers waved the boy goodbye as he soared away on his Nightfury. Heather let out a deep breath that she had been holding ever since they'd put Sigrid and Hiccup in front of each other again, after they big blow-out. She had to compliment her brother, he'd done good.

Sibling troubles solved! 

...For now.

Chapter Text

"I'm going to miss you." Sigrid whined whilst she wrapped her arms around Dagur's neck.

He and Heather were getting ready to leave, after finding another possible clue about their father, with the help of his old diary. They'd been wanting to look further for weeks, but with all of the recent trouble and having to rebuild almost everything on Berserker Island, it had really put a hold on their search. But now that things finally seemed to calm down - for Odin knows how long - they decided to take this opportunity whilst they still could.

"I'm gonna miss you too, darling." Dagur pouted before kissing her for the thousand time already. "I'll write to you as soon as we find anything, okay?"

Sigrid pointed a finger to his chest.

"I'm going to hold you to that." She turned to her future sister-in-law. "You too, Heather."

"Yeah, yeah." Heather rolled her eyes playfully. "It'll be fine, Sigrid, we'll be back before you know it."

"Are you sure you can handle the tribe on your own?" Dagur quickly asked his future-wife, with great concern. "If it gets too much, send me a Terror right away."

Sigrid chuckled.

"I'll be fine, honey." She assured him with a kiss. "I've been doing this on Berk for years, I think I can handle your Berserkers for a few days."

"Okay, if you're sure." Dagur nodded, still a little hesitant on leaving her behind by herself. "I'll make sure that Hiccup checks up on you, even if it's just for my sanity."

Sigrid laughed.

"That's fine." She gave him one final kiss. "Good luck and stay safe, both of you."

"We will." Both siblings assured, before waving their final goodbyes as they flew off on their dragons.

Now came the time for Sigrid's most challenging part until Dagur got back... finding something to do.

Sure, Berserker Island still needed a lot of help getting things build up back to how it was, but that stuff was easy. Dagur made everything so fun and entertaining, but now that she was by herself, without any of her friends around, she was bored as hell.

The Berserker people were also hesitant to ask her for help, it seemed. As if they weren't sure what to expect of her. But Sigrid was used to people being unsure of her ability, which is where her social skills came in.

"Need any help?" Sigrid asked one of the men carrying a crate of logs, who seemed to struggle with every step.

"Oh, if you can." The man smiled at her, he couldn't have been much older than her father, but he had enough grey hairs to show his age. "I have weak knees, you see, so heavy lifting has become quite a struggle, sadly."

"I understand." Sigrid smiled back, before lifting the crate up from her knees, letting out a grunt as she hauled it up to her chest.

It was heavy, but not difficult to lift.

"I'm glad I can help. I don't think I ever got your name?"

"Magnus, it is." He introduced himself. "And I thank you very much for your help, miss Sigrid. You surely don't have to."

"Of course I do." Sigrid grinned, walking with Magnus to the wood stock. "I'm marrying your Chief, the least I can do is be there for his tribe. And besides, I definitely don't mind it."

Magnus nodded. "Yes, I have noticed that. You and your friends helped us out of quite the giffy a lil' while back, if I remember correctly. We truly thank you for that."

"It's not a problem, honestly. I'd do it again in a heartbeat." Sigrid shrugged as they reached their destination, as she
helped Magnus stack the wooden logs.

"It is very much appreciated." Magnus smiled, laying a hand on her bicep. "Thank you so much for the help, and congratulations on your betrothal. Even if it is technically the second one. You've had us waiting for a long time." He winked.

Sigrid didn't mind his jesting.

"That I have, but you can blame your Chief for that." She raised her brow, taking a jab at her future husband.

"I don't doubt that." Magnus chuckled. "Dagur has always been quite a ... strange boy. But we're all relieved to see how much he's matured, and really taken his duty as Chief seriously. I suppose we have you to thank for that?"

"Oh, not at all." Sigrid's statement shocked the man, who turned to her with wide eyes. "That's something he did all by himself. I had nothing to do with it."

"Well then." Magnus nodded, impressed by that unexpected fact. "I'm glad to see that everything has fallen into place for you two. I remember when Oswald first announced the betrothal agreement, and we were over the moon. The firstborn of the great Stoick the Vast, as our Chieftess? We couldn't believe it."

Magnus chuckled, as he thought off further. "Of course, we were worried about you, knowing who you were marrying. But, in general, I can say we were all quite excited."

"So, I hear I've build quite the reputation then?" Sigrid joked. "Hope I'm living up to it."

"By the miles." Magnus spoke truthfully.

Sigrid's blue eyes fell to the ground. "I just wish everyone had the courage to walk up to me. I don't bite."

Magnus hummed in thought. "I suppose that most of us are just a little nervous. We weren't really sure what to expect, and as you might've noticed, you are quite a bit taller than most."

Sigrid laughed. "Yeah, that probably doesn't do me any favors, does it?"

"Just give them time." Magnus assured. "They'll warm up to you, or I'll kick their behinds."

Sigrid snorted, before Magnus too joined her in joyous laughter. She'd found one of her people.

"How have you been doing, these past few years?" Sigrid questioned the man, after having calmed down from their laughing fit.

It had been a rough three plus years for the Berserker tribe.

"It was difficult, I admit." Magnus nodded with a frown. "I considered myself a good friend of Oswald, so it was a great shock when he disappeared. When Dagur took over, it definitely was the right thing to do, but we could tell he wasn't doing alright. So when he struck war with Berk, we weren't all too surprised, but we were afraid of what it could come to. Then, of course, word reached us that our Chief had been imprisoned, and we were... clueless."

Sigrid frowned, gently rubbing the man's shoulder in a comforting manner. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Sigrid, 't was none of ya's." Magnus sighed. "It all worked out in the end, didn't it?"

"We'll see." Sigrid smirked, as she playfully shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh, we're getting a real joker, aren't we?" Magnus laughed, pushing her arm. "You and Dagur are a right fit, always faffing about."

The days after her lovely interaction with old man Magnus, more and more Berserkers seemed to suddenly want her help. Now, the days seemed to fly by as she was busy helping people hang up their trophies, build up their fence, or even look after their toddlers whilst they napped. The latter, Sigrid surely didn't mind one bit. She grew to realise that she really liked children, which was a bit shocking to her. She always assumed she only liked her brother, because he was... well, her brother.

Once again, Ruffnut and Tuffnut were proven right; she really was a mother figure.

The thought made her a bit shy, as she stared up at the ceiling of her and Dagur's room. The time when she really felt his absence, was when she missed that warm presence next to her, cuddling as they fell asleep. Now, she was alone, with nothing but furs to keep her warm, and the nightly winds to keep her comfort.

She wasn't even married yet, and she was thinking about children. Did Dagur even want children? They never had that conversation before. Should they have that conversation? Like... soon? Or was this something people only talked about after they'd already been married for a while? Or did it just happen naturally? Sigrid wouldn't know, all she knew was that her parents had only recently gotten married before her mother fell pregnant with her. But was that the norm? To Sigrid, it was a mystery.

How many children did she even want? Two, five, twelve? One wasn't an option, they'd just be lonely - Snotlout was the biggest example of that - but was that even a realistic option? How many children did Dagur want, if any at all? It was a question that could not be answered right away, as her betrothed wasn't there by her side.

Sigrid huffed, this was really starting to bother her. Dagur better get back quickly, before she actually loses her mind.

Chapter Text

Dagur's return was quick, and very unexpected. Sigrid had just been chilling, vibing with Magnus before she spotted Sleuther's swift figure approaching from the distance. But Windshear was nowhere in sight. 

"Dagur!" Sigrid called out to him as she ran up to the landing dock. "Where's Heather? Is there something wrong?"

Dagur took her hand in his, kissing the top of it before assuring her that his sister was fine... for the most part.

"I have to talk to Hiccup, it's urgent. Heather's become obsessed with our dad's diary, and not in a cute way."

Sigrid raised her brow, wondering how being cruelly obsessed with anything could be seen as cute, but then she remembered that by thinking that she was a hypocrite, as she was very much obsessed with her fiancé, and he with her.

"Can I come with you?" She questioned softly, not sure if that's what he wanted.

Dagur smiled, before wrapping an arm around her waist. "Of course you can, why do you think I came back here?"

That seemed fair. Sigrid whistled for her dragon, who had been pacing the mountains of Berserker Island, still too wary of flying down by the ground. But Electrode reacted instantly to his rider's call, speeding to stand by her side as fast as a lightning bolt striking through the air. 

After making sure that Berserker Island would be taken care off in their absence, Dagur and Sigrid soared off towards their destination: Dragon's Edge.

"Has Hiccup visited you at all since I've been gone? Or did he just say that he would to stop me from asking?" Dagur questioned on the way there.

He hadn't seen his beloved in ages, way too long for his taste. 

Sigrid chuckled. "Yes, he did. And no, I'm not just saying that to cover for him. He and Astrid came over for dinner a couple times, it was nice."

"Hiccup and Astrid?" Dagur laughed. "And they said I am overly attached to you."

"Stop bullying my brother, will you?" Sigrid raised her brow with a smirk. "Don't want to waste all your good remarks when he's not even here."

Dagur let out a sigh of relief.

"And here I thought you were actually mad at me, for a second." He smirked. "You're mean, missy."

"Says you." Sigrid gasped. "Giving poor Snotlout an aneurism everytime you almost get his name right."

"I don't know what you're talking about, beloved." Dagur shrugged, feigning innocence. "Snothammer and I have a great relationship."

Sigrid snorted with laughter, before raising her brow at her fiancé, who started laughing with her as soon as his green eyes met her baby blues. Such a menace, and something told her this wouldn't be changing anytime soon. Not that she minded.

The arrival at Dragon's Edge had been quick, as Sigrid spotted the twins, Astrid and Snotlout standing outside the clubhouse, before she and Dagur landed. Snotlout was the first to note the arrival. 

"Dagster!" He called out in excitement, rushing towards Dagur, who did not take to him nearly as well.

Abruptly, Snotlout was slammed into the iron cage by the Berserker Chief.

"You know I hate nicknames, Snothat." Dagur grumbled. 

Sigrid raised her brow. Funny for him to say. 

"Nicknames are for buds, I thought we were buds." Snotlout defended, still behind held up by the forearm pressed dangerously close to his throat. 

Dagur huffed, before reconciling his anger, turning to a much calmer stance. "So...uh, Hiccup around?"

Snotlout sighed, of course they were here for him.

With a nod, he was lowered to the floor, where he pointed them in the direction of Hiccup's hut, before grumbling. "Why does no one ever come to see me."

Sigrid grabbed a hold of Dagur's arm, which had become a very common occurrence, as they walked.

Lowering her lips next to his ear, she spoke with a teasing smirk. "For someone who doesn't like nicknames, you sure call me every name under the sun."

"Those are pet-names, Sig. That's totally different. Besides, when we were kids I only called you all of those to annoy you." Dagur defended, whilst simultaneously counteracting his argument. "Also, I don't mind messing with other people's names. Just... don't do it with mine."

"Alright." Sigrid shrugged. "Then I guess you'll just be Dagur. No more, babe, baby, husband, sweetheart, love-"

"No, no, no, I never said that." Dagur was quick to stop her, smirking as he did so. "You know why I don't like people messing with my name, I've told you before."

Sigrid hummed.

"I remember." One name, Ansson. "I was just teasing you."

"I know." Dagur nodded with a smile, before giving her a kiss. "You've always been good at making me feel better."

"More like distracting you, but that works too." Sigrid shrugged, before kissing his cheek as he laughed. 

They arrived at Hiccup's hut shortly, and to their luck, he was still there; not busy for once! 

---

"If she keeps following this diary-" Dagur told him as he slammed said diary on the table, "-she's gonna get killed. She's become reckless! And I don't mean that in like a cool, Swashbuckle-y kinda way." 

Dagur finished his talk by doing some imaginary sword fencing... with the air, sound effects included. Hiccup and Sigrid didn't even glance up at it anymore, after all the years they'd known Dagur this had become their new sense of normal. Sigrid, if anything, was more interested to see her brother's reaction to the journal, as she hadn't even read it herself.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but people in my family tend to get a little fixated on things." Dagur's tangent continued. "Like... ruling an archipelago, controlling a Skrill, killing you, becoming hopelessly devoted to a giant Viking."

Sigrid had to stop herself from laughing, but she didn't mind that description at all. Dagur's always had a bit of an obsession with her height, to the point where she actually had to question him about it. His reasoning? Her heightened presence makes him feel safe. One time he compared himself to a squirrel in a tree, during one of their nightly cuddle sessions. Sigrid didn't find that nearly as adorable as he did, but he looked so joyous that she couldn't bring herself to be offended. 

Hiccup raised his brow in amusement. "And you're afraid Heather's got that same obsessive nature."

"We're Berserkers, it's in our blood!" Dagur declared with an air of obviousness, clearing his throat before he got too ahead of himself. "Please, Hiccup, look through my dad's diary and see if there's anything in there- a clue, a sign, a harbinger of doom. Something!"

"Well..." Hiccup started as his eyes skimmed through the pages. "Oswald certainly didn't want anyone to know what he was working on."

"Exactly!" Dagur sighed. "So when you tell Heather there's nothing worth following, she'll listen to you! She won't listen to me, because she's a stubborn, headstrong, stress-inducing-"

"Sentinel." Hiccup gasped, intriguing his sister as she leaned in closer.

Dagur furrowed his brow. "Well... not the word I would've chosen."

Hiccup shook his head.

"No, this sketch." He explained, holding up the page for both Dagur and Sigrid to see. "It looks like it might be a Sentinel dragon. There's only one place those dragons live, Vanaheim."

Sigrid's eyes widened, remembering the limited amount that her brother had told her about that place. It was dragons' last resting place, a place that Mala had once described to her as sacred, and Sigrid could surely guess why.

---

"Are you excited? Because I am pu-UM-ped." Dagur raised his fist in the air as he spoke to his fiancée, eyes studying the map he'd been given. "How far is it to this retirement island anyway?"

Sigrid frowned sadly. If Oswald was on Vanaheim, that would be a bad sign. 

"Look, Dagur." Hiccup spoke before walking up to the Berserker. "Vanaheim is an incredibly secret place, you cannot tell anyone about it."

It was the same spiel he'd given his sister when he'd explained everything to her, and much more toned down than the one Mala had given them. She was very stern in wanting no one to ever visit it, and for good reason.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm great at keeping things to myself!" Dagur assured. "Anger, frustration, rage."

Yeah, maybe not so much.

"Hiccup, look at this!" Fishlegs squeeled in excitement as he walked up to them, the diary in his hands. 

Oh boy, another nerd fest. Sigrid rolled her eyes teasingly, not focusing on whatever the two younger Vikings were babbling about, and instead turning to her beloved.

"What are you hoping to find?" Sigrid questioned Dagur, her hand gently squeezing his bicep.

Dagur hummed, shrugging when he realised that he wasn't sure. "Well, I'm hoping to find at least some sort of clue. Heather and I have spend ages looking for him, I just want to find something, anything, to help us find dad."

"I do too, Dagur." Sigrid nodded, worried eyes darting towards the floor before she cleared her throat. "I just... I don't want you to get your hopes up, only to get disappointed. We don't know what we'll find on there."

"I know." Dagur nodded, before assuring her with a kiss. "I promise that no matter what we find, I'll be fine."

Sigrid gave a small smile. She sure hoped that was the case.

"I really hope we find something about dad on your island of decomposing dragons, Hiccup. For Heather's sake" Dagur spoke as they were guided to Vanaheim.

"Should I have brought her with us? " He questioned, before clutching at his chest as if he was in pain. "Oh. What's that I'm feeling? Ugh- ew, what is that? Must be guilt. Blegh!" He shuddered in disgust. "I don't like that."

Sigrid smiled as she soared besides him, he was so un-ironically funny, even when he wasn't trying to be.  

