Heather

Heather is an original character from DreamWorks Dragons television series. She makes a very brief appearance on Dragons: Riders of Berk but later returns as a regular on Dragons: Race to the Edge with a dragon of her own, a Razorwhip named Windshear.

Physical Appearance
Heather has green eyes and long black hair that frames her face with her bangs parted on the right side and a braid placed over her left shoulder. She also seems to wear some form of eye liner in the first season.

In Dragons: Riders of Berk, Heather wears a light gray shirt that goes halfway down her forearms with a leather vest over it, a hollow horn around her waist and an off-white skirt underneath. She wears brown pants, wristbands, and boots with roping. All of her clothing has patches.

Heather's appearance has a drastic change in Race to the Edge. She now wears a long-sleeve light gray shirt with a black, short sleeved hooded shirt over it, and a brown mask to hide her identity. She also has a brown leather vest, dark gray pants, and brown boots. She has three black belts, as well as one that holds her horn and a lens for the Dragon Eye. Heather has metallic-like shoulder guards, bracers, knee pads, and skirt, all from the scales from Windshear. Heather still wears her hair in the same style as before but it is noticeably longer. She no longer wears eye liner.

Heather also possesses a satchel similar to the ones the other riders use, except it is black in color and has no crest on it.

Personality
Heather is perceptive and able to think her way out of trouble. She is also willing to go to great lengths to help her own cause.

Heather often comes across as two-faced, sly and untrustworthy, and has herself a hard time putting trust in others. She is deceitful and fickle by nature, prone to being secretive and lying to people that proved to be worthy of her trust. While not easy for her, she is also willing to abuse the trust of her friends and hurt them (emotionally at least) to further whatever agenda she has, which often ended up putting the Riders at risk. She could also go as far as to put innocent people she didn't know in danger, seen when she tried to deliver the Book of Dragons to the Outcasts (who would have undoubtedly tried to use trained dragons to destroy Berk), even though she did it to save her adoptive parents. She has also shown to mislead and guilt-trip her friends for personal gains.

She seems to take pride in her abilities with deception, maybe even to the point of hubris. She gloated to Astrid about how she was able to win the favor of her male friends and her own dragon, Stormfly. However, she might have done it to merely keep up appearances.

After losing her adoptive family, she is less emotionally stable and often makes the wrong choices, even if is for what she personally believes to be the right reasons. This shows that the loss of her family unhinged her a little bit. She had even persuaded Astrid to lie to Hiccup, which the Berkian had never done before.

Heather is also somewhat spiteful and prone to holding grudges against people, like her brother. Nevertheless, she was able to overcome it in the end.

In spite of all her problematic behavior, Heather has a strong moral drive. She ends up becoming a vigilante for justice by returning stolen loot from pirates to their rightful owners. The main reason she hadn't wanted the Riders to join her mission was to keep them out of trouble. While nervous around dragons at first, after her brief stay on Berk, followed much later by meeting Windshear, she ended up developing an interest for them. It lead her to becoming determined to protect certain species, such as when she wanted to help Garf back to his family and take down the Dragon Hunters for good.

Heather is also very observant, thus very knowledgeable. She asks Astrid if she and Hiccup are together when she notices how close they are.

She has also shown a caring and attentive side, as when she sang to the baby Death Song and calmed him, refusing to let the Riders just abandon him, knowing what it was like to be alone.

Abilities, Skills & Talents

 * Acting: Heather is a very good actress, as she was able to fool the Dragon Riders for a few days, except Astrid, who saw her sneaking around. in "Heather Report, Part 1". These skills are used again when infiltrating the Dragon Hunters. "Night of the Hunters, Part 1 and "Night of the Hunters, Part 2". Only Viggo was able to figure her out in "Maces and Talons, Part 1".


 * Strength and Fighting Skills:  Heather is pretty tough and is able to take on Astrid, as well as able to scale the walls in Berk's prison, and stay at the top for some time. Heather became much stronger after her village was attacked. She is capable of taking on at least three dragon hunters at once. ("Maces and Talons, Part 2") Heather's weapon is a double axe that is able to fold at the end. She prefers close combat, so she can stare her enemies in the eye, as shown in Have Dragon Will Travel, Part 1 and Have Dragon Will Travel, Part 2. However, her skills appears to be inferior to that of Viggo Grimborn and Krogan.


