The Strength of the Princess (HTTYD)

Strange Turn of Events

Chapter 36: Strange Turn of Events

Eira fell asleep thinking about Dagur. She did not know what had compelled her to kiss him like that. Being close to him was starting to have strange effects on her. She could no longer deny that she liked him. A lot. However, love was about more than feelings. She needed to consider everything carefully.

As she got ready in the morning, she realized part of her problem. She was still not being entirely honest with Dagur and Snotlout. She did not know if the truth would change anything, but they deserved to know. She decided to discuss the issue with Hiccup since he had stayed out of this whole affair.

She opened her door and found Dagur standing there with his fist raised. "Eira!" he said brightly. "I was just coming to see you!"

Eira smiled at him. "Good morning, Dagur." The desire to flee from him had vanished. Now she wanted to stay.

Dagur pulled her in for a hug, which she instantly returned. He pulled back a little to gaze at her. Then he brought his lips to hers in a soft kiss. Eira forgot all her reservations as she kissed back. He broke away and rested his forehead against hers, grinning. "Good morning, Eira."

"Are you going to keep doing that?" Not that she minded.

"Not until you kiss me again. I liked that."

Eira smiled despite herself. She liked it too. "Are you supposed to keep track like that?"

"No, but I don't want to overwhelm you." Dagur backed up and grabbed her hand. "Let's go and-"

Eira pulled him back before he could lead her away. "Dagur, we need to talk."

Dagur's face fell. "I hope it's a good talk."

"It's neither good nor bad. It's just-" She hesitated. "After everything that's happened this past week, I think I need you and Snotlout to tone it down a bit. Can we go back to being friends for now? It might help me figure things out."

Dagur tried to hide his disappointment. "If that's what you want..."

"Thank you for understanding. I'll go tell Snotlout as well." She started down the path that led to the base.

Dagur jogged to catch up to her. "But we can still hand out, right?"

"I need to talk to Hiccup about something. Maybe after that we can spend time together."

Dagur smiled. "Sounds perfect. Good luck with your talk!"

Eira waved at him before they parted ways. At least that part was not too difficult. Luckily, she soon found Snotlout heading for the clubhouse and called out to him.

Snotlout stopped and turned to her. He smiled at first, but then a gloomy expression overtook his face. "Oh, hey, Eira."

"Is something wrong?" Eira asked in concern.

"I know you chose Dagur yesterday, and I know he went after you when he found out. If you've made up your mind, I-"

"I haven't yet," she said quickly, earning a surprised look from Snotlout. "I still need more time. That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh. Okay."

"I have a lot I need to think about, and it would help if you stopped this competition."

Snotlout frowned. "That's what Dagur said."

"Well, he was right. Can we go back to normal? I promise I won't leave you hanging. With everything I've learned, I should be able to make a better comparison now."