"Uh, you said her obsession had become dangerous?" Hiccup raised his brow. 

"I said that?" Dagur hummed, he really didn't remember that. "Sounds about right."

That's what happens when you go off on rambles.

Hiccup grinned. "Then you're doing the right thing."

To hear from Sigrid that he was doing good was one way to hit Dagur right in the feelies, but to hear it from the judging know-it-all Hiccup? Wow, that meant a lot. Dagur smiled, he'd done something good! That was still very new to him.

"There it is!" Fishlegs pointed out with excitement as the mist around them slowly cleared, showing their destination: Vanaheim.

The sight of the sacred land was truly something to behold. A giant, stone filled island with many towering mountains and what seemed to be caves, surrounded by trees and bushed alike. It was beautiful, green and well kept, but also a little intimidating.

"Alright gang, here's the plan." Hiccup started. "We land, look for Oswald, then cover ourselves in fruit."

Sigrid nodded, remembering what her brother had told her before. About how the blind protectors of Vanaheim went by scent, and if you're covered in the fruits of the island, they wouldn't be able to sniff you out. She could spot the Sentinels sitting on their perches further ahead, and they surely looked like something she'd like to not get involved with.

Dagur raised his brow. He clearly hadn't gotten the memo.

"Not that I don't appreciate a good fruit bath every now and again." He chuckled, falling into his thoughts. "I mean, the last one was just... ah.-" He lightly blushed, before snapping out of his fantasy. "-But I really don't see how it's gonna help."

Sigrid was just going to pretend that her fiancé didn't just practically spill the tea on their private life, to her brother of all people. Avoiding Hiccup's questioning gaze as casually as she could, she just hoped her face wasn't bright red.

Hiccup, on the other hand, didn't even want to think about the details of whatever Dagur had just said. Furrowing his brow, he couldn't believe that he clearly hadn't been listening to his whole speech on Vanaheim, at all.

"To escape, Dagur!" Hiccup was baffled. "To escape."

Dagur glanced towards the Sentinels in fascination. "So, those statues are really dragons?"

"Don't worry, they're not gonna bother us on the way in." Fishlegs assured, before his tone wavered. "Maybe on the way out."

As if Odin himself was listening, the eyes of the Sentinels suddenly burst open, as they crackled like stone whilst stretching their wings. They were coming for them.

Sigrid's eyes widened. "Uh... Hiccup, what are they doing?"

"Are you guys sure this is the right island?" Dagur questioned at the sight of the Sentinel dragons dashing up towards them. 

This wasn't good.

Before they had time to dodge, the Sentinels had flown right in front of them like a defensive wall, before they clapped their wings together; twirling the air around them like an aerial blast. The wind shook the dragon riders, as they tried their hardest not to fly of their dragons. Dagur, being the least experienced one out of all of them, struggled the most as he and Sleuther backflipped in the air. Electrode took the wind clap like an absolute champion, as he was quick to stabilize after his struggle. Sigrid assumed that he'd had plenty of experience with being in the middle of bad weather.

"Just ride it out!" Hiccup assured as he and Toothless stabilized. "They remember our scent from last time! They know we're not sick dragons."

Great...

"Good boy, Electrode." Sigrid cooed as she caressed his snout, feeling the Skrill purr under her touch.

He was going to get plenty of eels after all of this.

"They've adapted, I know!" Fishlegs grinned, way too excited for their current predicament. "So fascinating."

Sigrid didn't find it nearly as fascinating, as the Sentinels noticed that they weren't down yet, so they tried their luck again, clapping their wings with another aerial blast. This one was harder than the last one, almost knocking Electrode out of his stance. Dagur, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky, as he was thrown off his dragon and began tumbling down towards the deep waters. Sleuther made absolutely no attempt to help him, and Sigrid wondered if the dragon just simply hadn't noticed - which would be concerning, with Dagur's loud yelling - or if he just didn't realize he had to help.

But a Skrill was faster than a Triple Stryke anyway, any day of the week. So, without question, Sigrid took it upon herself to rescue her fiancé from a fall straight to Valhalla, diving down with Electrode as the dragon caught him just in time. With a casual huff, Electrode soared up and dropped Dagur right back on his dragon.

Dagur was not amused.

"You know what else I, personally, find fascinating?" That was very much a rhetorical question, again. "Not getting killed!

Sigrid shrugged, visibly agreeing with that statement, without the yelling. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted something moving in the distance, watching as a flock of shady chattering dragons flew right into Vanaheim without any trouble.

Toothless roared, as he too had spotted the flock. 

"I see them, bud." Hiccup reassured. "Hey, Fishlegs?"

Fishlegs studied the group. "I don't know, sick dragons?"

"Must be."

Dagur was now very frustrated, and a frustrated Dagur meant a Berserk Dagur. Which was fun at times, but definitely not in very serious occasions such as these.

"Oh, so they're letting those little shifty dragons on, but not us?" He fumed. "I didn't come all this way not to get Heather some answers. Follow me!"

Before Sigrid could even get a whimper of concern out, Dagur somersaulted through the air, before dashing forewords towards the Sentinels at full dragon speed. They had no choice but to follow.

Sigrid cringed as she saw the Sentinels flap their wings once again, but this time it seemed they were only slowed down as they crashed towards the sandy beach of Vanaheim. Electrode shrieked as he tried his best to shield his rider from the impact, making sure he stayed under her as they landed, but it wasn't enough to keep Sigrid from bouncing off his back from the force, landing in the sand.

Aw man, she'll be picking kernels out of her clothes for weeks. And she already felt the sand penetrate her hair follicles... not fun.

Fishlegs chuckled, surprised and amazed at what just happened before he spoke. "That was amazing, Dagur! You knew that gust of air from the wind clap would slow us down just enough so we wouldn't be smashed to bits."

Dagur rose up from the sand, rubbing the back of his head as he too recovered from the fall, with a very sheepish smile.

"Yeah..." He trailed off. "Let's go with that."

He had not, in fact, planned that.

Sigrid frowned, staring up at the sky, refusing to get up. She really needed to take a breather right now, or else she would freak out. That was not fun, and Dagur would definitely get scolded for it later, back home.

Electrode nudged at her hand playfully, as if to say 'look mom, we made it!'. Patting the Skrill on the snout, she couldn't help but smile at his excitement, at least he was having a good time.

"You good, babe?" Dagur's concerned face entered her vision as he loomed over her.

Sigrid narrowed her eyes before she spoke. "...I hated that."

Dagur winced, apologizing as he rubbed the back of his neck. He always did that when he was nervous, she noticed.

"Need help getting up?"

Nodding, Sigrid raised her arms up in the air like a toddler, wanting to be picked up. Dagur raised his brow, that wasn't what he meant. He was expecting her to like... hold out her hand so he could help pull her up, or something. Not for him to have to pull her up entirely. Rolling his eyes, Dagur smiled as he grabbed both of her hands in his, grunting as he pulled her very heavy figure up from the ground.

Sigrid wasn't helping him at all, fully deadweight as she laughed at his struggles. Karma was served. He eventually got her up, not that it took him long anyway, he was very strong. Electrode pushed at the back of her legs, nuzzling up against her as she stumbled against Dagur, who caught her without a problem. 

The couple laughed, as Sigrid tried her best to shake the sand out of her hair. She wasn't so angry anymore.

Chapter Text

The island of Vanaheim truly was a fascinating place. With many secrets, holes in mountains and places hidden off to the side, the island felt peaceful and empty. Which, for the riders, was a bad sign. So far, they'd searched through what must've been most, if not all, of Vanaheim, but they still hadn't found anything about Oswald, and Dagur was starting to get upset.

"Trying to think positively here." He grumbled with a sing-song tone - his way of trying to distract his anger - as they made their way on the beach. "But it feels like we've been walking in circles."

Fishlegs gasped. 

"Wait, I found something." After studying a fallen tree trunk, he picked something out of it. "I've never seen teeth like this before. Maybe sharp class?"

"And there are more over here." Hiccup noted as he studied the ground where he stood.

Sigrid was glad that the two were there to help them, nerdy detective work included. She would've completely skipped over that.

"Guh-reat!" Dagur dragged out sarcastically, his arms flailing around. "So, besides finding a bunch of dragon teeth, the diary let us to another dead end. Yippee." He sneered before angrily leaning against a builder.

Sigrid frowned, so much for that promise on Dragon's Edge, but she understood. If this was about her dad, she would be at her wits end too.

"We've got to be missing something." Fishlegs' brow furrowed as he studied the diary.

Well, duh, obviously. Sigrid rolled her eyes. Figured that much. But her attention was taken by Toothless' howl, as he was scurrying up a pile of rocks. He'd found something.

"What is it, bud?" Hiccup questioned as his dragon continued to grumble, before his eyes widened. "Uh... gang? You might want to see this."

Sigrid gasped as she walked up to her brother. Toothless had spotted a giant dragon skull, the exact one sketched in Oswald's diary! But, from what dragon it was, or from how long ago, they did not know. Whatever it was, Sigrid was in awe.

"Oh my Thor." Sigrid let out a breathless whisper, as Fishlegs giggled in excitement next to her.

Dagur gasped even louder. 

"Oh my Thor is right!" He actually had no clue what they were gasping about. "Wait... what is it right about?"

Hiccup didn't even look at Dagur as he explained it, not really surprised that he, once again, hadn't been paying attention until now. 

"The skull. It was in the diary, Dagur. It proves Oswald was here!"

"And possibly still is!" Fishlegs matched Hiccup's glee.

They'd done it. Sigrid couldn't believe it. After searching for so long, they might've finally found the answer. She was over the moon, she hadn't seen her future father-in-law in so long! But... as she glanced towards her fiancé, her eyes shining with delight, she realised that Dagur was way gloomier than she had expected.

"I, uh... hadn't thought of that." He chuckled nervously, his green eyes fixated on the ground. "Hadn't thought of that at all..."

Sigrid frowned. She truly felt bad for him. With care, she took her usual place besides him, wrapping her arms around his as she squeezed him lovingly. Kissing his cheek in reassurance, a silent promise that he would be fine.

Settling back on their dragons, Toothless send a plasma blast through the skeleton's spine, clearing their path before they went. Sigrid shuddered as they flew in. This thing was ginormous, and it was definitely giving her some unpleasant flashbacks.

"Whatever this dragon was, it was bigger than the Red Death." Hiccup awed.

That was exactly what Sigrid did not want to think about. 

"And it's been here for a very, very, long time." Fishlegs concluded, ignoring the woman's hiss.

It took a scarily long time to reach the end of the dragon's skeleton, but Sigrid was more than glad to be out of there, as fascinating as it was. She let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the daylight, much better than being in the dark remains of a mysterious dead dragon.

"Oh, we're close, I can feel it." Fishlegs wriggled in excitement.

He always got a thrill out of discoveries.

Electrode didn't feel so hot about it though, his spine bending, making Sigrid rise up in her saddle, as he shuddered with a snarl on his face. Something around here was making him highly uneasy, and he wasn't the only one.

"What is it, bud?" Hiccup asked his dragon, who began to growl at something they couldn't see.

Suddenly, the flock of skittish dragons they saw before came flying from the trees, taking them by complete surprise. Electrode hissed, lightning sparking off his body as he rose his wings threateningly, but the other dragons weren't so easily scared off.

Fishlegs shrieked as he was forced to dodge an incoming attack from the dragons, before he took note of it in realisation.

"Hiccup, these are the same teeth we found earlier! These dragons aren't sick-"

"They're hunting." Hiccup furrowed his brow as Toothless growled once again.

Their conclusion pissed Sigrid off. She really, really, hated bullies.

They were shot at again, making Sleuther shoot up in defense, accidentally throwing Dagur off his saddle. They should probably work on that when they get back home.

Electrode was quick to hop over the fallen Berserker, shielding him from the dragons as he blasted towards them. Eventually, with the combined firing of their dragons, the attackers flew off.

Sigrid let out a sigh of relief after she helped her fiancé get back on his feet, rubbing her hands over her face dramatically. This better not give her heart problems later in life, with all of the sudden rushes of adrenaline she was getting today. Her brow rose as Fishlegs noted something behind them, and with a quick glance towards it, she realised that it was a hut... a man-made hut.

---

"This wood has been salvaged from a Berserker gallian." Hiccup noted as he stood closer to study the hut.

Dagur frowned, a sad look on his face.

"He was shipwrecked." He whispered to himself, as if he couldn't believe it, before finally gaining the courage to move closer.

"So... do we knock?" Fishlegs hesitantly asked, before getting pinched by Sigrid.

Not the right time. She glared at him. Couldn't he see the emotional turmoil her husband was in right now? Gently, Sigrid slid her hand in Dagur's, squeezing it comfortingly. Dagur flinched, practically jumping backwards as he removed his hand from Sigrid's.

Chuckling awkwardly, he tried very hard to avoid everyone's gaze. "Maybe we should take a snack break before heading in. Anyone hungry? I'm feeling a bit peck-ish." 

Sigrid send a sad frown his way, and it made Dagur even more nervous to know that his wife, one of the most important people in his life, knew him so well that she saw exactly through his deflection. Not that it was very hard too. As much as Dagur preached it, he was not that good at keeping things to himself.

"I'm kidding, haha, gotcha!" Dagur's voice got louder as he tried to play off his anxiousness.

No one had said anything so far. To be honest, they weren't even sure what to say, or how to help. Dagur was this close to walking through the door, before he froze again, head hung low with a broken sigh as his hand slid down the wood.

"I mean, someone had to do it, right, Hiccup?" He rambled again, this time completely avoiding his fiancée's gaze, and instead turning to her brother. "The Berserkers needed a leader!"

"Dagur, are you alright?" Hiccup's brow furrowed in concern.

Obviously not. Dagur completely avoided his question as he continued to ramble, leaning onto his future brother-in-law's shoulder as he went on a tangent, avoiding everyone's concern at all costs.

"I mean, eh... sure, maybe it was a bit of a power grab, taking over the tribe the moment that Oswald went missing." Dagur rambled. "It's crazy, but I never really regretted it until just now."

Sigrid had enough of her partner trying to avoid her gaze. Forcing herself in between him and her brother, she laid one hand on Dagur's shoulder, and held the other up to gently grab his chin, before leaning closer to him.

"Dagur, sweetheart." She spoke as she turned his face towards her, watching as his green eyes widened, glazing over with panicked tears. "Open the door."

Letting go of him, she gave Dagur one final squeeze on his shoulder, before letting him go further on his own. Dagur let out a deep shuddering breath, realizing that he didn't have much of a choice. He needed to do this, for his sister. With one last nervous glance behind him, he saw Sigrid nod towards the door with an encouraging smile. So, with one final deep breath, he opened the door...

But, what he came to find was not the happy ending he'd been searching for.

---

Oswald's funeral had been nothing that they would've wanted for him, but with no ship or boat of any kind near them, they had no choice but to bury him. It was sad, really, for such a respected Chief to not get the burial he deserved, but Sigrid was sure he'd still find his place in Valhalla, amongst Odin's strongests. It's what he was worthy of.

After placing his father's helm and shield on top of the stone piled grave, Dagur kneeled beside it, grief stricken on his face.

"This is all my fault. He was stranded, Sigrid. He died here... all alone."

Sigrid felt her heart drop at her fiancé defeated tone.

"You had no idea where he was." She tried to reason, denying Dagur's first statement.

This was not his fault.

"I never send a search party." Dagur stood up, flabbergasted by his own youthful actions, as his eyes were once again cast on the ground. "I mean, I-I had a lot going on back then, being evil and all. But, I should've tried!"

"You feel guilty." Sigrid spoke as she approached him, wrapping her arms around his figure, as she nuzzled his cheek with her own. "That's totally normal."

Odin knows she'd done the same, when she'd lost her mother.

"I was a villain." Dagur turned away from her gentle caress, closing his eyes in anger towards himself.