 * Dragon Training and Riding: Even with very little time spent on Berk, Heather picked up on dragon training pretty quickly, as all the dragons have taken a liking to her. Even though she wasn't very fast, she was also capable of flying with Stormfly. Her skills have improved by Race to the Edge, with her training her own dragon, Windshear.


 * Intelligence: She is shown to be pretty clever to come up with a great lie to fool everyone. She even came up with ideas to escape from prison in "Heather Report, Part 2". She was also able to beat Fishlegs in the game Maces and Talons three times in a row in Gold Rush.


 * Crafting: Heather seems to have a bit knowledge about arts and crafts as she gave Hiccup advice on how to increase Toothless' speed with a shorter connecting rod.("Heather Report, Part 1") She also made her own battle axe and was able to create her own armor from Windshear's scales.("Have Dragon Will Travel, Part 1") She most likely built Windshear's saddle as well.


 * Berserk: When she was younger, Heather didn't display any tendencies. These traits began to appear after Dagur's attack. She seemed to enjoy fighting more than before. This and the loss of her family have also made Heather a bit unstable, though not dangerously so. Heather admitted to Astrid she was afraid that she had the same Berserker insanity as her brother, but Astrid assured her she was nothing like Dagur in "To Heather or Not to Heather".


 * Cooking: Heather is revealed to be an excellent cook. Tuffnut, himself, cannot get enough of her yak-chops. She appears to have taken over preparing meals for the gang as of "To Heather or Not to Heather".


 * Singing: Heather is an excellent singer. She was the only one Garff did not blast with amber.

Dagur the Deranged
"Heather if you're reading this, I guess that's bad news for me. Sorry, but I couldn't let Hiccup fly you into a trap. Tell our little brother that if he really wants to hurt Viggo, hit his next dragon auction. It moves around, but if he turns over enough rocks, some worm will tell him where it is. One other thing, I didn't kill our father. When he disappeared, I let people believe that, so they would think I was tough enough to be chief. I did a lot of things I am sorry for, but I couldn't rest in peace knowing you thought I did that. Be Safe. Your brother, Dagur."

- Dagur's letter to Heather.

Dagur is Heather's older brother but while Dagur respects her, Heather hated him and wanted to kill him to avenge her adoptive parents (who she believes Dagur killed), unaware of their relations. But she stopped trying after she learned that he was actually her brother. While Dagur did offer her to join him, she refused, and she is still holding a grudge against him.

Heather later did join Dagur, though only to avenge her family. However, the more time they spent together, Heather did begin to form a relationship with her brother. When Viggo found out she was a spy and had Dagur lock her up, Heather tried to reason with Dagur, though he didn't listen at first. However, Dagur did free her and reunited her with Windshear.

Despite being saved by Dagur, Heather still hated him ("To Heather or Not to Heather"). She believed him to be the source of all her misery, not just for destroying her island, but setting her adrift and killing their father. When she saw Dagur again, her first instincts were to attack him. Dagur, on the other hand, really grew to care for Heather and wanted to make amends. He ended up sacrificing himself to protect Heather in "Family on the Edge".

Shortly after what was thought to be his death, Heather found a letter from him on her bed in which Dagur confessed he never killed their father. Heather started crying after she finished reading it, finally forgiving her brother in "Family on the Edge".

Heather was not enthusiastic to see Dagur again after discovering he was alive after all. She refused to apologize to him despite being in the wrong. Her opinion however changed as Dagur proved himself to be a reliable and trustworthy ally whilst saving his dragon Shattermaster. Although still hesitant, Heather eventually ended up joining Dagur in a quest to track their father down. By the end of the season, Heather and Dagur are living with their Beserker tribe, although it's still unknown whether they found Oswald the Agreeable yet. Dagur also is shown to care about her safety in "Searching for Oswald...and Chicken", where he asks Hiccup to help him keep her from recklessly following her father's diary to find him so that she will not get herself killed.

Windshear
Heather and Windshear have an unbreakable bond. Having both experienced, and risen above, tragedy.

