The Gift of the Princess (HTTYD)

An Old Friend

Chapter 6: An Old Friend

Eira needed a new tactic because, once again, she found herself following behind a silent Krogan. Were all her days going to be like this? He had hardly said a word to her since they talked the previous day, and she worried she had pushed him too far.

"Do you need to follow me?" Krogan broke the silence with an icy tone.

"Well, yes," said Eira. "Especially if you want to keep exploring this forest. There are wild dragons in here."

"I can handle dragons just fine."

Eira considered this. From what she remembered, he was highly competent in that area. "Then I need to protect the wild dragons from you."

Krogan did not respond to this. Eira wondered what she could do to get a reaction out of him. She could not bring herself to purposefully anger him just yet, but the idea was growing more tempting by the day. The silence resumed until the loud sound of flapping wings caused them to freeze. They had reached a small clearing in the forest, and, suddenly, a large, red Singetail dropped down before them.

"Ruby!" Eira said brightly upon recognizing the dragon. She smiled as she strode forward. "How are you doing, girl?" She held her hand out, and the Singetail nuzzled her head against her palm affectionately.

"Is that-?" Krogan said in disbelief.

Eira glanced back at him. "Your Singetail? Yes, she is."

Krogan narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You brought me here on purpose."

Eira's eyebrows lifted. "Brought you here? How does that make sense? I've been following you." And she honestly thought the dragon would choose to stay away from him.

Krogan ignored her and focused on the Singetail. "What is it doing here?"

Eira noticed Ruby staring at him. She really hoped it was a good idea standing around talking like this. Bringing these two together could either be really good or really bad. "Well, after the battle at Berserker Island, she needed help adjusting to life beyond captivity. Ingrid and I worked with her until she could live on her own. She's fine now, but like many other dragons we've rescued, she decided to live on Berk. She probably feels safe here."

Eira thought she saw emotion in Krogan's eyes, but before she could decipher it, he turned away. "Then you should keep her away from me."

Eira frowned. "I don't think-"

"You said you want to keep me from harming dragons. I've already harmed this one."

Eira looked at Ruby, who gazed almost sadly at Krogan. "I think the truth is more complicated than that."

"No, it's simple. You only refuse to see it."

Eira opened her mouth to respond, but Ruby suddenly jerked away from her and started for Krogan. She gasped, not knowing the dragon's intent. "Krogan, keep still."

"I told you I know how to deal with dragons," Krogan hissed. He stood still while staring into the eyes of the Singetail, who was now only inches from him.

Eira let out a long breath. She could now tell Ruby meant him no harm. "But do you know how to befriend one?"

"There is no need. Dragons are not meant to be our friends. Eventually, their natural instincts will take over, and they will turn on you."

Eira fought back a rush of anger. "How can you still believe that after everything you've seen? This dragon once saved your life!"

Krogan finally broke eye contact with Ruby to glare at Eira, and thankfully the dragon remained calm. "Because I controlled her! That is the only way to get dragons to do what you want. There was never any sort of bond. She served me."