"No." Sigrid pulled him back towards her, holding her hand up to his chin gently. "You were a kid. A misunderstood kid."

"A misunderstood, diabolical, slightly maniacal..." Hiccup labeled off behind her, before trailing off to silence at his sister's glare, as he ended his input with an awkward smile. 

Yeah... that definitely wasn't helping.

"Thank you, Hiccup." Sigrid sneered, before turning back to Dagur with gentle eyes, as he looked at the ground in sadness.

"Yeah, okay fine, so you were a bad kid. But none of that makes a difference, he was your dad." She gestured towards the grave. "He loved you no matter what."

Dagur shrugged, the sad frown still prominent on his face as he was turned towards the grave. "I guess we'll never know."

Sigrid wasn't taking that, grabbing a hold of his face as she turned him to look towards her, staring right into his eyes.

"No, I know he did."

She really did. Back in the day, it was her opinion that Dagur simply didn't realize just how much he was getting away with. Oswald was a softie with his children, and Dagur was no exception. She used to grumble to Gobber at the dinner table, when the Berserkers were over for the peace treaty signing, about how 'if Stoick the Vast was his father, he would've gotten his butt kicked by now'. Stoick was not one for playing games, but now that she was older, she realised her father was also a big softie, just in a more tough-love kind of packaging.

"Uh, guys? I think you need to see this." Fishlegs called out from inside the hut, as they all immediately ran in to see what he was talking about.

Oswald's hut was a sight to behold. Many charcoal drawings covered the walls, Sigrid even spotted Dagur and Heather's faces in there, cute. But that's not what Fishlegs was talking about.

"Look, you were right, Hiccup." He pointed to a drawing of one of the dragons that attacked them before. "They're hunters, Oswald named them Grim Nashers."

Hiccup walked up to the wall, eyes wide as he studied the writing with fascination. "They prey on the sick dragons."

"And apparently, Oswald would help the Sentinels drive them off." Fishlegs looked at Dagur. "Your dad was a hero."

Dagur smiled, his fiancée at his side who squeezed his arm affectionately. "Of course he was, he was a Berserker."

Toothless sniffed the air, purring as he noticed something inside of the hut. His rider grew curious.

"Bud?" Hiccup questioned. "What is it?"

With a clear path, Toothless jumped onto some rocks in the corner of the hut, before diving his head into a hole in the wall. Sigrid's eyes widened as the Nightfury seemed to pull something out of the crevice, before dropping it on the ground. Out of the wooden box fell two paper scrolls, each labeled with a name.

Dagur walked up to it, kneeling down as he studied the scrolls. 

"One for Heather." He noted, before glancing at the other with surprise. "And this one's for... me?"

That honestly didn't surprise Sigrid at all. If Oswald wrote something for his estranged daughter, he surely would've written something for his son, who he had personally raised for eighteen years until his disapearance. Sigrid didn't know what Oswald wrote in his letter, and she gave Dagur the space he needed so he could figure that out for himself. She didn't need to know the words written between father and son. It wasn't for her to see, it was for Dagur. And if it gave him closure, that meant more than enough.

It was calm, as the sun started to rise again. But that peace was disturbed as soon as Sigrid heard Dagur whistle for Sleuther in the distance, which could only mean one thing; something was wrong. Together with Hiccup and Fishlegs, Sigrid jumped on her own dragon as they flew in the open sky, spotting Dagur fighting off Grim Nashers from a sick Gronckle.

Sigrid almost cried as she spotted the poor dragon, he looked so much like Shattermaster it actually broke her heart. Even if she knew Shattermaster was alive and recovering back on Berk, it still pained her. The only difference is that this Gronckle wasn't nearly as chubby, nor were they green.

Electrode's lightning blast saved Dagur from flying head first into a Grim Nasher, which surely wouldn't of ended well. It gained his attention thought, surprised at his fiancée's arrival, before her brother spoke.

"Dagur, aim for the leader!" Hiccup pointed towards the dragon in question.

Dagur smirked. "On it."

"Fishlegs, you cover the Gronckle." Hiccup spoke to the Viking, who was off in the second.

He, too, got very protective when it came to the species.

"Sigrid, you stay with me, help me chase away the others."

"No problem." Sigrid smirked, saluting to her brother who groaned at the act.

He really hated when she did that.

---

Very quickly, chasing away the other Grim Nashers became 'making sure Dagur doesn't get sniped from behind'.

"Thanks, T!" Dagur thanked the Nightfury after he saved him from getting Grim Nasher teeth shot in the back of his head.

"Oops." Dagur muttered after spotting the Nashers gathering together.

"We need more dragon power!" Hiccup spoke, before the Grim Nashers shot at them again.

Now, Sigrid was really wondering if Odin was just constantly listening in on them, as suddenly the Sentinels had joined their fight, blocking off the Nashers' teeth attack as they gathered around the pesky dragons, chasing them off Vanaheim.

Dagur being himself, of course, couldn't help but get in the last laugh, as he and Sleuther soared up into the high sky, blasting fire at the Grim Nashers' leader, as the dragons scurried off in fright.

"Yeah that's right, this is Oswald's island you shifty sky vermin!" Sigrid heard Dagur yell up in the sky, but it was a little muffled.

It made her laugh nonetheless. It seemed that Dagur had kept his promise, for now. That no matter what happened, he'd be fine.

After chasing the other Grim Nashers off the island, Dagur was right back to his normal self.

"Whoo, yes! You know, for a battle with no fatalities, that was actually pretty fun."

Of course he would say that. Sigrid rolled her eyes as she chuckled at his laughter, which added to the fire that was 'make my wife laugh' in Dagur's soul.

"Hey guys." Hiccup started as he stared up at the circling Sentinels. "It feels like it's probably time to go."

Sigrid nodded, prompting Electrode to fly with them before she realised that her fiancé wasn't with her. Turning her head, she looked back at the Berserker who was once again staring towards his father's hut with a sad expression.

"Uh, Dagur?" Sigrid called out softly, as Dagur's eyes snapped towards her at the sound of her voice.

Dagur gave one last look towards the hut, before smiling. He'd made peace with it.

"Yeah, I believe you are right." 

As they flew off to leave, the Sentinels blocked their way. Sigrid groaned, really? Right now?

"Uh, Hiccup? We might need to go back down for the fruit." Fishlegs considered.

Hiccup wasn't so sure. "I don't think it'll work this time."

But the Sentinels weren't here to stop them, or attack them at all. One called out, before bowing its head, as they all did, and parted to allow them to pass. Wow, what a surprising turn of events.

"Uh, what are they doing?" Dagur questioned.

"Looks like they're thanking us." Hiccup smiled, excited eyes glancing over towards his fellow nerd, who gasped at the realisation.

Hiccup's guess was right, as the Sentinels made no further moves as they moved past them. Now, Sigrid had the time to study the magnificent, yet scary, dragons. They were beautiful, and a true miracle of nature. What a peculiar species.

"As you were." Dagur saluted to them as he passed, making Sigrid laugh.

"You know they're all blind right?" Hiccup said.

Fishlegs was over the moon with the amount of research he'd gathered from Oswald's hut, it was like his dream come true.

"Woohoo, look at this! Hundreds and hundreds of fruit recipes."

"You know, Fishy, your commitment to discovery is unparalleled." Dagur raised his brow in amusement.

"I know." Fishlegs smiled.

You could say that again. Sigrid didn't think she would boast about all of the papers she'd gathered from the recently discovered dead father of one of her friends... but then again, she wasn't Fishlegs. And he didn't mean anything bad by it anyway, and Dagur didn't seem to be bothered by it, more... fascinated if anything.

"I need to get this to Heather." Dagur raised his father's letter for Hiccup to see.

The youngest Haddock smiled. "Well, maybe some time you can bring her back here, seems like we've earned the Sentinels' respect, which is... pretty impressive."

"Oh, wait... so... I earned respect?" Dagur was perplexed. "Wow, I'm so used to just demanding it, it's crazy."

Sigrid smiled, pulling back on Electrode's saddle to fly closer to Dagur. "You know what, babe, going in that hut might've been the bravest thing I've seen you do. Odin knows I wouldn't of been able to."

Dagur smiled, as it meant a lot to him. "I couldn't have done it without all your Sigrid-y guidance, Hiccup's as well." He turned to her brother. "And you know, if you ever go on a seemingly impossible wild goose-chase, and need a little company-"

"Happens all the time." Hiccup chuckled.

"-You can always count on this axe, brother." Dagur nodded, holding a hand up to his chest.

He meant it.

Hiccup smiled back at him. Of course, that was something his sister had told him plenty of times. But actually hearing it from Dagur, the actual Chief of the Berserkers, who wasn't his sister that loved him unconditionally and would do anything for him, it felt different.

"Hiccup, is this what I think it is?" Fishlegs questioned, holding up a piece of paper from the stacks, for Hiccup to see.

Hiccup leaned in closer, squinting his eyes as he studied the page. 

"What?" He gasped.

The paper showed multiple drawings of dragon eye lenses, two in fact. Did Oswald have dragon eye lenses? And if so, where were they?

Chapter Text

Dagur was definitely not fine. Sigrid noted with a sad frown that his face had fallen sullen once more, as they landed on Berserker island. Now, he'd have to tell Heather the news, and he was not looking forward to it.

Sigrid wrapped her arms around his, like she's done many times these past two days, and gave him a gentle kiss on his temple.

"Dagur, are you okay?" Hiccup questioned after spotting the Berserker's sinking attitude.

"Huh?" Dagur's gaze lifted from the ground. "Me? Sure, fine, never been better." He walked forward, moving out of his fiancée's grasp. "I mean, how often do you get to tell your sister that the father she has been maniacally looking for is dead. I am just peachy."

"There is something to be said for closure..." Fishlegs suggested with a small peep, before noting the glare Sigrid was sending his way. "Or... maybe not?"

"Chief." The group looked up as Captain Vorg entered the stables, nodding towards his future Chieftess before greeting Dagur.

Dagur chuckled at the name. "I love when they call me that. Ah, never gets old."

"So good to have you back." Vorg spoke in his usual monotone frog-like voice.

"And good to be back." Dagur nodded, speaking in his Chiefly tone. "Where's Heather? I have news for her."

"You didn't hear?" Captain Vorg's statement made Sigrid's eyes widen. "She left with Trader Johann to the Northern markets, apparently he found the man who said Oswald was alive."

Sigrid was the only one to have a verbal reaction, gasping before cussing to the almighty gods - which ended in a scolding from Hiccup - before she jumped on her dragon. Her soon-to-be-sister was being led to a trap, and if they didn't hurry they might be too late to stop her.

"Sigrid, slow down for us!" Hiccup called out as his sister's dragon dashed forward as fast as he could.

But not everyone was as fast as a Skrill.

Dagur huffed, offended by the suggestion. "No! If anything, we need to be faster."

Either his wife would reach his sister quick enough, or he would. Tapping against Sleuther's side, the dragon got the hint as he flew faster than he ever had before. Still not fast enough to keep up with Electrode, but that was physically impossible.

"Uh, guys? Meatlug can only go so fast!" Fishlegs yelled as Hiccup started to speed up as well.

He couldn't let those two fly in head-first on their own, but he also couldn't leave Fishlegs behind. Hiccup groaned, before deciding on a middle-ground pace, not as fast as Sleuther, but not as slow as Meatlug.

Gods, Sigrid, you've really made this more stressful than it needed to be.

It didn't take long for them to land near the Northern Markets.

---

"Are you listening to me? Am I speaking in some foreign tongue, huh?!" Dagur screeched into the merchant's ear, which he'd held hostage as he dangled him in the air. "Tell me where my sister is, or your head will end up on a long pole attached to my ship!"

Yep, she's marrying that. Sigrid looked on in amusement. Was that what she looked like when she went full protective sister mode?

"...I guess he didn't get the part about being discreet." Hiccup mumbled as he took in the sight before him.

"Actually..." Sigrid hummed. "That's pretty discreet for Dagur."

Hiccup shrugged. "That's... actually fair."

Approaching the Berserker, Dagur took immediate notice of the youngest Haddock, as he threw the merchant back on the ground.

"Hiccup!" His voice boomed. "This one won't talk, what do you think we should do?"

"Uh, Dagur, call me old fashioned but... I'm not sure this is the way we should go about getting people to help us." Hiccup tried to reason.

"Oh, it's not?" Dagur's eyes widened. "Oh, I'm sorry.-" He mumbled as he threw the merchant behind him, wooden crates braking from the man's impact. "-Too soft right? I should really work them over!"

Hiccup freaked out as Dagur stalked over to the corn merchant, grabbing him by the scruff as the man screeched, before Dagur pushed his head down in the corn filled barrel.

"No! No, please, do not work anyone over."

"Oh, alright, I'll tell you, I'll tell you." The corn merchant's muffled speech sounded through the barrel.

Ironically enough, Dagur's approach had worked. Hiccup couldn't believe it, and Sigrid was very amused. Hearing her snicker, he shot a scolding look her way. Not the time.

"Ha, I guess you're right, Hiccup." Dagur chuckled, before pulling the corn merchant out of the barrel, hauling him in the air. "Well, let's hear it!"

"There was a fight." The man spoke after spitting a few kernels out of his mouth. "A short, stocky, loud-mouthed Viking here to bu-AI-y chicken feed, was with a b-UH-eautiful raven haired woman, and the merchant they called Johann."

Oh boy, that was them alright. Sigrid slapped her hand against her forehead, of course Snotlout would somehow get himself involved in this.

"Tell me more about the girl, was her hair truly like a raven, or more like a crow? That's an important detail!"

Hiccup blinked, still appalled at how Dagur was going about this, much to his sister's amusement.

"Dagur, he's clearly talking about Heather." He turned to the corn merchant. "So, what happened with the fight?"

"It ended in a stalemate, as far as I could tell. Then, the three dr-A-agon riders fled North, followed by a large group of dr-A-agon flyers." The man clucked. "I'd hate to be them riders of they're found, they'll end up like... well-" he reached into the barral, grabbing a fist full of corn before clenching his fist. "Buuuuuck."

Okay. Very, very weird.

"Please let me hurt him." Dagur pleaded as his brow twitched, stepping forward to strangle the man, before immediately being held back by Hiccup, who struggled to pull him back by his arm. "Please, just- just a little?"

"No! No." Hiccup held him back with a lot of effort, eyes pleading to his sister for help.

Sigrid simply raised her brow in response, she would've let him go. But hey, that's where their sibling differences laid. Holding her arm out, she put her hand on Dagur's chest, holding him back from hurting the merchant, as well as gaining his attention.

"Not today, honey." She told him.

Much to Hiccup's delight, that was enough to get him to stop trying to kill the poor man. Sigrid frowned at Dagur's sigh, as his eyes dropped to the ground.

"This is all on me, Sigrid." Dagur spoke with a serious look on his face.

If something happened to Heather, he'd blame himself. Sigrid rubbed her hand up and down his arm, a comforting warmth that didn't need to be accompanied by words. She was there for him.

"Dagur, remember, Heather is a Berserker." Hiccup tried his best to assure him. "And she has Windshear, those are two amazing warriors we're talking about."

Sigrid gave her brother a thankful smile, seeing how it slightly lifted Dagur's mood. Her brother had a way of seeing the positives in anything, something she still struggled with to this day.

"And Snotlout is there too." Fishlegs stated.

Dagur raised a brow. "So... we subtract one warrior?"

Sigrid snorted, trying to cover up her chuckle with the help of her hand as she hid her face away. Not the moment to laugh, but she couldn't lie, it was a funny comment.

Another +1 on 'making my wife laugh'. In Dagur's checkbook.

"Actually, I hate to say this, but Snotlout can actually be handy in an air battle."

"Fishlegs is right." Hiccup confirmed enthusiastically, turning to the side to pet Toothless' snout. "We'll find her, won't we, bud?"