Heather found Windshear after she was attacked by a Typhoomerang. Using what she learned from the Dragon Riders, she was able to treat and train her. The two soon became an unstoppable team. Heather even used some of Windshear's barbs to style her new outfit. In "Have Dragon Will Travel, Part 1", Heather happily told the Riders about her dragon, quite proud of her abilities

While Heather demonstrated a single-minded focus to kill Dagur, she was still not willing to put Windshear at risk for it, showing how much she cares for her dragon. She also took Windshear into account when she picked out her campsite, choosing an island with a large amount of sea slugs, Windshear's favorite.

While Heather loved being among the Riders and on Dragon's Edge, she would not choose any of them over her dragon. Though thanks to Fishlegs, she didn't have to make that choice in the end.

When Windshear was caged and thrown into the ocean, Heather risked her life to save her, and when it didn't work, she was willing to die alongside her dragon.

Heather's Adoptive Parents
Heather cares very deeply about her parents and would do whatever it took to save them from Alvin as shown in "Heather Report, Part 1" and "Heather Report, Part 2". It is revealed that they are not her biological parents, but she still loved them. Losing them and her village became her motivation to attack Dagur in "Have Dragon Will Travel, Part 1" and "Have Dragon Will Travel, Part 2".

Even after all the Heather and Dagur had been through while she was with the Dragon Hunters, she still hadn't quite forgiven him about destroying her island until his apparent death in "Family on the Edge".

Fishlegs Ingerman
"You have been looking for a home since the first day I met you, Heather. And maybe this is finally, your chance to find it. Just know that we will always... I will always be here for you."

- Fishlegs to Heather right before she hugs and kisses him.

Fishlegs is Heather's boyfriend in season three and they are confirmed to still be dating in season five of ''Race to the Edge. ''He is the reason Heather decides to join the dragon riders and stay with them on Dragon's Edge.

When they first met on Dragons: Riders of Berk, Fishlegs took a quick liking to Heather and even showed her the Book of Dragons. Heather did appear to show more praise towards him that the other boys at the time. By the time they meet again nearly three years later, Heather starts to return Fishlegs's affection. They both express romantic interest in one another on several occasions. Heather smiled warmly at him and shyly tucked her hair behind her ear when Fishlegs offered to help her. In "Have Dragon Will Travel, Part 2", during her talk with Astrid, Heather confessed she likes Fishlegs and referred to him as cute and funny.

In 'Snow Way Out", Fishlegs was relieved to find out he was right about Heather being good at heart. In "Maces and Talons, Part 1", he gushed over her mapping and tracking skills.

Fishlegs is the only one Heather stayed in touch with after she flew off at the end of the Viggo affair. She and Fishlegs sent one another letters through airmail every day, and he ended up saving them all in a chest in his hut. Fishlegs kept this a secret from the rest of the gang until "To Heather or Not to Heather".

After Heather arrived on the edge, she and Fishlegs didn't hide their feelings for each other. Heather initially wanted to leave again because of Windshear's inability to cooperate with other dragons, but Fishlegs figured out a way to integrate Windshear and thus making it possible for Heather to stay with him. By the end of this episode, Fishlegs and Heather end up becoming a couple, much to Snotlout's dismay. Fishlegs is also the one who picked out the perfect place for Heather to build her hut.

Heather and Fishlegs keep their relationship on the down-low for the most part and it isn't until "Gold Rush" that it is brought up again. It's the first time we see Heather and Fishlegs exchange a kiss as Fishlegs comes to terms with Heather leaving the Edge with Dagur. They also almost kiss each other on the lips before getting interrupted by Dagur.

In Something Rotten on Berserker Island Fishlegs is excited to see Heather again and even though they are discreet about their relationship, they appear to still be romantically involved.

Astrid Hofferson
"Be safe out there."

- Astrid

Astrid is Heather's closest friend, though the two did not start out that way. Astrid was the only one who saw through Heather's ruse. Even when confronted, Heather simply mocked Astrid since no one believed her. She went even further after she stole Stormfly and the Book of Dragons. The two physically fought each other on the dragon's back. After she was captured, Heather admits the truth to Astrid, though she didn't believe her, and neither did the other riders. After escaping and riding Stormfly to Outcast Island, the two apologized to each other. When Astrid fell off Stormfly, Heather appeared to be concerned. The two finally make amends back on Berk as Heather thanks Astrid for risking her life to help Heather's parents.

