The Gift of the Princess (HTTYD)

Fading Fast

"It's no use, Dagur," Stoick said. "She's doing it again with the 'everyone is out to get me' routine."

"Oh, I know all about that one!" Dagur gave Valka a pointed look. "Trust me, when you play that game, you're always missing something."

"Don't tell me I'm jumping to conclusions!" Valka growled.

"Then stop jumping to conclusion!" Stoick said.

"Oh, you think I'm overreacting?"

"YES!" Stoick met her glare with one of his own.

"I'll tell you why I'm not overreacting, Stoick. It doesn't matter if I have the facts wrong; the end result is just the same."

"Don't you think it matters who you target your rage at?" Eira said. Not that she thought erupting on the perpetrator was very productive.

Valka swung to face her. "And you. You with your scoundrel friends and ridiculous notions of redemption. I'll bet it was one them who's responsible." She fixed her steely eyes on Krogan. "Where did you go before you found this place? Did you return to your master and lead him here?"

"I have no master!" Krogan snarled. "I'm on my own." Eira did not like the way Valka was glowering at him, so she quickly placed herself in between the two, though she was not certain Valka would not hurt her this time. Dagur and Viggo positioned themselves on either side of her.

"That's even worse! You have no loyalties and are capable of anything. You can't be trusted."

"Now you're actually starting to make sense," Stoick said.

"No! This isn't Krogan's fault!" Eira insisted.

"How do you know?" Heather asked.

Eira did have reasons for her faith in Krogan, but none of them she could articulate very well. "I just do."

"To be fair, I doubt he has what it takes to pull off that kind of deception," Viggo said.

"If Eira trusts him, then so do I!" Dagur declared.

"Then you're fools," Valka said darkly.

"Look, the trappers are leaving," Hiccup said. He motioned to the boats sailing away. Their friends hovered in the air behind them.

"Am I to assume they will not be back? They discovered this place once, they can discover it again. It does not matter if your friends are innocent bystanders. It is now clear to me that the only way dragons will be safe is if I bring them here to me."

Hiccup looked at her in dismay. "You don't mean that. We love our dragons."

"Then you will do what is best for them." Valka turned around and tapped her staff on the ground. "I am sorry it has come to this, but you leave me with no choice." Slowly, the Bewilderbeast emerged from his nest, showing his massive size.

"What in Odin's name is that?!" Gobber exclaimed.

"This is the Bewilderbeast. The King of Dragons. No dragon is able to resist his call." Valka faced the edge of the island, where the dragon riders were coming in closer, and raised her staff. Then the Bewilderbeast let out a thundering roar.

"No, no!" Hiccup said. "You can't do this!" He spun around. "Fly away!"

But it was too late. The riders were already too close to evade the Bewilderbeast, and suddenly, their dragons began to twist and turn in discomfort. "What's going on?" Astrid shouted.

Hiccup stared at his mother in horror. "If the dragons shake them off, they could be seriously injured... or worse!"

"Enough of this madness!" Stoick roared. "Release them at once!"