Yes, they would, even if it was the last thing they did. There was one thing in their favor already, Hiccup pointed out. The Dragon Flyers ride Singetails, and Sigrid has a Skrill. The perfect opportunity to try at some power play.

Let's see how well prepared this Krogan guy really is.

The other riders joined them in Heather's rescue... well, actually just Astrid, but that was more than enough. They'd need all the dragons they could get, and they'd have to do this the smart way. If the Singetails sensed Electrode's presence too soon, they might flee, and who knows what Krogan will do to Heather when his dragons start to bail. For this battle, she'd have to pull back, and for once in her life listen to her brother's every command. They couldn't risk this.

---

Heather's rescue had been easy, aside from Sigrid's heart almost beating out of her chest when Dagur and Sleuther dove into the water after Windshear's descending cage. But they'd come out fine.

But, most shockingly, Heather had a dragon eye lens on her belt this entire time, and no one had ever noticed before. Wow, figures.

"Sigrid, I need you to fly around and try and stop them in their path, we'll chase them your way." Hiccup pointed towards the distancing Singetails.

Electrode practically shivered in excitement, as his rider grasped the saddle's leather tightly, a serious look on her face.

She nodded. "On it."

Now, time for some experimenting. They'd never gone against Singetails before, so they didn't actually know that much about how to handle them. Test number one would be easy; who's faster, the Singetail or the Skrill? The answer came quickly, the Skrill.

Toothless' plasma blasts threw Krogan off his balance, as he struggled to keep still on his dodging dragon, whilst also keeping the slippery dragon eye in his grasp. He smirked, looking back at the riders with an arrogant look on his face as he kept the dragon eye in his hand, but what he didn't expect was for his dragon to almost tumble backwards as it halted, causing the dragon eye lens to slip from his fingers, as it dropped down towards the island below.

Krogan's wide eyes searched for what had made his dragon halt, only to frown in rage at the Skrill's rider right in front of them. Sigrid stood on Electrode's saddle, dominate in her stance as she glared him down. She made one thing clear; she wasn't going away. Now, Krogan had to make a choice, take on the dragon rider in front of him, or go after the lens. He chose the latter.

But Snotlout was faster.

The rest of the group played fetch whilst Sigrid did her best to keep the Singetails at bay. Even with Electrode's presence, Krogan's dragon wasn't giving up too easily. Quite a cocky attitude from such a pancake looking reptile. But even with all their trials and efforts, they couldn't succeed

Krogan got the lens.

---

"How long have you had a dragon lens? Where did you even get it?" Sigrid rambled in bewilderment.

Heather groaned, she was way too tired for this. "I already said this before, Sigrid. My father gave it to me, and I didn't know it was a dragon eye lens!"

"Why did Oswald have a dragon eye lens?! Hello?" Sigrid's jaw fell in shock, before talking to herself. "What is it with that man, when did he become some kind of secret ruins keeper?"

"Uh... darling?" Dagur's voice came from behind them. "Can I, uh, can I talk to Heather for a moment... alone?"

Sigrid blinked, having completely forgotten what they'd gone through before this Heather scare. Oswald.

"Yeah!" Sigrid blurted out way too quickly, fumbling with her hands as she regained her cool." Yes, of course. I'll just... uh... be inside."

Heather raised her brow in confusion, not knowing what was going on. She wouldn't like the news that was coming, but Sigrid trusted that Dagur would be honest, to give his sister what she needed: closure.

Chapter Text

"I can't believe Dagur isn't going with Heather to Vanaheim." Fishlegs turned to Hiccup, after they waved Astrid and Heather goodbye.

"Heather wanted to say goodbye to her father alone." Hiccup shrugged.

Sigrid squeezed Dagur's bicep as they leaned back on the club house's closed entrance. A lot has happened these past few days, and she was really proud of how he'd handled himself so far. After giving him a kiss on the cheek, Dagur returned the gesture by smooching her on the lips instead. He was an utter fool for Sigrid's kisses. To him, they were enchanting. 

"You know what I can't believe, if you flip a yack upside down it can ride itself almost immediately." Tuffnut spoke with full conviction.

Sigrid raised her brow. What was he blabbering about? 

It seemed she wasn't the only one left confused, as Snotlout appeared as the audible question mark of the group. Vocally expressing that he had no clue what, in the name of Thor, Tuffnut was talking about.

"And, I mean, also that we never noticed that Heather had a dragon eye lens smack dab in the middle of her belt." 

That one made a bit more sense. 

Dagur shrugged, before getting up from his leaning position. "Too bad you don't still have the dragon eye, at least then we could look at the other lens."

"Other lens?" Hiccup questioned in confusion, looking at his sister for answers, but she had none.

Before Sigrid could air her confusion, Dagur explained. 

"Well, dad gave us both lenses when we were kids." Dagur spoke as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I used mine to look at stuff, or start fires with the sun."

"Oh!" Sigrid gasped audibly, causing the others to look towards her in question. "I remember that thing. Gods, that was a dragon eye lens? What is my life..." She mumbled. 

"Do you still have it?" Hiccup asked Dagur, ignoring his sister's comments.

Dagur's smile faltered, his face looking a little glum as his green eyes fell to the floor.

"No, but I know who does." He grumbled, before shaking his head and getting back to normalcy. "Anyways, what does it matter. It's not like you have another dragon eye laying around."

...

"You have another dragon eye laying around..." Dagur trailed off before rolling his eyes. "Of course he does."

"I call it, the dragon eye two!" Hiccup proudly announced as he picked up the new Nightfury inspired dragon eye from its holster. 

The twins snickered from behind them.

"Oh, dragon eye two. That is some weak sauce right there." Ruffnut mocked before crossing her arms. "We're gonna give you a CBB on that."

Hiccup raised his brow, expression wide in confusion. "Uh- I'm sorry, CBB?"

"Contrived by a bonehead." Tuffnut expressed proudly. "It's a technical term. Let me pitch one more before you leave, the Thorston-Thorston."

Sigrid didn't even want to ask, as Tuffnut cupped his hands and raised them above his head, before clashing them together. Whatever 'Thorston-Thorston' meant, it probably wasn't very positive.

"I, for one, think Hiccup should be applauded for his ingenuity." Dagur complimented, before whispering over to him secretively. "It works, right, brother?"

Sigrid had to hold back a chuckle, she probably already knew the answer to that question.

"Well, not quite yet. -" Hiccup admitted.

There it is. 

"-You see this dial here?" Hiccup pointed to the bottom of the dragon eye two. "You turn it to slide in different color gems for the light to filter through. I still need those gems."

"Perhaps my humble, yet vast and varied trading skills might be of some minor assistance in their procurement, Master Hiccup?" The ever surprising voice of Trader Johann sounded through the clubhouse, as he carried a box of goods.

Sigrid raised her brow. "Johann, what are you doing here?" 

That man really shows up at the weirdest of times. 

"I come bearing a gift for Miss Heather." Johann smiled. "A mea culpa, if you will, for her ghastly experience at the Northern Markets."

"Save it!" Snotlout loudly butted in to spare himself from another one of Johann's long tangents. "Johann, she's not here."

"Oh, pity." the trader pouted.  

Hiccup pushed Snotlout to the side. "Yeah but back up, Johann, to the part where you help find the jewels to finish the dragon eye two."

"I have no doubt I can obtain these baubles for you, Master Hiccup." Johann clasped his hands together. "I shall personally deliver them to your door in three to four moons."

Hiccup's eyes widened. 

"No, no, no. We can't wait that long, Johann." He stressed.

The trader hummer in acknowledgement. "There is a slight possibility to obtain them at the Northern Markets. But I think we all know the dangers that place possesses. Oof."

"Well, we'll just have to risk it." Hiccup concluded.

Sigrid shook her head. "Hiccup, there has to be another way. The Northern Markets have become too dangerous to tread on such short notice."

"Shame, really." Johann sighed. "It truly is a virtual cornucopia of gemstones."

The redheaded woman scrunched her nose as she frowned. Why was Johann so adamant about her brother joining him at the Northern Markets, was he really that afraid to be alone? 

"Toothless and I can protect you, Johann." Hiccup assured whilst gesturing to the Nightfury. "I have to finish the dragon eye two right away."

Johann shuddered, before speaking. 

"Oh, alright then. I shall rely on you and the mighty Toothless to ensure my safe return." He smiled, before pausing. "One small question, do you know the exact sizes of the gems you need?"

Hiccup frowned, before shaking his head. "Not exactly, but I could bring the dragon eye along to measure."

"Capital idea!" Johann cheered. "And perhaps the lenses as well, so that we can immediately elucidate the efficacy of each stone, hmm?"

When did Johann become such a master planner? Sigrid questioned herself. 

"Will do." Hiccup nodded. "Everyone else, go with Dagur to try and get his lens back."

"Not so fast!" Tuffnut butted in, before his sister joined him at his side.

"We're coming with you." Ruffnut smirked.

Johann seemed ever so annoyed by the fact, but Sigrid couldn't exactly blame him. Tuffnut was adamant about finding Chicken a gift, and knowing the twins, Hiccup and Johann could be busy for hours.

---

As for her, Fishlegs and Snotlout, they were well on their way to Berserker Island with Dagur, to retrieve his dragon eye lens. But something unusual came in at play, as soon as they landed at the docks, slowly making their way to the fishermen. 

"Sigrid, darling... I'm not sure I want you to come with me." Dagur admitted sheepishly, whilst avoiding his fiancée's gaze.

Sigrid raised her brow. "Why? I thought we were doing this together."

"We are! It's just..." Dagur sighed. "It's embarrassing, and I don't want you to see that. To see me like that."'

 "Honey." Sigrid started, grabbing his hand as she pulled him closer to her, before cradling his cheek gently as he looked up at her with sad green eyes. "No matter what happens, it will not change my opinion of you. I promise."

Dagur shrugged, eyes cast down again. He wasn't convinced of her words, that much was clear, but he didn't argue against them either. 

"Okay." He spoke softly, before clearing his throat. "I guess we'll go."

As they continued walking, Dagur seemed to be getting more nervous by the minute, to the point that even Snotlout seemed concerned. What was going on with this dude?

Their questions would be answered later.

"Honestly, I'm glad you guys came with me." Dagur spoke. "I hate to admit this, but I might need the backup."

Snotlout almost scoffed. "Really? For what?"

"Well." Dagur sighed, already fearing their reaction. "When I was a kid, I was... bullied." 

"You?" Both Fishlegs and Snotlout gasped, receiving a slap at the back of the head from Sigrid.

"Yes, me." Dagur grumbled, turning to face them with a hard stare before clearing his throat. "By one kid. Older, monstrous, tough as a Quaken, mean as a Speed Stinger-"

Sigrid already knew the story, but to be honest the man in question didn't really deserve all these titles. He wasn't that impressive, at all.

"-Ansson. Ansson the Abominable."

Her thoughts were spoken through as a man and woman behind them started cackling at Dagur's words. 

"Ansson the Abominable, you say?" The man laughed.

"Oh, abominable." The woman chortled.

"He's right here." The man pointed behind him with a grin. "Except we call him Ansson the Incompetent."

The two Vikings parted, so the group could see Ansson dangling from a sail rope, before plunging into the water clumsily. As Sigrid said, not impressive at all. It seemed that Ansson's horrible display made Dagur feel a bit at ease, as his shoulders lost a lot of tenseness that they held before. Now, it seemed that Dagur was more curious if anything, about whatever the Frigg happened to his old terrifying bully. 

Halting in his path, Dagur seemed to very much consider running away, but the strong arm of Sigrid prevented him from turning back. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he pulled the biggest fake smile he could manage, and approached Ansson.

"There he is!" Dagur greeted with a tinge of hesitance. "Ansson the Abominable."

Ansson didn't seem to react much at first, moving slower than a snail. It was clear to Sigrid that he was still trying to intimidate the Chief, as he retorted in a low tone of voice. 

"Oh, well. If it isn't Dagur the Dainty." Ansson taunted, barely looking at the him. 

Snotlout broke out in a fit of laughter, and even Fishlegs chuckled at the Viking's response. The redheaded couple was not amused, as Dagur flushed pink in embarrassment. Sigrid pinched the two boys on their arm, but didn't say anything else to scold them. To be fair to them, if she'd heard that nickname when she was their age, she would've died from laughter. But she wasn't eightteen anymore, she was a grown twenty-two year old woman who would not stand for any disrespect towards her man. 

Dagur let out a fake chuckle. "Yeah... No one calls me that anymore, Ansson, now that I'm Chief and all." 

"Oh, is that right?" Ansson stood up, making his way towards the group. "What bring you to the docks, Chief Dainty?"

Dagur was becoming less amused by the second, to the point where Sigrid had the biggest urge to step in. But he wouldn't want that, Dagur needed to do this himself. But that didn't stop her from glaring at Ansson, and crossing her arms over her chest with an angry huff. 

Man, if looks could kill...

Awkwardly chuckling once again, Dagur continued on his quest. "Uh- Hey, when we were kids, Ansson, you borrowed something from me."

"I took a lot of things from you."

Dagur shrugged. "While there may be some truth to that, there is one little thing that I kind of need back. It's no big deal, just a decorative glass doohickey with a metal rim." 

Man, for a Viking usually so direct, Dagur was really beating around the bush today. It gave Sigrid the ick, if anything. She always adored his way of living life in the moment, without worrying about consequences. Today, however, it seemed that he was thinking about nothing but consequences. 

"Yeah, yeah, I remember that thing." Ansson rubbed his beard. "I used to set things on fire with it. I may still have it around here somewhere, Dainty."

Yeah... he was clearly not even close to willing to give the Chief what he wanted, and much like the grumbling future-Chieftess, Snotlout had enough. 

"Excuse me for a minute, Mister Abominable." Snotlout piped up, grabbing Dagur by his shoulder, and turning them both around. "What are you waiting for? Look at that guy, just take it from him."

For once, Sigrid was in agreeance with the loudmouth, as she peered past them to see Ansson pick a fish out of his beard. What is it with weird men and hiding things in their beards? Is it like a secret storage?

"I can't." Dagur frowned, avoiding his fiancée's questioning gaze. "Look, old Dagur would've snatched it back by now and thrown him overboard. But I promised Sigrid and Heather I would lead by example from now on, so..."

Sigrid wanted to punch her past self in the face. But, she had to admit, Dagur had a good point.

Curse having morals and values. She pouted, slightly tapping her foot in place as the cogs in her brain turned. Dagur was right, and gods why does he look so sexy when he's stepping up to do the right thing.

"You know what? Good for you, Dagur." Fishlegs smiled. 

The oldest Viking couldn't help but agree. Smiling at her future-husband, who'd finally gained the confidence to look her in the eyes again - a nervous habit, apparently - as he beamed at her proud face. 

"Put a sock in it, Fishface!" Snotlout sneered, ruining the wholesome moment. "Listen, all bullies want things. Find something he really wants and then trade him for the lens."

"That's... actually some decent advice." Sigrid hummed, before raising her brow as Snotlout seemed way too proud of the compliment coming from her lips. 

Dagur sighed, sparing a glance at Ansson, who seemed way too happy to be spending some time with his favorite victim. This was going to be a long day, for sure.

What could Ansson even want?

...

"New fishing nets?"

Nope.

"Gronckle-iron sword?"

Before Ansson could even reject it, Fishlegs piped up with a gasp.

"Hey! That's mine!" He frowned. "Where did you get that?"

Dagur raised his brow. "Fishlegs, I used to attack you guys every other week. You didn't think I would come away with something?"

"He took some of my furs as well." Sigrid hummed.

Giving a sheepish smile, Dagur rubbed the back off his neck. "How- uh, how did you know about that, sweety?"

"You didn't think I would notice four whole blankets missing?" Sigrid laughed, showing that, really, it wasn't that big of a deal. "They were the fluffiest ones too..." 

"Yes they were." Dagur nodded, before quickly snatching the sword back with a laugh, after Fishlegs attempted to grab it from him.