Heather was happy to see Astrid again, and the two got along very well. They spent a lot of time bonding and worked together as a team when they raided Dagur's ship. Heather also teased Astrid about her closeness with Hiccup, insinuating Hiccup and Astrid are more than friends. Although Astrid repeatedly denied it, Heather still did not seem convinced. After their encounter with Johann, Heather gathered the other riders to accompany her in the attack against Dagur's fleet. She was initially hurt when Astrid expressed her hesitation and made Astrid feel guilty for it. Before she left, Heather thanked Astrid, saying it was great having a friend again.

Since then, Astrid had become Heather's greatest ally. In "Night of the Hunters, Part 2", Heather confided in her about her plan to infiltrate the Dragon Hunters, while Astrid in return promised to keep Heather's involvement a secret. In "Snow Way Out" they met up again in secret so she could inform Astrid and the riders of Ryker's plan to capture a Snow Wraith. Astrid ended up confiding in Heather about her guilt of lying to Hiccup. Heather reassured Astrid and told her to trust her.

The two happily reunited in "To Heather or Not to Heather", and Astrid let her stay in her hut for the time being. The two began to talk about Heather's disappearance and struggles, before she changed the subject about Hiccup, encouraging Astrid to act on her feelings for him. When the two finally accepted their feelings in "Blindsided", Heather was the only rider to know of them before the others caught them in "Shell Shocked, Part 2".

After Heather officially joined the Riders, she and Astrid usually worked together on missions. They appear to be sharing a hut as well, among other things. Heather is often seen taking care of Astrid and even gives Astrid flowers as a thanks for getting to borrow her axe.

Garffiljorg
After the riders rescued a dragon-egg from the Dragon Hunters, the egg hatched back on Dragon's Edge. The riders didn't know what it was, however the baby dragon wouldn't stop crying for the whole day, annoying the Dragon Riders except for Heather who felt sorry for the little dragon. The baby dragon, now named Garffiljorg revealed itself to be a baby Death Song after Chicken sang to it, Garff shot amber at Chicken trying to eat her until she was saved by Tuffnut. The riders planned to abandon Garff since it was too dangerous to go back to Melody Island. However Heather refused to abandon him, knowing what it was like to be all alone in the world. As Garff kept on crying, Heather sang a lullaby to the baby dragon, giving her and the Riders the idea of singing to him to train him. Although the riders tried to sing to him, it all didn't work so well and Heather still didn't want him abandoned, so Hiccup decided to take him to Melody Island. On their way, Garff fell asleep in Heather's arms from a combination of her singing and dragon nip from Fishlegs. When they arrived, the adult Death Song shot amber at all the riders and rejected Garff's singing, Garff soon jumped in to protect her and all the other riders by singing the songs the adult likes. When they finally bond, Garff looks down at Heather, but Heather tells him to go on and Garff flies off with his new father.

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III
"So, shall we go and rescue our brother?"

- Hiccup to Heather

Hiccup welcomed Heather when she arrived on Berk, even telling her to consider the island her home until they could figure things out for her. Unlike the other boys, Heather didn't flirt with Hiccup, but acted more innocent. She also helped him with increasing Toothless' speed. Hiccup naively believed Heather over Astrid when she tried to warn him that the newcomer was not who she seemed. Hiccup finally believed Astrid when she told him that Heather stole Stormfly and the Book of Dragons, which he was just looking for. After working things out with the Dragon Riders, Heather promised Hiccup and Astrid if she needed help she would ask.

When they met up again, Hiccup was put off by how much Heather had changed. When Hiccup questioned why she attacked the ship from earlier and told her the others were there for her, she changed the subject by thanking him for his concern. After saving her from being captured by Dagur, Heather revealed how she was separated from her birth family.

Hiccup supports Heather's relationship with Fishlegs, and is happy to have her join them on the Edge. He even tried to help her train Windshear. Hiccup also took Heather's wish to keep Dagur at distance into consideration, and in "Family on the Edge" attempted to keep her presence on the Edge a secret from Dagur. Hiccup is referred to as Dagur and Heather's little brother by Dagur in his last letter to Heather. This hints that Heather is actually older than Hiccup.

