The Gift of the Princess (HTTYD)

One Step More

Eira decided to leave Krogan alone for now to let him cool down. She did worry when it began to rain and he did not return, but Stoick's insistence on a meeting prevented her from looking for him. She only heard half of what the chief said while she sat in the Great Hall with her friends.

"We must assume Drago knows our location and could attack at any time," Stoick said. "I want regular patrols on the lookout starting tomorrow morning. Astrid, will you create a schedule?"

"I'm on it," Astrid said. "I can go out now if you want me to."

Stoick shook his head. "That won't be necessary. I doubt even Drago would attack in this weather. Speaking of which, you should all go make sure everyone - Vikings and dragons - are secure indoors in case this develops into a real storm."

Everyone took this as a signal to end the meeting and made a rush to exit the building. Eira stood near the door, looking out with a frown. Indeed, it was pouring now, and the wind was picking up. It made her feel uneasy. 

"Something on your mind, lass?" Stoick said.

Eira turned around to see him standing there with Hiccup and Toothless. "Krogan is in the woods, and I don't think he'll come back on his own." Or at all.

Stoick frowned. "Just leave him be. It sounds like his problem, after all." With that, he walked past her, leaving the Great Hall.

Hiccup gave her a worried look. "You're going after him, aren't you?"

"I have to," Eira said.

"Toothless and I will go with you."

Eira shook her head. "No. I appreciate it, but I need to do this alone. There is something I have to tell him."

Hiccup's eyes filled with understanding. "Good luck."

Eira gave him a small smile. "Thank you." Then she turned and ran straight for the woods. She was still not completely sure what she would say to Krogan, but she knew she had to find him and say something before it was too late.

She ignored the way the rain pounded against her skin as she raced through the trees. She suspected Krogan got as far away from the village as possible, so she headed straight through the middle of the island. Eventually, she came out of the forest and reached a small clearing, where Krogan stood on the edge of the cliff with his back to her.

"Krogan!" she called out to him. He gave no indication he had heard her. "We have to go back. This storm could get dangerous." Still nothing. Eira let out a heavy. She had a feeling that would not work, but she had to try. "Look, I don't have an easy answer for your problem, but I want to help. Please help me understand what you're going through."

After a long moment, Krogan turned towards her a little so she could see his profile. "Drago trained me to be a killer," he said just loud enough to be heard over the rain and wind. "He made me into the perfect weapon. We were supposed to protect people, but what were we to do about those in our way? When I already resigned myself to feeling nothing, it was easy to justify any means to reach our noble end. Somewhere along the way, the means became the end. By then, I didn't care." Krogan closed his eyes and said nothing for a minute. When he opened them again, they were full of pain and sorrow. "I don't want to care. I don't want to be responsible for destroying so many lives."

"But you have to care," Eira said gently. "If you want all the good parts about life, you have to accept the bad. You have to let go of the past so you can move on."

Krogan clenched his jaw in frustration. "How? You could not possibly understand. You'd feel guilty for accidentally hurting someone, let alone intentionally killing them. How can you stand to be near me?"