But even that Ansson didn't want.

"I don't get it!" Dagur grumbled, begrudgingly giving Fishlegs his sword back. "He doesn't want gold or silver, or anything! Please, Ansson, what do you want?"

Ansson smirked. "The Thunderfish."

Pardon?

"I want you to help me catch the Thunderfish." Ansson reiterated, but it didn't help the Berkians in feeling less confused. 

Dagur scoffed, catching Sigrid's eye as his expression showed how ridiculous that request really was.

"The Thunderfish is a myth. How are we supposed to help you catch something that doesn't actually exist?"

"It exists. I've seen it!" Ansson scowled. "Been chasing that giant for years, it's why they all laugh at me."

On cue, some fishermen on the docks behind them started to cackle at the sight of Ansson. Wow, what a sad existence. But hey, that's what you get when you get an image of yourself bullying your Chief's childhood self permanently tattooed on your arm. And no, that's not a joke - Sigrid noted - as Ansson did, in fact, have a tattoo of a large fist slamming down on a young Dagur's head, on his bicep...

"And if I help you catch this Thunderfish?" Dagur countered. 

Ansson rolled his eyes. "I'll give you your doohickey, Dainty."

Sigrid wanted to laugh. This whole situation was ridiculous, and growing stranger by the minute. Honestly, if Ansson dared to make one more jab at Dagur, she would personally snatch that lens from his beard... At least, that's where she suspected it was. Strange men keep strange things in their beards.

Dagur couldn't seriously be considering this...

---

"Darling, I need you to look after our people whilst I'm gone." Dagur spoke as he readied himself to leave. "I promise I won't be long."

Sigrid shook her head. "I can't believe you agreed to this. You said it yourself, the Thunderfish doesn't exist! Who knows what kind of craziness Ansson's gonna be pulling you into."

"I'll be fine, sweetheart, I promise. And besides, Sleuther will be with me." Dagur assured, grabbing her hand gently before kissing her knuckles. 

Sigrid sighed. Yeah, she knew that, but she still had a bad feeling bubbling in the pit of her stomach. 

But Dagur wasn't the only man she wanted to talk to. Marching down the docks, sprinting before Dagur could even make his way down, she was quick to snatch Ansson by the throat.

Gasping in surprise, the Viking's eyes widened as he was held up from the ground, peering down at his future-Chieftess. 

"Listen here, Ansson." Sigrid spoke in a low grumble, squeezing tighter around the man's throat. "If anything happens to Dagur, anything at all, I will personally pierce your head on a stick."

Ansson didn't retort to the threat. There wasn't much he could've said anyway, with his airway restricted. As he was dropped back on the ground, the man he wheezed out a breath. Recovering from the attack, he glanced up to find the woman gone, and his Chief staring at him with a strange expression on his face.

"Uh... you good?" Dagur questioned, having obviously not seen the display of his fiancée beforehand.

Glancing past the slightly worried Chief, Ansson spotted the tall threatening figure lurking in the darkness between the alleyways. Her icy blue eyes peered through his soul, as she gestured to him snapilly, 'I'm watching you'.

Slowly disappearing, backwards into the shade, she hoped that Ansson finally got the hint.

Only time would tell.

---

Dagur was right when he said that it wouldn't take long. It had only been a few hours since he departed with Ansson, but Sigrid had already gotten word of their return. Right now, she didn't know if that was a good or a bad sign, but she'd find out soon enough. 

Actually, no, she found out as soon as she started to make her way towards the docks. Man, word really spreads fast, and Sigrid was pissed.

"A  SCAULDREN !"

The people of Berserker Island looked up in surprise, as the giant force of nature that was Sigrid Haddock stormed down the pathway. 

Ansson's eyes widened, realizing that she was heading straight for him. 

Snotlout and Fishlegs were quick to get out of her way, not wanting to be faced with Sigrid's wrath as she marched past them. Dagur, however, was perplexed to see her so furious, especially when he'd returned completely in tact. Not only that, he'd gotten his dragon eye lens back! What reason did she have to be so angry?

"You led my husband right towards a Scauldren! Are you out of your mind?!" Sigrid screeched, steam practically seething out of her ears.

"A Scauldren! Attack ten, large tidal class dragon that sprays scalding water on its victims. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight!" 

Fishlegs squeaked as he realised the woman was quoting directly from the old - and controversial - dragon handbook. Who knew that Sigrid was such a nerd. If it weren't for the fact that she was attempting to strangle a man, he would've fangirled. 

"Oh, no, no, no. Darling, no." Dagur grunted as he swiftly threw his arms around Sigrid's waist, doing his absolute best to pull her away from the frightened Ansson. "I'm fine, he's fine, we're all fine. See, I even got my lens back, you have nothing to worry about my love-"

"I'm going to kill you." Sigrid spat, making threatening gestures at Ansson once more. "I'll get you."

Well, at least she wasn't yelling anymore. But, threateningly whispering wasn't much better either.

At least after today they had some good news to return with. Well... after Dagur was finally able to drag Sigrid with him to Dragon's Edge, where he gave Hiccup his lens with pride. But, as Sigrid entered the clubhouse after having calmed herself down a bit more, she felt the sudden silence filter through the air like a dragon attack.

Raising her brow, she send Dagur a questioning look, but he avoided her gaze. Turning to her brother, he seemed to be doing the same.

They were hiding something from her, and whatever it was, it was big.

Chapter Text

"I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!"

"Sigrid, no!" Hiccup held his hands out, protesting against his sister who was seething with rage. "We've talked about this, murder is not the way to handle things!"

Hiccup had come to Berserker Island with some... well... terrible news. Trader Johann, a man they'd known and trusted for years, was a traitor. Sigrid was furious, and her fiancé wasn't much better, silently shaking next to her with a deep-set frown on his face. Even though Hiccup had already told him this, calmy back at the clubhouse the night before, the sight of his fiancée in such a state of fury rattled his bones.

"This time it is." Sigrid sneered through gritted teeth. "That no good dragon dung smelling son of a troll! He's been playing us for years, he needs to pay!"

"I know, I know." Hiccup sighed. "But we need to think about this first, it's way too dangerous for us to go in on a whim. Right, Dagur?"

The man in question piped up with a small hum, having not listened to the story at all, too busy trying to keep his own head calm. His green eyes snapped towards Hiccup, and the Berkian could see his eye twitch as his concentration faltered. Oh man, he was angry.

"What was that?" Dagur questioned with a quick mumble.

Hiccup groaned, hands rubbing his furrowed brow before sighing. "Please tell my sister that it's no use to fly in and attack right now, it's too dangerous."

Dagur hummed, acknowledging his point, before speaking.

"You're right, Hiccup." said Haddock let out a breath of relief at Dagur's words, but he wouldn't for long. "This means war."

"NO!" Hiccup cried out in exasperation, before finally giving up. "Okay, no. No war! I'm going to Berk, I need to talk to dad."

Sigrid nodded, an angry pout on her face as she crossed her arms. At least her betrothed was on her side.

Seeing her brother leave, she realised they needed to come up with a plan. No matter what happened, she would make sure that Johann would pay for his betrayal, preferably with his life. But first, it was time to burn everything on the island that's ever come from Johann's traitorous boat.

---

"I want everyone to carry every barrel, crate or even crumb of food that's ever come from that traitor's hands, here in the center!" Sigrid and Dagur commanded the Berserkers who'd come to their aid, helping to move all of the fruits and bread that's ever been given to them by Johann.

Lucky for them, it hadn't been much. Berserker Island had their own trader after all, but that didn't help tame the fire in the Vikings' stomachs, filled with fury at the betrayal of not only their Chief, but also his soon-to-be-wife.

After lighting the mountain of wood and sustenance on fire with a torch inflamed by Sleuther, the bonfire rose in the open air with tingles of warmth and destruction. It was beautiful.

---

"I can't believe I didn't suspect anything!" Dagur grumbled in fury as he paced through the living room. "That little twerp played me right under my nose, I can't believe it! You'd think after my whole 'being evil' thing I'd know a thing or two about backstabbers. Which I do, but apparently not enough!"

Whilst Sigrid might've had the initial outburst when Hiccup had first told them the news, it was clear that Dagur was the most audibly furious out of the two of them. Not that it was much of a surprise. In all honesty, it was more shocking that he'd been able to keep himself calm for so long. But now that the bomb had gone off, Sigrid was sure he wouldn't be able to keep his peace for a while.

It was unfathomable to her, the audacity of a man to dribble the ball right in front of their noses - especially her father's - for years. Hel, she'd practically known the man her whole life! Stoick wasn't easily satisfied with his traders, so Sigrid could only imagine the kind of turmoil her father must be going through right now. Hiccup might've assumed that he'd already heard from someone in the archipelago, but that was a foolish assumption.

After all these years, Sigrid had realised that Berk was definitely the outcast of all the other islands, even with her father as their Chief. Berk wasn't taken seriously. That realisation had made her admiration for her now future-father-in-law even greater. Oswald was a good man, and better than any of them could've ever deserved.

"Sigrid?"

"Huh?" Sigrid blinked at Dagur's figure right in front of her, blushing as she realised he'd been trying to gain her attention for a while. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

Dagur uncrossed his arms, letting out a small sigh as he kneeled in front of her seated figure.

"I asked you what you're thinking about right now." Grabbing her hands in his own, he placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. "So, I'll ask you again, my beautiful amazing wife-" Sigrid chuckled at the compliments "-how are you feeling?"

"Well, I'm not-so-silently fuming." Sigrid started, chuckling as Dagur nodded with an obvious expression on his face. "I still want to kill him, and... I don't know. I feel like a fool."

"Yeah." Dagur hummed, before a mischievous smirk appeared. "I can imagine what that feels like."

Sigrid snorted, teasingly slapping his arm at what he was talking about. Thinking back on the time when they were teens, and Sigrid had pulled him back by his stupid braid and basically called him dumb to his face. Yeah, she could imagine he felt like they'd made a fool out of him...

"I didn't mean to make a fool out of you, you know?" Sigrid hummed, calmed down now that her attention was driven elsewhere. "We just did what we thought was best, for Berk's safety."

"No, I know." Dagur reassured her with a kiss. "My ego was just stomped on because I was tricked, obviously. But that wasn't really about the whole 'hiding dragons' thing, not completely anyway."

Sigrid blinked.

"It wasn't?" She raised her brow in confusion.

Dagur shook his head, a small blush appearing on his cheeks.

"I was embarrassed because, well, I had a full on, like, obsessive crush on you." Dagur admitted casually, as if this was something they'd talked about before, they had not. "Ever since you 'rescued' me from that 'dragon attack', I fell hopelessly in love with you. Which, yes, I know I had a funny way of showing it."

"Wait, I didn't know that!" Sigrid gasped, raising a hand to cover her mouth in shock before grasping his bicep. "Oh no, now I feel bad, I'm sorry."

Dagur's eyes widened, this was definitely not the conversation he imagined, or hoped for.

"No, no, baby, no." He gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Please don't feel bad, you shouldn't. Oh Thor, now I feel bad!"

Sigrid laughed at the physical cringe running through Dagur's body at the feeling of uncomfortable emotions. He still wasn't used to feeling guilt, and it was obvious.

"We're a mess." She chuckled, feeling a lot better as she kissed him on the cheek. "But I like it that way."

"That's a relief." Dagur teased. "Don't think I can be anything but a mess, to be honest."

"You are a bit much sometimes." Sigrid admitted with a small nod. "But it's okay, you're funny. If you weren't so sweet, and nice, and genuinely a good person, I think I would've just left."

Dagur howled with laughter at that random confession.

"That's fair." His cheeks flushed red, a dopey smile on his face. "I love you."

Sigrid smiled. "I love you too."

...

"I still want to kill Johann."

Dagur groaned. "If you mention his name again, I definitely will."

"You'll have to fight me for it." Sigrid responded.

Dagur hummed in thought. "Rock, paper, scissors?"

"... Yeah, why not."

Chapter Text

Sigrid hadn't been feeling too hot about meeting with the Defenders of the Wing.

Ever since the discovery of traitor Johann, she hadn't been too keen about communing with anyone outside of her trusted circle, one that she was sincerely starting to doubt.

Right now, the only safe people in her mind were her family, the Dragon Riders, Dagur and Heather. Anyone else, she watched like a hawk, waiting for any sign that they might be up to something. She wouldn't be fooled so easily again.

Next to her seated figure, Dagur was as bored as ever as they listened to Astrid's explanation of Hiccup's plan going forward. Right now, they needed to decide where to hide the remaining Dragon Eye lenses, and make a plan to deal with the flyers, and now also, Johann.

"Might I suggest we place them inside our Volcano, it's far from the easiest location to access." Mala spoke with a smile, seated on Sigrid's left, having full trust in her tribes abilities.

Right now, however, Sigrid did not, and it seemed that she was not alone, as her betrothed chuckled from her right.

"Inside an active volcano? That's what you're proposing?" Dagur was clearly not amused, to which Mala responded with a yes. "What happens when, you know, it erupts!"

Sigrid raised her brow at Dagur's quick risen temper. This whole situation had done a lot on him too, and he wasn't so good at hiding his frustrations. Putting a hand on his thigh under the table, she hoped to snap him back in his calmness, but it didn't work.

"If it erupts, we have the Eruptodon to manage it's lava flow." Mala explained.

Dagur scoffed. "If, when, same thing really. And you're sure your 'great protector' can manage a full scale eruption?"

Mala didn't respond, ignoring his seemingly childish outburst.

"Of course you're not." Dagur continued, making his betrothed flinch as he suddenly rose up from his chair, slamming his hand on the table. "Berserker island is the obvious choice! Our Berserker guards-"

"Allowed a coup to take place right under their noses." Mala interrupted with a smug smile. "I do have that correct, right?"

As Dagur fumed behind her, Sigrid's eye twitched at the insult thrown at them. It was a direct stab to not only their pride, but also their already boiling insecurities. They already felt like idiots, and Mala certainly wasn't trying to help with that.

"Are you questioning my intelligence?" Sigrid sneered rather than asked, with a frown on her face.

Astrid's eye widened. Dagur being angry was a very common thing, but if Sigrid got mad it could mean war.

"Okay!" She tried to intervene. "Let's just all calm down for a second."

That was definitely the wrong thing to say, as it did nothing but heighten Dagur's already awful temper, as he slammed his fist down on the table so hard it even scared the twins, making them drop their popped corn.

"I'm calm!" Dagur assured badly, before letting out a frustrated laugh. "Do I not look calm? I mean, I'm not crazy, it's her right? I mean, look at me."

No matter how hard he tried to make himself look sane, it was obvious his title still held true to his person. Not that Sigrid could blame him, in this moment she too felt a little deranged, with thoughts of fury flowing through her mind.

Mala had been ever so gracious to them... well, after she tried to kill them of course - which was now, once again, poisoning doubt into Sigrid's mind. But her demeaning comments, after her brother had done so much for them, and after her own betrothal celebration no less, it was all too much to bare. It left a bitter taste in Sigrid's mouth, to think of the possibility of the Defenders of the Wing betraying them just like Johann had.

"We got this." Fishlegs assured, as he and Meatlug stood up and walked away from the table. "Meatlug, drop spin."

Standing out in the open sandy floor bed, Meatlug twirled around, her tail dragging over the sand and creating the indents of a circle.

Fishlegs stood by it proudly. "This is what I like to call 'common ground', would you like to join me?"

Sigrid groaned, not this again. 'Common ground' was a tactic Fishlegs had frequently used if any of the riders weren't exactly getting along that day. It usually went south on most times, especially since most feuds were between Astrid and Snotlout, two Vikings not exactly capable of talking things through.

This time it was no different, as Fishlegs tried his hardest to be the mediator between the two bickering leaders, who refused to even look at the other.