Hiccup and Heather go undercover and are both shocked to discover Dagur is alive and among Dragon Hunters. When Dagur attempts to explain himself, Heather is displeased while Hiccup wants to give him a chance. He eventually ends up convincing her to save their mutual brother.

Snotlout Jorgenson
Heather was a little more flirtatious with Snotlout than the others, most likely because he flirted with her. She did thank him for "saving" her, but was more interested in learning about Hookfang. When Heather left Berk, Snotlout told her to write to him, but she just smiled and shook her head. After meeting up again, Snotlout continued to flirt with Heather, only this time she had no problem pushing him aside. When demonstrating Windshear's abilities, she used them on Snotlout, though not directly.

Heather later tells Astrid she doesn't like macho Vikings.

Ruffnut Thorston and Tuffnut Thorston
While learning about the Hideous Zippleback, Heather worked with Tuffnut. When he suggested getting rid of his sister so they could share Barf and Belch, Heather preferred to focus on the dragon. Tuffnut actually questioned why the Riders were friends with Heather after she nearly attacked them, locked up their dragons, and snuck away. Though the sincerity of her apology got the better of him.

In "Have Dragon Will Travel, Part 2", Ruff was very impressed by Windshear, complimenting Heather at an uncomfortably close range. In 'Edge of Disaster, Part 2", Heather helped Ruffnut and loaned Windshear to her so she could escape. Though later when she got her dragon back, Heather punched Ruffnut for head butting her earlier.

Tuffnut is the only character so far to call Heather out on her behaviour.

Trader Johann
Johann is Heather's informant. He gives her the information she needs to find pirates that have raided other tribes, and Dagur as well.

Johann does appear to care about Heather, not just as a partner, but as a friend as he hugged her when he saw her again in "Have Dragon Will Travel, Part 2". When the Terrible Terror letter he sent to her returned, and saw her camp was abandoned, he had feared the worst, but was relieved that Heather was alright.

Johann was very apologetic to Heather in "Sins of the Past", when he found out that Harek was telling lies about Oswald to them. However, this could have been part of a plan to get Heather in danger.

It is unknown what happens to their friendship after it is revealed that Johann is evil.

Rider Dragons
Heather quickly bonded with Stormfly after she gave the Nadder some chicken. However, she had no experience riding dragons and couldn't control her. When Heather tried to ride her again, Stormfly was unsure at first until Heather mentioned finding Astrid. Even years later, Heather remembered how much Stormfly loved chicken.

Toothless was the first of the dragons she met, and was initially scared of him, but soon grew to like him. When Dagur approached her, Toothless defended Heather, keeping the Berserker chief away from her.

The other dragons also took a quick liking to Heather. Barf let her sit on him and Hookfang seemed pleased when she pet him. Meatlug seemed to happy to be called cute and thinking she was a strong dragon from her tail.

Savage
Savage was Heather's contact when she was forced to work with the Outcasts. She told him about the Book of Dragons, and begged for more time to get it.

When Heather joined Dagur, she was occasionally seen with Savage as well. He followed her orders like he does with Dagur.

Alvin the Treacherous and the Outcast Tribe
While Heather did work for the Outcasts for a short time, it was only because Alvin threatened her parents unless she found out Berk's dragon secrets. She told Savage that they had a book on controlling dragons and begged for more time. While she managed to deliver the book, she was captured by the Dragon Riders. Heather later joined the riders in fighting the Outcasts.

Ryker Grimborn and Viggo Grimborn
"Pity, really. I'd hoped you'd be a better adversary."

- - Viggo Grimborn

Ryker did not trust Heather, since she rode a dragon, but still kept her around. Even though Heather was not on Ryker's side, she still followed his orders. When Ryker suspected her for treason, she stood up for herself, and so did Dagur.

Heather planned to lure Viggo out to stop the Dragon Hunters. When she first met Viggo, he talked about fooling people, using the game Maces and Talons as an example. When Viggo told Heather he believed that Dagur, or even Ryker, were responsible for the failed plans, Heather told Hiccup and Astrid about his plan to capture a Flightmare, unaware he already knew she was the traitor.

In "Defenders of the Wing, Part 1", when she joined Hiccup and Astrid for the meeting with Viggo, she was up for taking him out there since he didn't have his men. Viggo wasn't impressed by Heather and called her a disappointing adversary.

