Chapter Text
Hiccup ran back to the arena where the reception was being held, Toothless hot on his trail. What he had just seen was impossible, right? Frozen men can't blink.
He hoped to the gods that he was hallucinating. He needed a second opinion and fast, but who to tell? Who would actually listen and not accuse him of going crazy? Dagur. Dagur knew crazy better than anyone.
He stopped running as he neared the dinner party. He had to appear calm. He had to get Dagur away from the party without raising an alarm. He entered the party and scanned over the guests, locating the Berserker chief. He found him talking with his new wife. They were laughing at the show the twins were putting on.
Hiccup made his way to the man. He pushed through the crowd of Vikings. When he finally got to Dagur, he grabbed the man's shoulder and whispered in his ear. "Dagur, we need to talk. It's urgent."
Dagur turned and looked at his brother. He could see that Hiccup was freaked out. The younger man was trying to hide it but failing. The younger man looked like he was on the verge of a mental breakdown
The Berserker gave his wife a quick kiss. "I'll be right back, Schnookums."
Dagur followed Hiccup into the section of woods that housed the cave's main entrance. "What's wrong, brother?"
Hiccup stopped walking and rubbed the temples of his forehead. "I'm losing my mind. I've finally cracked, and I-I need you to tell me I'm wrong."
A rambling Hiccup was never a good thing. Dagur had the misfortune of knowing what happens when Hiccup gets freaked out. He needed to keep Hiccup calm and lucid. Stress was something the Dragon Rider didn't need.
"Take a deep breath, hold it, and let it out," Dagur offered, demonstrating what he meant.
Hiccup took in three deep breaths. His body relaxed, but his eyes were still wide with fear.
"What happened? What did you see?" Dagur asked.
Hiccup explained how going to the caves was supposed to be a way to make peace with what had happened. He talked about yelling at Johann and then saw him blink. Twice.
"I feel stupid asking this, but can you just go back with me in there and see if he really is blinking or if I've just lost my mind?" Hiccup asked. His tone was almost childlike.
Dagur wanted to chide Hiccup for going in there alone, to begin with, but didn't have the heart. "Sure. No problem. That's what brothers are for."
As they continued walking, Dagur silently hoped Hiccup was going a tad crazy and that Johann really was dead underneath the ice. He also hated himself for hoping for such a thing. If Hiccup's mind really was cracked, there was no telling what else he could be seeing or hearing.
Dagur leaned in and studied the frozen man. Hiccup stood behind him, clutching the remains of his former sword. He kept his distance but was close enough to see if he really was blinking.
The Berserker chief nearly jumped back when Johann blinked. Sweet Freya, Hiccup wasn't going crazy. The madman was still alive.
"Please tell me you saw that?" Hiccup practically begged.
Dagur had to make a split-second decision. If he told Hiccup that Johann was still alive, he would go back to being scared and angry. Everything he had worked so hard on for the past few months would come crashing down. Hiccup needed to think Johann was dead in order to move on.
"I didn't see anything," Dagur lied. "It must be your imagination. Perhaps a good night's rest is in order."
Hiccup stared at the man. He was still counting to ten; then he screamed. "You're lying! You moved when he blinked!"
Before Dagur had a chance to defend himself, Hiccup had run him through with Inferno and sent him over the edge.
Dagur the Deranged was dead.