Sigrid could sense her frustration rise, as the two acted like children in front of her very eyes, with Mala insulting Dagur's hairline, and Dagur continuously mocking Mala for her feelings of 'hope'. It was irking her to the core, as she realized that they weren't thinking about what mattered at all. This was all a play on their ego, and she couldn't stand it.

Astrid noted the woman's shaking figure, and she looked at her with concern. She hadn't spoken for a while, and it was starting to get scary.

"Hey, Sigrid, are you alright?" She carefully asked, but the answer was already clear before her very eyes.

Sigrid was furious.

Astrid's question seemed to have gained the others' attention as well, except for the two stubborn Vikings in the 'common ground' circle, who just kept bickering back and forth. Sigrid's eye twitched, and Fishlegs almost gasped in fear, realizing she'd come to her wits end. Jumping from her chair, she slammed her axe down on the wooden table with uncontrolled fury, as the wood cracked under the mighty blade, but not enough to break.

"ENOUGH!"

The redhead's booming voice caught everyone's attention, as Dagur flinched at her angry tone. Oh boy, this wasn't good.

"I can't believe you two! Bickering like children whilst we're at the brink of a war!" Sigrid sneered as her face twisted into the deepest fury they'd ever seen. "All you care about is 'who's better than who' instead of looking around the room! This isn't some party we're planning, these are lives we're talking about!"

Her blue eyes glossed over with tears, as everything she had been thinking about the past week pushed out of her vocal chords like forceful waves. Rageful, and unforgiving.

"I know it's unusual for you both, but this isn't just about you!" She continued with heaving breaths. "This is about my people, my tribe, and their freedom and safety. We're not just fighting against the Dragon Hunters, we're fighting for the lives we've built. For three hundred years, Berk has been at war with dragons. Now that's finally changed, and I refuse to let things go back to the way it was. I refuse to let any more children go through what I had to go through, what they had to go through!-" She gestured towards Astrid, Fishlegs and the twins.

"-If you can't fight for our cause, consider yourselves safe." She pointed at Mala. "The Flyers will leave the Defends of the Wing and the great protector alone, as we will no longer associate with you." 

Mala's eyes widened at the shocking suggestion, before Sigrid pointed towards her betrothed.

"And same goes for you, Dagur. If you don't grow up, consider this relationship over."

The threat was heartbreaking. The other riders could see just how much Sigrid's words physically pained Dagur, as he looked like he'd been struck. But Sigrid wasn't faltered by either party's hurtful expressions, as her fury was too great. Slamming her fist down on the slanted wooden table, the force broke it right in two before she grabbed her axe, turning to walk away.

"Talk to me when you two can get along." She sneered, before walking away towards the woods Caldera Cay, to clear her mind and temper.

The twins glanced at each other with knowing smirks, they knew exactly how to fix this. They were mediating specialists after all.

Anything to make Mother Sigrid happy... and save Dagur's marriage, by having him and Mala fight on tightrope! The perfect plan.

---

Normally, throwing axes into trees was a good way to calm Sigrid's mind, and get some training done in the meantime. But the fact that she hadn't heard anything from her brother, or Snotlout for that matter, for days was really starting to send shivers up her spine. Right now, she was thinking of flying to the Wingmaidens herself, just to make sure he was still alive.

Man, Johann's betrayal had really thrown her for a loop. She'd even threatened Dagur with divorce! Even though they weren't even married yet...

She felt embarrassed, she'd lost her cool in front of everyone. That was definitely not the image she wanted to leave behind, feeling like she'd grown past that long ago. But apparently not.

Electrode let out a small chortle, noting her of someone's arrival. Twisting around with narrowed eyes, she grasped the handle of her axe tightly, just in case she needed to throw it. But she did not, as Astrid's blonde hair quickly came into view.

"...Hey." The blonde greeted hesitantly, not knowing what the Haddock's temper was like yet.

Sigrid gave a small nod, flushing slightly pink before she responded. "Hi."

"So..." Astrid started awkwardly. "That was quite the outburst back there."

Sigrid groaned, yeah, she knew that already.

"I know." The redhead sighed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I just... ever since Hiccup told me about Johann I've felt so tense, like I don't know who to trust anymore."

"And the fact that Hiccup's not here isn't really helping?" Astrid filled in with a questioning tone.

Sigrid nodded. "That too."

"Well, I'm happy to let you know that the twins' weird way of mediating seems to be working." Astrid smiled. "But I won't lie and say you didn't scare them, Dagur especially."

"I figured that." Sigrid sighed. "I didn't mean what I said, I do trust them. I shouldn't let this whole Johann situation get to my head."

"I don't blame you." Astrid shrugged. "To be honest, I completely flipped out when Hiccup told me too. But then we talked about it, and I realised that his actions shouldn't dictate mine. Johann's betrayal, in the end, changes nothing."

"You're right." Sigrid hummed. "I guess my ego got a little in the way too."

"You're a Viking, it comes with the job." Astrid chuckles. "But if you're ready, do you want to join us?"

"Yeah." Sigrid nodded. "Besides, I have some apologies to make."

The walk back down to the village was peaceful, but Sigrid was cringing every step of the way. It was safe to say that she was still immensely embarrassed about her previous actions. Secretly, she hoped that no one would mention anything about it, and they would just go on and pretend that it didn't happen. But in reality, she knew that wasn't an option.

Fishlegs was the first to spot them, after they'd approached the pool of Valor. Turns out the twins had used it for one of their 'trust' exercises... how thrilling. After seeing Sigrid's shy figure looming behind Astrid, he let out a breath of relief. At least they wouldn't have to work on that too.

"Sigrid!" He greeted. "Look, they're doing much better."

The redhead nodded, as she looked towards Dagur and Mala, where they conversed at the end of the pool of Valor. They were definitely a lot friendlier than before. But she wouldn't lie, after her previous outburst, it made her feel a bit insecure. More specifically, that she'd ruined her relationship with both.

"I'm sorry about my outburst, it was uncalled for. I should've controlled my anger better." Sigrid spoke.

The twins snorted from behind them. 

"Are you kidding? It was terrifying!" Tuffnut praised.

Ruffnut gleamed. "A beautiful furious masterpiece!"

Fishlegs shook his head with a disappointed groan, before his face softened to a comforting smile. "We get it, Sigrid. You're on edge, we all are. It's okay to feel angry every now and then."

Sigrid disagreed. "But I shouldn't have yelled, or spoken threats of any kind. My anger isn't anyone else's problem but my own."

"While I do agree with the first part, you can always come to any of us for help." Fishlegs spoke. "And besides, you have Dagur. He's always ready to help, especially when it comes to you."

"I know." Sigrid sighed. "But I shouldn't make my problems his problems, as if he's some punching bag."

Seeing that Fishlegs' sweet words weren't really getting them anywhere, Astrid butted in.

"Talking about your feelings doesn't make him your punching bag. I know, I struggled with it too when I first got with Hiccup. But, you have to realize that he's going to be your husband. He loves you, and he wants to help." She smiled. "I mean, he said so himself."

He did? 

In reality, Sigrid had no way of knowing if Astrid was just spouting absolute nonsense right now, or if she was actually quoting Dagur. She hadn't really been around long enough to hear it, after storming off and all.

Sparing a glance towards her betrothed, she flushed red once again as hus bright green eyes seemed to be stuck on her figure hesitantly, as if unsure if he should approach. But after seeing her freckled face blush, he decided that it was safe enough for him to make his way over, after excusing himself from Mala.

Sigrid avoided his gaze as she noticed him get closer to her. Gods, she felt like she was back on Dragon's Edge, when Dagur suddenly decided to show up, before they'd even got together.

"Babe?"

Her blue eyes snapped towards him at the nickname, which she honestly hadn't expected. Dagur looked like a kicked puppy, and it filled her soul with guilt.

"I'm sorry for acting like that. Me and Mala have worked it out." He spoke softly, not really sure what else to say.

Sigrid's heart was crushed on the inside, she'd really messed up. 

"I saw that." She whispered.

"Are you... are we okay?" Dagur questioned with concern, awkwardly cradling his one arm.

That did it for her. Dagur was quick to panic at the sight of tears filling Sigrid's eyes. Pulling her into a tight hug, he let her sob into his shoulder. Dagur was frozen in shock, Sigrid always seemed to take him by surprise at the most random moments.

"I'm so sorry for yelling, I didn't mean it!" Sigrid sobbed as she hugged him tighter, not wanting to let go. "I was angry, and I should've never taken it out on you and Mala, I'm so sorry."

Dagur awed, wrapping his arms around her waist, rubbing his hand up and down her back comfortingly. "I know you didn't mean it, and you weren't wrong either. We were thinking about ourselves, and we didn't realize how much was actually at stake for you, so I'm sorry too."

"So am I." Mala's royal voice came from besides them, as Dagur wiped away Sigrid's tears. "I apologize for my behavior, and I forgive you for your anger. I and the Defenders of the Wing are on your side, that I guarantee."

"Thank you, Mala." Sigrid nodded towards her, before pulling her into a surprising hug.

Mala gasped as she was pulled in Sigrid's embrace, but she didn't seem to mind it as her cheeks flushed slightly pink, giving a small smile as she politely hugged back.

The sweet moment was ruined by Astrid's focused call.

"We need to hurry, Hiccup's in trouble!"

Sigrid's eyes widened. So that awful gut feeling was right after all, her brother wasn't safe, and neither were the Wingmaidens.

"Astrid, I'm going ahead. Electrode can hold off the Singetails in case anyone is in danger." She spoke to the blonde, who nodded in response.

Glancing back towards her partner, who was riding his own dragon with Mala seated behind him. Dagur was surprised to see her looking at him. Raising his brow in question, he was afraid he'd missed something... again. But when Sigrid chuckled, he realised that wasn't the case... not really.

"I'm going ahead, okay?" Sigrid repeated.

Dagur blinked.

"Yeah, I heard that." He spoke in wonder, he hadn't expected her to ask permission, as she'd never done that before. "Is that... do you need my approval for that? Is- is that what we're doing now?"

Sigrid laughed, and it make Dagur feel a lot better about his confusion. "No, I just wanted to make sure that you heard."

Aah, that makes sense. Dagur nodded with a hum.

"Be safe." Sigrid spoke with a smile. "I love you."

Dagur practically beamed at her words, he was such a sucker for Sigrid.

"I love you too." He cooed dreamily.

With Electrode's swift speed, the race to Wingmaiden island was a quick one. Good thing too, as she quickly noted Singetail after Singetail soar up into the air, without riders on their backs. Sigrid raised her brow, watching as the Singetails flew away quickly after spotting her Skrill. Where were the Flyers?

Hiccup's recognizable scream was enough to drive her attention, diving towards him and Toothless, making sure he was alright.

"Sigrid!" He called out in surprise, watching his sister approach.

"Are you both okay, what happened?" Sigrid questioned, looking over her brother and Snotlout.

"Krogan and his dragon seem to have some kind of bond." Hiccup frowned as his eyes narrowed ahead, were Sigrid finally spotted the man on the giant red Singetail.

Sigrid growled, these creeps were really doing her head in. But suddenly, as if struck by Thor, she got an idea.

"Oh they do? Good."

Hiccup raised his brow at his sister's tone. "Uh... what is that supposed to mean?"

Sigrid didn't respond, instead she pulled in Electrode's saddle, and the dragon didn't need to be told twice. Twisting around in the air, the red Singetail twisted its head around in confusion, too slow to follow his predator's movements. But suddenly, it cried out as the weight on its back was lifted, followed by Krogan's yell of surprise.

Dashing away on Electrode, Sigrid glanced back towards the distressed Singetail, smirking as it started to follow after her, just as she had hoped.

Snotlout's mouth fell open in shock as he watched Electrode soar away in the distance, with Krogan grasped tightly in his claws.

"What are they doing?!"

"I think she's leading them away?" Hiccup frowned, before taking note of his betrothed flying in closer. "Astrid! Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine." Astrid responded. "What is Sigrid doing?"

"What did I miss? Battles, fatalities, any bloody noses?" Dagur questioned as he started to ramble, having just butted into the conversation for no reason at all.

"Not yet." Hiccup shrugged, before awkwardly pointing towards his sister's distancing figure.

Dagur's eyes widened in surprise. 

"Sigrid!" He called towards her, but she either didn't hear or didn't listen. "What are you doing momma?!"

Both Hiccup and Astrid raised their brow with an odd look on their face. Out of all the nicknames Dagur had for Sigrid, this new one was definitely their least favorite. They already had to deal with the twins calling her 'mom'.

Glancing behind her one final time, Sigrid noted the Singetail closing the distance, she had to act now.

"Oh, that reminds me." She spoke loudly enough for Krogan to hear, before she leaned over Electrode's side, staring the man directly in the eyes. "Tell your leader Johann, that I'm coming for his head."

Krogan didn't have the time to respond, before he was suddenly released from the dragon's grip, as he was thrown towards the ocean depths. Now, Hiccup realised what she was doing, she was pressuring him to make a choice. And unless Krogan had an early death wish, he would chose to leave.

Electrode's body twisted around in the air, twirling around the dashing Singetail as it dove after its rider. Krogan grunted angrily as he was caught by his dragon, sending a deadly glare Sigrid's way. Sigrid's blue eyes narrowed, before Electrode started to charge. Lightning danced over his wings, as his mouth roared with thunder as blue sparks ignited from his stomach. Right now, Krogan had no choice but to retreat.

At least they figured out one thing in the end, that they would keep the Dragon Eye lenses on Wingmaiden Island. Sigrid had to admit, it was a very good hiding place, and she doubted the Flyers could get to it that easily. A good solution.

"I'm glad we were able to see things through." Mala spoke as they stood together, after they'd decided to talk some things out themselves. "You have a good man by your side, Sigrid Haddock."

Sigrid smiled, before it formed into a mischievous smirk. "So, you're saying you have a crush on my husband?"

Mala flushed red, definitely not the response she'd been expecting.

Sigrid laughed in response. "I'm kidding."

She was sure Mala had a little crush on Dagur. Not that he'd notice, the man was as oblivious as anything when it came to most social cues, but Sigrid wasn't. She didn't care, though. Mala wasn't capable of showing any such disrespect.

"You know what, if I ever come across another great guy, I'll send him your way." Sigrid suggested.

Mala smiled, letting out a small chuckle before nodding. "Well, you do seem to have good taste. I would be honored to be the subject of your matchmaking."

Sigrid cheered. She liked playing Freya's assistent a bit too much in the face of love. She had enjoyed teasing her brother about his crush on Astrid long enough, time for another to be the brunt of her game of love.

Chapter Text

"Is it bad that we haven't planned anything for our wedding. Like, at all?" Dagur questioned with wide eyes, as he stared up at the ceiling.

Sigrid groaned, rolling over in the bed to throw an arm around Dagur's waist, as she laid her head on his shoulder. "I thought you said you were tired..."

"I was!" Dagur defended. "But then I started thinking."

Sigrid let out a snort of laughter. 

"That's always where it goes wrong." She teased, receiving a faux-glare from her betrothed. "But no, I don't think that it's bad that we haven't planned our wedding yet. It's not like we're in a rush."

"I know we're not." Dagur spoke with a sigh. "I just... I guess I'm just getting a little impatient. I don't know, does that sound weird?"

"No, it's not weird." Sigrid assured him. "But what do you mean with impatient, do you not want to wait any longer, or what's the deal?"

Dagur paused, thinking about his answer for a bit. If he was completely honest, he wasn't sure what he meant with it either. At this point, he figured it must be part of his personality, being impatient. Admittedly, he'd improved a lot with that over the years. 

"It's not like I'm constantly thinking about it, especially with all the craziness happening." He started. "But then, in moments like this, when it's just the two of us... I don't know, I just really want to actually be married to you. Like, officially."

Sigrid awed, tilting her head up to kiss him on the jaw, causing Dagur's face to flush pink. He didn't think that his words would receive such a reaction, and to be honest, he was still a little shy about it. But he surely didn't mind. 