Trivia

 * Like Heather's modern non-Norse appearance, her name is also historically incorrect. Heather is a Middle English name and it didn't exist until quite a number of years after the Viking era.
 * Heather is the first adoptive child in the franchise. (In the book series, it's Fishlegs who is the adopted descendant of the Berserkers.)
 * Due to the large amount of patches on her clothes when she's first introduced, it is possible Heather comes from a poor island. She is the only character with patched and torn clothing that is not a villain (Although she was one briefly in both Riders of Berk and Race To The Edge).
 * A piece of Heather's concept art is seen at in the end credits of Riders of Berk from "Heather Report Part I" to We Are Family, Part 2.
 * Heather is the only female Berserker ever seen until Something Rotten on Berserker Island.
 * Heather is the only original character who did not return in Dragons: Defenders of Berk. However, she returned in Race to the Edge
 * It was rumored that Heather would return in Dragons: Defenders of Berk and train a Scauldron named Spout. This was later proved to be untrue. Though this might have been an early idea for Free Scauldy.
 * Heather and Eret, Son of Eret, from How to Train Your Dragon 2, share some similarities as both characters worked for either the antagonists respectively when they met the Dragon Riders. But their allegiance to the antagonists was not out of loyalty, and both characters would join the Riders in defeating the respective antagonists. Coincidentally enough, both also have black hair.
 * In School of Dragons, she narrates the Skrill's bio at the Hatchery, instead of Gobber like the other dragons. She also says she would like to test how strong its electricity is. This could be a hint about her origins.
 * Heather is the first dragon rider not originally from Berk.
 * Heather's shoulder guards in her later appearances are similar to the ones Dagur used to wear (Dagur wears one layer on his right shoulder and four layers on his left, while Heather wears one layer on her left shoulder and three on her right).
 * Heather's return is similar to Valka's in How to Train Your Dragon 2:
 * Their first impressions indicate they might be villains.
 * Both are masked attacking raiders.
 * Both of their dragons are in the Sharp Class.
 * Heather and Astrid have a lot in common by Race to the Edge.
 * Their dragons are in the Sharp Class, before the Deadly Nadder's reclassification. They also both have specific favored food.
 * They are the only female dragon riders that have the same gender of dragons.
 * They both wear shoulder guards; Astrid's each come in five layers on both shoulders, while Heather's come in three layers on one shoulder and one layer on the other.
 * Their weapon of choice is an axe and they are able to hold their own in battle.
 * Have experienced a loss that motivated them (Heather lost her adoptive parents, Astrid lost her uncle.)
 * Each possess a memento from one of their parents. (Heather her horn and Dragon Eye lens and Astrid her old axe which belonged to her mother).
 * They are both second-in-command. Heather to her brother Dagur and Astrid to her fiancé Hiccup.
 * Heather and Hiccup have a bit in common as well
 * Their fathers were both tribal chiefs although Dagur is the heir of the Berserkers, not Heather.
 * Each possess a memento from one of their parents. (Heather her horn and Dragon Eye lens, and Hiccup his toy).
 * Heather also shares two small similarities with Gustav.
 * They pet their dragons on different sides while facing the Riders in the same direction.
 * They are also both Dreamworks Dragons original characters
 * Heather is similar to Fishlegs' book counterpart. Both were separated from their birth families, have an accessory from their parents, and have some relation to being Berserk (Heather is originally from the Berserker Tribe and Fishlegs is a Berserk from his mother's side). Both also have a family member who is or was one of Berk's greatest enemies.
 * Heather is the female equivalent of Hroar from the comic books.
 * Their first impressions indicate they might be villains. Although Hroar ends up being a real villain unlike Heather who was merely pretending.
 * Both have ulterior motives they are hiding behind the act their are putting on.
 * Both 'accidentally' end up on Berk and are secretly working for the Outcasts.
 * Even though her dragon rider avatar is aged up in School of Dragons, her alchemist one is not.
 * According to Richard Hamilton, there is a slight chance that Heather might appear in their graphic novels, which take place after the second film.
 * Heather is the first female character that wasn't written by director Dean DeBlois. The second and third being Mala and Atali respectively.
 * Unlike Mala and Atali, Heather is not the heir to the throne of her tribe despite being a former Chief's daughter. She is Dagur's second-in-command instead.