Heart of a Berserker: Love (School of Dragons)

Chapter 5

"There can be no vulnerability without risk. There can be no community without vulnerability. There can be no peace, and ultimately no life, without community." – M. Scott Peck

Chapter 5

Vikings and dragons gathered around Harald. Even Raija, the Light Fury, sat at his feet and looked up at him intently as if interested in his story. He stared at the map for a full minute before lifting his head to gaze at his audience.

"My mother believed this map was destined to be used by a hero who would unite the four tribes," Harald said in a slow, steady voice. "When I was a kid, I dreamed of being that hero. I believed in peace, truth, and justice. I wanted to be someone great. But then..."

"Toki happened," I said softly.

Harald grimaced. "Yes. I woke up to reality. I stopped believing. I put the map out of my mind until my father forced me to work on it when I joined his crew. I no longer believed in the message of the legend, but I did want to open the map to prove my intellectual superiority. It was a challenge and a way to succeed my father. I planned to steal the map from him before I left, but that didn't work out. I gave up on it after I joined Viggo."

"You never mentioned the map to me," Viggo said.

"I was not eager to relay one of my failures."

"You saved Leopold instead of stealing the map," I said. "That wasn't a failure."

A smile twitched on Harald's face. "Thanks. Anyway, while I was with Viggo, I did not need the map to keep me occupied. When we parted ways, I set off on my own and made a name for myself as a pirate. It was fun for awhile, but I eventually grew tired of being on my own with no purpose to guide me. I had no goal, no plan. I envied Viggo for knowing what he wanted and going after it. I could have joined him, but that was his future, not mine. I wanted something of my own.

"Then I remembered the map. I heard my father had lost it and given up on his quest. I decided not to search for the map at first because I still had no idea how to open it. Instead, I laid the groundwork. I had no faith in the peace the map promised, but I did like the idea of being the one to find the treasure. I wanted to prove myself worthy, and I wanted to make up for the past. My ancestors and their allies were wronged by Berkians and Berserkers. They forced them out of their home and scattered them across the ocean. I wanted to make them pay."

"But that was the fault of our ancestors, not us," Heather said.

"It didn't matter. I was mad at the world and needed someone to blame. It helped to focus my energy on who I thought were my enemies. So, I traveled to the archipelago to learn about my adversaries. I heard rumors Berk learned how to train dragons, which was good news for my quest. At first I was annoyed they changed roles, but then I realized they were now on the side that originally lost. Switching it up could work for me."

"Then why not join the dragon hunters?" Eret asked. "If you wanted to switch sides, you could have used them to control dragons."

"That was not what I wanted. I was mad at the Vikings, not the dragons. I didn't want to hurt them. Besides, unlocking the map required both sides to work together for awhile. The dragon hunters were not patient enough for that. No offense, Viggo."

"No, you're right," Viggo said. "We had different aims. It would not have worked."

"I did think the dragon hunters could be useful, and I learned about them. Oh, and I met Skulder right about then. I wanted to extract information from him about Berk, but he proved less than useless when he fled in terror at the sight of Leopold."

I stifled a laugh. "Really, Skulder?"

The archaeologist shot me a look. "You know how I was with dragons back then!"