"That's sweet." Sigrid shifted so they were laying face to face, with her leaning over him, before giving him another kiss, this time on the lips. "I want to be married to you too, officially. We just haven't had time to do it yet, but that's okay."

Parting from another kiss, Dagur spoke. "Would you... is it okay if we slowly start planning it? Or is that too much? Because if so, that's totally fine, I can wait-"

"No, no, babe that's fine." Sigrid laughed, silencing his rambling. "We can totally do that."

"Okay, great. Yeah, good" Dagur let out a breath of relief, before laughing in embarrassment at his own nervousness. "Sorry if I'm being a bit- you know, too much."

"No, no, don't apologise." Sigrid said. "I love that you're excited about it, I am too."

"That's not what you said ten years ago."

Sigrid gave him a blank stare. 

"I hate you." 

Dagur cackled with laughter at her dry delivery, teasing her with more words of affection as he tackled her in a hug. Rolling around like wrestlers as they tried to pin the other to the bed, affectionately. Even though Sigrid won in the end, she felt like he'd let her do it on purpose, going by the grin on his face.

---

When Dagur said he was excited, he'd truly meant it. His sister felt the blunt end of his tornado-like force, as she was suddenly overwhelmed with tasks and to-do lists as his future wife's 'right-hand woman' assisting her in having the perfect Berserker wedding... even though Heather had never been to one, which seemed to have completely left his mind. 

"Well, the list says that you need an ancestral sword, and a-" her eyes narrowed at the words, "-bridal crown?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know all of that." Sigrid mumbled as she went through everything in her closet, before chuckling. "It's not like I haven't been betrothed before."

The two women had flown back to Berk on a mission, a mission to gain everything necessary for Sigrid's wedding. However, this turned out to be more of a 'Heather is confused since Sigrid already seems to know everything' kind of situation.

"Do you have a bridal crown? I thought people usually did that with flowers, but I doubt you'd keep that around for long." Heather scratched her head, not really understanding what her brother meant with his messy, cryptic handwriting.

"No, apparently that's just a Berk thing." Sigrid shrugged. "You're actually supposed to wear a bridal crown made from silver and gold, sometimes even steel, which is what we're doing. But as you might've guessed, I don't have one. Dagur's taking me to get one made, so that's not an issue."

"Okay, that's good." Heather let out a breath of relief, man, she didn't realise helping to plan a wedding would be so exhausting. "Does Dagur need one too?"

"No, he's already got one. It was passed down from Oswald when we were first betrothed." Sigrid nodded, before pausing. "We'll have to check if it actually fits, can you add that to the list?"

Heather sighed, this was going to be a long day.

---

"Do you know what songs y'er gonna have at the wedding, lass? I can give a few recommendations." Gobber spoke, following Sigrid around the workshop, as she finished up the final pieces of her betrothal gift to Dagur.

That's right, Sigrid's betrothal gift to Dagur. It hadn't technically been six months since their betrothal, but it had definitely been way longer since the actual start of their relationship. So, they mutually decided that they'd give their gifts earlier, as more of a premarital gift rather than a betrothal gift. It wasn't very traditional, which was something they both realised. But then again, nothing they'd done up until this point had been very traditional. People don't usually get betrothed to the same person twice... or even date before getting betrothed.

"I don't know, Gobber. We haven't talked about it yet." Sigrid told him, as she focussed her eyes on the fire in front of her. "Besides, I don't know if Dagur even wants to sing."

Gobber let out a laugh. "Are ya kidding? That's a lad of theatre if I've ever seen one, of course he'll sing if you only asked."

Sigrid rolled her eyes, before dropping the formed blade into the cold waters with the use of tongs, as the bucket steamed from the release of heat.

"What if I don't want to sing?"

"What?" Gobber was gobsmacked. "Not wanting to sing at y'er own wedding? How has Stoick raised you?"

"For your information, Gobber, I've raised her just fine." Stoick grumbled in the background.

"Then how come y'er lass doesn't want to sing at her own wedding, Chief?" Gobber accused.

Stoick thought about it, not knowing an answer, before he too questioned the Viking. "Yes, lass, why don't you want to sing?"

"I don't know." Sigrid blushed. "It just seems embarrassing, I've never sang in front of him before."

"Who cares." Gobber pushed her worries aside. "It's not about whether y'er good or not, it's about the fun! Besides, I doubt that Berserker has the voice of an angel."

Sigrid laughed, he was probably right. 

"Alright, fine." She gave in. "Any recommendations then?"

"I thought you'd never ask!" Gobber beamed, before starting on his ramble. "Let's see then, at your father's wedding-"

---

As the sun set, and the sky turned dark, Sigrid was finally satisfied as she put the finishing touches on the hand-carved blade. She'd worked on it for ages. The shining golden knife sat in her cloth-covered lap, not big enough to be a dagger, but definitely not small either. 

Why a knife? Well, after knowing Dagur for... what, about fourteen years now? She'd discovered that he had quite the thing for knives. He used them all the time, usually throwing them at the other children on Berk, and even going as far as to using Hiccup - bound to a spinning wheel - as target practise. In his adult age, he seemed to use them less and less, probably because he didn't have the room to actually carry them with him on the daily. Nevertheless, Sigrid hoped that he would like it. Knowing Dagur, he would probably adore anything given by her. 

The knife was simple in curve, formed straight so it could fit in any holster, or even up a sleeve or down a boot. Sadly, gold wasn't the most sustainable material, which is why she used Gronckle iron as a base, before dipping it in the shiny melted down liquid. She wanted it to be useful and durable. Only time would tell if she succeeded in that. 

The detail, however, was the most exciting part. The handle was thick and rounded around the outer end of the blade, with a good grip and big enough for Dagur's hands to hold comfortably, and also loose enough to throw around. On one side, it showed a detailed carving of Shattermaster's likeness, and on the other, Sleuther. It was a difficult job for sure, to carve their dragony images recognizable enough on such a small surface. But with a lot of help from Gobber, she'd done it. Following down the blade, it flowed with details of some of Dagur's favorite plants, as well as a larger carving of his name and title flowing down the blade. It was his to a custom, not meant to be passed down or traded in any way. On the other side, to match his name carving, was the rune of protection. Something that would stay with him wherever he took it, even if he was completely alone.

For Sigrid, the golden-dipped knife held a lot of meaning, and she hoped it would hold the same for him. 

"It's beautiful, Sigrid." Heather awed as she held the knife in hand, admiring it. "But to be honest, I think you could give Dagur a rock and he'd treasure it forever."

Sigrid laughed at Heather's dry response. 

"You're probably right, but I wanted to give him something nice." She shrugged. "He's not used to receiving gifts."

"That's... kind of sad." Heather frowned. "Did dad never give him anything?"

"Oh no, he did." Sigrid assured. "But I think he didn't really know what to get him, other than whatever weapon or helm he wanted at the time."

Heather hummed, she could see that. Especially after having heard all the stories about Dagur in his youth, she got the hint that he had been... difficult, to say the least.

"Well, I know he's going to love this for sure." The ravenette nodded, a smirk appeared on her face as she spoke with mischief. "He might cry."

Sigrid nodded. "Most likely."

Ever since she got back to Berserker Island, Dagur has been acting weirdly mysterious, and Sigrid was one hundred percent convinced that it had to do with their betrothal gifts.

"It definitely is." Heather agreed with her. "He's been so weird about it, he's not even let me see it! Who knows what he has planned."

"Wow, how nerve wracking." Sigrid chuckled. "Well, at least there's no chance of him seeing my gift if he's avoiding me like the plague."

"That's true." Heather smiled. "We'll just have to wait and see."

"Sorry, we? I didn't know you were part of this betrothal." Sigrid teased.

Heather laughed. "You know what I meant. I'm just curious, Sig."

"Hey, so am I!" Sigrid defended. "And also terrified at the same time, since you know, I also have to give my gift"

"Do you even know when you're going to give it?"

Heather's question threw Sigrid for an internal loop, as she actually had to think about that. 

"... You know what. No, I don't."

"Oh my Thor..."

---

Before she knew it, it was evening once again. Man, planning a wedding takes up a lot of time. Thus far, she had her fitting with the smith, surprisingly with Dagur who had been overly excited the entire time. The smith told her she could come back in about a week to have her first fitting, as they wanted to make sure everything sat right. And since he was also doing both of their ceremonial armor, she'd have to come back anyway. So, Sigrid could say today had gone very well. 

As usual, they had a family dinner in the Chief's hut, together with Heather, and talked about their day without spoiling anything for Dagur. Well, it was mostly Sigrid and Dagur talking, as usual, but Heather didn't mind, she was exhausted. One thing was clear to her, however, and that was that Dagur was really nervous to give Sigrid his gift. She tried to interrogate him - privately - about what it was, but he once again refused to show her. 

After dinner, Heather bid the couple goodnight before leaving to her own hut. Then, Sigrid and Dagur retired to their bedchambers with rapidly beating hearts.

"Close your eyes, and don't you dare peek!" Dagur told Sigrid as he sat her down on their bed.

"Excuse you?" Sigrid laughed, raising her brow in mock offense. "Who said you get to go first?"

"I did, just now." Dagur retorted. "Please? I just really want to give it to you."

That was very sweet, Sigrid awed.

"Oh, alright, fine. Gimme it."

"Wow, so enthusiastic." Dagur teased, before guiding her hands to cover her eyes.

Getting the hint, Sigrid chuckled as she closed her eyes, keeping her hands over them just in case Dagur would call her out for cheating. Her heart was beating loudly in her chest, and she was filled with excitement. The build-up to tonight had been anxious, and she'd grown all too curious about what Dagur had been up to. 

She figured her brother already knew. Hiccup really didn't have a secretive bone in his body... even after he'd successfully kept his dragon training hidden for impressively long. But besides that, the fact that even Heather was absolutely clueless surprised her a bit. Out of all people, she'd expected Dagur to tell his sister. 

"Hold out your hands." Dagur's voice sounded through her ears. "Uh... kind of like a bowl?"

Sigrid smiled, shaking her head jokingly before doing exactly what he asked. Feeling a slight weight curve on her palm, she waited for any further instructions with heightened nerves. But, no matter what it was, she knew she'd love it. 

"And... open!"

Opening her eyes, the first thing Sigrid saw was Dagur's nervous but excited grin. Glancing down, she immediately gasped at the sight of the beautifully crafted swirls laying softly on her palm.

It was a diadem, shining silver with carefully sculpted wings at either sides. From the wings down, the slick decorated pieces curved forward, before dipping down to a slight point to fit around her forehead. At the point sat a diamond, with silver sculpted petals around it, a daisy. 

"Do- do you like it?"

Dagur's nervous question snapped Sigrid out of her enamored thoughts. Blinking, she felt her eyes well up with tears at the mere sight of the beautiful gift.

"Like it? I love it." Sigrid awed as her fingers traced over the curved details. "This is beautiful, Dagur. You made this?"

It was an obvious question, but it made Dagur laugh nonetheless. 

"Well, yeah." He started with a smile. "I'm glad you love it."

"Out of all the things you could've given me, I definitely wasn't expecting this." Sigrid shook her head. "How- wh- what made you think of this?"

"Well, to be honest, I started working on this whole betrothal gift a long time ago." Dagur gave an awkward chuckle. "And your brother told me that you wanted something useful, but I didn't want to give you like... another axe or something. -"

Sigrid hummed, she had said that. Hiccup, you little snake, you were spying for him all along. New sibling bullying material added to the list; Hiccup Horrendous Haddock is only interested in you when there are bigger plans involved.

"-So, then I started to pay a little more attention, and I noticed that you rarely wear your hair down.-" Sigrid raised her brow at the analogy, but he was right. "-And then I asked Hiccup about it, and he said that you do that because your hair gets in the way when it's down, and it got me thinking... and well, here we are."

A messy explanation, but she understood it nonetheless.

"That's true." Sigrid nodded. "So, what you're actually saying is that you'd like to see me with my hair down more?"

It was a jest, and Dagur knew that, be he wanted to clarify anyway. 

"No, no! You see, you don't have to wear your hair down for this. You can put it on like this too, when it's in a ponytail."

Sigrid hummed, before raising it to her head. Letting the side pieces slide in just over her ears, as she pushed it up towards her forehead, feeling it settle right into place. Wow, he'd done a good job with this, especially without any fittings.

"How do I look?" She grinned, before laughing at Dagur's lovestruck expression.

"Like a Valkyrie." Dagur cooed, seemingly close to tears.

Sigrid laughed, blushing a soft pink. "You realise you've said that twice now?"

"I have?" Dagur questioned with a confused frown, as he seemed to think back to any interaction he's ever had with her.

Sigrid grinned. "Remember when my brother found you in the dragon forest after the peace treaty signing, and I threw an axe at your head?"

"Oh!" Dagur gasped in recognition, before blushing a bright red as he was reminded of his younger self. "That was embarrassing, even if I meant it. I mean, I still do, you're gorgeous momma."

"What is it with you suddenly calling me momma?" Sigrid laughed. "Is this because you call yourself daddy, or...?"

"Maybe." Dagur teased, before shrugging innocently. "And I don't know, I kinda like it. It suits you."

"Ah." Sigrid raised her brow with a grin on her face. "I think you just want to call me mommy."

Dagur's face flushed redder than it ever had before. Her comment had taken him off guard for sure, which just made the situation all the more hilarious.  

"NO! That's not what I meant." He groaned, hiding his face in his hands. "It's not a kink thing, I promise!

Sigrid was dying of laughter, he looked so embarrassed. "I'm just messing with you, honey."

"You're evil." Dagur playfully frowned, face still bright red. "Even after giving you such a lovely gift, you're mean to me."

"Hush, you big baby." Sigrid snorted, before standing up, looking down at Dagur's questioning gaze, a sign of disapproval at her departure. "I believe it's your turn to receive a gift?"

"Oh... right." Dagur's mouth fell agape, he'd completely forgot about that.

Dagur sat on the bed awkwardly, it was clear he was still nervous about receiving any sort of gift. He'd been so hyper focussed on making his gift for months, he'd completely ignored the fact that he was going to get one too. Now that it was happening, he was extremely nervous. What was the worst that could happen? He didn't know, but he didn't like the anticipation.

"Close your eyes, you cheater." Sigrid's teasing voice sounded as she glanced behind at his seated figure.

His green eyes widened. Right, he'd forgotten about that too.

"Oh, right, I'm sorry." He quickly put his hands in front of his eyes, hearing his betrothed laugh. "Not trying to cheat, I promise."

Focussing on the sound of her footsteps, he heard her ruscle with some wood and cloth, a box he assumed, before he heard her approach.

"Hold out your hands." Sigrid told him, and Dagur practically shivered.

He wasn't sure what it was, but having his eyes closed and only hearing Sigrid's voice was doing something to him. Maybe it was the nerves, or the fact that her accent made her calm tone of voice sound so extremely seductive. Or maybe there was just something wrong with him, he wasn't called 'the deranged' for nothing.

"Oh baby, you're killing me." He practically moaned, feeling his skin gain goosebumps.

Hearing Sigrid laugh at his words, he suddenly felt a heavier weight land on his palms, before her soft voice spoke again. 

"Open your eyes."

And open them he did, with his heart practically beating out of his chest. His brain had been wracking with thoughts of what she could've gotten him, but the reality shocked him more than he thought it would.

Laying in his palms was a shining golden knife, one of the prettiest he'd ever seen. Sigrid awed as she saw Dagur start to cry, as his fingers fell over the blade. 

"Oh, it's Shattermaster!" He sniffled, excited, but overwhelmed with emotion at the same time.

"Yeah." Sigrid laughed softly, her voice calm as she spoke. "And Sleuther's on the other side."

Turning the blade over, Dagur did indeed note the Triple Stryke carved on the other side of the handle. "That's awesome."

He sounded really sad when he said it, but Sigrid knew he meant every word. 

"I'm glad you like it." She smiled, giving him a gentle kiss on his temple. 

