The Gift of the Princess (HTTYD)

One Step More

"Because you're not a killer. You may have killed, but that's not who you are. You are much more than all of your worst mistakes. You do not have to be who you were when you were with Drago."

Krogan's expression saddened once more. "You are right. I am broken. I failed Drago. Now I am nothing."

Eira gazed at him sadly. Did he really believe that? She inched closer to him, grateful when he did not move away. "No. While it's true that is no longer who you are, just as you are no longer the innocent boy before the attack on your village, that doesn't mean you're nothing. You're moving onto something else."

"What then? What am I?" He finally looked at her, and his eyes searched hers for a real answer.

Eira took a deep breath and then placed a hand on his arm. "You are whoever you choose to be. I cannot decide for you. It's okay if you don't know your destination yet; just take one step at a time. Focus on what is right ahead of you. If you need something concrete, focus on being my friend."

Krogan lowered his gaze to the ground. "And what about the memories?"

"I can't take those away. You need to process all those emotions if you ever want to get past them. And if it feels too overwhelming, just hold onto me. I won't let you drown. And there are others who want to help as well: Ingrid, Hiccup, Viggp, Dagur, and even Eret. If you focus on creating positive memories with us, they'll slowly replace the negative ones. When you feel like you can't go on, concentrate on taking one step more. That's not too difficult, is it?"

Krogan stared at her with mixed emotions made difficult to discern due to the rain. Something seemed different, though. "No. Not if you're there."

Eira smiled. "I will be here. I'm not running away, and if you run again, I'll chase after you." She finally recognized the dominant emotion in his eyes: gratitude.

Without warning, Krogan reached his arm around her waist and pulled her into his chest. They were both soaking wet, but it did not matter. Eira held onto him tightly, knowing he had almost certainly been deprived of physical touch and affection for years. "Thank you," he whispered. "I can't do this without you."

Eira's throat tightened, and her eyes welled up. To hear him say that... She had no words. She focused on listening to his heartbeat gradually return to normal. Once it did, he finally let her go and looked at her. He appeared content, at least for the moment, and she took that as a success. Then, without another word, they started back to the village together,  Eira holding onto his arm to give him additional comfort.

A welcoming party awaited them outside her hut: Ingrid, Snotlout, Hiccup, and Toothless. They were all drenched but relieved to see them. Toothless bounded up to Eira, and she smiled as she stroked his head. "Hello there." She glanced at the Vikings. "You waited for us outside?"

"We were worried," Hiccup said.

"I wasn't worried," said Snotlout. "I knew you would be fine. I was just here to keep these two calm."

Ingrid rolled her eyes. "You were the first one to panic."

"Are you doing alright?" Hiccup said worriedly to Krogan.

"I am fine now," said Krogan. "Thank you."

Ingrid smiled. "Great. Now we can get out of the rain before we all get sick."

Everyone agree. After parting with the others, Ingrid, Eira, and Krogan headed into the house. Eira looked back at Krogan when he paused at the door and gave him an encouraging smile. He dipped his head and took another step.

***

Eira worried about leaving Krogan alone to visit Berserker Island the following morning, but she knew it would not help if she was constantly around him. Thankfully, he  was waiting for her outside her hut with Ruby when she returned. "Hey, Krogan," she said with a small smile. "How are you doing?"