"I really like knives." Dagur mumbled, fascinated eyes darting all over the gold material. 

"I know you do." Sigrid nodded. "You used to play with them all the time when we were kids."

"Yeah, I did." Dagur sniffled, tears falling down his cheeks as his emotions got the best of him once again. "I love it, Sigrid, so much."

"Oh no, don't cry!" Sigrid quickly pulled him into a tight hug at the sight of his tears, making sure to not get stabbed by accident. "If you cry, I'll cry."

"I'm sorry." Dagur apologized, his words muffled by her chest. "No one's ever done anything like this for me before, especially with something so meaningful. I just feel really touched."

"It's okay." Sigrid cooed, before kissing his head. "I love you so much, Dagur."

"Okay, if you don't want me to cry, you can't say you love me so much like that."

"But I mean it!" Sigrid defended with a pout, as Dagur pulled away from her chest.

They were a couple of saps. But honestly, she hadn't expected the gift exchange to get them so riled up, but she was definitely proven to be wrong about that assumption.  

"I mean it too!" Dagur pouted. "And I love you too, so much."

Sigrid hummed, before leaning in for a long kiss, filled with passion and love. All of the stress from Johann, Krogan and the entire wedding had completely disappeared from her thoughts. In this moment, it was just her and Dagur, a place where she wanted to stay forever.

"You look really sexy in that diadem, by the way." Dagur grinned after departing from their kiss.

Sigrid snorted with laughter. 

"Ew." She jested, before giving him another quick kiss. "You're sweet."

"No, I mean it." He spoke again, a haze flowing over his green eyes as he continued in a husky voice. "You look incredible, baby."

Sigrid raised her brow in suspicion.

This whole betrothal gift exchange had gotten him riled up in a completely different way than she had expected, especially after he'd only really stopped crying a few minutes ago. One thing was sure, Dagur wouldn't be letting go of her for the entire night. But, Sigrid didn't mind one bit.

Chapter Text

Today, with little sleep but a lot of energy, Sigrid and Dagur were on their way to Dragon's Edge to meet with Hiccup, as well as showing off their betrothal gifts.

Sigrid was sporting her diadem proudly, even having let down some of her hair, when she was getting ready in the morning. Instead of her iconic ponytail, she now sported a half-up half-down braided hairstyle, with the diadem making sure to push back any stray hairs trying to make its way on her face. The silver sat snugly, and together with Mala's marital gift, and her newly polished armor plates, her Valkyrie look was really starting to pull together.

Dagur had rambled about it all morning, clinging to her waist at every second he could. Sigrid was no better herself, having an arm around his own at every moment. They just couldn't keep their hands off each other.

Their arrival on Dragon's Edge had been swift, and surprising for all of the riders. Sigrid was the first to greet her brother, whose green eyes immediately snapped to the diadem decorating her forehead. He recognized it in an instant, he'd seen Dagur's sketches after all. He had to say, it really turned out great.

"Are you guys okay?" Fishlegs questioned with a raised brow, they were acting very... strange, and besides, they didn't usually fly in on Dragon's Edge unannounced.

"Never better." Dagur sang, with a big grin on his face. "Why do you ask?"

"...Nothing." Fishlegs decided to not question any further.

"We have some very exciting things to discuss." Sigrid squealed, grasping Dagur's arm tightly as she pulled him closer to her.

"I, uh, assume we're talking about the wedding, right?" Hiccup questioned with slight hesitation.

The couple's overly excited attitude had completely baffled him. He really wasn't used to them behaving this... clingy. As if they were newly coupled. It felt weird.

Astrid thought the same thing, her brow furrowing as she watched the pair practically morph into one another in front of her eyes, from how close they were hugging. Her eyes darted towards Hiccup, they never did that.

"Of course!" Dagur beamed. "What else would it be about?"

"I don't know." Hiccup shrugged. "Forget I even asked."

If Hiccup thought their couple-yness would stop there, he was surely mistaken. The second the pair sat down, Sigrid had folded her legs over Dagur's lap, straddling him as she moved in closer. After a dramatic retelling of each other's betrothal gifts, their shoulders touched as they folded towards each other with a dreamy expression on their faces. 

Snotlout wanted to throw up, this was disgusting to look at. At this point, everyone had forgotten to ask anything about Dagur's new shiny knife, or Sigrid's diadem. This had quickly turned into a giant pile of utter cringe. 

"Eskimo." Dagur cooed at they rubbed their noses together.

Sigrid laughed, hugging him closer with an arm on his shoulder, whilst the other sat around his wait. 

"Butterfly." She teased, as Dagur moved his hand up her thigh, with the other cradling her back.

"Beard tickle." He rubbed his face against hers, causing Sigrid to giggle from the tickly feeling of his beard rubbing against her face.

"Aw." Fishlegs cooed, what a dream to be so in love.

Snotlout on the other hand, was ready to vomit, already feeling his breakfast come up in his throat.

"You are the dagger to my heart, and a man worthier than Thor." Sigrid complimented, which only widened Dagur's lovestruck grin.

In the background, Sleuther and Electrode shivered from disgust. Both dragons glanced at each other awkwardly before hiding in their paws. Toothless stuck his tongue out, seeming to gag at the lovebirds. Yuck.

"And you are the Queen to my very soul, my beautiful Valkyrie." Dagur cooed, kissing her neck before going to tickle her sides.

Sigrid laughed, playfully pushing him away. She'd always been quite ticklish, even when covered in cloth and armor.

"Uh, Hiccup?" Astrid questioned with a raised brow.

Hiccup wasn't really sure what to think either, inwardly cringing as he watched his sister and ... well... future brother-in-law being all over each other. It was weird, and something he wasn't used to from either of them. Sure, they'd been couply before, especially at the Trail, but not to this extend! At least before, he'd jokingly tell them to get a room. Now, he really wished they actually got one.

"They did seem a little closer after their fight on Caldery Cay..." Hiccup spoke slowly, not really sure what to say. "And I mean, they've always been clingy, but this?"

"The wedding." Fishlegs started, the most excited about all of them to actually hear about their plans. "When, how?"

"Let me set the scene for you Fishy." Dagur spoke dramatically, parting from Sigrid for the first time since they dismounted their dragons. "Me, Sigrid, dressed as beautifully as ever.-" Sigrid blushed. "-A giant feast, wine and meat, lots of meat. We have a ceremony, get married, and then party!" He giggled madly.

"We already have Heather standing on Dagur's side during the ceremony, and I was hoping that you would want to stand on mine, Hiccup?" Sigrid asked her brother with a hopeful expression.

Hiccup blinked. "So... like a maid of honor?"

"More like the brother of the bride, but whatever floats your boat." Sigrid chuckled.

"Yeah, of course I will!" Hiccup spoke quickly, after realizing his response had not been much of an answer at all. "I would be honored."

A clearing of the throat caught the couple's attention, Dagur immediately frowning at the sight of the twins. He knew that Sigrid cared for them, but seriously, they were so annoying.

"Hey lovebirds, that's all fun and games and all." Ruffnut started, with a tone of voice that told them she totally disagreed with their current wedding planning. "But to me, it sounds like you're gonna need someone to plan the wedding."

"We offer our services to the rightful King and Queen." Sigrid raised her brow at Tuffnut's words, they certainly were none of the sorts. "It will be the grandest event the known world has ever known, that which it cannot know it will not. But this, the known world will not known what it is."

Sigrid blinked, unsure if she was just sleep deprived, or if Tuffnut was completely speaking nonsense. She decided on the latter.

"...You've done this before?" Dagur questioned, doubt lacing his tone.

"Nope, never. Not even a kid's birthday party." Ruffnut spoke with certainty. "Not worrying about it though, it's gonna be awesome. 'Cause we're the best in the biz."

The twins were making her doubt her sanity by the second, but Dagur was quick to take her attention away.

"Don't focus on those nuts, my Queen." He spoke, gently grasping her hands in his as he mocked the twins' earlier tone. "your boo is yearning for your affection."

When isn't he. But Dagur's words made Sigrid blush nonetheless, batting her eyelashes shyly, as he pulled her in closer, if that was even possible.

"Would it be insulting if I barfed everywhere?" Snotlout asked Fishlegs, as he almost hurled all over the floor.

"Well, I think it's kind of sweet." Fishlegs smiled, with a hand on his chest. "Proof that true love holds no bounds, right guys?"

Astrid's shoulders tensed, as Fishlegs glanced her and Hiccup's way. She didn't know how to respond to that, and it seemed that Hiccup didn't either.

But unlike Astrid, the youngest Haddock was just thinking about Fishlegs' statement. He was kind of right, in one way. Sigrid and Dagur had absolutely hated each other when they were kids, going as far as to make it a competition about who could anger the other the most. But it all led to this, one of the most openly in love couples they'd ever met.

"Hey, how come you guys never use sappy names, or rub your beards on each other." Snotlout smirked.

"Uh... because we don't have beards, Snotlout." Hiccup raised his arms, as he leaned against the barrels against the wooden wall.

Snotlout huffed. "Drop the act. It's obvious what true love looks like."

Gesturing over to the couple on the bench, Snotlout immediately regretted ever looking back at them, as they were all over each other once again. With Dagur kissing up Sigrid's arm, chuckling before she held her hand up to his chin gently, blushing madly as they started to kiss.

"Woah, okay, look." Hiccup tried to save himself, walking up to his betrothed to lay a hand on her shoulder. "Astrid and I have a different kind of relationship, built on years of friendship."

Astrid's brow furrowed, as she glanced from Hiccup's questioning figure, back towards the kissing couple. She didn't feel the same about that.

"Right... yeah." Astrid spoke slowly, not agreeing with her words. "Years of friendship."

Whilst Sigrid and Dagur were being too busy eating each other's faces, the twins had decided that they would officially take on the responsibility of becoming wedding planners. Sigrid didn't have the heart to tell them they practically had it all figured out already, so she just let them be.

Secretly, she wondered what the end result would be, filled with curiosity. The twins had surprised her before, positively that is, and they might just do it again.

---

"Sigrid, we need you for the planning of your royal wedding!" Tuffnut had practically run into her old hut, making her and Dagur spring apart in surprise.

"Tuff!" Sigrid scolded. "We've talked about this, knock before barging in!"

The twins put on their best puppy faces as they stood inside her hut, wanting to drag her out of there as soon as possible. An awkward clearing of the throat had the twins part in their way, as Sigrid could now finally see her brother standing at her hut's entrance.

"Hey, uh, I was just wondering if you two wanted to help deliver some scrap metal?" Hiccup questioned, eyes darting between the arm-crossed twins, towards a still very confused Sigrid and Dagur. "It's quite a lot, so I think we could really use Sleuther for this one."

"Alright fine, you can have Dagur." Tuffnut decided as he grabbed Sigrid's wrist, attempting to pull her away from the bed, but he was unable to.

"Wait, what's happening?" Sigrid shook her head, sitting as still as ever as her eyes narrowed, before asking the three of them to repeat their requests once more.

"Well, we need Sigrid for some finishing touches for the planning." Ruffnut raised her brow, daring Hiccup to oppose her, as she crossed her arms once more.

"That works out great, because I need Dagur to help deliver some scrap metal to the Armorwing." Hiccup smiled, before looking towards his sister. "Is that okay with you?"

'No, it's not' Dagur wanted to say, but Sigrid beat him to his words with a gentle smile on her face, as she nodded.

"Sure is for me." She turned to face Dagur. "Are you okay with that?"

'No, I don't want to be away from you' is what Dagur wanted to say. But at the sight of her innocent smiling face, he couldn't deny her.

"Yeah." He forced a smile. "Of course."

He was totally not fine with it, but Hiccup would find that out sooner or later.

"Sigrid, Queen of our Berkian hearts, and someday half Berserker." Tuffnut and Ruffnut guided Sigrid towards the club house, Sigrid's brow raised the whole time as Tuffnut spoke. "Now please, close your eyes. Jeepers creepers, shutter those peepers."

Sigrid honestly didn't have the energy to argue with them, knowing that it was no use. But on the other hand, she really wanted to see where this was going. The twins' enthusiasm about her wedding surprised her, and they were taking this whole 'wedding planning' very seriously... in their own way.

"Picture this, the sun is set over the island, leaving the sky a dingy rusty orange. Your guests have just finished eating, not completely finished, you know they're still poking around with the potatoes. They're hungry for more, they want something sweet, yet tangy." Tuffnut spoke.

Ruffnut tapped Sigrid on the shoulder, telling her to open her eyes, before she ripped the cloth from the table "Voila!"

Under the blankets laid an array of quite... disturbing looking... deserts? Honestly she wasn't sure.

"Sweetbread sherbert!" Tuffnut gestured towards the first heap of bread and green liquid dripping down the sides. "Ugh! My own personal brainshell, don't ask me where I got the filling."

"And this is one I call mangy mutton merengue, for obvious reasons." Ruffnut gestured to the weird looking muffin thing, which seemed to explode like puss from a pimple.

"Quite obvious..." Sigrid cringed.

"Now! Get ready to have your wings blown up." Tuffnut spoke with an excited grin, before grabbing the last pointed tray off the table. "I present you, fermented flesh flambée!"

"The pinnacle of pastry perfection!" Ruffnut swooned.

"Harvested from the fangs of a rabbid Grim Nasher." Tuffnut continued.

Ruffnut grinned. "Foamed to table."

Tuffnut cleared his throat, as he held the plate up to Barf and Belch's heads. "I said, fermented flesh flambée!"

The Zippleback practically annihilated the 'desert', as well as a portion of Tuffnut's face, which was now covered in black soot.

"We're still working on the tableside presentation." Ruffnut assured, as if that made it any better.

Sigrid's brow furrowed in concern.

"There won't be any deserts." She lied, watching as the twins' faces fell. "I know it's usually a tradition, but we'd like to use that time to have some fun and sing some songs."

"Wait, you two are singing?" Ruffnut questioned with a mad grin.

Sigrid's words seemed to have raised Tuffnut's excitement as well. "What are you doing? Old MacDonald? My Mother Told Me? Oh, oh! Loki the Joker!"

"No..." Sigrid frowned, before answering their question. "We'll continue my father's tradition, and do our own version of the dancing and the dreaming."

"Ugh, so sappy!" Ruffnut complained.

"Really, no Old MacDonald? You guys are boring." Tuffnut crossed his arms.

Sigrid raised her brow, crossing her own arms as she stared the twins down. "If you don't like it, you don't have to come."

"NO!" They cried out in anguish, falling to their knees as they crawled towards her with crying pleas. "Please, Sigrid! We really really wanna go!"

"I've never looked forward to anything this much in my life!" Tuffnut wept.

"Fine." Sigrid smirked. "I'll let it slide this time."

They never complained about any of her wedding plans again.

---

Dagur's arrival back on Dragon's Edge had been an emotional one, as he instantly clung at Sigrid's waist, crying about how much he'd missed her. She was certainly surprised by the sudden entrance, but after today's mess she didn't mind it one bit. She missed him too.

"I thought of you, darling, everytime I send a Dragon Flyer screaming and plunging into the sea."

It was a disturbing sentence for the average person to hear, but for Sigrid, it warmed her heart.

"Aw, you're too sweet." She cooed, rubbing her nose against his in an eskimo kiss.

Together once again, Dagur had calmed tremendously versus when he was away from Dragon's Edge. One thing was sure, he couldn't wait to get home and lay in bed with his future wife. It also seemed that they weren't the only ones sneaking some kisses. Sigrid nudged Dagur's side with excitement, pointing towards the outside of the club house.

The other riders took notice of it too. Hiccup and Astrid were kissing, and Astrid's face was beet red.

Sigrid let out a misschievous chuckle, before raising her fingers to her lips. She whistled, and her brother had an immediate reaction towards it, flushing red as he separated from his betrothed.

"Sigrid!" He scolded, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Sigrid laughed. "Never gets old."

Chapter Text